by Sarah Curtis
"Oh, God, Alec." Her ass pushed back against the thrust of his cock, and he picked up the pace.
Her little mews and moans were pushing him over the edge, and he wasn't sure how much longer he would last. "Come on, baby, find it for me."
He slammed into her harder, making her cry out. "Oh, God, I'm almost there. Don't stop. Please, don't stop."
Oh, he had no intention of stopping until he felt her pussy milk every last drop of cum from his body.
"Alec!"
That's the sound he wanted to hear. He felt her walls spasm and with a few last deep strokes, he followed her over the edge.
* * * * *
"I want you to move in with me."
River lay contently snuggled against Alec with her head resting on his chest, until his startling words broke the peaceful silence of the room. She sat up so fast, her head knocked the bottom of his jaw. She winced at the sound of clacking teeth but was too surprised by his announcement to ask whether she'd caused any serious damage. "What?"
Rubbing his injury, he sat up, scooting to lean back against the headboard. "I want you to move in with me," he repeated as if she hadn't heard him the first time.
Oh, she'd heard.
Loud and clear.
She just didn't have a defense. Because in all honesty, what he'd said made perfect sense and would make her life so much easier. For the past three weeks, while Alec did occasionally stay at her place, she'd mostly stayed at his. And she had to admit, lugging her stuff to and fro was growing mildly tiresome.
While she'd found it a bit strange at first, living in the penthouse of one of the most prestigious hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, over time, she'd gotten used to it. And seriously, who could knock daily maid service.
Another plus, his place was closer to her office. That equaled an extra half-hour of sleep in the morning or sometimes an extra half-hour in bed but not necessarily sleeping. Win-win either way.
Although all the points she'd listed were valid, she still felt the need to argue. "Don't you think it's too soon to take such a huge step?"
"No."
Again with the one-word answers. God, he was exasperating.
Probably noticing she was about to call him out, he added, "Look, you're practically here every night anyway, there wouldn't be much difference.
True, but... "There's a difference between staying here and staying here."
That made him laugh. "What?"
"If this doesn't work out, where does that leave me? Sure, I spend most of my time here, but I still have a place to call home." She was on a roll and didn't take heed of the dark glint that entered his eyes or the tensing of his jaw. "What if you grow bored or meet someone else? Where would that leave me?" She didn't give him a chance to answer but answered for him. "I'll tell you where. Stuck."
He was on her in a flash, throwing her down, her back to the bed, his body on top of hers, encasing it. "What are you–"
His hand covered her mouth, stopping her words. "I think it's only fair I get to address all your arguments, don't you?"
River's heart rate increased at the severity of his tone, and she realized, too late, how angry he was. She nodded as best she could with the limited mobility he afforded her.
"Good." He removed his hand from her mouth to cradle her jaw, looking directly into her eyes. "Not sure what you think we've been doing the last few weeks, but I can tell you what we haven't been doing. We haven't been fucking around. This thing between you and me, it's real. What that means? No other woman is going to catch my eye because it, amongst other things, has already been caught.
"I'm not gonna get bored because even though you show me something new about yourself every day, the things I already know, I love. So that tells me even when I learn all there is to know about you, you're the person I'm gonna want around me forever.
"So, no. No, I don't think it's too soon. If I had it my way, not only would you be moved in already, but you'd have my ring around your finger, too."
What he'd just said scared her so much, she thought it best to avoid it and blurted the first thing that popped into her head. "What things?" He looked confused so she elaborated. "You said, I caught your eye amongst other things."
He smiled and his thumb traced over her lips before he said something that scared her even more. "My heart, sweetheart. You captured my heart."
Her heart started pounding. She felt herself slipping, having fallen over the cliff where she was left grasping and clutching at the ledge, desperate to hang on. Her feet were kicking at air, not finding purchase as she fought the battle not to fall.
She was scared of the drop.
The free fall down.
Scared of the unknown obstacles that lie in her path, and the darkened abyss hiding whether her landing would be a soft or a hard one. Was she fighting a losing battle? Should she just let go? Enjoy and embrace the stomach-dropping plummet and hope like hell Alec was waiting for her at the bottom with open arms willing to catch her?
Love.
He'd just basically admitted to it. And God save her, she was feeling it, too.
"Now," Alec said, sounding a bit impatient. "I'll ask once more, and this time I want an answer. Will you move in with me?"
She thought it best not to mention that technically it was the first time he was asking. Instead, she thought about what he was asking and the impact it would have on her life. "What happens when you travel?"
"This will be your home. My traveling won't change that fact. And if you don't like living here and want something more permanent, we can look for a house." He gave her a mischievous smile. "Maybe something with extra bedrooms for the future." He grew serious again, and coming in close, he rested his forehead on hers. "This place is just that, a place which has suited my needs for a time. Definitely, nothing I'm attached to."
Her hands skimmed up his arms to rest on his shoulders. "While I love everything you just said if things do work–"
"Not if, baby."
River rolled her eyes. "And when we're ready, a house is a step I'd like to take, but that's not what I meant. If you're serious about... us, I'm not sure I like the idea of being apart. I understand your need to travel to tournaments and that they don't just magically come to you. I grew up in that lifestyle, so I get it. But I also saw the strain it put on my parents' marriage at times, and it's one of the reasons I promised myself I would never get mixed up with a professional gambler."
"So come with me."
He made it sound so simple when in reality, it was not. "What about my job? They won't afford me week-long vacations every few months. I'll get fired."
"So quit. You hate that job anyway."
Sure, she found her job boring and tedious, and more days than not she dreaded going, but she didn't hate it. "I don't hate my job."
"Sweetheart, you complain about it all the time."
She did?
"And I see how tired you are when you get home, and I know how upset you are they won't promote you. So quit. Come with me. Better yet, play, too. Our odds of winning would double."
Right, like he needed better odds to win. But did she want to play professionally? She'd never wanted that lifestyle in the past, but she truly did love the game. Maybe deep down this had been what she'd actually wanted to do all along and just never dared admit it because she hadn't wanted to break all the promises she'd once made to herself. Promises she seemed to be breaking left and right where Alec was concerned, so why not one more? And she couldn't deny the flutter of excitement she felt at the thought of traveling to tournaments with Alec.
But while Alec seemed pretty confident a
bout, well, everything, she still tended to be cautious. "I think I need to think about all this."
"Okay, baby, you think about it. But remember, I'm not a patient man, so I won't be letting you dwell on this shit for too long."
From the look he was giving her, she knew he spoke the truth. Which meant she needed to processes everything and come to a decision STAT because she had a feeling his idea of too long and her idea of too long were at two totally different ends of the time spectrum. "Okay, I'll—"
Her words were cut off by the ringing of Alec's phone. It was late-ish, at least by her standards of needing to get up for work the next morning but obviously not by the standards of the person calling.
"Don't think we're done. We'll revisit this conversation very soon." He kissed the tip of her nose, rolling himself to sit at the side of the bed before retrieving his cell off the nightstand.
"Oh, I have no doubts about that."
He was looking over his shoulder, grinning at her as he brought the phone to his ear. "Throne."
There was a pause while he listened then she caught a glimpse of a frown before his head swiveled forward. "I'm sorry, but that won't be possible."
Another pause.
"No, I'm not working. I'm seeing someone."
That piqued River's interest.
"Very serious."
That piqued it even more. And she wasn't ashamed to admit, she was extremely curious who Alec was talking to.
"Yes, we'll get together soon so you can meet her."
Another longer pause.
"I'll see what I can do and let her know."
Pause.
"Yeah, you, too."
He ended the call and tossed his cell back on the nightstand.
River couldn't contain her curiosity. "Who was that?"
"Victoria."
She got sidetracked from the conversation for a moment as Alec stood from the bed, her eyes feasting on all his yummy male bits as he walked to the dresser, pulled out a clean pair of underwear, and slipped them on. She was jolted back to reality at the snap from the waistband. "Victoria Lee? What did she want?"
"She needs an escort to a function on Saturday night. For obvious reasons," he gave her a smirk, "I told her I couldn't make it. Now, she wants to meet you."
"Is she going to be a problem?"
He crawled onto the bed and took her in his arms. "No, baby. We're nothing more than friends."
She believed him, but the way men saw things and the way women saw things were sometimes two different things. Guess she'd have to wait and see how it all played out.
Chapter Twenty-two
River parked in the underground space reserved for Alec's penthouse and made her way to the elevator. Exhausted after a really long week, having the next two days off had never sounded better, and she hoped to convince Alec her plan to stay in bed all day tomorrow was a good one. She'd even throw in a little incentive.
Stepping out of the elevator and into the penthouse, she was about to call out but stalled at the sound of raised voices. Or she should say, voice.
One female voice.
She slowly made her way through the dim entryway and into the kitchen, depositing her purse and keys on the breakfast bar as she went by. Light spilled from the living room, and the voices grew louder as she approached.
"Stop telling me to calm down, Alec."
River paused to listen, but she didn't recognize the woman's voice.
"Getting yourself worked up isn't helping the situation." Alec's deep, gravelly voice.
"Nothing will help the situation if my love isn't returned." Unknown woman's voice, sounding agitated.
"Listen, you know I care about you, so believe me when I say, you need to let this foolishness go."
River felt her stomach twist at Alec's words and the not-good kind of butterflies invaded.
"A baby is not foolishness, Alec." Unknown woman, now sounding close to tears.
What?
"You know that's not what I meant." Alec's voice was laced with tenderness, his words spoken so low she'd barely heard them.
She rounded the corner, and the duo came into view. From where River stood, she couldn't see the woman's face, only that she had her head resting on Alec's shoulder. Alec looked down at her, his face mere inches from hers. She wasn't usually the jealous type, but seeing Alec on the couch with his arm wrapped around the voluptuous brunette had her seeing red.
River loudly cleared her throat to gain their attention. She didn't think she could stomach seeing it if Alec leaned his head down those last few inches and kissed her. "Sorry to interrupt." She knew she sounded snarky, but she honestly didn't care.
Alec's head popped up, a frown marring his brow. "Are you home, sweetheart? I didn't realize it was that late already."
Obviously. "Guess you lost track of the time."
He stood from the couch, jarring the woman who caught herself with a hand to the cushion Alec had just vacated. Sitting up fully, she turned to face River. Of course, River recognized her right away from the pictures she'd Googled. Victoria Lee. And she was even more beautiful in person.
And River was a bedraggled, after-work mess. Just perfect.
Alec skirted the coffee table and reached her side in seconds flat, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a kiss on her temple. "How was work? I missed you."
"Yes, I can tell." Yes, she sounded like a petulant child. Again, no, she didn't give a damn. She was tired and cranky and...
And her boyfriend just had his arm around a stunningly beautiful, voluptuous brunette who may or may not be pregnant with his child!
He raised a brow at her tone, and his lips quirked up at one corner. "Are you jealous?"
They were having this discussion well on the other side of the room and hopefully out of Victoria's hearing range. River crossed her arms over her chest and tried to pull out of his grip, but he was having none of it. With a huff, she grumbled, "No, don't be ridiculous."
"You are jealous." His lip quirk turned into a full smirk. "I think I like the look on you."
"Yeah, well, how would you feel if you walked in to find me snuggled up with some guy on the couch?"
Alec's face lost all trace of humor. "Noted." He hugged her as close as he could get with her crossed arms a barrier between them. He seemed unperturbed she remained still and stiff in his arms, planting his face in her neck and kissing up its length until he reached her ear. "I'm sorry you walked in and saw that. If the shoe had been on the other foot, I would have been pissed the fuck off, too. I'll adhere to the hands-off policy at all times in the future."
She wanted to stay mad, she really did, but his teeth and tongue were doing some delicious things to her earlobe, and she found her arms uncrossing to wrap around his waist as she melted against him. "Not fair using sexy Jedi mind tricks."
The sound of his sensuous chuckle slid down her spine and caused goose bumps to sprout on her arms. "I promise you, it was nothing."
"It didn't look like nothing."
"This must be River."
Alec sighed, his warm breath hitting her ear, and she turned her head to see Victoria standing next to them.
"I'm Victoria." She held out her hand. "Alec's told me so much about you."
She took Victoria's hand, noting though Victoria wore a smile, it didn't reach her eyes, and River saw the sadness she tried to hide. Giving Alec a side-eyed look, she muttered, "Has he now?"
"Oh, my, yes." She smiled up at Alec, and it was genuinely affectionate. "She's even more lovely than I imagined. I'm so
happy for you."
Alec kissed River's temple, muttering against her skin, "Thanks, Vicky."
Victoria grimaced. "You know I hate when you call me that."
Alec chuckled again. "I know."
Victoria tsked, grabbing River by the arm and pulling her from Alec's side. "You'd better watch out. I've got myself a girl posse now, and we're ready to gang up on you."
Alec outright laughed, taking River's arm and pulling her back to his side. "River would never choose your side over mine." He looked down at her. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
River looked between the two. They both shared amused smiles, and she realized they were acting like she and Royal did—like siblings. Alec had been right, she had nothing to worry about. Not wanting to spoil the fun, she took a step back, tugging her arm from Alec's grip. "I don't know, you keep treating me like a yo-yo, and I may have to defect to the girl's camp."
River shrieked as Alec came in low, flipping her over his shoulder and giving her ass a hearty smack. "See the bad influence you have on her, Vicky? Why don't you order us some dinner while I take River to the bedroom and show her who's boss."
From her upside down position, she couldn't see Victoria but she heard her giggle. "I think I'll take a rain check on dinner and give you two lovebirds some privacy. Last thing I want to hear is you getting bossy in the bedroom. Gross!"
River erupted in laughter, which earned her another smack on the ass. "Behave."
River wiggled trying to see around Alec's hip. "It was nice meeting you, Victoria. I'd show you to the door, but I'm a little busy at the moment."
"Don't worry, I can see myself out. We'll do dinner soon, yes?"
Alec was already on the move before Victoria finished speaking, creating the need for River to yell her affirmative response.
They reached the bedroom and Alec flipped her onto the bed, following her down and covering her with his body. "I find it very insulting you think I would lie to you."
"You have to admit, it looked bad. Hell, it even sounded bad. By the way, did I hear right? Is Victoria pregnant?"