“Forgive me, Alex. This may not be my place, but it’s not for that Whitney woman, is it?”
He let his breath out with a smile and until that moment, he’d been unaware that he wasn’t breathing. Mrs. Dane was his subordinate, but he valued her opinion on many levels and they had a mutual respect and fondness for each other that went beyond professional. She was more like a favorite aunt or young-ish grandmother, and he wondered if she’d heard Angel’s show and would know who she was.
“No. We stopped seeing each other months ago.”
“Thank the lord for that,” Mrs. Dane shot out with a snort and then paused. “And so soon, you are ready to propose to someone else? I know it’s not my place, but—”
Alex held up his hand. “No, it’s fine, Mrs. Dane. I realize that in the past my romantic choices have left something to be desired, but it’s different this time. You’ll just have to trust me.” He winked at her slyly.
“She’s in it for the right reasons?”
Alex’s heart warmed at the older woman’s concern. “She is. I sound like an idiot, but you’ll approve.”
“See that I do,” she said in mock sternness and got back down to business. “Now, a diamond or other precious gemstone? More traditional? Vintage or contemporary in style? A solitaire?”
Alex considered his options carefully, knowing a big flashy engagement ring would mean nothing to Angel, but damn if he didn’t want to make sure the world knew she belonged to him. And he wanted Angel to have no doubts about his feelings or intentions. Their time together was always incredible, but he could sense part of her was still bothered by his past relationship rules, and Alex hated that she was feeling anything but absorbed in him. More incredibly, he wanted her to be sure he loved her and in no doubt he was completely committed.
“Um, I don’t really have a clue about style, but definitely a diamond. Something classic. As I said, understated and elegant. I want it to be as flawless and individual as she is. Excellent cut, and colorless.”
It was obvious that Alex had done his homework and showed that he was indeed serious. “Does this perfect young woman have a name?”
A smile slid over Alex’s mouth, making him even more handsome. “Angel. Her name is Angel.”
“That’s quite beautiful.”
“I agree.”
The older woman could practically see the love radiate from Alexander and felt happy that the young man, who she thought would miss out on love had finally found it.
“I’ll set something up. It might take a few days, sir. Its rare jewelers have such perfect diamonds on hand. Especially, large ones. Any particular shape?”
He laughed, despite him self. “Something that not many women have, but it doesn’t have to be huge. Angel wouldn’t want that.”
“That’s excellent.” A brilliant smile split across Mrs. Dane’s face before it faded when she realized she may have overstepped. “Um, I mean, I’m happy that—” she stammered and then composed herself. “Yes, sir. I’ll set up appointments with the three best and have them come to the office. I’m sure you don’t want to be seen in the stores?”
“Excellent as always, Mrs. Dane. And, I appreciate your concern.”
The woman’s smile returned. “Yes. You should give me a raise.”
Alex laughed out loud as she left his office and closed the door behind her.
So, as absurd as it was, Alexander Avery was going to propose, whether Angel was ready for it or not. Months ago, he would have scoffed at the abstract possibility, but now, he was chomping at the bit to make sure she belonged to him. At least if she married him, he’d get her under the same roof once and for all, and he was goddamned tired of arguing about it.
It wasn’t that he wanted to control her; he liked the push and pull they had between them. It was fun and sexier than hell, but he wanted to know she was safe, and living together would put his mind at ease. Until that cocksucker, Swanson, was behind bars for good, he wouldn’t relax. As it was, he could think of little else, and his gut constantly burned with worry. It would have been easier if he’d killed Mark Swanson the night he’d attacked Angel. God knew, he’d wanted to, and it wasn’t the first time he’d considered it could have been self-defense. At least, he’d be able to breathe.
Alex sighed as he walked into her apartment and closed the door behind him, carefully disarming then rearming the security system. He almost dropped the pizza box he was balancing in the other hand. He groaned inwardly, hating that his thoughts were consumed with thinking about that fucker. He hated how Swanson was still able to get into his head and under his skin, and worse, he hated that he could still frighten Angel.
A small lamp in the living room offered the only light other than the blue glow cast from the flat screen TV mounted across from the sofa. It appeared Angel left it on one of the news channels but was nowhere to be seen. Alex glanced around the living room then took the pizza into the kitchen and left it on the counter beside his car keys.
“Babe?” Alex called, rubbing his jaw with one hand and meandered down the hall toward Angel’s bedroom, loosening the knot of his tie then pulling it free from his shirt. The fingers of his left hand pushed open the door, and he peered inside while his right hand opened three of the buttons on his white shirt.
Her suit jacket was lying on her bed, and he could hear the shower running behind the closed door of her en-suite bathroom. He kicked off his shoes, unbuttoning his fine linen shirt the rest of the way to push it off and fling it carelessly on the bed, followed by his T-shirt. He quickly unzipped his dress slacks and pushed them with his boxer briefs down and to the floor. He used his feet to pull the expensive slacks free of his legs then left them discarded on the floor with his socks. He walked to the bathroom completely nude.
When Alex slowly opened the door, the steam flowed out around him like a cloud and heat from the room rushed over his skin. Angel’s bathroom was large and decorated in soft shades of coral, sand, and cream, with a big whirlpool tub in one corner and a glass-enclosed walk-in shower along the wall opposite the vanity. The air smelled of her shampoo and perfume, and though the door and walls of the shower were fogged over; the delicious outline of Angel’s curves and the curtain of long dark hair down her back were clearly visible. She was humming softly, her iPod docked in the device built into the wall.
He smiled to himself. Angel raised her hands to her hair, her breasts lifting as she did so, only enticed him further. Her eyes were closed as she moved to rinse the long dark strands free of shampoo. Alex’s cock was already swollen erect and had been since he’d made the decision to join her in the shower.
His eyes roamed further down her womanly form, knowing that, as always, her skin would be smooth and free of hair. Even as the fire of desire surged and more blood pushed painfully into his erection, his mind briefly wondered if it was a man or woman entrusted with the intimate task of waxing Angel’s body. Jealousy tugged at him as he envisioned another man having such open access to her intimate secrets. He decided that was a question he would be posing to her very soon.
It would be exciting to sneak into the shower with her, but it would scare the shit out of her, and that was the last thing he wanted. He moved closer and kept his voice low.
“There’s something in there I want.”
Angel turned, her surprised and wiped at the steam on the glass, her expression softened as their eyes met and held. She smiled softly; so alluring and tempting, Alex almost licked his lips. Her eyes pulled from his and ran down the length of his body as he opened the stall door.
“Wow, that was fast. I thought you were going to the gym,” she murmured when her gaze landed on his erection, “and that your dick hurt.” A short giggle burst from her chest until she quelled it to a sly smirk when he pulled her roughly against him.
“I want you more than the gym. Yes, it hurts, but in a different way,” he said honestly, his eyes intense and locked with hers.
As soon as the glass door closed behind h
im, it took Alex mere seconds to slide his arms around Angel. He turned, lifting her against the ceramic tile in the corner with one smooth movement, the water flowing behind him, her face now level with his. The multiple shower heads were a luxury and rained from every direction. Angel’s legs automatically wrapped around his waist, her fingers curled into the muscles of his shoulder, and then slid into the hair at his nape as it was quickly saturated. Alex slid his palms down her body as they both stared into the other’s eyes for a brief moment.
“Are you sore, sweetheart?” he asked.
She stared at his mouth mesmerized, as liquid heat rushed through her lower body, making it begin to hum with need. “Even if you were going to split me open, I’d still want you.”
His heart thundered within his chest. “It’s sometimes too much. I love—” It seemed the most natural thing to tell her that he loved her. The words, now said, wanted to tumble forth, and this wasn’t the first time he’d stopped himself from repeating them. Alex reminded himself he’d just said them on the phone less than hour before. He knew she needed more than the words. She needed proof. Only his actions, and time, would accomplish that. And, he also acknowledged that saying them aloud too often made him equally vulnerable “—that we can’t get enough of each other.”
Angel nodded, two fingers of one hand finding their way to his lips then into the side of his mouth. He turned his face so he could suck them into his mouth and she gasped. “This is so much better than the last time I was surprised in the shower.”
Alex shook his head almost imperceptibly then kissed her fingers. Then his mouth sought hers, hovering just enough to speak, his hot breath mingling with the steam. Angel sucked his exhale into her lungs, unable to help herself. “No. Don’t think about him. Focus on me, baby. We’ll make a better memory in here. You and me.”
Angel’s pink tongue appeared and slid over her upper lip. Urgency throbbed between them; Alex’s eyes dropped to Angel’s mouth, and his hips anchored her to the wall. She swallowed. “You’re right. It’s just us.”
Alex finally took her mouth hungrily, his tongue plundering into the dark recesses, tangling with hers, and she let him, eagerly answering his need with her own. His hands beneath her bottom and thigh began to explore soap-slickened flesh, seeking the warmth and wetness he knew would welcome him. Angel’s hips surged toward his body, seeking Alex’s probing fingers, aching for the fulfillment only his body could offer.
He groaned into her mouth when one of her hands raked down his chest between them and grasped around him, gently rubbing and pulling on his dick, worried she’d hurt him, that he might be in real pain. Alex pulled his mouth from hers as he sucked in his breath then let it out in a rush, his chest rising against the swell of her breasts.
“God,” he ground out, his hips pushing his cock more fully into her hands. “It’s okay, Angel,” he said, reading her thoughts. “Jesus! I always want you so much.”
He shifted, hoisting her higher, both hands wrapping around her breasts and holding them so his mouth had easy access to the hard buttons of her nipples. He loved her and being with her was profound. better than he’d ever imagined sex could be. He wanted to worship her, but he was rock hard and throbbing. He felt if he didn’t bury himself within her in seconds, he’d burst.
Shivers shot through her under the magic of his tongue and lips as he teased and pulled at her sensitive flesh with his mouth. Finally, she succeeded in positioning his cock at her entrance and arched her back greedily seeking, but his position only allowed her to take in his head part way.
“Alex, please… now.”
She didn’t have to ask twice, and in the next instance, his hips pushed forward and thrust deeply into her. Skin slipped on skin, and soft moans turned into panting breaths. Even though he was embedded deep and moving in deliberate precision, first slow then hard, burying himself balls deep, Alex couldn’t get close enough, her needs driving him on as much as his own. Angel was lost in sensation; her eyes closed, and her fingers clawed at the muscles of his arms and shoulders as he drove into her over and over again.
“Mmmm…” she moaned, squeezing around him, her hips surging against his, wanting Alex to feel her as much she did him. He reached up, his hand clamping onto her jaw and his mouth hungry, gnawing at and sucking on hers as he bounced her against the wall over and over again. His kisses and movements were voracious, leaving her in no doubt of his desire or excitement.
“Uhhhh… Fuck—nothing feels as good as this.” He groaned against her lips, only to resume his ruthless onslaught, his mouth demanding and hungry as he took what he needed.
Emotions, born of desperateness, flooded her heart until she physically hurt. He was here, and he was real. When they were together like this, she had no doubt he was as committed as she was. Alex was getting close, and it became Angel’s mission to make him come apart with an abandonment he couldn’t control. It was only love that spurred her on, making her want to give him unspeakable pleasure, and she admitted that it would kill her if he could feel this with anyone else—before or after her—ever in his life. It was debilitating to know she was just as helpless, and yet, somehow, exhilarating to need his touch so much… even as his body claimed hers and they were all wrapped up together.
“Alex… God, yes!”
His speed increased as if he couldn’t help himself, his hand sliding across her shoulder and down her arm. Threading his fingers through hers, he lifted Angel’s hand above her head and pinned it against the wall, his open mouth over hers, his breath panting in time with his thrusts.
His muscles coiled and he pulled out of her abruptly, his forehead coming to rest on the tile beside her head as his eyes closed.
“Uhhh, Uhhh, Uhhh…” Alex’s chest rose and fell roughly as he struggled to gain control, and Angel’s eyes flew open in the same instant he stopped making love to her.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
He took one more deep breath and let her legs slide to the floor of the shower. “I’m perfect,” he murmured against her temple. His green eyes burned into Angel’s concerned face. “Everything’s perfect.” Alex leaned down and brushed his mouth softly against hers. “You— are perfect.”
Her mind raced. Why did he stop?
Alex kept his body close to hers, his dick still fully erect and pressed into her hip as he grabbed two towels and wrapped one around her body and draped another over her wet head. His hands were gentle as he pressed the plush material into her hair and squeezed the strands within its folds to absorb the water. Angel stared into his face, watching his expression, her breathing shallow.
“Why did you stop?” Her hands splayed out on his solid chest, loving the curves and contours of the hard muscles under her hand. “I wanted to make you come apart.”
He pulled the towels closer around her then scooped her up bridal-style and carried her effortlessly into the bedroom, wordlessly pulling back the covers and laying her down. He stood, open to her view, his eyes caressing and possessive. The towels soon pulled free of her body; Alex’s hands began to follow the path of his eyes over her shoulders and down her arms, sliding up her stomach to ghost over her ribcage then cup each breast. Angel’s skin exploded in goose bumps and she shivered, but not from chills. She sucked in her breath. He was so intense and beautiful as he studied her body. When he finally joined her on the bed, his hand slid down over the curve of her hip to hoist one slender leg over his strong hip.
“And you will, but I don’t want this to end,” he said seriously, his eyes blazing over her flesh. “You intoxicate me.”
“It doesn’t have to end. We have all night. Make love to me, Alex.” Her hand slid to his and she pulled it to her mouth. “Make love with me all night,” she repeated softly, taking his middle finger into her mouth.
Alex closed his eyes, his heart swelling inside his chest and more blood pushing into his cock. His breath hitched. Fuck, she excited him more than anyone ever had, but that wasn’t even it. He wanted to m
ake sure she understood. He ran the tip of his nose down hers, and his lower lip nudged hers. “I intend to, but I mean, I don’t want us to end. I want you in my bed, my body inside yours, to give you so much pleasure you can’t form a coherent thought. But more, I just want you with me. Next to me. I want to take care of you, to protect you. Always.” His eyes opened and locked with hers as he stilled. “I need you to believe you are the only thing that matters to me now. The only fucking thing.”
Angel’s eyes burned as his words washed over her, causing her to gasp aloud. His tone was serious and insistent, and she trusted him more than she’d ever trusted anyone. Unable to speak, Angel turned her face into his neck and shoulder, her throat aching as emotions left them both reeling. She was ready to give him anything he asked, her heart and soul soaring.
“Yes,” she finally whispered, her voice cracking with the effort.
Alex sighed deeply and settled down into the cradle of her body: he kissed her, his movements ruled by his feelings. He nudged her chin with his nose, wanting to prove it, to erase any doubt. “I mean it, damn it. I’ve never meant anything more in my life.”
Overcome, Angel’s eyes flooded with tears and her hands slid up and fisted in his wet hair. “I believe you,” she breathed out. Pulling his mouth closer, she silently begged for more of his kisses, her body arching as he slid back into her slick heat. Alex was determined to leave her in little doubt of his feelings as he pushed into her body and invaded her heart like no one else ever could. His hands were worshiping and reverent as they played her flesh like an instrument, his mouth staking his ownership and his soul burning its brand on hers. He evoked no refusal and no denial as he made absolute love to her.
Every time he touched her, it was perfect and earth shattering; stunning and staggering. Angel knew she couldn’t fight it anymore and didn’t want to. She was completely and utterly lost to him… and he to her. “I love you, Alex.”
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