by S. Nelson
His body twitched.
“Don’t start something you won’t be able to finish, woman,” he growled into my mouth.
“Whatever do you mean?” I batted my eyelashes at him, toying with him a bit. I was playing innocent—well, not completely playing. Although I knew I wasn’t going to really do anything, I wasn’t completely sure why I was going to such lengths to tease him.
Maybe I wanted to make sure he was just as affected by me as I was by him.
“If you tease me too much, I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself,” he panted.
“Then maybe we should stop.” Please, don’t listen to me.
“Is that what you really want?” He intently searched my face, trying to read my reaction to him and the current position in which we found ourselves. What he discovered was my need for him. I wanted him to start kissing me again, and I said as much by leaning back into him, enticing him to continue.
That time, he was a little more audacious. While his beautiful mouth stole the distance between us, one hand gingerly caressed my neck, slowly slipping down near my throat, then onto the top of my nearly exposed breasts. “You really shouldn’t wear things like this. Every man in here has been staring at you, and it’s driving me insane.” He was saying all of this as his hand was massaging my breast, pulling gently at the top of my shirt.
“I think you’re exaggerating a bit by every man, and what do you care what I wear?”
“I don’t like how exposed you are.” He snapped his lips closed, clearly aware he was stepping over some invisible boundary.
“You don’t?” I found it funny he ‘didn’t like how exposed I was,’ yet he was pulling at my tank top, revealing even more of me. But then again, we were in a dark corner of a hallway where we were fortunate to remain alone, away from everyone else.
When his eyes connected with mine again, they took on a darker hue, his pupils dilating in arousal. “This is only for me. Tell me,” he moaned, flicking his tongue along the side of my throat. “Tell me this is only for me.” He was still groping my breast, his lips teasing my skin, his other hand circling around to my backside. Grabbing me firmly, he pushed himself closer, almost crushing me under his own body.
I loved it.
I wanted it to be just for him.
No one else.
Just him.
“Tell me,” he demanded again, my silence torturing him.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Yes, it is all for you.”
“Only me?”
“Only you,” I responded, my breath barely escaping my mouth.
It was obvious the alcohol coursing through my veins was catching up with me, causing me to throw caution to the wind and engage in risky behavior with the man standing before me. “What do you want to do to me?” I couldn’t believe I was behaving that way with a virtual stranger, albeit the sexiest, most intriguing man I’d ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. But he was still a man I didn’t really know.
His lips made their way toward the sensitive spot underneath my earlobe. When he spoke in his seductive low timbre, I thought I would combust right then and there. “If we were alone, I would rip your clothes off and feast on your body. I would lick and suck you everywhere, especially here.” His hand instantly went to the heat between my thighs. I groaned and slumped forward. Thankfully, he was there to make sure I wouldn’t fall over. “Is that what you want? Is that what you would like me to do to you?”
Wow!
I couldn’t concentrate on what he was asking me because his hand danced over my core, rubbing me in ways which should have been illegal. “Don’t stop,” I pleaded, snagging his lower lip and returning my own brand of sweet agony.
“You’re going to undo me,” he proclaimed. His words were confusing, their meaning completely lost on me. But I didn’t care. All I wanted was for him to devour me, to crush my soul with his passion and need.
After a few minutes, he pulled away, air imminent for the both of us. “Do you even realize how fucked I am because of you?” What an odd question; although it did spark intrigue.
Before I could answer, he withdrew from me completely. His lips left mine wanting more of his taste. His fingers had offered a trail of heat my body was instantly missing. The look in his eyes even changed, reverting back to a man seemingly unaffected.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done or said something wrong. Trying to think back over the past few minutes did nothing but prove frustrating. Entirely caught up in the way he made me feel left no room for reason. Failing to even comprehend what it could’ve been I’d said or done, his new demeanor was entirely lost on me.
So I gave up.
Not wanting our tryst to end, I started dreaming up ways to remain in his presence, something which was so unlike me. I would love for you to be my first, I thought.
“First what? What are you talking about?” he asked as he tipped his head to the side.
Shit, shit, shit! I thought that was in my head. Fuck!
“Nothing, forget about it,” I responded quietly, desperately hoping he would heed my words and just move on.
“Tell me what you meant.” He scrutinized me with his piercing green eyes, doing his best to figure out what my outburst could’ve been about.
“I said nothing. I mean…I…I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m a little out of sorts right now.” I’d attempted to straighten my clothes as he continued to peer down at me. Even with my wedge sandals on, I was still significantly shorter than him. I had to change the subject and do it quickly before he probed me any further. “I have to return to my friends now before they send out an APB on my ass. I’ve been gone forever.”
“It’s really only been a half hour; you’ll be fine.” Is he irritated with me? Smoothing down my skirt even more, I proceeded to walk around him, trying my best to put distance between us. As I hurried away, I heard him say, “I meant it about your clothes before. You shouldn’t choose something so revealing next time.”
I stopped short and wheeled around so I was facing him again, almost tripping over my own feet in the process. “I’ll continue to wear whatever I want. You can’t dictate my wardrobe, not that you’ll ever see me again anyway.” His rudeness instantly put my guard back up, which was a good thing because I found myself being very careless around him.
“We’ll see about that, sweetheart,” he said as he brushed past me on his way to the bar.
Yeah, we will see about that. I mumbled to myself all the way back to join my friends. When I finally reached them, I saw three guys crowding around my dear roommate and a couple girls trying to swoop in on Matt.
Alexa was in her glory, as usual, but I felt bad for Matt because he looked a little uncomfortable. He was trying to be polite, but the girls weren’t picking up on the hints he wasn’t interested. How dense can they be? He was trying to avoid all physical contact with them, even going so far as shrugging away from them as they tried to possessively grab his upper arm.
I knew what I had to do to save my friend. “Honey, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Making my way past the pushy women, I sat right down on Matt’s lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. He was trying to contain his laughter as I leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I thought you could use the help.”
“Thanks.” It was all he needed to say. Even though I was in the moment, trying to help a friend, I couldn’t help but search the crowd around me, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sexy stranger I was entangled with not five minutes before.
My eyes locked with his almost instantly, the snarl on his face suddenly confusing me. What the hell is his problem? It was then I caught him glancing from me to Matt then back again. Oh, okay. Now I understand why he’s mad. Or did I? He didn’t even know me well enough to appear to be that pissed off. Yeah, we were pretty intimate a few moments ago, but he couldn’t lay claim to me.
I grabbed my watered-down drink from the table and tried to ignore him, brooding glances and all.
<
br /> I wonder how well the rest of the night will go.
~5~
Alek
Present Day
I should have never walked into that damn flower shop, and I sure as hell shouldn’t have bumped into her at the club, ending back up at her place at the end of the night. It took everything in me not to scold her for being so careless, drunk enough to go home with a stranger, even if that stranger was me. But I didn’t have a choice. I had to make sure she arrived home safe and sound.
What the hell was I thinking? Distance was the main objective, but I certainly messed that one up.
My one rule.
Never get too close.
Now I’m truly fucked.
Sara was like the sweetest temptation. I knew I should stay away, should engage all of my controls, but in the end, I just needed to have a taste. A taste which would surely undo me.
“Alek. Did you hear me?” Jacinda asked as she raked her finger up and down my arm. She was going on and on about her newest visit to Paris, a trip I couldn’t give two shits about. I knew I was being rude, but the woman was forever boring me with her tales. Yeah, I admit it. I slept with her. Any guy would have; she was beautiful. But because she didn’t stimulate me, other than in my pants, we only had sex once. And she’d been trying to get with me ever since.
“What?” I distractedly asked, already busy thinking of an excuse to leave.
Instead of taking my subtle hint of annoyance, she decided the best course of action was to try and kiss me. She leaned in and placed her lips on mine. Before she could try and attack me further, I pulled away and took two steps back. “Jacinda,” I said, irritation evident in my tone. “I told you, I’m not going there again. We’re not going there.”
“You’ll change your mind eventually, baby,” she cooed, batting her long lashes at me as she leaned in close again, her breasts rubbing against my arm. “We run in the same circles. I’ll wear you down soon enough.” She laughed, pecked me on the lips before I could move away and disappeared from my office.
Although I was never going to give her what she wanted, I had to admire her persistence. There were worse things in life than being pursued by a beautiful woman.
It had been three days since I’d left Sara lying in bed, dazed and confused. I’d almost made the mistake of telling her I’d contact her later that day. Thankfully, I’d held my tongue. I couldn’t get too close too fast.
I could ruin everything.
Later that night, as I leaned against the shower tile, the hot water cascading over my sore muscles after an intense workout, all I could think about was the woman I’d woken up next to earlier in the week. Her innocence was breathtaking, even more so when she revealed no other man had been inside her. What can I say? It was a major turn-on.
Gripping my thick length, I pictured her face when I’d helped her to her feet. Her full, pink lips just about had me marking her right then and there. Beautiful amber eyes stared back at me, full of desire and surprise, but never fear. She stood in front of me in nothing but a damn T-shirt and panties, both doing a shit job of hiding the body underneath. Those memories of her took me to completion, my desire washing away with the water circling the drain.
I knew, right in that moment, Sara Hawthorne was going to be my undoing.
~6~
Sara
It’d been a week since I woke up next to Mr. Gorgeous, aka Alek Devera. An array of emotions conflicted me, streaming through me and confusing me at every turn. I was oddly excited, daydreaming of when I would see him again. If ever. Nervousness raced through me at how much I liked him. I hardly knew the man, yet I felt an unexplainable connection toward him.
His face was the one thing I kept picturing. His voice was constantly ringing in my ears. I didn’t like feeling that way, slowly being wrapped up completely in a man. A virtual stranger.
When I finally rushed into our apartment, dropping my keys a few times in my excitement, I threw my things on the couch and called for my best friend. “Lex!” I shouted. “Are you home? Alexa!”
“What the hell are you yelling for? I’m right here.” She came barreling out of the bathroom, half-assed wrapped in a towel thinking something bad had happened. That was until she saw my face.
“I got it! My loan was approved for the shop!” I screeched, throwing my hands in the air like a crazy person.
I was beyond words, beaming from ear to ear. It meant more to me than merely owning my own business, which was a huge deal in and of itself. After what I’d been through, I needed this to feel somewhat normal again. I’ll take all of the mundane day to day dealings with owning and operating my own business, the debt which has to be repaid, the long hours to get me started and everything else if it means I have a chance at a regular life for once. Well…in a very long time, anyway.
I had a normal life once upon a time…before I met him. But I won’t dwell on the past. It was a happy time for me, and I refused to let anyone ruin it, even myself.
Alexa rushed over and embraced me in a huge hug. “I’m so happy for you, Sara; I truly am. I know how much you wanted this. How many twenty-six-year-old women do you know who own their very own business?” She was smiling right along with me. “I know one. You. When did you find out?”
“I called today on a whim, it being Saturday and all, and actually talked to Mr. Hemsworth, the loan officer I’ve been dealing with. He was about to leave for the weekend when I caught him.”
My cheek muscles started to ache, the stupid grin never once disappearing from my face.
“Did you call Katherine yet and let her know she can officially retire?” she asked as she made her way toward the kitchen to grab a drink. Alexa liked Katherine almost as much as I did, viewing her as the mother figure, just like everyone else.
“No. I thought I would sign the paperwork on Monday, make it legit, and then bring them to work with me. She won’t be too shocked, though.”
I was excited the plan I’d had for myself was actually going to be my new reality. But to have someone near and dear to my heart express the same type of happiness for my new circumstance was amazing. I truly didn’t know what I’d do without Alexa by my side. The gratitude I’d felt toward her was so overwhelming I’d almost been reduced to tears. Thankfully, she hadn’t noticed, all too consumed with thoughts of going out that evening and having a great time.
“We have to celebrate. A girls’ night out,” Alexa sang, dancing around the kitchen island like a woman possessed. “Let’s get crazy tonight. I’m sure it’ll be the last one for a while since you’ll be working like mad in the weeks to come.”
She was right. I’d have to buckle down even more and learn the business inside and out. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin all of Katherine’s hard work. “Sounds like a plan, but where should we go?”
“There’s a small bar called Carlson’s about a half hour from here. Some of my co-workers were talking about it the other day. They really like it.”
“Okay, we’ll head out around seven for an early start to our celebration.”
“Sounds good.” I’d be able to take a quick nap, run some errands and decide on what to wear. Donning jeans and a nice sweater would be all I’d worry about. Maybe kicking it up a notch with some nice heels.
We arrived at Carlson’s closer to eight, a bit later than we had anticipated, but it was okay because we still had the whole night ahead of us.
Although it was nothing more than a corner bar, it seemed cozy and inviting. It was the kind of place you went with some friends to unwind after a hard day of work. A place I could definitely imagine going after a long but rewarding day at the shop.
On either side of the bar, there were numerous high tables, placed a few feet from each other, giving the customers plenty of room.
I liked that not everyone was crowded and squished in like sardines.
“Let’s sit over here for now,” I said, pointing toward the left corner of the bar which was presently empty.
&nb
sp; Once we were situated, my gaze wandered around, checking out the types of people sharing the same space with us.
“What do you want to drink, Sara?” Alexa already had her money out, waiting for my order.
“I guess I’ll have a rum and Coke for now. I’ll keep it simple.”
“Simple? Rum? We’ll see how simple that is after a few of them.”
Alexa knew me all too well. I was a lightweight when it came to alcohol.
It was ten o’clock before the bar really started to pick up. Before I knew it, it was standing room only. There was a pretty uneven ratio of men to women, men making up about seventy percent. I couldn’t care less since I wasn’t interested in anyone there, but for Alexa, it was a dream come true. There were plenty from which she could choose. In fact, I think she already had her eye on someone in particular, an attractive blond guy with tattoos running up and down both arms. As he leaned over the jukebox, making his selections, he had no idea he’d just been targeted by my dear friend.
“I’ll be right back. You gonna be okay for a couple minutes?” she asked, eyeing me up and secretly pleading with me to say yes.
I laughed. “Go, go talk to him.” She hopped off the barstool faster than the words left my lips. She was in full seductive gear: her usual tight, low-cut top and short skirt, paired with the highest heels I’d ever seen. Honestly, I didn’t even know how she managed to walk in those things. Her outfit was a bit over the top for a local bar, but that was Alexa. Over the top.
“What’s so funny, gorgeous?” Who the hell said that? I didn’t have to wait long to find out as someone grabbed my arm, whipping me around on my barstool so fast I almost fell off. As I caught myself, I came face to face with a young, dark-haired man, who happened to be very drunk. He was the type of guy you could tell peaked in high school, the popular jock who never went anywhere after graduation. It was probably because those were truly the best years of his life.
In any other situation, I would have thought he was attractive, but not at that moment. There was something creepy and unnerving going on behind those light brown eyes of his.