Sweet Alibi

by Adriane Leigh

  Finally, she turned and caught my eyes. Her brows furrowed for a moment and her bottom lip snagged between her teeth before she glanced away. Odd reaction to seeing me. I knew we were going through some stuff and we hadn’t really spoken about Trevor and Lexi, but she looked like she was trying to hide something, which wasn’t at all like her. I waited for her on the deck, sipping my coffee, my brain running wild with the possibilities of who she could be talking to.

  Finally, she turned back to me and shoved the phone in her pocket. She took slow steps and when she finally reached me, I sat my coffee cup on the railing and pulled her into my arms.

  “Hey, there,” I mumbled, my lips pressed into the soft hair on the top of her head.

  “Hey.” She locked her hands around my waist.

  “On the phone so early?” I fingered the silky strands of her hair between my fingers.

  “Mhmm.” She nuzzled her nose into my neck and I heard her inhale deeply. She took comfort from my scent as much as I did hers. I could feel it. She always tucked her nose in my neck and inhaled. The day she stopped doing that, I would worry. It brought me comfort after the way my mind had run away with me a few minutes ago. The truth was, I was terrified she’d run back to her first love, even if he hadn’t treated her well.

  “Who was it?” I muttered as fear clenched my heart, suddenly afraid it had been Kyle.

  “No one.” She held me tighter to her lean body.

  “No one so early in the morning?”

  “No one that matters,” she mumbled and dipped her fingertips inside the waistband of my jeans.

  “Stop trying to distract me.” I grinned, thrusting my hips into her so she could see just how distracted I was.

  “You don’t need my help with that; he’s got a mind of his own.” She leaned back and a beautiful grin split across her face.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful in the morning.” I ducked my head and caught her lips with mine. I pulled away and stroked her eyebrow with the pad of my thumb. “You’d tell me if things weren’t okay, right?”

  “Of course.” She pulled away from me.

  “Because despite everything, I . . . I’m afraid . . .”

  “Afraid of what?” Her beautiful browns were locked on my own. I was suddenly uncomfortable and squirming.

  “I’m just afraid that everything with Trevor and Lexi, it could be too much,” I finished as I diverted my gaze over her head and out to the frothing waves at the shore. Charlie had found a stick and was chewing it between both his paws. I made a mental note to ask the vet about splinters in his gut or intestines or some shit. That couldn’t be good for anybody.

  “I would tell you if it was.”

  “Okay.” I wrapped my arms around her body and held her tightly to me, too afraid to let her go at this moment. I needed to feel her. Needed her scent to surround me, to comfort me.

  * * *

  “Babe, it’s that unknown number again.” I ignored the call on Georgia’s phone and the recent calls list popped up. I frowned as I looked at all the times the unknown number had called. My eyes zeroed in on the call she’d taken this morning when I’d been watching her on the beach.

  Unknown.

  She’d been talking to whoever it was. I scrolled through quickly and saw that the only time she’d spoken to the caller was this morning. That gave me some relief. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and looked up from her phone, wanting to snoop, feeling like a douche for wanting to snoop, but she’d been evasive with me this morning, and after all the upheaval lately . . .

  I went to her recent text messages and found her phone blasted with messages from the unknown number.

  “What the fuck?” I mumbled as I flipped through them quickly.

  Talk to me.

  Pick up.

  I need to talk to you.

  I’m sorry.

  I miss you.

  What. The. Fuck.

  It had to be Kyle. I knew it with every hyper-alert nerve in my body. He’d been blowing up her phone for weeks now and she’d finally answered him this morning, just a few days after Lexi had shown up on my doorstep. This wasn’t fucking good. Not fucking good at all. My heart leaped into my throat. I slammed her phone down on the kitchen counter and ran a hand over my face and through my hair. I gave an angry tug as I debated what to do.

  It wasn’t my business to be scrolling through her phone, but why the fuck had she lied? Was she still seeing him? Was she leaving me for him? Had more happened than she’d let on back in DC? I knew I had to be smart, play this stealth, beat around the bush, look for clues, but my anger surged and I knew I didn’t have the patience to be smart about anything in that moment.

  In the past, with any other fucking girl, I would have cut my losses and walked away. In fact, I wouldn’t have allowed any other girl to get this close at all and this was exactly the reason why.

  Jesus Christ, everything my dad said had been true. True love is fleeting. Women bore easily and leave quickly.

  “Fuck,” I growled as I slammed my palm on the countertop again.

  “What’s wrong?” Her singsong voice, the one that had my heart skipping beats, floated through the room as she walked in the kitchen, fresh from the shower. She was towel drying her wet ringlets, wearing a thin tank top, obviously without a bra. Wetness from her hair dampened the fabric and made the outline of her perfect pink nipples stand out. She wore a pair of baby pink lace trimmed underwear and that was it. A growl escaped my throat as my eyes darted up her body. A crooked smile lit her lips and lust burned in her eyes once she realized where my thoughts had gone. She arched a playful eyebrow and licked her lips seductively.

  “Something got your attention?” she breathed as she stepped closer. I clenched my eyes shut tightly, her citrus soap invading my senses. Fuck, I wanted to grill her for answers and plow into her, make her mine, mark her all in the same instant.

  “Who the fuck were you talking to this morning?” I whispered, anger vibrating off my body. She sucked in a sharp breath and I opened my eyes. Her gorgeous browns flickered down to the counter to her phone. Suddenly, tension filled her frame and her spine straightened. She held the towel in one hand, crossing her arms defensively. Her defensive stance would have worked too, if it wouldn’t have pushed her tits together, the fabric tightening across her nipples and making my semi-hard cock rise to full attention.

  “Clearly you’ve got an issue, so why don’t you tell me who you think it was?”

  “Kyle.” I ground the word out, hatred more than clear in my voice. She narrowed her eyes at me, but refused to answer. “Was it that fucking prick?”

  Her head tipped to the side, wet ringlets falling over her shoulder, her chocolate eyes blazing with anger. “Yes.”

  “What the fuck, Georgia?”

  “What?”

  “What do you mean what? Why didn’t you tell me he’s the one that’s been blowing up your phone, who you were talking to this morning?”

  “I said it was no one that mattered. That’s true.” An angry flush had settled high on her cheekbones. The same rosy shade that colored her breasts when she was aroused.

  “I had a right to know he’s been calling you. And fucking texting.”

  “How do you know he’s been texting? Did you look through my phone, Tristan?” She tipped her head to one side, trying to catch me in a lie.

  “Yep. I was suspicious after all these unknown calls and turns out I had a right to be.”

  “Of course you didn’t. I haven’t even talked to him before this morning.”

  “Did more happen when you went back to DC? More you didn’t tell me?”

  “You mean more than lunch and the introduction to his baby mama? No,” she spat. Georgia was fiery when she was angry, and she was also beautiful and sexy and hot as hell, and I could feel my anger evaporating, being replaced by something else, something stronger.

  Lust.

  The need to have her body. All of it. Because the thought had slammed i
nto my brain, rattling me from the sense of comfort I’d felt, just because I'd put a ring on her finger didn't mean she wouldn't leave.

  Looking at her now, standing across from me, it hit me like a ton of bricks that she could just as easily slip that ring off her finger and walk away from me. After all, she’d done it to Kyle.

  I swallowed and tried to control the emotions boiling in me. I was pretty sure my advances wouldn’t be welcome at this moment when the rage was rolling off her—after I’d just accused her of lying and cheating.

  “Uh uh. Oh no.” She backed away a few steps.

  “What?” I pitched my head to the side.

  “I know that look. I’m pissed at you, mister.”

  “What look?” The slightest smile tugged at my lips.

  “That look like you want to devour me.”

  “How astute. That’s exactly what I want to do.” I took two long strides to her and wrapped a hand around her neck, crashing her lips to mine, owning her, tasting her, devouring her. Doing exactly what I’d been fighting the last few minutes. I tugged the top of her tank top down to reveal her bare breasts, plucked a budded pink nipple between my fingers as she twisted and moaned into my mouth. Her hands wrapped my hair and her hips pressed against my own. I bent her back over the kitchen table, her body lying out before me as my lips attached to that beautiful pink bud. I sucked and pulled and tugged, causing her to writhe with pleasure.

  “I’m still mad at you,” she moaned as I thumbed her other nipple.

  “Is that why your pussy is dripping wet?” I shifted the fabric of her panties aside and dragged two fingers up her wet and swollen lips. She arched and groaned before I thrust two fingers inside her. “This is mine,” I muttered before dragging my teeth across her hardened pink nipple. I kneaded her breast with one hand, pressing and palming, digging my fingers into her soft flesh. She panted and wiggled, thrusting her hips up into my hand, riding my fingers to her orgasm.

  “This,” I hooked my fingers inside her and pulled against the swollen spot deep inside her body, “is just for me.” I tore the scrap of lace off her body and attached my lips to her throbbing clit. “Only I taste this. Only I’m inside this beautiful tight pussy. You only scream my name.” I sucked and dragged my fingers along her throbbing walls before she came undone all around my hand. The heat seeped out of her as she panted and moaned my name, one hand fisted in her hair, her lean body arched off the table, tits thrust high in the air.

  Before giving her a chance to recover, I unbuckled my belt and popped the button on my jeans, pulling them down my thighs before I slammed my aching cock into her soft body. I pumped ruthlessly, taking her, pummeling my anger into every thrust.

  “You own my fucking heart, Georgia, and I own this.” I smoothed one palm up the center of her stomach, between her breasts, my hand wrapped around her delicate neck, the pad of my thumb caressing her pulse point. “He had you once, and he fucked it up. I would never.” I thrust into her, circling my hips to hit her higher. “I would never fucking do to you what he did.” I dug my fingers into the creamy flesh of her thigh and hiked it around my waist. “Do you hear me?” I leaned over her body, my lips attaching to her neck, kissing and suckling. “I would never hurt you. And if you left . . .” My thrusts eased into a steady rhythm. My release burned low at my spine, my balls reaching an unbearable tingle. I was so fucking close to losing it, but it didn’t matter, because I’d already lost everything to her. She’d taken it, taken me completely. “If you left, it would shatter me. I wouldn’t survive it,” I murmured softly as my orgasm tore through my body, flooding my veins, from my legs straight out to my fingertips.

  “I wouldn’t survive you,” I murmured as I dropped her thigh from my waist and ran both of my fingers into her damp hair. I pulled her mouth to mine and caressed her with my lips, our tongues tangling together, dancing and caressing, smoothing and tasting.

  “I love you, Tristan. And I would never . . .” she murmured before I cut her off with another desperate kiss. Her mouth took mine before she pulled away and finished, her lips dusting against my own. “I won’t leave you.”

  I nodded and tucked my head into the crook of her shoulder. Her palms smoothed over my back, nails dragging against the cotton of my shirt and through to my skin. Every fucking moment, this girl awed me. My beautiful dark-haired beauty. And yet each time it happened, I was still shocked at the depths she owned me.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  We lay curled up on the couch, a blanket thrown over our still naked bodies.

  “Mmm,” I murmured, my arm wrapped around her torso, holding her tight to me. My tongue darted out and tasted the flesh along her neck.

  “Is that a yes?” She giggled.

  “That’s an ‘I don’t care as long as my tongue is on your body.’”

  “I like that one too,” she whispered. “But I want to tell you. I thought about telling you, but I just needed a minute to process . . .” She turned in my arms, her hand cupping my cheek.

  I pouted at the loss of contact. “’Kay, go for it, sweetheart.”

  “It was Kyle,” she started before I narrowed my eyes and groaned. I hated his fucking name rolling off her lips. “But . . .” She gave me a light tap on the cheek with a grin. “He just wanted to apologize, for everything, I guess. She’s having the baby soon.” When she said that, her eyes drifted off into space. I frowned; I knew she didn’t want his baby per se, but just the idea of him having a baby at all brought sadness to her eyes. At one time that was supposed to be her. I pushed that thought from my mind because if there was anyone’s baby she’d carry inside her body, it would be mine.

  “He wanted to know how I was. If we were okay. If you treated me well.” She looked back at me, a soft smile lighting her full lips. I rolled my eyes. Too little too fucking late, buddy.

  “What’d you tell him?”

  “That you make me come so hard I forget my own name.”

  I started coughing and my eyes bugged out as I took in the grin that had crossed her face.

  “You smart ass.” I smacked her on the bare flesh of her bottom.

  “You love my smart ass.” She wiggled underneath the blanket.

  “It’s a beautiful one,” I murmured as I smoothed my palm across her round ass cheek and dusted my fingers along the sensitive flesh between her legs.

  “Stop,” she moaned.

  “That stop sounded like a go.” I dragged my fingers through the wetness, pleased to find she wanted me again.

  “It was a stop,” she finished breathlessly before grabbing my wrist and tugging it away from her ass. “Let me finish.”

  “Only if you promise to let me finish after you finish.” I tugged at her nipple with my thumb and forefinger.

  “You’re a horny teenager. What did you do before me? Seriously? A blowup doll under the bed? Your hand?” she teased.

  “No need for blowup dolls, baby,” I grinned as her face fell. Fuck, I’d put my foot straight in my goddamned mouth. “I’m sorry,” I offered as she turned away from me.

  “It’s okay. You’ve got a past. I knew that going in.” She sucked in a sharp breath before continuing. “So he just wanted to apologize for all the cheating he’d done for all the years. Wanted to know that I was happy. He seemed . . . not happy. Remorseful, I guess,” she said thoughtfully. “His baby is due next week, so I think he’s just been thinking about a lot of stuff . . .” She trailed off, twirling a piece of the blanket between her fingers.

  “Do you want a baby?” I tugged her chin up to look me in the eyes. She stared me down, her eyes searching my face, before landing back on my gaze.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Soon?” My heart thudded in my chest. I wasn’t sure what I wanted her answer to be, but for the first time in my life, it didn’t terrify me. If she said yes, I would be okay with that.

  “Maybe,” she murmured, avoiding my gaze.

  “Okay.” It suddenly felt like a weight lifted
off my shoulders. She wasn’t going to leave me. If we were talking about having kids, she wasn’t going to leave.

  “Okay what?” She scrunched her eyebrows up in the most adorable way.

  “Okay, we can talk about it when you’re ready.”

  “Really? We’re not even married.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Well, we will be sooner rather than later if I have anything to say about it.” I pulled her chin to me and kissed her soft lips. “You’re beautiful, and I already asked you to marry me. I want to be married. I want to have babies with you. Buckets full.” My mouth curled into a lopsided grin.

  “Buckets full of babies?” She giggled and my heart lifted a little more. If I could keep her smiling and happy, I would forever count my blessings.

  “Buckets full of babies.” I nodded and kissed her lips one last time. “But until then, I plan on practicing. A lot.” I smacked her bare ass and she shrieked before darting off the couch and down the hallway. I jumped up and followed after her, because whether she knew it or not, I’d follow her. Whenever and wherever, I would always follow her.

  Fifty-Nine

  Tristan

  “Hey, baby.” I wrapped her in my arms when she curled up into my lap on the porch. She laid her head on my shoulder and inhaled deeply. She dusted her nose across my sensitive flesh; she was taking me in, scenting me, and it turned me on more than she could ever imagine. “Everything okay?” I tugged on her ponytail to make eye contact with her. Her brows were knit together, her eyes downcast as if she felt guilty about something. “I told you, I’m not mad about the Kyle thing.” I rubbed my thumbs along her neck, easing her tense shoulders. It'd been a few days since the phone call she'd taken from Kyle and I was well past it. We were taking the obstacles on the road to our happily every after one bump at a time.