He finished wiping his hands, and his attention turned to the folder that Tess was holding.
“What’s that? More stuff for me to sign? ‘Cos I can tell ya, I can’t even count how many pieces of paper I’ve signed over the past few days.”
Tess handed it to him with a smile.
“Actually, I do need you to sign it. But it should be the last one ever, from me at least.”
He frowned in puzzlement and took it from her, then tore it open and quickly scanned the letter within. His look of confusion quickly changed to one of delight.
“So that’s it? I’m free now, completely free?”
Tess nodded, her heart swelling with pride and gladness for him.
“Yep. After the role you played in bringing the Sons to justice, it was decided that your probation could be shortened in exchange.”
She took a step towards him.
“Congratulations, Eli. I’m so happy for you.”
He was smiling broadly, the most emotional that Tess had ever seen him. In a sudden swift movement, he swept her up into his arms and lifted Tess off her feet. She let out a little cry of surprise, but then wrapped her arms and legs around him, tears rolling down her cheeks. Eli was talking now, his voice muffled.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Tess. You believed in me, you saved me. You never gave up, even when I wanted to.”
He pulled away and looked deep into her eyes.
“Apart from my Grandmother and Mike, you’re the only person who’s ever really given a damn about me. Who’s showed me that I can do better and be more than I am right now. Thank you. For everything.”
He hugged her fiercely, and Tess was acutely aware of the proximity of their bodies and the heat that came from him. She felt a twist inside her, deep down, as his strong hands held her and the hard ridges of his muscles pressed against her.
She responded to him, shifting her position just subtly, grinding her sex gently against him until she heard him take a gasp of pleasure and felt him stir and come to life between her legs. He turned and carried her over to a workbench, sweeping everything from the surface and planting her down on it, his lips pressed fiercely to hers the whole time.
After trying to deny her feelings for him for so long, after everything they had been through together, Tess’ need for Eli was fervent, feverish. His hands, rough with calluses, were everywhere at once, exploring her body; its contours, its shape. His lips were surprisingly soft and his tongue sought hers.
Tess gasped softly as his hand snaked under her blouse, caressing the sensitive skin of her belly and her lower back. His touch was like fire, leaving trails of delicious warmth in the wake of his fingertips.
Tess wrapped her legs tighter around his waist and ground herself against him, a heat rising within her, a need that could only be quenched by him. She could feel that familiar slick wetness now between her legs, that unmistakeable sensation that spoke of her desire, her lust.
Eli broke away from the kiss for just a moment, removing his top in one swift motion and casting it to one side. Tess’ eyes widened at the sight of the wicked bruising on his hard body, but he gave no sign he even felt it – his eyes were heavy with lust, his face flushed as his gaze swept over her body.
It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her like that, and it made Tess’ pulse race to see such naked, wanton desire.
She fumbled with the buttons of her blouse, eventually succeeding and tearing it open. Eli groaned to see her, and then leaned into her once more, his lips seeking and finding the soft skin of her neck. His teeth lightly grazed and nipped, teasing and playing until Tess was shaky and breathless. Each brush of his lips sent quivers all the way through her body, right to the center of her, leaving her completely at his mercy.
Tess wound her fingers lightly through his hair, soft moans coming from her lips as she continued to grind against his crotch, big and unmistakeably hard now.
His fingers snaked around and deftly unclasped her bra, and then Eli let it fall away. Tess’ breasts spilled free – she should have been feeling self-conscious, like she always was the first time she was with a man, but she didn’t. She was completely at ease with Eli, completely unashamed, completely enraptured.
His lips now found their way to her hardening nipples, and Tess sighed deeply with delight as they enveloped first one, then the other. He was still teasing, still making her wait, but it felt so damn good.
Tess spread her legs wider and leaned back a little, her hands still wound through Eli’s hair. She closed her eyes and focused completely on the sensation of his lips and his tongue; first teasing and elusive, then insistent and urgent.
Tess groaned with desire and need for him.
“Don’t make me wait any longer, Eli,” she gasped. “I want you now, I need you now.”
He looked up at her with those sincere blue eyes of his, then grinned and winked at her impishly.
“Well…I guess I do owe you one.”
She laughed breathlessly and swatted playfully at him, before he began to unbutton her pants, tugging them down along with her panties in one smooth motion. He moaned as he caught sight of how wet she was, how ready for him. Tess ran her fingers down his back as he moved close to her again and pulled her roughly into him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath – she could smell his scent; musky and earthy and masculine. She traced the ridges of musculature on his back with her fingertips, and then brought her hands down and around to find his jeans.
She unzipped them and tugged them down impatiently, opening her eyes once more to look as she pulled out his manhood. He groaned in delight as she took him into her hands – he was already rock-hard, his shaft big and hot in her hands. She caressed every inch of him, marvelling at his size and virility, eager to feel him inside her, filling her up.
Tess sat back and put her palms flat on the table, and then spread her legs wide for him, inviting him, urging him. He gripped his cock at its base, and then, the moment that Tess had been waiting for; he guided himself inside her, slowly and gently. She was so wet, so ready, that he slid right in.
A long, low moan escaped unbidden from Tess’ mouth as their bodies came together for the first time. He filled her up, he completed her, and it felt so good. She whimpered as he began to make love to her, her fingers gripping his flesh tight and spurring him on.
He put one hand on her shoulder to steady himself, and the other on her lower back to pull him into her in time with each delicious thrust.
Tess’ breath was coming in ragged gasps, punctuated with cries and moans of ecstasy as he fucked her. He was gentle at first, cautious almost, but when he saw her reaction to him, her body’s reaction to his, he threw his reservations to the wind.
Faster and faster now, their bodies moving in tandem, thrusting, coming together and then apart, lips locked, fingers scrabbling, chests heaving. Each powerful thrust sent shockwaves through Tess entire body, spreading outward from her core all the way to tingles in her fingertips. She felt more alive than she ever had, more in tune with Eli and his body than she’d ever experienced with anyone else.
His eyes locked with hers once more, and Tess found absorbed in him, completely and utterly – at that moment, nothing else existed apart from Eli and her and their lovemaking.
He lifted her off the bench effortlessly, carried her over to the bare brick wall and then pressed her up against it, covering her body with his. The wall was cool in contrast to the heat of Eli’s body, and then his lips were on her neck again, and his cock buried deep, deep inside. He ground himself against her, his hard flesh rubbing her clitoris as his hand on her ass was guiding her movements, controlling her and the tempo of their sex.
Tess’ body was electrified by him; by his lips, by his cock, by his body. Every inch of her burned with passionate desire that was building and building, a white-hot core of pure pleasure, pulsating and throbbing inside her, threatening to overtake her.
“Eli!” Tess gasped, “I c
an’t hold it back, I can’t control myself! It’s too much!”
That pulsating throbbing thing, deep down inside Tess’ core exploded, radiating outwards. Her whole body tensed up, and she cried out as her climax ripped through her in unrelenting waves of pure, pure pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his waist and held him close, tight, the walls of her pussy undulating around his shaft, gripping him tight. Tess cried and trembled with the force of her orgasm as it slowly began to end, leaving her weak and trembling and breathless.
But Eli hadn’t finished yet.
"I want to feel you finish, Eli," Tess whispered, "I want to feel it inside me."
She was so sensitive now, and he was gentle with her. Rhythmically he made love to her now, passionately, and it didn't take long. He tensed up, pressed his entire body up against hers, and then he looked deep into her eyes as he finally gave in, his manhood stiffening and pumping rhythmically. Tess sighed and quivered in delight as she felt him spurt into her, deep, deep inside. She savored every last moment until he was done, slumping forward with his head resting on her shoulder, gasping for breath.
After a short while, he set her down on the ground once more, and Tess found that her legs were weak and shaky. Eli noticed and laughed, then pulled over a bench so she could sit. He placed himself next to her, then put his arm around her and pulled her into him. Tess rested her head on his chest and let out a satiated sigh. He kissed her lightly on the top of her head, and then they sat for a while in silence. They didn’t need to speak – being together was enough, occupying this place, this moment in time, just the two of them.
“I love you, Tess Bailey.”
Eli’s voice was soft as he said it, but his words sent a jolt through Tess. She looked up at him, into his eyes, and her response felt like the most natural thing she had ever said.
“I love you too.”
*****
A little while later, the two of them sat out the front of the workshop. Tess had been due back at work a long time ago, but she didn’t care. It didn’t seem to matter anymore. Everything had changed since she’d met Eli and after what they’d been through together. She’d deal with all that tomorrow, or another day. Right now, this was where she belonged. Right here, with Eli Flint.
They each sipped from long-necked bottles of ice-cold beer, looking out into the desert beyond.
“You know, Mike’s decided to give up on this place,” Eli said, out of the blue. He laughed good-naturedly.
“After he and my grandma spent those few days together, it seems like they suddenly remembered what they liked about each other all those years ago. They’ve been talking about selling up and spending the rest of their days over in Florida, or on a cruise or something.”
Tess smiled at the thought.
“Good for them. But what about you? What’ll you do?”
“Well, I was thinking about taking this place on. Renovating it a little, bringing it up to date. I know I can make it work.”
He swallowed a mouthful of beer thoughtfully.
“How about you? Shouldn’t you be back at work by now? Won’t you get in trouble?”
Tess sighed.
“Maybe. But it’s not the same as it used to be. It doesn’t seem so important, all of a sudden. I mean, I still care about my work, still care about the people, even if they’re a pain in the ass to deal with sometimes. I just can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life than sitting in that office and wading through endless reports and paperwork and bureaucracy.”
He turned to her, his face sincere.
“Well, why don’t you just stay here with me? We can do this thing together, just the two of us. I guarantee it’ll be less paperwork.”
He smiled uncertainly. He looked almost vulnerable, and Tess knew he was serious, that he meant every word. And just like that, she knew her answer.
“Why not? Let’s do it. Just the two of us.”
Eli laughed in delight and swept her into an embrace, a fierce, loving embrace that Tess knew she would never want to leave.
Behind them the sun was setting on the horizon, reds and oranges and golds diffusing through the clouds and up into the last of the day’s light. Tess drank in the beautiful sight, and knew that this was where she belonged.
*****
THE END
Author’s Note
I hope you had as much fun reading this book as I had writing it. If you have any feedback, I would love to hear it!
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Ashley
Alexei – A Mafia Romance
By
R. E. Saxton
Amourisa Press and Kit Tunstall, writing as R.E. Saxton, reserve all rights to ALEXEI. This work may not be shared or reproduced in any fashion without permission of the publisher and/or author. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters are 18 or over if engaged in sexual activity.
© Kit Tunstall, 2015
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Blurb
Ordinary Tara Noland leads a boring existence until she sees something she was never meant to observe. Head of the Russian mafia in his city, Alexei Varnakov can’t let her go after she witnesses him murdering an underling. He should follow the code of the vory v zakone and eliminate her, but he can’t. Instead, he decides to keep the fiery redhead. It’s the only way she can stay alive, but she’s defiant and fights him at every turn. He can break his little fox with passion, but can he ever win her trust?
This is a full-length short novel of approximately 50,000 words with a happy ending and no cliffhangers.
This story contains situations some readers might find objectionable. If you don’t like darker romances, this mafia love story might not be the book for you. However, if you enjoy a possessive Alpha male engaged in a spirited battle with a defiant woman determined to resist his demands, get ready to meet “Alexei.”
Chapter One
Tara recognized the bouncer on sight. She thought his name was Reggie, but she wasn’t certain. She just knew she’d seen him several times before. He must have recognized her too, or the glower she directed his way dissuaded him from trying to stop her, because she sailed through the entrance of “Flesh” with no problem. The place was swanky and classy, at least for a skin club, though she didn’t know for sure if they all looked like this on the inside. Thankfully, “Flesh” was her sole experience with strip clubs. If she could persuade her sister to change careers, she’d have no further familiarity with such establishments.
Unfortunately, Tonya was resistant to the idea of leaving the club. She claimed she would miss her friends and the easy money, and Tonya also maintained that the atmosphere did nothing to make her want to relapse to using heroin again.
Tara wasn’t too optimistic about that, but she had been keeping a close eye on her sister for the last fifteen months, and she had not yet seen any signs of her little sister taking up that horrid habit again. That didn’t mean she should be working in a place like this, because it was only a matter of time until she fell back into that lifestyle again—at least that was Tara’s view.
She knew Tonya didn’t share it, and she imagined her little sister didn’t appreciate having Tara breathing down her neck all the time, but it was in her nature to look out for her younger sibli
ng. There were only six years separating them, but their mother had died when Tonya was just eighteen months old, and Tara had taken over a lot of her care. She felt more like a mother than a sister to the young woman, and sometimes she hated the futile position in which that left her.
If she’d actually been Tonya’s mother, there was a chance the woman would have listened to her and stopped working as an exotic dancer. She wasn’t too confident about that though. Tonya was a stubborn woman, and Tara knew that was partially her fault too. She had encouraged her sister to be independent and a freethinker without realizing how much she would hate that in later life, when she had little influence on her sibling.
She was put out to have to come back to the strip club again though. Last time Tonya had pulled a disappearing act for a few days, Tara had come searching for her every night here. Tonya had never explained what she’d been doing during that time, but she had promised it wasn’t drugs. She’d also promised there would be no more disappearing for days on end, at least not without checking in with a quick phone call at least once a day.
It was going on four days since she had seen or heard from her sister, so Tonya had lied to her. The only time her sister had ever really lied to her before had been when she was deep in her addiction, and Tara was afraid her sister had backslid. It was only concern for her sister that could bring her to this seedy place, no matter how glamorous it looked on the surface.
She didn’t know much about the owner of the club, but she knew he was probably not a legitimate businessman just from a few hints Tonya had dropped. She also knew he liked to watch, or at least watch her from the shadows. Every time she entered the place, she could feel his gaze creeping over her, though she was never quite certain from where it originated.
Bad & Bold - A 7 Book Bad Boy Romance Collection! Page 12