Shuffling a stack of papers around his desk for no reason, he eventually gave up with a huff and stopped trying so hard to find busywork so he didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to remember the uncomfortable confrontation from yesterday with Stephanie and the way she’d told him in no uncertain terms to fuck off and that she’d had enough of his shit.
The itchy awareness that he’d earned her irritation didn’t help. What in the hell was wrong with him? From the very start, he’d been pissing and moaning about his perceived notions that Stephanie Bennett was a high-maintenance control freak with the substance and backbone of a dress up doll. Barbie she was not and yet still, he’d managed to taunt and belittle her at every turn.
Except for when they kissed. That had been pure desire and emotion. He wasn’t one of those men who woke up in the morning and thought, I want to fuck, and then did. His marriage might have been a bust, but he still preferred at least a quasi-relationship to a datebook full of random hook-ups and one night romps.
So what in the hell had made him act like a cocky asshole around the first woman who had tempted him without trying in God only knows how long—maybe even never. She hadn’t asked for his self-righteous nonsense. Hadn’t sought him out. Nope. That was all him and look where it got them. Nowhere.
Coming to Arizona had been a good move. He adored Alex and was more than happy to help. It was family and nothing came before that in his book. The last fucking thing he expected from his time here was to encounter a woman his age who got his blood pumping.
He had to set things right between them, but before that was possible, he really needed to get his head straight. There was no moving forward until he understood why he’d acted so out-of-character. For now, at least, it was best just to leave things as they were—he didn’t want to make it any worse.
The sexy, blond beauty queen who sat a horse like an Olympian and had the amazing good sense not to put up with his condescending prick behavior was under his skin—there was no getting away from that. But before he could actively pursue her—which was what he really wanted to do—Calder had to do a bit of soul searching to better understand his part in what had turned into a holy mess.
THE DAY HAD GONE FROM crap to shit the minute Cam’s eyes opened. After flying into Chicago the night before, he’d had more on his plate than a starving man at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
A couple of stitches in his forehead turned out to be the least of his worries. Drae’s cracked and bruised ribs plus what the EMTs insisted was a concussion only made his partner an even bigger surly motherfucker than usual. They were both furious at Majid and madder than fucking hell that they’d walked into a muscled-up beat down all because the stupid kid had gone off the rails.
For security reasons, they’d refused to allow the college students to return to their dorm, and arranged separate rooms for the kid and his girlfriend at the hotel with Drae pithily pointing out to a sulking Majid that once his royal father appeared, all hell would certainly break lose if he found his son openly sleeping with an American coed. The fucker was in enough trouble without adding insult to injury.
Then, while his head was thumping, he’d had his hands full convincing Drae not to phone Tori last night telling him to text instead. She’d freak the hell out the second she learned her husband had been injured. No use in adding to her stress level. By cutting him off from his wife, all that had done was make Draegyn a complete cocksucker.
On the one hand, it made Cam breathe a sigh of relief at the blatant reminder that his brother really couldn’t live without his feisty firecracker of a mate. On the other hand, it also meant he had to deal with the man’s snarling, pathetic, whiney ass.
Lacey had been calm when they talked, but he knew she wasn’t pleased. He hated being away from her and Dylan. She needed him, even though she tried to pretend everything was fine and dandy. Imagining her at home alone, in the big bed they shared, had kept him awake most of the night. His Ponytail was a strong woman. Turned out he was the pussy. Being away from his wife and son was proving to be an obstacle he couldn’t master.
After a restless, uncomfortable night, Sharif and his entourage had arrived this morning at the ass crack of dawn and then the fun really got underway. Not one to be told to wait, the King immediately laid down a parental bitch slap on his son while Drae attempted rather lamely to act as an intermediary.
In the end, the father inside the King had caved, probably from relief that his youngest offspring wasn’t permanently harmed, and agreed to allow him to complete his sophomore year in Chicago. But concern that his identity had been jeopardized and possible retribution from the bookies meant a full, round-the-clock security detail had to be assigned to protect him.
As for what happened with the girlfriend, Cam didn’t give a shit. He just wanted to pack up, grab Drae, and get the fuck back home. And then the other shoe dropped. Sawyer called to let him know that a weather situation bearing down on Chi-Town was going to prevent them from being airborne for at least twenty-four hours. They were stuck and absolutely nothing could be done about it.
There was also something Sawyer wasn’t telling him, which only made Cam’s mood darker. He still hadn’t told Drae they were staying put for another night. After meeting with Sharif, Cam had forced his brother to rest and ice up his ribs, leaving Cam alone to pace his room waiting for Sawyer to arrive and tell him what was really going on. If there was trouble with the plane, Cam knew he’d probably lose his shit.
“YOU DON’T LOOK VERY HAPPY. What’s wrong?” Meghan asked when Alex stormed into the kitchen where she was working off a long list of things to do in preparation for Thanksgiving. He wasn’t smiling and was clearly distracted.
She watched him give Carmen a look that got her up and scurrying away in record time, making Meghan raise an eyebrow. Oh boy. Not good.
“You,” he growled once they were alone. “Upstairs. Now.”
That tone. Oh Lord. What in the hell?
“Uh, am I in trouble?” She jumped up from her chair and pushed some errant hair behind and ear.
This was way more than lord-and-master stuff. He was angry or worried or both. Every nerve ending in her body shifted to high alert. Excitement tingled in her core. She liked Alex’s inner beast—especially when it was intent on staking its claim. On her. She shivered.
“Trouble? Depends on what you mean by trouble,” he said as he reached out and grabbed her wrist. “You might have trouble walking later, if that’s what you mean.”
He began stalking with her in tow in the direction of the staircase. Meghan actually scurried to keep up with him. There was something awfully hot about being dragged along while he stormed up the steps two at a time.
At their bedroom, he flung the door open and swung her inside, letting go of her wrist as she stumbled and turned to watch him. Slamming the door, he moved toward her, his hands unbuttoning his shirt. Holy shit.
Meghan didn’t think, didn’t pause. His need was reaching out to her across the space that separated them. She immediately went to him and pushed his hands aside saying, “Let me do that.”
He grabbed her wrists in a death grip and pulled them away. “Meghan,” he growled. His jaw was clenched, mouth in a grim, taut line.
“I know,” she husked.
“Do you,” he replied.
Searching his face, she saw anger and conflict. Whatever it was, he was struggling.
She only needed to know one thing. “Is everything alright,” she murmured, her wrists still held, power radiating off his body.
“No,” he barked, his face marked with a fierce scowl. Almost as an afterthought, he muttered darkly, “Yes, yes.” Nodding slightly to let her know she needn’t worry—not about anyone or anything but him. “You know I love you, right?”
She smiled. “Let me guess,” she purred. “You’re about to act like you don’t.”
His eyes glittered and she saw determination etched on his face.
“I need you.”
&n
bsp; “Oh baby,” she whispered, leaning close. “Whatever you want.”
A long moment of silence passed between them. Her hands were going numb from his grip, but she stood firm. This giant of a man was hers. Everything she had, everything she was—it all belonged to him. Body, heart, soul.
“Yours,” she reminded him.
Some of the tension left his body. The grip he had on her wrists relaxed.
“Mine,” he growled.
“Always,” she answered.
He dropped her wrists and stepped back. “There’s not going to be anything gentle or…loving about this.” His tone was direct. Unapologetic. Fierce.
Looking him straight in the eye so he knew she understood, Meghan replied softly, “I didn’t think there would be.”
Reaching out, he fisted his hand in her auburn curls and yanked hard, forcing her head back and exposing her neck. He was on her before she could draw a breath, gasping as he bit hard. Her magnificent beast was marking what was his. Heat flared, her body trembled, and she felt moisture flood her panties.
Dragging her by the hair, Alex hauled her into the middle of the room, stopped and whirled her toward him. Satisfied she was where he wanted her, he reached with both hands, grabbed the collar of her dress and tore it open straight to her waist. The sound of the material ripping and the heaviness of his breathing invaded her senses. Mother of God. He wasn’t fucking around.
“Take it off,” he demanded.
Oh Jesus, no problem, she thought as she hurriedly slid what was left of the simple linen sheath to the floor. She rarely wore jeans knowing that her Major preferred to enjoy her curves in more feminine attire. Judging by the lusty look on his face, that was exactly what he was doing.
Standing proudly before him in a sexy push-up bra covered in delicate lace that made her already ample breasts look even more impressive, she watched his eyes drink her in. The ridiculously tiny pair of white silk panties with a small bow in the middle of the elastic band held his attention.
“You look so innocent in white,” he murmured thickly, his eyes blazing. “But we both know you’re the furthest thing from an angel, hmmmm?”
It was hard to stand still as a primitive drumbeat began pounding in her senses. Every place his eyes landed, her skin tingled and pulsed. She lived for this shit. The wild, scorching heat they made together was filling the room.
“Turn around.”
He let her stand there for a moment, unsure what was coming next, then she felt a big hand caress her ass. When she whimpered, he drew back and slapped her hard, making Meghan jump. Spanking her was something he was damn good at. At the oddest times and for the most random of reasons he had taken to hauling her over his knees and pinking her butt until she squirmed, moaned, and pleaded for more.
He moved in close until she felt his body crowding her from behind. “Mine,” he groaned. Oh God. She was starting to grasp where this was going.
His sure fingers deftly unsnapped the bra and let it fall away, coming from behind to cup her large breasts. With trembling hands, she tried to reach back and grab his thighs but he growled, “No hands, Meghan. You’ll give, but ask for nothing.”
She had to bit her lip as he pinched her nipples and rolled them between his fingertips, stopping occasionally to massage her quivering flesh. His hot breath tickled her neck, making her whimper softly. It was torture to do nothing especially when she hungered for his body.
“Tell me woman,” he murmured as he licked the spot on her neck where he’d marked her. “Do you want me to fuck you?”
Ah. He was testing her. “Whatever you want, baby,” she answered breathlessly. Of course, that was what she wanted, but she’d already told him whatever he wanted.
This was something she understood about her man. Sometimes, when the demons were edging his soul, he needed to use her body to deal with the overwhelming emotions that threatened to drag him under. Whatever instigated this encounter must have caused him pain, maybe regret, probably anger, too. Until he slaked the voracious forces battering him, she would do whatever it took to satisfy his need.
One hand remained at her breasts, going back and forth using his fingers to shape the sensitive mounds, bringing them out to the tips with strong tugs that made her knees shake. The other hand moved slowly down the center of her torso and into her panties. She was oozing and slippery when he thrust two fingers deep.
“Mine,” he growled again as his lips sucked her earlobe into his mouth.
Fuuuuuuck, he was killing her. She wanted to squirm her ass, absorb the feel of his powerful erection, the one pressing into her from behind and revel in the sensation of his fingers buried inside her. But she couldn’t. Not unless he commanded her to.
“Do you like these panties,” he asked. His tone sounded so calm and gentlemanly. The complete opposite of the way he was behaving. Damn, he was good.
“Everything I wear is for you,” she husked.
Alex chuckled, only it sounded slightly ominous and very, very lustful. “Good answer, sweetheart. I’ll let you keep them for now but when I’m ready, they’ll be in shreds.”
Meghan moaned as a bolt of sexual lightening shot from her head into her feet. He meant to conquer her.
“I’m going to suck on your nipples now but you don’t have permission to come.”
She whimpered. They both knew how turned on she got when he used his mouth on her tits. Discovering he could make her come that way, Alex had declared it one of his many superpowers and used it mercilessly when the mood struck him.
Removing his fingers from her body, she turned slowly on unsteady legs and was mesmerized when he quite deliberately put the fingers covered in her response into his mouth. His eyes never left hers, his expression fiery and intense. Licking them clean, he smirked. “Jealous?” he taunted.
And then he stooped low and suckled one distended throbbing nipple with just his lips, so strongly that fireworks went off in her head. She was shaking uncontrollably as he tended to both aching breasts, her hands clenched in fists at her sides, desperately trying to stay standing and not fall apart.
When both nipples were red and swollen, he stopped, looked at his handiwork and growled, “Mine.”
He left her standing there, in the middle of the room as he went and grabbed a soft throw from the foot of the bed. She knew damn well what was coming next. Folding it just so, he placed it on the floor at her feet then said, “Undress me, and be quick about it.”
She made fast work of removing the half-buttoned shirt, tossing it aside while he watched with shuttered eyes. Next, she moved to unbuckle his belt. There was something about feeling the heavy leather with her fingers that always turned her to jelly. Somehow in her mind, that belt was a symbol of his power, manly—just like him. Unyielding when need be.
When it came time to pull on his zipper, she sank to her knees onto the soft blanket and began. This was like a ritual. Lowering the zipper slowly, putting her hands inside the two sides of his slacks and carefully sliding the material over his firm haunches, mindful of the obvious bulge in the low-profile briefs he preferred.
As always, whenever she caught side of the patchwork of scars evident along his left side, her eyes flew to his, this time silently begging permission. He knew what she was asking and after the slightest pause, nodded slightly.
This might be about his pleasure, but he knew that those scars were something she considered most sacred. They were a physical reminder of something that would always signify what had brought them together and the losses each of them suffered on that day so long ago.
With heartfelt reverence, she put her lips on the trail of scars, anointing his skin with kisses and strokes of her tongue while at the same time, slipping her hands into his briefs, moving them down at a relaxed pace until she’d worshipped every inch of his left side with her mouth and the black cotton lay at his feet.
Kicking the briefs aside, he stroked his engorged cock while Meghan sat back on her feet and watched, casting t
he occasional adoring glance at his face. She wondered if he knew that there were very few things hotter or sexier than watching him handle his manhood.
“Suck,” he demanded.
Licking her lips, she ran her hands up the outside of his legs from calves to thighs then brought them together to hold his turgid flesh for her mouth to savor.
Running her tongue along the underside from base to tip, Meghan used her eyes to praise his magnificence. She fucking loved taking him in her mouth. There was something so sinfully hot and sexy about having him looming over her, his hairy chest and legs and his spectacular manhood, a feast of tactile and oral delights.
“Don’t be timid, woman. Suck me like you mean it,” he demanded. His chiseled cheekbones wore a deepening blush of arousal that turned her insides to mush. She wanted to titillate and tease him with tongue strokes and kisses that would enflame his senses, but this wasn’t about what she wanted. Alex needed her to let the inner wanton out so that was exactly what she did.
Instead of slow strokes and lusty caresses, she went for voracious and hungry, opening wide and inviting his hardened staff to slide along her tongue and edge the back of her mouth.
Before long, his hand was in her hair, fisting the long curls until she almost cried out as his hips flexed and his cock pounded her mouth without mercy. She was prepared for him to come in her throat, felt his approaching orgasm in the way his body stiffened, but he had apparently other things on his mind.
Pushing away, he bent low and forced her to surrender to an incendiary kiss Yanking on her hair, she was completely under his power and loving every minute of it.
Always (Family Justice Book 1) Page 21