Just then, she heard a voice from behind them. “Let her go.”
Belle looked around as Gabriel straightened to see who was behind him. Sirena’s date had walked up, giving Aleks backup. Behind him was Sirena, a mixture of fright and admiration towards her suitor for stepping in to help.
Surprisingly, Gabriel let go. Aleks used the release to pull Belle behind him, acting as a shield. She held her hand to her chest as the blood returned, causing a rush of pins and needles.
Gabriel laughed, darkly. “I didn’t think you would even notice I took her, what with your dick all but in the brunette over there. Isn’t that right, Belle?”
As Gabriel stepped closer to Aleks, Belle felt his body tense. The forearm holding onto her tightened as he made a fist. She instinctively knew the only reason he wasn’t laying into Gabriel was to keep her as far away as possible. “Don’t worry, I made sure she saw. Belle had quite a reaction to it, didn’t you, sweetheart?” His face was pure malice now, eyes as black as coal. “You must tell me your secret, I’m envious of how much pussy you get on a daily basis.”
“The only pussy I’m going home with is the one you want. Just as I have been for the past few months.” Aleks squared his shoulders again, keeping her behind him and away with each step Gabriel took closer. They were inches away from each other’s faces as Aleks lowered his voice even further, so just the three of them could hear. “You should hear how she screams my name.”
At his words, her insides clenched. She attributed her arousal to the adrenaline flooding her system. It was the only way for her to explain how his fierce protectiveness, and possessiveness, was affecting her while she was only feet from a man who wanted to destroy her.
Gabriel turned his narrowed gaze towards her. “Fucking whore. You really think he’s faithful to you?”
At this, Aleks’ left hand grabbed for Gabriel’s shirt, pulling him in. Belle turned into Aleks’ back, certain the inevitable fight was starting.
Sirena’s date put a hand on Aleks’ shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”
Aleks’ breath came in heavy heaves. She knew if he let the first punch fly, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Instead, he pushed Gabe backwards into the wall.
Gabe sneered and looked pointedly at Belle. “I’ll be seeing you real soon, sweetheart. Real soon.”
Pushing into Aleks as he walked past, he disappeared into the crowd inside the ballroom. Belle nearly collapsed. Once certain he was out the door, Aleks turned, taking her into his arms and holding her tight.
“Are you okay?” He rubbed her hair, kissing her forehead as his hands grazed over her back.
She looked up at him, embarrassed at what she was about to admit. “I was so scared. So much for self-defense.” She gave a weak smile.
Sirena hugged her from behind. “We need a drink,” Sirena muttered to Belle as she pulled her towards the bar.
The rest of the night was uneventful. They sat and talked at a nearby table, none of the four getting up to dance, or separate again.
On the ride home, Aleks’ hands balled into fists at the memory of Gabriel in front of him, holding his Belle. He never wanted her to see him, let alone be touched by him again. His rage was unfathomable; his vision turned red at seeing her full of fear — his only thought was to protect her.
After she was safely back in his arms, the familiar malicious feeling washed over him. He enjoyed reminding Gabriel she was with him, proving he was superior. He replayed the scene. You should hear how she screams my name? Should not have gone there.
Aleks tried to get Belle to talk on the ride home, to see if she was alright, but it was obvious she was still upset. He sat next to her, holding her hand, looking out the window. If I see that man again, I am going to fucking kill him.
Belle’s voice startled him.
“Who was that woman you were talking to? The one Gabriel was talking about?” she asked quietly, still not facing him.
He didn’t want to lie to her but he also wasn’t ready to tell her the truth. “She’s a PR representative I’ve worked with in the past.”
“I’ve seen her before,” she mused. Aleks looked at her, puzzled. Before he was able to question it, she turned towards him.
“She came to your office on my first day of work.”
Aleks thought back and felt the blood drain from his face. He knew exactly what she was thinking. After the first time he had Belle in his office, he had been so distracted by his thoughts of her he’d needed a clarity fuck. Belle had called him out on it not even twenty minutes later.
“She was the one you brought home too, wasn’t she?” Belle asked quietly, lip quivering.
“Yes, well, unfortunately, she’s another part of my past come to bite me in the ass.”
“You didn’t look very put off with her — considering how much the two of you were flirting.”
“I wasn’t flirting.”
“No? What do you call speaking in someone’s ear while they have their hands all over you?” Belle narrowed her eyes at him as he thought back, not remembering that had even happened.
“I wasn’t—”
“God, Aleks. I want to trust you so badly. But every time I let my guard down you do something else to make me question you.”
He grew annoyed at not being able to explain himself. Here it was again — the feelings he wasn’t comfortable with. Vulnerability and guilt. He wasn’t flirting, but she wouldn’t believe anything else. She’ll never trust me.
Lingering fear and rage rushed through his system, and her distrust added to the darkness threatening to consume him. His adrenaline spoke for him.
“What about you? I leave you alone for five minutes and all of a sudden you’re in another man’s arms.”
Belle looked as if she had been slapped. She snapped her hand out of his as she crossed her arms over her chest. Shit.
“He showed up and grabbed me. I couldn’t move. I was scared to death of being next to him. How dare you even think…” she stopped for a moment as her face fell, “You saw what he tried to do to me. How could you say that?”
I did not mean that. “Belle…”
“Do you think I’ve lied to you, about what he’s done to me?” Tears brimmed her lower lids.
This whole night went to shit. He sighed, trying to figure out how to make it better. “No, I don’t. Not at all. I’m sorry—”
“A person just doesn’t say things they don’t mean.”
“I say things I don’t mean all the time.” Aleks immediately regretted his quick response, especially when he saw the hurt in her eyes.
“To me?”
He’d had enough. He kept screwing up what he was trying to say. Why am I so bad at this?
“Belle, I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intent to flirt with her. Seeing you with him … I was livid. I thought he was going to hurt you and I have never been more scared and furious in my life. I’m taking it out on you, and I am sorry, I really am. I’m not good at this, at trying to explain myself without lashing out. You’re trying to learn to trust me? I’m trying to learn not be an asshole. Especially to you. I … I…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say words he wasn’t sure if he meant.
“You what?” she asked, looking hopeful.
“I care about you more than I have for anyone else … ever. I never want to hurt you.”
She seemed to soften at this and after a moment placed her hand back in his. “I’m sorry too. I’m still a little freaked out. It’s just … it hurts to see you like that with other women. Gabriel had me trapped, I was scared to death, then he forces me to look up and see you with her, and all I could think was that I was a complete and total idiot. I know he was just trying to get under my skin, but it worked.”
Aleks could only imagine how she felt. He pulled her close into his arms and lifted her head up to his for a kiss. He was gentle, using his mouth and tongue slowly on her, trying to show her just how much he cared. When they finally pulled away, she rested her hea
d on his shoulder.
“I never want you to be hurt. I’d rather die than let that happen.”
He had never meant anything more in his entire life.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Belle woke up the next morning wrapped in Aleks’ arms. Scooting closer to him, she reveled in his warmth.
Movement out the window caught her eye, and she looked out to the falling snow. She crawled out of bed and walked towards the window, growing more excited with each step. She loved the snow — the crisp whiteness of it, before getting tarnished with dirt and salt. It looked as if a foot had already accumulated.
Belle smiled and bounced back onto the bed.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
“What’s wrong?” Aleks shot up, looking around as if someone were in the room.
Belle laughed. “Look! It snowed. It’s still snowing! Come on, we have to go outside!”
He cocked his head to the side as he smiled at her. “You’re this excited for snow?”
“Of course! Come on!” She reached over to pull him up, when he grabbed her arms and pulled her over and underneath him. He nuzzled into her neck as he began to kiss her.
“Let’s waste some of that energy first, hmm?”
Belle wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying the feel of his mouth on her body. She turned her head to give him better access and her eyes again caught the snow out the window. Knowing if they didn’t get up now they would spend all morning in bed and she might miss the rest of the snowfall, she pushed him away.
“We can always warm each other up afterwards. There’s only one first snow of the year. I don’t want to miss it.”
“Let me distract you,” he urged, the baritone of his voice going straight to her core. She loved seeing him like this; slightly disheveled, playful, and above all else, happy.
“Nope. It’s snow or bust.”
He smiled and began to speak when she cut him off with a small kiss.
“Let me rephrase that: snow or nothing. Not even later. Trust me, I can hold out longer than you can.”
“Liar.”
She smiled seductively as she jumped out of bed, watching as he fell to his back dramatically, with a fake groan. Laughing, she threw a pillow at him.
“Tell you what, Mr. Wolfe. After we’re outside, if you can catch me, you can have me!”
At this, he looked up at her, exclaiming, “Oh, it’s on.”
She hid behind a large tree trying not to giggle as he looked for her, the thickness of the falling snow making visibility difficult. She had gotten the jump on him, running down and towards the greenhouse before she heard his yell from behind her.
“If you make it easy on me, I’ll make sure to go easy on you!”
“Maybe I don’t want you to go easy on me,” she teased, watching as he whipped in the direction of her voice. When he saw the tree, his predatory smile graced his face, knowing he had her. He stalked up towards where she had been hiding.
“I’m going to thoroughly enjoy catching and having my way with you,” he threatened.
She used his slow stalking to her advantage as she bent down and grabbed a large handful of snow, molding it into a ball. She smiled to herself as she made a few more as ammunition. As she held the pile balanced on one arm, he walked around towards the opposite side of the tree, where she snuck behind him. He stilled, no doubt wondering where she was, when she took aim and hit him right in the back of the head.
He spun around, smiling, with a devilish glint in his eye. “You little witch,” he exclaimed as he reached down to grab his own pile of snow.
Wasting no time, Belle launched her snow arsenal at him, one at a time, each hitting a different place on his torso.
“So done for,” he threatened between laughs as he ran towards her. She screamed with laugher as she took off towards the greenhouse. He was on top of her in just a moment. He had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her backwards off of her feet, spinning her in the air.
As he bent forward to kiss her, she shoved the last snowball she had down the back of his jacket, the coldness causing him to drop. She laughed and darted towards the greenhouse. As she rounded the corner, the snowfall thickened. She could barely see a foot in front of her.
“Aleks?” she called out, nervously.
She caught sight of him as he pulled her into his arms. “Come on, this way.”
She followed him, her hand on his back until they got to the door of the greenhouse. Pushing it open, he pulled her inside and away from the snow. A wall of heat hit as they entered.
He playfully chided, “Had to play in the snow…”
“Do you think we should try to get to the house? I didn’t realize how bad it was going to be.”
His gaze turned heated as he licked his lips. “Not getting away from me this time, kotik. I caught you fair and square.”
She moved forward, unfastening his pants and pulling them down to his knees. She rubbed her palm over his now enlarging erection through his boxers.
“I was taught not to play fair.” With a squeeze, she turned and ran.
She removed her jacket and left it behind her as she darted around the pond and hunkered down behind a large bush of exotic smelling white flowers. Quietly, she removed her boots and pants. She looked towards the path and saw him with his back to her, still looking around. She left her clothing as a marker as she slinked back and around the pond, removing her shirt and throwing it straight up as a beacon to find her.
Making it into the clearing near the rose bushes, she looked around, now left in only her bra and panties. She couldn’t hear him, but she could feel his gaze on her skin. She heard a rustling from her side and as she circled he came towards her, a single rose in his hand.
“Stay,” he commanded of her, leaving her helpless to move. He was naked save for his short boxer briefs. She swallowed at the sight.
He stalked up to her as his eyes roved over her body, causing a blush to rise on her cheeks at the intensity of his stare. Even after all these weeks he still makes me feel nervous. He walked behind her and unclasped her bra, kissing her shoulder as he slid the straps down her arms, dropping the material on the ground.
Hands trailing down her arms, he kissed down her spine as he lowered himself. He hooked his fingers under the fabric of her panties and just as slowly, trailed them down her legs.
A moment later, he stood in front of her, now also naked, cerulean eyes not moving from hers.
The soft touch of the rose petals against her skin as he dragged it over her lips sent a shiver through her. She closed her eyes as she inhaled, needing a reprieve from his gaze. He trailed the petals down her neck, in between the hollow of her breasts, lower down her stomach to her now moistening core.
He allowed the delicate flower to linger at the apex of her thighs, the barely-there sensation a sweet torture. Lingering for just a moment more, he trailed the petals up her stomach, to trace over and underneath each breast. She opened her eyes, ready to chastise him for teasing her. The look in his eyes rendered her speechless.
Voice steady and soft, he confessed, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I love how you smell, how you feel, how you taste.”
He punctuated his words trailing the flower down her arms, around her stomach and thighs, causing her insides to clench. “I love how you make me laugh, and how frustratingly smart you are, even when you use it against me.”
He pulled her into him, eyes aflame as he wrapped his arms around her and spoke, “I especially love how I get you all to myself.”
She reached up to grasp his shoulders, reveling in the hardness all around her. He bent forward, kissing her as he lowered them onto a patch of grass on the ground.
Even though the greenhouse was warm, her limbs were still cold from the exposure to the snow. The contrast was thrilling. He pulled back and gently brushed a lock of hair off her face and around her ear. “I could stay here with you forever.”
It was the sexiest
thing he had ever said to her. She couldn’t help the smile that formed at his admission. She couldn’t put her finger on the difference, but the look in his eyes was something more than just lust. He kissed her again as his length entered her.
He filled her fully, the sensation of him stretching her radiating through her body. He grasped her around the waist, pulling her into him so there was no space between their moving bodies. She wrapped her legs around his, bodies intertwining, moving as one.
With slow thrusts of his hips, his lips continued their passionate assault against hers. Each undulation of his hips hit her insides harder, his girth massaging her inside. He moaned into her mouth, never breaking their kiss, and she swallowed every last sound.
He reached down and grasped her thigh, rubbing his thumb along her skin before reaching under her ass to tilt her lower body towards him. The tip of his cock hit her sensitive inner wall with each thrust, building the pleasure as the base of him ground perfectly against her clit.
She racked her nails down his shoulder blades before grabbing onto the wide expanse of his back, needing his body to keep her grounded.
His movements into her, his slick muscles moving against her body, and his tongue expertly playing with hers caused a rush of sensations. Her nipples, strained with arousal, brushed against his chest, sending waves of desire through her.
She released her grip on him, arms falling near her head as she was helpless to do anything but accept his slow thrusting. He pressed forward, closing the gap that had formed between them, her breasts pressed so firmly against his solid chest, she couldn’t take in a full breath.
When he pulled his hips back, she tightened every inner muscle she could around him. As he pushed against her tight walls, they moaned in unison against each other’s mouths. Their hearts beat against each other, their breathing growing heavier with each slow, torturous thrust.
She felt the shiver radiate up her spine as her thighs began to quiver. He removed his hand from her back, allowing her to lay flat on the ground, as his hands trailed up her sides, leaving a trail of goosebumps.
Stealing Beauty (Fairy Tales After Dark Book 1) Page 27