MyAlphaBillionaire New Adult Erotic RomanceARe

by Tawny Taylor

  “Oh…I…”

  Shane took my hand in his, and instantly I felt warm all over. All the emotions I’d been shoving aside since I’d seen him last rushed to the surface. I was overwhelmed, unsure what to do. I craved spending time with him, hearing his voice, seeing his face. But I knew I shouldn’t go with him. It was a big mistake. Huge.

  I went with him anyway.

  I was weak. Frighteningly so.

  He led me to a table toward the back of the bar where it wasn’t so hot, or loud, or crowded. He pushed in my chair as I sat then took a seat across from me. With a wave, he somehow managed to summon a waitress. He ordered a bottle of wine then turned his attention back to me.

  “So…where’s your friend?” I asked.

  He waved his hand toward the dance floor. “She’s out there somewhere.”

  She.

  My stomach twisted.

  She.

  “I—I should—“

  I started standing, but Shane slapped his hand over mine. “Please, don’t go.”

  “Shane, I don’t want to interrupt anything--”

  “You aren’t interrupting.”

  Why did it make me so freaking happy to hear that? Why? “Of course I am.”

  “If I was here with someone, I wouldn’t have asked you to join me,” he stated. “Kayla is a friend. Nothing more.”

  The waitress broke through the thick wall of people in front of our table, set the open bottle of wine and glasses down and left.

  “Hasn’t it been established that men and women can’t be friends?” I asked as I watched Shane pour the wine.

  “By whom?” He handed me the full glass.

  Our fingertips brushed. I tried to pretend that the little touch didn’t send a bolt of white hot erotic heat pulsing through my body.

  It’s only chemistry. Chemistry means nothing.

  I said, “By the authors of movies like, When Harry Met Sally.”

  He chuckled. The sound bounced around inside me like the reverberating rumble of thunder echoing off distant buildings. “In this case, it’s not an issue. She’s gay and she’s the younger sister of a close friend.”

  Another close friend.

  He continued, “Every now and then, I accompany her on an outing so she can keep up appearances. Her family is very anti-gay.”

  “I see.”

  “So tell me, how are you?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “Good.”

  We stared at each other for an awkward moment.

  I wanted to fill the silence. I wanted to tell him I dreamed about him every night. I wanted to tell him I missed him even though I didn’t want to.

  Instead, I glanced around. “If you’re supposed to be keeping up appearances, maybe you’d better go find your friend and play doting boyfriend.”

  He studied me for a moment then nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Okay, then. It was nice seeing you.”

  “It was nice seeing you, too.”

  Neither of us moved.

  “I’d better go find my friend, too,” I said. Could this be any more awkward?

  “Sure.”

  Neither one of us moved.

  “She’s going to be worried,” I explained.

  “We wouldn’t want that.”

  “And when she finds out I was talking to you, she’ll kill me.”

  His smile was so bright and so breathtaking I practically melted. “We definitely don’t want that.”

  I stood. “Goodbye, Shane.”

  He stood too. “Goodbye.” He jerked his head toward the full glass sitting on the table. “Please, take it.”

  “Thanks.” I grabbed the glass and circled around him, leaving as much space between us as I could. The place was packed. It certainly wasn’t a lot of space. Inches. It wasn’t enough. I could smell his cologne. I could feel the heat of his body. I hesitated, wishing I could lean in to him and stay there.

  Remember, he shares his women. He has lots of women. And he’s not looking for a relationship. It’s all about bondage. Whips and chains and safewords and control. You made a break. Don’t go back. You’ll only regret it.

  Pulling in a deep breath, I hiked up my chin and pushed on, wriggling through a crowd of men gawking at the women shaking their asses on the dance floor.

  I’d done it. I’d talked to him without throwing myself at him. And had I wanted to.

  Side stepping and inching through tiny gaps in the crowd, I made my way back to our table. Every now and then, I’d steal a little sip of wine. It was good. Really good. I discovered the table I’d been sharing with Jill was occupied. But not by Jill. I downed the rest of my wine, set the glass on the first empty horizontal surface I could find and headed outside.

  Ah, much cooler. The air smelled better, not like stale beer and sweaty bodies. I click-clacked out to where I remembered having parked the car, on the street, in front of a bagel shop. I stopped. I looked left. I looked right. I went down another street and another. It wasn’t there.

  It freaking wasn’t there.

  “I am going to kill her,” I grumbled as I fished my phone out of my pocket and dialed. I listened to the phone ring. One, two, three…five, six. It clicked to voicemail and I left an angry message, asking her why she’d abandoned me then clicked off. A split second later, as I was scurrying back to the bar to decide what to do, my phone rang.

  “Where are you?” I demanded. I was getting tired of being abandoned at the bar. Really effing tired of it.

  “Um…” She giggled. “Stop that.” She giggled again.

  “Jill, where are you?”

  “Oh. Bristol? Hi. I ran into Dave at the bar. You remember Dave.”

  Sure, I remembered Dave. How could I forget him? He’d used Jill to make an old girlfriend jealous and then dumped her like yesterday’s trash. The guy was an absolute asshole. “I’m ready to leave. Come and get me.”

  “Oh. Sorry. I can’t.” She giggled again.

  “Why not?”

  “Well, because we parked the car illegally. It was towed.”

  Gah!

  Fortunately, I was near a bench. I plopped down.

  “Bristol? I’ve gotta go.”

  “Bye.” I ended the call.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that Jill had been my best friend since I was in kindergarten, and had seen me through some of the biggest heartbreaks in my life, I might have vowed to never speak to her again after this. But she had been, and would always be, my best friend. And it hadn’t been her fault the car was towed. I was the one who’d told her it was okay to park in that spot.

  I glanced around, suddenly aware of the fact that I was alone on the street. It was late. And there weren’t that many people out there with me.

  Feeling a slight sense of unease, I started back toward the relative safety of the bar and the masses of people inside it. As I turned the corner, a black car pulled up alongside me and honked the horn. I glanced.

  Looked like Shane’s car. The passenger side window was down. The woman inside was waving her hand out the window at me.

  “Bristol!” she called.

  The vehicle was idling at the curb, hazard lights blinking.

  Great timing. Just great. If Shane found out I was stranded, he’d offer me a ride. I didn’t want him to do that because if he did, I would take it.

  “Bristol Deatrich,” the woman said.

  Against better judgment, I approached the car and peered into the window. “Hi.”

  “Are you okay?” Shane asked from the driver’s seat.

  “Sure. Of course I’m okay.”

  “You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said.

  “Thank you for the concern. I’m heading to my car. I’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “How about I make sure you get to your car safely? I can drive you to it. Where did you park?”

  Of course he offered to drive me to my car.

&n
bsp; “It isn’t necessary. I’m just down the street.” I pointed in a random direction.

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Really, it’s okay.”

  He got out and circled the front end. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  Dammit, he was like a hound on the scent.

  “The car was towed,” I told him.

  “I’ll take you home.”

  “You don’t have to—“

  “I insist.” He was already pushing me toward the car.

  I managed to blurt out one last, “Really, it isn’t necessary,” before he’d practically forced me into the backseat.

  Within seconds, we were zooming down the quiet streets, going in the opposite direction from my condo. He knew where I lived, so my assumption was he was taking his friend home first.

  “You’re going the wrong way,” I told him, hoping he’d turn around and take me home first instead.

  “Bristol, this is Kayla. Kayla, Bristol. Kayla lives just a few blocks from here. Since you and I live south, it makes sense to take her home first.”

  It made sense, sure. But that meant I’d be in the car with Shane alone. I didn’t want to be in the car with Shane alone. Not for a minute. But I knew there would be no changing Shane’s mind, so I sat back and kept quiet during the short ride to Kayla’s place. A few minutes later, I learned she lived in a high priced condo in a converted old factory. Nice. Definitely more Shane’s speed.

  I waited in the backseat while Shane walked his guest up to her building’s door. He didn’t touch her, I noticed. Nor did he kiss her. When he returned, he opened the passenger side door. “Why don’t you come up here and sit? I feel like a chauffeur.”

  “All right.” I made myself comfy in the front seat, buckled in. As Shane pulled back out onto the street, I said, “Thank you for taking me home.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  As much as I wanted to sit closer to him, I forced myself to lean against the door the whole trip to my condo. Of course, like he had with Kayla, he walked me up to my door. But unlike what he’d done with her, he placed a hand on the small of my back as he did it. And he didn’t leave when I unlocked the door.

  “Thanks again,” I said as I pushed open the door.

  He didn’t move. “I’ve been waiting for a chance like this. Can I come in? For just a minute? I’d like to talk to you.”

  Oh God.

  Chapter 6

  Maybe it was a dumb, impulsive, foolish thing to do. But I let Shane into my condo and I shut the door.

  A part of me didn’t want to hear what he was there to say; another part did. The part that did got her way.

  I motioned to the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee?”

  “No. This won’t take long.”

  Good.

  Appearing a little nervous, he glanced around my living room. “I’ve had some time to think about things, about you, about my life, about a lot of things. I even went to…a counselor. I’ve never done that. Not even when I was a kid.”

  That had to be significant.

  Wanting to avoid interrupting him, I didn’t speak, only nodded.

  “I’ve concluded that I don’t deserve a woman like you. I don’t. I don’t know how to make you happy. I don’t know how to have a real relationship. I have…challenges…I need to work out.” He heaved a visible sigh. “But I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  At the sound of those words, my heart literally jumped in my chest. I could tell, by the way he’d said them, by the expression on his face, that I had become more than a submissive, more than a plaything to be used and then thrown aside when he became bored.

  “What does this mean, Shane?”

  “It means…I want to learn to be a better man. And I want you to teach me.”

  I staggered a tiny bit. “Me?” I said through them.

  “Yes, you. Only you. I don’t want another submissive. I want…a girlfriend. A lover. A partner.”

  Those were the words I’d longed to hear. My spirit soared. My eyes burned. They were happy tears, not sad.

  “No sharing?” I asked, almost afraid to believe what I was hearing.

  “No. Never.”

  “No other submissives?”

  “No.”

  “What about the rest of it? The bondage? The rules?”

  “I can’t just turn it all off, and I don’t think you want me to.” His lips curled slightly into a hint of a smile.

  “Maybe I don’t want you to turn it all off,” I admitted.

  His smile amped up to full wattage. “Does that mean you’ll give me a chance?”

  Did it?

  I wanted Shane to be the man of my dreams. I had a feeling he could be. But how many times had I heard about the dangers of trying to change someone? Was it fair to expect him to change for me? Was it realistic?

  “It won’t be easy,” he said. “I’m a stubborn ass sometimes, and I’ve learned some of the issues I have run deep. But I can promise you that I won’t give up. If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s a quitter.”

  That I did believe.

  Arms folded over my chest, I studied his handsome face. Would that be the face I would look at someday as I spoke my wedding vows? Or would that be the face of the man who would destroy me? I had a feeling it would be one or the other. I wasn’t sure I had the courage to risk the latter.

  “I need some time to think about it, Shane. We’ve spent so little time together. And what time we’ve spent has either been having sex or fighting. If this goes bad…I don’t want to think what it might do to me.”

  “Fair enough.” He reached for the doorknob, twisted it.

  I set a hand on his arm just as he was about to leave. “I want to be brave for you. I do. I’m just scared.”

  “I’m scared for you.” He reached for me then pulled his hands back as if he felt he didn’t have the right to touch me. “Call me. I won’t badger you.”

  “Thank you.” I stepped up to him, stood on tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.

  He folded his strong arms around me and held me tightly. “You’re welcome.” He kissed the top of my head.

  Ohhhh. This felt so good, so right. A pleasantly warm feeling of comfort and contentment flashed through me. I felt myself smiling.

  Until he released me. Then I felt sad and lonely.

  “If I don’t leave now…” He lifted a brow. Then he stepped outside.

  I watched him go, my heart pounding in my chest.

  I had a decision to make.

  Already, my heart knew what it wanted.

  I didn’t need time to think it over. Even my subconscious knew what I wanted.

  I was terrified, yes. More scared about facing this next stage in our relationship than I had the first. Because now it wasn’t just a casual thing. It wasn’t just sex or kinky games. It was about feelings, developing a real connection. Building the foundation for something that might last the rest of our lives.

  My heart in my throat, I raced out the front door. I saw Shane’s car. The engine was rumbling. But the headlights were still out. He hadn’t left yet.

  Waving my arms, I barefooted it down the front walk. His door swung open and he was out of the car before I’d run more than a few feet. We met somewhere in the middle. Our bodies smashed together. Then he grabbed my face, sandwiching it between his hands and kissed me.

  Shane was one hell of a kisser. Every kiss he’d given me had sent my mind reeling. But this kiss was different.

  It was a claiming, yes. It was a possession. But it was also a surrender, as if he were surrendering to me, to his need for me.

  While his mouth told me how much he’d missed me, he swept me up into his arms and carried me back to my house. In we went, through the front door. I giggled in our joined mouths as he kicked it shut. He carried me to my bedroom and set me gently on the bed.

  I could count his every breath as
he stared at me, he was breathing so hard. His pupils were so wide I could barely see the color of his eyes. His face was flushed.

  He visibly swallowed. “I want…I want to make love to you now.”

  Ohmygod, the way he’d said that, I felt like I might soar to the clouds.

  “Yes,” I said, extending my arms to pull him to me. “Please make love to me.” My hands found the bottom of his shirt. “May I?”

  He nodded, lifted his arms to allow me to pull off his shirt. Then, kneeling upright on the bed, I removed his pants and underwear. For once, he was nude first, exposed to me while I was still dressed. While his domination games made my blood pound hot through my body, I liked this change. I liked seeing him like this. He wanted me. His flushed skin, tense muscles and erection told me that.

  I wrapped my hand around his thickness and teased it, and he closed his eyes and gave a little growling sound. His breathing was rough and fast. So was mine. His erection was hard, a glistening droplet of precome gathered on the tip. My tissues were wet too, my muscles tense, my skin burning.

  “Bristol,” he said on a sigh, reaching for me.

  “Oh, no you don’t. We’re making love. Sometimes the woman gets to make the rules during lovemaking.” Turning the tables on him, I caught his wrists in my fist and held them out to the sides. I was in control this time. Me. But only because he was letting me. And only until I pushed him over the edge and he became too desperate to play along with my game.

  “Lay down,” I told him.

  He reclined back, and I positioned him so his hands were up over his head. What a sight this was. Shane lying before me, his body laid out for my pleasure, only mine. I could lick and taste and tease and torment to my heart’s content.

  But God help me, I wasn’t going to have the patience to do that.

  My gaze meandered over his perfectly formed body. That chest. Sigh. Those abs. Sigh. That…very large erection. Double sigh.

  I kissed my way down the center of his body, from the little notch between his collarbones to his bellybutton. Then, I licked and nipped a little further south, intentionally avoiding any contact with his penis.

  He mumbled. He moaned. He tried to grab me once or twice. But I knocked his hands away, chastising him with a, “No, you don’t.” When I couldn’t take any more, I sat up again, and sighed. And with trembling hands, and Shane’s hot and hungry gaze watching my every move, I removed my clothes, one piece at a time. I made it as far as my bra and panties before he leaped at me, tackled me to the bed, and growled, “Enough, minx.” He plunged into my slick heat.