by E. L. Todd
Chapter Eight
Lexie
Conrad wanted me to stay with him for the entire week, and I acted like I wasn’t excited about it. In reality, I was. The idea of being with him every day for seven days straight sounded wonderful. Whenever I slept alone in my apartment, I didn’t sleep as well. I needed my strong man beside me to keep me warm all through the night.
I set my bags down then put my make up and hair products in his bathroom.
“I made room in the closet for you.” He was lying on the bed with his arms behind his head.
“How thoughtful of you…” I opened it and saw that half of it was empty.
“And this entire nightstand is yours.” He opened the top drawer to show me it was empty.
“You didn’t have to do that just for a week.”
He shrugged. “You can leave stuff here so you can come and go as you please…like some panties.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a pervert.”
“What?” he asked innocently. “Jerking off to my girlfriend’s panties makes me a pervert?”
“That’s the exact definition, actually.”
He grinned like an idiot. “Then I’ll take that label in stride.”
I was about to roll my eyes again when he snatched me by the wrist.
“Someone wants to get spanked.”
I twisted from his grasp. “Like you could catch me.”
He moved quickly then grabbed me by the waist. He threw me down on the bed with my stomach pressed to the mattress. He managed to hold me down with just one arm and one leg. His free hands moved up my leg until he pulled my dress up and exposed my ass in my thong. “Well, that was easy.”
I fought his hold but it was no use.
He rubbed my ass with his palm. “I told you I would have to spank you.”
“Oh no…”
He rubbed it softly before he gave it a playful slap. The contact was brief and didn’t sting.
“That’s all you got?”
He smacked it a little harder, but the movement was still half-assed.
“That’s all the force my big man can pack?”
He leaned down and pressed a wet kiss to my cheek. “I’ll save my strength protecting you, not hurting you.” He released his hold and kissed my other cheek, his hand gripping the other one at the same time.
Heat flushed through my body at his touch.
He moved up my back and kissed me the entire way. When he reached the back of my neck, he trailed kisses into my hairline. The intimate touch made my hair stand on end.
Conrad turned me over with a single arm then positioned me underneath him. The heated look he gave me made me want to squirm underneath him. There was so much love and possession in the gaze. Keeping his eyes locked to mine, his hand moved under my dress and he pulled my panties down. Then he pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans. I was still the subject of his gaze, and seeing the confidence in his look just made the area between my legs burn.
Once he was free of clothing, he moved between my legs and fisted my hair with one hand. He conquered me like he had a million times, but I loved being the one who was forced to submit.
Conrad brushed his lips past mine, teasing me. Then he kissed the corner of my mouth while his fingers played with me down below. He immediately felt the moisture at my opening, and I was a little embarrassed that it was so easy for him to turn me on. Did I have the same affect on him?
He grabbed a pillow then shoved it under my hips, making my waist higher up then it normally was. His cock found my entrance easily and slipped inside with hardly any friction because I was so wet.
The second I felt him my hands clung to his arms and I dug my nails into his skin. “Con…” My hips were tilted and I felt fuller than usual. He felt deeper and thicker.
“Baby.” He looked into my eyes as he began to move. He never took his gaze off mine. Persistent eye contact during sex made me uncomfortable, but Conrad managed to make it sexy. The windows to our souls were combined, and the connection couldn’t be severed because we both refused to wink. “You’re my whole world, you know that?”
I nodded slightly because my voice was gone.
She kissed me slowly and breathed into my mouth. Then he moved his gaze back to mine. “I love you so fucking much.”
I held him closer to me and wrapped my legs around his waist. “I fucking love you more.”
***
I brushed my teeth over the sink, and Conrad stood over his at the other side of the counter and did the same. He was shirtless and just stood in his boxers. He was the prime example of a perfect man. He had powerful shoulders, a strong chest, and a stomach that was stronger than both of my legs combined.
He watched me in the mirror, smirking slightly even though he was still brushing.
I caught his gaze then quickly looked away.
He kept staring at me.
“What?” I said with a mouth full of toothpaste.
He leaned over the sink then spit. “You look hot when you brush your teeth.”
I cringed then spit. “How is that possible?”
He shrugged then shoved his toothbrush back into his mouth. “You tell me.”
I rinsed my toothbrush then poured mouthwash into my mouth. After I swished it around, I spit. “You look hot when you do anything—especially when you don’t wear a shirt.”
“Even when I make a pie?” He washed his face then dried it with a towel.
“Especially when you make a pie.”
He smirked as he looked at me in the mirror. Then he came up behind me and smacked my ass. “I’ve got to get dressed.” He walked out and disappeared from the view of the mirror.
I could do this every day.
After I did my hair and make up and got ready, we headed to the front door together.
Conrad opened a drawer at the table near the door and grabbed a key. Then he handed it to me. “Here’s a key to my place. Come and go as you please.”
I held it and felt my heart skip a beat. “What?”
“Since you’re staying here for the week. Hold onto it.”
“Oh…” I stared at the key for a long time before I pocketed it. “Thanks.”
He gave me a quick kiss before he walked out. “Now let’s hit the road. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get to come back here.”
“Good point.”
***
“Lexie, there’s a man here to see you.” My secretary’s voice came over the intercom.
I hit the button. “Who is it?” I hoped it was Conrad. He could come to my office and bend me over my desk whenever he wanted.
“Mike Preston.”
“Oh…” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I loved Conrad’s father, but I also preferred Conrad in any situation. “Send him in.”
“Of course.”
I waited at my desk until the door opened.
Mike walked inside, wearing a black suit and looking so much like Conrad it was a little frightening. They both had the same facial structure, and their body types were similar. They were both thick and strong, the kind of look you would shy away from in a dark alley. Their eyes were blue, but they weren’t bright. They always took on a darker shade. It was another thing they shared. If Conrad looked like this when he aged, I’d be a very happy woman. “Hello, Lexie.” He hugged me then kissed my cheek. “How are you?”
“Good. What brings you here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought we would get lunch, if you have time of course.”
“I always have the time to eat.” I grabbed my purse and hit the intercom on my desk. “Lucy, I’m out to lunch. Hold all my calls.”
Her voice sounded over the intercom. “Of course, Lexie.”
“So, where did you want to go?”
“Thai?”
“That sounds good to me.”
***
We ordered our food then handed the menus over
. Mike sat across from me, and his large shoulders extended past the chair. It looked like it was too small for him and could break under his mass of pure muscle.
“Why didn’t Conrad come?”
He kept a straight face. “I didn’t invite him.”
“And why is that?” I sipped my tea.
“I see him all day, every day. I get sick of him after a while.”
I never get sick of him. “He’ll be mad when he finds out about this.”
“Like I give a damn.” He rested one hand on the table. “He’s always throwing a fit about something.” He always teased Conrad for things, but he made it clear how fond he was of him at the same time. It was an unusual relationship. “How are you?”
“Good.” Staying with Conrad for the week was a dream. I loved sleeping with him every night and waking up to his beautiful face in the morning.
He stared at me like he didn’t believe me.
What did I say?
He rubbed his chin before he returned his hand to the table. “Forgive me, but Conrad mentioned the news of your parents…”
Just when I stopped thinking about it, it came up again. “Yeah, it’s unfortunate.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I’m always here to talk if Conrad isn’t good enough.”
Mike was always sweet to me. He accepted me into their family the moment we met. Cassandra was the same way. He looked after me like I was his own daughter. His entire family welcomed me without any prerequisites. Even though my profession was a little odd, they still showed me the same respect and didn’t think less of me. “I’m okay. Seeing my mom alone hurts the most. I’ve lost all respect for my father. In fact, I don’t see him as my dad anymore.” I kept the emotion out of my voice since we were in public.
“I can imagine…”
I stared at my hands on the table because I didn’t know what else to say.
“My parents got divorced.”
They did? I thought they were still together.
“They got remarried,” he explained when he saw the look of confusion on my face.
“Oh…that sounds like an interesting story.”
“My mom lost her way. She became judgmental, rude, and unpleasant. She was particularly mean to Scarlet and Cassandra. My dad became fed up with it and left her.”
“Wow…”
“Later we learned she had a brain tumor.”
“Oh my god,” I blurted.
“It had a part in her chemical balance and was responsible for her harsh attitude. When my dad realized this, he came back to her. Together, they got through it. She had surgery and it was very successful.”
“I’m glad everything worked out.”
“Me too,” he said. “Anyway, when my parents decided to walk away from each other it was hard. I was a grown man and it was still painful. It was hard on my brother too. My point is, I do understand what it’s like.”
I nodded even though I didn’t totally agree with that. My dad was a sleazebag and left my mom high and dry. Maybe Mom could forgive him but I never could. It didn’t matter if Dad and I shared the same blood. I didn’t associate with people like that.
“Things will get better,” he said. “Just be patient.”
“I hope my mom finds someone else and falls in love. But I don’t think that will ever happen. My mom loves my dad so much, even now. And I don’t think that will ever change.”
He gave me a look full of pity.
“My dad’s bimbo will leave him high and dry down the road. Maybe then he’ll realize how stupid he is and go back to my mom. But I sincerely hope my mom never takes him back. She deserves someone better than that.”
Mike clearly didn’t know what to say because he just stared at me.
“Once a cheater, always a cheater. That’s my saying.”
Mike shrugged. “I don’t think that’s always true, but it’s true most of the time.”
His words made me think of Jared. When he apologized, he seemed sincere. But how would I ever trust someone like that again? How could my mom trust my dad ever again?
“Conrad is nothing like that. I hope you understand that.”
Those words came out of nowhere and I wasn’t sure why he said them. “I know.”
Mike nodded in approval. “Sometimes when we experience someone else’s heartache we become paranoid about our own. I just wanted to make sure that you knew my son would never hurt you.”
I was surprised Mike was sticking his nose in our relationship like this. “Conrad wouldn’t be happy if he knew what we were discussing.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Mike admitted. “But he wouldn’t be surprised either.”
I loved Conrad’s father but I couldn’t tell him the truth of my relationship with Conrad. We were happy with what we had even though we knew it wouldn’t last forever. Marriage and kids weren’t a possibility, but we clung to each other in the present and tried to get the most out of it. Either I would leave him for someone new or he would do the same to me. It was only a matter of time. But I wasn’t going to sit here and demolish Mike’s dream to see us get married.
***
I used Conrad’s key to get inside.
“There’s my lady.” Conrad rose from the couch and gave me a hard kiss.
“Hey.” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when he greeted me this way.
“How’s my girl?” He moved his hand under my chin and tilted my face toward him. He stared at my lips like he wanted to kiss me again.
I thought of my afternoon with Mike. I knew it would piss off Conrad if he knew his father sought me out to check on me. Conrad was particularly possessive of me, and I knew he would be irritated if his father stuck his nose in his business. His father’s intention came from a good place, so I didn’t want to make things awkward between them. “Good. How are you?”
“I’ve been amazing since you walked through the door.”
Chapter Nine
Theo
Conrad and I headed to the sports bar and watched the game. Our beers sat in front of us, and we downed them like water. Conrad and I had a bet going. It’s what we usually did when we watched sports together. It made it competitive and interesting.
“How’s Lexie doing?” I asked as I kept my eyes glued to the screen.
“A lot better.” He took a long drink of his beer. “She’s still hurting over everything but she’s in a much better place. We went to her mother’s house and made pies together.”
My eyes darted to his face. “You did what?”
“It’s not as lame as it sounds,” he said immediately. “It was a family activity.”
“It’s cool to eat the pie. Not make it.”
“Shut the hell up,” he barked. “You did fruity things with Alex all the time.”
“I can honestly say I never made a pie with her.”
“Anyway.” He released an irritated sigh. “Lexie is doing better. She pushed me away for a while but I finally got her to knock it off.”
“Is her parents separation really that upsetting?” I wouldn’t want my parents to divorce but it wouldn’t push me over the edge if they did.
“It’s more complicated than that. Her ex-husband cheated on her. That’s why she got divorced. Then her dad did the same thing to her mom…it’s a combination of both things.”
“Oh, I guess I understand your point.”
“But she’s moving past it and she and I are back to where we were. I was turning into her fuck buddy again but I put a stop to it.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Why would you want to put a stop to it?”
“Because it was like I wasn’t even there. I felt like some random guy she found in a bar.”
I drank my beer then set it on the coaster. “Well, I’m glad everything worked out.”
“Me too.” His eyes moved to the TV behind me.
I knew I shouldn’t tease him but I was going to do it anyway. “So…still thinking about making her your wife?”
&nb
sp; Conrad blurted things out without realizing it. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and I could tell Lexie was the right woman for him. “Like I would tell you.”
“Come on, I really want to know.”
He studied my face and searched for a hint of a joke.
I stared at him blankly.
“I’ve been thinking about it…”
Oh shit. “Really?”
He nodded. “I was really considering it before her parents got a divorce.”
“Wow, this is huge.” I knew Conrad loved her but I didn’t know he was thinking about taking the next step so soon. I thought he would wait at least another year. “So, now it’s off the table?”
“No…but I need to wait awhile before I ask.”
“Because…?”
“I just want to make sure she’s over it before we take the next step in our lives. When I was alone with her mom, she practically told me to propose. Apparently, she thinks I’m the right man for her.”
“You are,” I said without hesitation. “And she’s the right woman for you.”
Now that he knew I wasn’t going to tease him, he opened up to me. “I love having her around. I want her to live with me. I want to share my life with her. When I come home from work and she has dinner on the table…I realize I want that every night of my life. I don’t want to lose her and start over. She’s it…”
I grinned. “I’m happy for you, man.”
“Thanks…” He cleared his throat like he was uncomfortable. “I’m just waiting for the right time and I’m not sure when that’ll be. Maybe when her mom starts dating again.”
“I think a few months is appropriate. Don’t wait longer than that. It might take her mom years before she starts seeing someone.”
He nodded. “True.”
“And Lexie is a smart girl. She knows she can’t let her parents divorce affect her entire life.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So…do you have a ring?”
His cheeks tinted slightly. “I do.”
Shit just got real. “Are you serious?”
He nodded.
“Can I see it?”
“I don’t carry it on me,” he snapped. “You think I’m an idiot?”
“You have a picture?”
“Actually, I do.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket then pushed it across the table toward me.