“This is nice.” She felt his nod against her head, and he put his lips to her temple in an achingly delicate touch that made her shiver, all the while feeling his dick harden against her.
His arms tightened around her. “Are you cold? We can go inside.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to go anywhere else. I’m happy right here. I think we can keep each other warm.”
He ran his fingertips down her back, until his palm smoothed over her butt. He squeezed her. “I think I have a couple of ideas of how we can do that.”
“Oh yeah?”
He turned her in his lap so that she straddled him. He rested his hands on her thighs. She wasn’t wearing anything under his shirt, and he hummed appreciatively when he discovered that. Using his thumb, he stroked her.
Closing her eyes, she fell forward, landing against his chest. He pushed one finger inside her, and she gasped.
Alex’s breath was as ragged as her own, as he placed his lips against the outer shell of her ear. “I don’t know, baby, you seem pretty hot to me.”
CHAPTER TEN
“HAS THERE BEEN any movement on that permit issue?” Alana asked.
Alex exhaled a heavy breath. It was Monday evening, and he looked around the people at the table—Alana, Brett, Maria and their other two assistants, who were meeting to discuss the progress on Hedo. “No,” he said. “I’ve been on the phone all day, and I’ve reapplied but Neil seems to think that it might just come down to us getting buddy-buddy with some of the councillors. I just don’t like that any of this is having a blowback on Jessica. They’re claiming that she’s in our pocket.”
“I was talking to her yesterday,” Alana said. “She isn’t concerned about it. The holdouts are a couple of old guys who have been giving her trouble since she took office last year. We can probably make them come around.”
“Yeah, the sooner the better. It might take us the rest of the week, but we can’t go any further until we get the permit. Hopefully we can keep the delay quiet before it starts making people nervous.”
“Unlikely,” Brett laughed. “We all know the Las Vegas business community spreads more gossip than an old women’s sewing circle.”
Alex looked across the table at Maria. She was staying quiet and taking notes on her tablet. She was wearing a high-collared shirt coupled with a scarf, and he knew it was because of the marks he’d left on her soft skin that weekend. In the three nights that they’d spent together, he’d had her every which way, all over his apartment. In his bed, on his couch, in the kitchen, in his shower, on the balcony...
His blood headed south, but they both kept their faces neutral as they made eye contact across the table. They had a massive secret. And no one else knew. Alex knew that she was just as thrilled by the secrecy as he was. She smiled, her brown eyes large and bright, just as they’d been that morning when she’d looked up at him from her position on her knees, in the shower, with her lips wrapped around his dick.
Brett started talking about something that Alex should have been listening to, as Maria was, since she diligently took notes on her tablet. But instead, Alex took out his phone and quickly dashed off a message to her.
I can’t wait for this meeting to be over, so I can bend you over my desk and fuck you until you can’t take it anymore.
He watched her. He knew when she saw the message on her tablet, because her eyes widened, and she looked at him and grinned. He smiled back, and they both turned their attention back to Brett. Alex’s phone buzzed on the table, and he picked it up.
Good thing I didn’t wear panties today.
Alex almost choked on his tongue, and with a fully hard dick, he tried to focus his attention back on Brett, to hear what his partner had to say. He saw that Brett’s mouth was moving, but damn if he could hear any of the words. So he picked up his phone again. Forget bending you over my desk. I’m going to slide your skirt up and eat your pussy until you scream. But that’s not all...
He knew she’d gotten his message when her head ticked to the side. And...?
I’m going to take your clothes off and fuck you hard on the floor, then I want you to ride me, so I can suck on your nipples while you bounce on my dick.
Maria blew out a ragged breath, and Alex thought he’d bested her. But when his phone screen lit up, he knew that she also had the same game in mind. At what point can I put your cock in my mouth? I want you to fill me until I feel it hitting the back of my throat. I want you to fuck my mouth until you come, and I swallow every drop of you.
Alex bit back a groan. He dashed out another message to her. Excuse yourself. Right now. I don’t care what you say, just get your sweet ass downstairs to the club and get one of the suites. It was midday; the rooms should be mostly empty.
God, you’re bossy. Now?
Right fucking now. Cancel all of your plans tonight, because you’re mine for the rest of the night. When you get down there, take off your clothes, get on the bed and wait for me.
“You with us, man?”
Alex lifted his head from his phone and looked around the room and saw that everyone was watching him.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Then you would know that we need to get our design ideas to the architectural engineers in two weeks.”
“Yes.”
“And I was wondering if we could all get together again tonight. Get some takeout and hammer it out?”
“Tonight? No, I have plans.”
Brett blinked, and Alex knew that his friend could see through him. Alex didn’t put work by the wayside just for social plans. “Nothing you can get out of?”
Alex shook his head no. “Afraid not.” Brett and Alex watched each other for several tense beats before Brett shrugged. “All right, we’ll worry about it tomorrow then, I guess.”
“Sounds good,” Alana confirmed with a quick couple of flicks, checking her calendar as Alex did the same. He was a bundle of unspent sexual need, and he looked at Maria.
“Excuse me, Brett. I’m sorry, but I have to leave.” She cast a look at Alex. “I have an...appointment. Sorry I forgot to let you guys know—”
“Don’t worry about that, Maria,” Alex said, sitting back as casually as he could. “We might be bossy, but we aren’t slave-drivers around here.”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Brett agreed, looking at his watch. “It’s time we call it a day. Before you go, Maria, do we have everything in order for our New York trip tomorrow?”
Alex had forgotten the pair would be heading to the east coast tomorrow for the rest of the week. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to get through until Saturday, but all he knew was that he would have to make tonight worth it.
Maria smiled and left the room, no doubt on her way to Di Terrestres, to do just as he’d told her. Alex stood quickly, gathered up his phone, laptop and notepad and put them all in his shoulder bag, holding it in front of him so no one would see the telltale bulge behind his zipper. He managed to leave the room without anyone asking him any questions.
Alex made his way to the elevator, and his phone rang. It was Maria. “Hey.”
“Alex—” She was breathless, as if she was hurrying.
“You okay?”
“Yes. No. I have to go.”
“Where?”
“To the community center. There’s a bit of a crisis with one of our regular kids. I have to get over there.”
All of Alex’s erotic plans for Maria came crashing down. But he knew that she was committed to her work for the center, whether she was a paid employee or a volunteer, and she had to go. “I didn’t know you were still working there.”
“I still volunteer there, Alex. They’re still my kids. And my friends.”
He nodded. Maria’s compassion was admirable and unmatched. “Is everything okay? Any way I can help?”
“I can’t ge
t into it now, but it hopefully will be. It might be a late night. I’m sorry, Alex. I was hoping we could get together before I left for New York.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he told her. “Go help people. I’ll see you on Saturday at your parents’ barbecue.”
“Okay. I’ll make this up to you, Alex,” she said.
“You definitely will,” he assured her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ALEX PARKED HIS car outside the Martinez home, the home where he’d spent his adolescence. The driveway was already mostly full, as it looked like he was one of the last to arrive for the extended family’s weekly dinner. He turned off the car and bounded up the driveway. While he didn’t get to attend every week, because work sometimes kept him away, he looked forward to the get-togethers, and this week was no different. But what put an extra bounce in his step was the prospect of seeing Maria. Her compact car was in the driveway, and a thrill shot through him. She’d been in New York for several days and he missed her. His heart beat for her, getting quicker with each step, as he came closer to seeing her again.
He pushed open the door and was greeted by the usual rush of noise and calamity that often accompanied their family gatherings. The house was full of loud, passionate people who all loved one another, and laughed and fought to prove it. Children ran around inside and out, and the women prepared food in the kitchen while the men were out back, minding the grill, or smoker, or roasting a pig or whatever the meat of the day was.
“Alex,” Mrs. Martinez called to him across the house from her place overseeing the work in the kitchen. “There you are. I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“I just know how busy you all are, especially with this new hotel you’re building.”
Rafael came up behind him and put an ice-cold beer in his hand. “I know I haven’t seen you or Maria in the past few weeks. You guys must be really burning the midnight oil.”
He looked at Maria across the room. She raised a knowing eyebrow, and he shifted, attempting to covertly arrange himself behind his zipper. Since he started seeing Maria, he found himself with more inopportune erections than he had since his teen years.
“Outside?” Rafael asked, hooking a thumb toward the French doors that led to the backyard. “I want to talk to you.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said, reluctantly walking away from her. Alex couldn’t read the look on his best friend’s face. Did he know about him and Maria? Did he want to get him away from the family so he could kill him in private? They walked into the backyard, but instead of joining the rest of the men, Rafael led him to the quiet spot on the deck. Away from the noise and chaos of the house, they silently drank their beers. “How are the wedding plans going?” Alex asked.
“I have no idea,” Rafael laughed. “Jess and her friend Ben are taking control of all the planning. I’ve just been tasked with showing up at the right place and time.”
“Not a bad deal.”
Rafael paused. “I also have to pick my best man. Are you game?”
“That means I get to plan the bachelor party, right?”
“That’s about it, yeah.”
Alex smiled, honored to have been asked to stand by his oldest friend as he married the woman he loved. He hadn’t always approved of Rafael’s relationship with Jessica, especially since they’d been in the middle of an election when their relationship had started, but he could see the positive effect she’d had on his best friend. “Well hell, I’m in.”
“Thanks. There’s no one I’d rather have up there with me.”
Alex swallowed his beer past the lump in his throat. Rafael trusted him. They’d been so close that they considered themselves brothers. And how did Alex defile that trust? By taking his sister to bed and doing things with her that he could never tell Rafael. He looked up, and as if she had a beacon on her ass, he immediately knew when Maria was in the vicinity.
They watched her through the large glass door as she roughhoused with some of her young cousins. The doors and windows were closed and even though he couldn’t hear her laughter, her joy, her love, as she played, was obvious.
“How’s she working out with you guys?”
“Awesome,” he said, trying to keep his face neutral. Although no part of him felt neutral when it came to Maria. “She’s been an amazing addition to the team.”
“I’m glad you’ve been showing her the ropes.”
Ropes, there’s an idea, Alex thought as Rafael kept talking, not hearing one goddamn word he said, watching Maria as she disappeared farther into the house.
He shook his head. “Does she seem different to you at all?” Rafael asked him.
Alex paused. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I think she’s more distracted than usual. She’s never available. And I know that you guys work a lot, but I wonder if she’s spending her spare time with anyone.”
“You think she’s in a relationship?”
“I don’t know. But I hope she’s not being screwed around with by some guy. I don’t even think she’s ever been with a man.”
False.
“But I hate to think some bastard is leading her on, breaking her heart. Just because she doesn’t know how men work. I don’t want anyone to take advantage of her.”
Alex frowned. What would his friend think if he told him that he was the bastard? “I think she knows how to look after herself. She’s smart. Maybe smarter and wiser than you give her credit for.” Guilt surged through him. He’d never lied to Rafael, or any of his friends, before. He needed to come clean. Before he could stop the flow of words, his mouth opened. “Raf, I’ve got something to tell you—”
“Rafa!” one of Raf’s aunts called from the house. “Jessica’s here! Come help her unload the car!”
Rafael’s smile was huge with word that his fiancée had arrived. “Be right there. This can wait, right?” he asked, referring to the bombshell that Alex was about to drop.
Alex nodded, feeling slightly relieved but frustrated at the same time.
“Coming,” Raf called back. “Jessica is bringing a bunch of food. Want to give me a hand?”
Alex took a deep breath. “Yeah, sure.” He had almost irrevocably changed his relationship with Rafael. He’d never been a coward, and he knew that any relationship he had with Maria counted on him being able to come out to her family. He had to tell Rafael, no matter the consequences.
* * *
As per Martinez family tradition, after dinner was finished, the kids all tuckered out, settled in the media room watching a movie, the older adults retired inside to the family room, while the younger adults lounged around the fire pit in the backyard. Soon the conversation turned to Alex’s love life.
Maria’s older sister, Dita, started. “So, Alex, are you seeing anyone now?”
Maria watched him as he tried to coolly play it off with a chuckle. “Come on, Dita, when am I not seeing anyone?”
“You’re not getting any younger,” she reminded him. “Isn’t time you settled down? Find a nice woman like Rafa has?”
“When did you turn into your mother?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure Ma used that exact nice woman line on me before Jess and I got together,” Rafael said, draping his arm over Jessica’s shoulders.
Alex’s eyes snapped to Maria’s. She was enjoying her family’s playing with Alex. “Yeah, Alex,” she joined in. “Why not find a nice woman?”
He smiled. “Unfortunately, dear Maria, the nice ones don’t want anything to do with me. The only ones attracted to a guy like me are one hundred percent trouble,” he said, with a cocked eyebrow in her direction. “And I’m so very grateful for it.” He laughed and stood, draining his beer bottle. “I’m going to head in and grab another beer. Anyone want anything?”
Several people requested refi
lls and Maria jumped up as well. “I’ll give you a hand.”
He nodded, and she could feel his eyes run over her, like they always did when she was around him. And every time, she still felt the same thrill in her stomach at his attention. His gaze was heated, his attention focused on her. Maria wasn’t sure how her family missed their connection, but they had moved the conversation on, oblivious, to talk about Rafa and Jessica’s wedding plans.
They walked into the house together, and when they knew they weren’t visible to her family outside, they moved closer together, and Alex boldly dropped his hand to her lower back. Looking up at him, she smiled, and a silent message telegraphed as his fingertips drew little circles just above the curve of her ass.
Instead of stopping at the fridge to retrieve the beer bottles, Maria made a hard right and walked into the pantry. She reached out and snagged the front of his shirt and dragged him inside with her.
He kicked the door shut, pressing her to the wall. His mouth descended on hers and took her lips in a kiss so fiery it threatened to burn them both. His hands went lower, palming her breasts through her tank top. He drew down the strap and kissed her shoulder.
She broke away, putting a firm hand on his chest. Her breath puffed from her mouth as she tried her best to steady it. “We don’t have time for that. If we’re doing this here, it has to be now.” That was true. They had limited time, and she wanted him. They had gone on a trip to grab beer. And she could hear the laughter and conversation of her parents and aunts and uncles in the nearby family room. All any of them had to do was walk into the pantry, and they’d find her and Alex together. It was risky, but everything about their relationship was risky.
“You’re right,” he breathed. He grasped her hips and turned her roughly, so she was facing away from him. He pushed her skirt over her hips, pulled down her satiny thong so it stopped midthigh. He kicked her ankles apart and cupped her from behind, allowing his middle finger to delve between her folds. She was soaked immediately, and he spread her moisture. Maria moaned and pushed back against his hand and he slipped a finger inside her, making her moan before he dipped another inside, causing her back to arch against him. He withdrew his fingers and spread her wetness upward, to the tight pucker of her ass. He pressed his thumb against her, and she gripped the shelf in front of her. He pulled a condom from his back pocket and quickly rolled it over himself. Then he positioned himself at her opening and slid effortlessly inside.
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