by MJ Masucci
In the dawning light, Ava slipped out of his arms. The heat from his body was making her sweat. She was dehydrated and needed something to quench her thirst. She padded naked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. The cold air made her nipples harden, and before she could close the door, his arms encircled her.
“You weren’t in bed when I woke up.”
“I’m parched. You drained me dry last night. I lost count how many times you made me come,” she said before she gulped half the bottle of water.
He looked at her wickedly, “Do you want to become even more dehydrated?”
His hands palmed her breasts, and she started to feel heated.
“How about I take you on the kitchen counter?” He gestured to the large dark granite island.
“It’s cold up there.”
“Yes, but you will warm quickly by the time I get done with you. I want you in every inch of this place.”
“I’ll take a raincheck on the counter but let’s keep it in mind when it warms up outside.”
He took her by the hand and led her back to his bed. Not to make love, but to sleep. He was exhausted from their activities the night before and early this morning. He stretched, and once again he curled his body around hers. He wanted her as close as he could to him without being inside her. There would be plenty of time for that.
Just before noon, Ava stretched her sore muscles under the thick quilt on Xander’s bed. He was no longer curled around her. In fact, he wasn’t even in the bedroom any longer. She looked over, and the door to the bathroom was open. She got out of bed and picked up his shirt from the pile of clothing they had dropped the night before. She always wanted to do this. She buttoned his shirt leaving the top four buttons undone so that it was open to the middle of her chest. The shirt was long and covered her to her mid thigh. The silky cloth felt good against her bare skin and added bonus, smelled like Xander.
She passed by the mirror over his dresser. Her hair had that just-fucked look. She wound it around and tucked it in so that it sat on her head in a tight bun. Then she went looking for him. She thought he would be in the kitchen, but he wasn’t. Calling for him, she found him sitting in his office with his laptop open. His eyes widened behind his thin framed glasses when she entered.
“Do you know how fucking sexy you look?”
“I saw myself in the mirror, and I think you need to get your prescription changed.”
“Nonsense. I have a good mind to take you on my desk.”
Now it was her turn to be wide-eyed. “Your desk?”
He closed the lid to his laptop and placed it on his bookcase. Then he pushed the books and papers to the floor in one sweeping motion.
“Come here,” he demanded.
She wasn’t sure if he was serious, but she liked his forcefulness. She sauntered into the room keeping just out of his reach. He stood in the same spot reaching for her, waiting for her to come close to him.
“The more you make me wait, the worse it’s going to be.”
What did he mean by that?
“I’m waiting.”
He stood there with his arms crossed. She was getting wet just from the anticipation of what he was going to do to her. Ava finally got within his reach, and he pulled her to him kissing her hard. He moved his mouth to her neck and trailed his lips down. His erection was sandwiched between them, and she moved her hand to touch him.
“No, you will not.”
“Xander, I want to touch you.”
“I told you it would be bad if you made me wait.”
She was intrigued by his dominance.
He reached up and loosened her hair, so it cascaded down her back. His hands slid under her shirt, and he cupped her breasts. He took his hands out to unbutton the shirt, so it hung open and slipped it partially off her shoulders. He sat in his chair to look at her nakedness.
“You are exquisite in any light, not just candlelight. Get on the desk and lay back.”
She did as he asked and he spread her legs open. His chair was the perfect height for him to lick her without having to get on his knees. He pushed her heels against her behind, opening her even more and he began to tease her with his tongue.
“Please, Xander.”
He knew the familiar phrase having heard it so many times. She wanted him to make her come, but he had other ideas. He gently licked her just applying enough pressure to excite her but not make her orgasm.
Ava could feel her insides flame and combust as he teased her. He was torturing her. He wouldn’t let her touch herself, even her breasts. She reached for his head, but he pulled away. She whimpered and softly moaned as he worked her with his tongue. It was maddening what he was doing, but she was beyond caring. It felt so good even if he wouldn’t make her climax.
Several minutes later he planted a kiss on her mound, and she looked up to see him releasing his erection from his boxers.
“I’m going to fuck you now. Don’t move. Do you promise?”
She wasn’t sure what to say.
“Ava? Do you promise?”
She was able to squeak, “Yes.”
He teased her by rubbing his erection against her. Then he inserted it into her opening, and she arched her back. He removed it.
“You promised you wouldn’t move. What was that?”
Ava was tiring of this game. All she wanted was him to fuck her.
“Please, Xander. I promise I won’t move.”
He again placed himself at her opening.
“Ready?”
What was she supposed to be ready for? All at once he thrust hard into her, harder than ever before. He began moving fast, and she had to grip the bottom of the desk or risk her head sliding off the end. But it felt wonderful. The soreness she felt disappeared after a few strokes, and she began to moan continuously.
“Do you know what you do to me?”
She was beginning to sweat, and so was he. She could see beads of perspiration on his bare chest and upper lip. He leaned over her and pressed his lips to hers. She fisted his hair and pulled as he pounded in and out. She could feel one of the most powerful orgasms she ever experienced take hold and tear her into a million pieces. His climax followed, and he continued to thrust into her until he was drained. He collapsed on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around him. Minutes later he rose off her and pulled her up holding her to his chest.
“Oh my, what was that? Have you been holding out on me?”
“Did you like it? I didn’t think you would like if I dominated you.”
“I did. For a minute I thought you were going to hit me.”
He looked at her with pain on his face. “I would never do that. Ever. I told you that putting my hands on a woman is not my style. Other than to make love to them.”
“Women or me?”
“Just you. You are the only one for me. I love you. Accept my marriage proposal.”
Ava let out an exasperated sigh and brushed past him. He followed her to the bathroom.
“Why are you so against marrying me?”
“I told you that we barely know each other. If it were five years ago, I would have said yes in an instant. I’m not that person anymore.”
“You are that same sweet, caring, intelligent, gorgeous creature that walked into my office and knocked me off my feet,” he insisted.
“And despite our family history, we don’t know each other very well. Why can’t you just let me have some time? I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. I want to marry you, just not tomorrow.”
“Okay, how about next week.”
She threw her hands up and went to take a shower.
Chapter 31
February twenty-fourth, the day before the bar exam and Ava felt like she had been run over by a freight train. Her throat was throbbing, and her head was pounding. Xander walked into her bedroom after his shower and noticing she was awake went to kiss her cheek. He could feel the heat emanating off her even inches from her face. He
touched her forehead, and she was burning up.
He went to the bathroom to retrieve the digital thermometer, and after some coaxing she let him insert it into her mouth. When it beeped, he checked the reading.
“Sweetheart, you have a fever. It’s one hundred one point eight.”
Ava bolted up in bed and took the thermometer from him. She felt miserable, but she didn’t believe her fever was that high. After a recheck, she got the same reading. She sank back into bed and put the covers over her. From under the covers, she moaned.
“Why is this happening now? I have to take my exam tomorrow and Wednesday. How can I feeling this way?”
“You’ll need to stay home today and sleep. Maybe you should go to the doctor? With a fever that high, you might have an infection. You have been burning the candle at both ends.”
They both had. Ever since Valentine’s Day they had sex several times a night sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. She was working full-time, studying every chance she got and under a tremendous amount of stress. It was only a matter of time before she got sick.
“I’m going to call the urgent care. Maybe we can get you in early. I can go in late.”
“You can’t do that! If I call in sick, and you go in late how is it going to look? They are going to put two and two together.”
“Calm down. I can just say I have an appointment.”
“I can go myself.”
He stared down at her.
“You can be so pig-headed. I’m taking you, and that is final. Right now I don’t care if they find out about us. You need to go to the doctor, and I’m going to take you. Now get up and get dressed.”
She reluctantly got out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats and a sweater while he typed on his phone.
“Okay, you’re checked in for eight.”
An hour and a half later they were back at her apartment. He got her back in bed and went to pick up her prescription. She had a strep infection like she did he first went to California, and he hoped that he wouldn’t get sick, too. He watched as she took the first round of antibiotics then he tucked her in bed, kissed her forehead and left for work.
By the afternoon Ava felt well enough to venture out of bed. She looked at her flash cards but trying to focus made her nauseous. She checked her phone and had several texts from Xander. He was like a mother hen. Minutes later he called her, and she let it go to voicemail. She was in no mood to listen to him. She went back to bed, and an hour later she heard the door to her apartment open and close. Seriously, he came home?
She felt the bed dip and he pulled the covers down to stroke her face. She kept her eyes closed pretending to be asleep and felt an immediate pang of guilt. He was worried about her and wanted to take care of her. She had snapped at him several times in the past few weeks. Ever since he asked her to marry him, she had been on edge. She couldn’t put her finger on what was bothering her. Maybe her attitude would change once she finished with the exam.
Ava lay in bed until the light started to fade from the room. It was growing dark outside as the time neared early evening. She pushed the covers off her and got out of bed. Her head didn’t pound as much, and the fire in her throat had subsided a little. Xander was sleeping with his head back on the chaise. He was still dressed in his work clothes, and even his tie was intact.
She knew he must be exhausted. They had been keeping each other awake getting maybe four hours of sleep per night. It was like it was in the beginning. They wanted each other all the time to the point where they had sex in the research room bathroom. She would have preferred the couch or his desk in his office but Jacob was next door, and she was afraid he would hear. It was her idea, but he didn’t put up an argument. She told him he was insatiable, but he told her the same thing.
She ran her fingers through his sandy hair. The blonde had faded, and he kept it styled short now. His eyes fluttered, and he smiled up at her.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by a car. An improvement, though, since this morning it was a freight train.”
“Did you try to study today?”
“Xander, I just told you that I felt horrible. Why would I study?” There it was; the nastiness. She just couldn’t seem to stop herself. The worst part was the hurt look on Xander’s face. Why was she being so cruel to him?
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I just thought you would want a last minute review.”
Hold your tongue, hold your tongue, she chanted in her head before she said something for which she couldn’t apologize. She just shook her head.
“Ava, did I do something wrong? I feel like anything I say makes you upset and that upsets me.”
“Can we talk about this on the weekend? Just let me get through the next two days.”
“Maybe I should go stay at my apartment. You need some space.”
Ava didn’t want that. She couldn’t stand to be away from him, but then again she sometimes felt like he was smothering her. It was a weird mix of emotions that she couldn’t reconcile.
“No, please stay. I’m sorry. I’m just nervous about the exam.”
Xander felt unwanted and that her excuse was just to placate him. He felt like leaving but what kind of person would he be to do that to her before her exam. He knew the stress it caused. Maybe she would become the old Ava after she was done.
“It’s almost time for you to take your medication.” There was the face again. I should have kept my mouth shut. He ignored it and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. She went to the bedroom and tried to study. They were two boats drifting apart.
The next morning Ava felt a little better but still miserable. She would be testing all day. Xander stayed out of her way. He let her shower and dress first. Then he got himself ready for work. Barely a word was spoken between them. He left for work first, giving her a peck on the cheek and wishing her good luck.
On the way to work, Xander’s heart was heavy. He loved her, but he didn’t want to be around the tension any longer. He was working on an important case, and he needed to keep his concentration. How could he when all he thought about was her and why their relationship was burning out.
At the entrance to the building where her exam was to be administered, Ava ran into Luca Gatto. He was also taking the exam.
“Luca, how are you?”
“I’m well but if you don’t mind me saying, you look sick.”
“I am. Just my luck for it to happen before the test.”
He put his hand on her forehead.
“You feel warm. Do you have a fever?”
“It’s not as high as yesterday, but I had no intention of missing this exam.”
“Ava, I’ve missed you. Do you want to get some lunch at the break?” He clasped her hand with his own.
“Sure, I’ll meet you here at twelve-thirty.”
As they went to their seats she thought, why did I say yes? It was obvious that he still had feelings for her. She would tell him at lunch that she had a boyfriend that she was in love with, wasn’t she?
She took her seat and got prepared for what was going to be a long three hours. Her head was hurting, but she needed to put as much effort as she could muster to take this part of the exam. After the first three hours of the exam were over she felt confident that she did well. She did not find any one part of the exam difficult but then again she still had another day and a half to go. This afternoon would be the essay part. She wanted to text Xander, but she had left her cell phone at home since it was not allowed in the testing room. She met Luca at the front of the building.
They went to a nearby café for a quick lunch and discussed parts of test they were unsure of their answers. Then Luca asked about her relationship status. She hadn’t talked to him for several weeks, and he wasn’t aware of her being back with Xander. She had told Luca about Xander during one of the times they shared his bed. She could see the disappointment on his face; it was obvious to her that he wanted more from her than to be just
friends.
As time neared for the start of the afternoon session, they went back to the exam site. She bid him farewell and went to her desk. Her head was pounding even worse than this morning, but she was going to have to deal with it until she finished.
Xander wondered how Ava was doing with the exam. He knew that she was not able to take her cell in the building with her, and he would have no contact with her until this evening. He, unfortunately, had to meet with clients and would not be home until after eight or even later. He wanted to ask her about her day and offer her some comfort.
When he did get home that night, she was asleep on top of her quilt. He pressed his cool hand to her head, and she stirred.
“Xander?”
“Yes, baby, I’m home. How was the exam today?”
“I think I did well. I still feel crappy but one more day to go.”
“Did you see anyone from your graduating class?”
“Yes, Luca was there, and we had lunch during the break.”
Xander bristled at this piece of information. She had told him that she had slept with Luca during their separation. She had said that Luca wanted more, but she couldn’t give it to him.
“Oh? What did you talk about?”
“You. He still likes me, and I told him that wasn’t a possibility.”
Inwardly, Xander breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that with the precariousness of their relationship, that any potential rival could take her away from him. He knew it was irrational, but he had his doubts.
Later that night in bed they did something they hadn’t done in several nights, spooned. He loved having her close to him again, and it made him smile in the dark. He slept better that night than he had in days.
The next morning Ava was in better spirits. She felt better, and her skin was not as pale as the previous two days. They shared the shower but didn’t have sex. It was something she was hoping they would have that evening. She would be done with the long awaited exam and able to finally relax. On Monday she was flying to Georgia to see her family for a week and much-needed rest. They kissed before she left for day two of the exam, giving Xander hope that the arguments were in the past. He would have his old Ava back after today.