by Ivy Wonders
Climbing off me, she held out her hand to help me up. “Come on. Let’s take a shower, but no sex, OK? It’ll be hotter if we’re starving for each other when we get into that bathroom.”
“So what you’re saying is we’re going to tease each other until somewhere around the end of the night, and then you’ll give it to me?” I liked the way she thought. “Sounds enticing.”
Taking me by the hand, she led me into the bungalow. “Not sure about that, but it’ll be off the charts. Now that I know how fun sex is, I can’t stop thinking about all the different ways we can do it.” She stopped and looked at me with a serious expression. “Alex, have I become a nymphomaniac?”
“No.” I didn’t want Ky to change a single thing. “You love me. And I love you. And we’re just expressing it in a physical way. What’s wrong with that?”
“Hopefully, nothing. It’s new to me, that’s all.” She started walking again. “My friend, Carla, says sex is mandatory. I can see why she’s always said that now. But it’s too intimate to do with just anyone. I’ll never trust anyone the way I trust you, Alex.”
And it better stay that way.
Chapter 16
Ky
I kept pulling down at the bottom of the insanely short dress from the suitcase full of clothing his colleague bought for me. “Red isn’t my color, Alex.” I tugged the plunging neckline up, making the dress move up my thighs once more. “And I can’t seem to get this skimpy thing to cover my tits and my ass at the same time.”
“Red is your color, baby.” He slipped his arms around me from behind as we danced to a Latin beat in the largest nightclub we could find. “And I like all the skin you’re showing tonight. But I’ll cover your ass if you feel too exposed.” His lips pressed against my neck, flooding me instantly with desire.
Running my hand along his side, I stopped when I got to his hair, then tugged it as his kiss drove me wild. We moved in waves as the music continued. I danced so well with Alex! Somehow, with him, my body moved in impossible ways.
The club was packed, and the heat was close to unbearable. A cool ocean breeze just outside the club began calling my name. “Do you want to go outside for some fresh air, Alex?”
“Sure.” He moved his hands down my body until he had one of my hands, then led me out of the cluster of gyrating people.
As we stepped outside, the cool air moved over the abundance of skin I had showing and felt better right away. “It’s so hot in there.” I fanned myself to cool down quicker.
His eyes raked over me. “It was just the sight of you that had me feeling so hot.”
I smacked him on the shoulder. “You’ll give me a big head if you don’t stop with all the flattery.” I pulled at the bottom of my dress again, but he stopped me.
“It’s supposed to fit that way, Ky.” Walking backward, he took me with him, sneaking around the side of the building. “Come with me, my little harlot.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever be so free and easy sexually. Alex made it simple. I followed without hesitation until we were in the dark and then he had my back against the wall.
Threading his fingers through my hair, his mouth caught mine with a frenzied kiss that left me breathless. When he moved his lips off mine, then pressed them against my ear, he whispered, “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you.”
My heart sped up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Me, too, Alex. I can’t believe this is real. It’s just too great.”
With a few swift movements, he had his jeans undone and pushed his hot, thick manhood into my anticipating womanhood. With him inside me, I felt undeniably stronger. I felt invincible when he and I were joined that way.
Lifting me up and down to stroke his long cock, he growled, “You’re always going to be mine, baby. I’m never giving you up.”
Elation spread through me at the thought of always being with him. “I’ll never let you go either, Alex. My thoroughly sexy man.”
As he thrust into me over and over, each stroke he made brought us closer. There, on the side of a Miami nightclub, I realized Alex would always be there for me—with me.
I lavished kisses all over his face, whimpering words of love. I wanted him to feel my immense love. He should have no doubts in his mind about how much he meant to me.
“Hey, who’s back there?” A man called out, then flicked on a flashlight, aiming it at us.
“Shit!” Alex said as he backed up away from me after I dropped my feet to the ground.
Quickly I situated myself back into my dress and panties then ran my hands through my hair to tame it a bit. “What should we do?”
“What the hell are you kids doing back there?” the man called out as he came toward us.
“Run,” Alex hissed, then grabbed my hand and took off in the opposite direction of the man.
I flew behind him, my feet hardly touching the ground, and I lost one heel, then the other in the chase. The flashlight bounced behind us as the man called out, “Stop!” over and over again.
But Alex wasn’t about to stop. We kept going until we came out on the next street over, then we blended into the crowded sidewalk, leaving the man behind.
Gasping for air, I asked, “Can we go back to the bungalow now?”
Alex laughed, then stepped to the curb to hail a cab. “Yes, we can go back now.”
Sitting in the backseat of the smelly cab, I leaned against Alex’s broad chest, smiling away. “That was exciting!”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’ve never done anything like that. And nearly getting caught put the icing on the cake.”
“I can’t believe you ran. You’re such an outlaw.” I giggled, then looked up into his smile.
His arms wrapped around me. “I couldn’t let your name get tarnished, Ky. One day I’ll meet your father, and I won’t need to hide the fact his daughter was arrested for public indecency. My hopes are for him to respect me.”
“So you ran for me?” He nodded. “Cool. I’ve got myself a real hero, don’t I?”
“Nah, I’m not a hero.” He kissed my forehead. “It was purely selfish. I’ve got plans for you someday, and I want to keep your name clean.”
“Plus it wouldn’t look good if you had a charge like that on your record.” He must have considered his medical practice when he ran.
“It was all about was you, baby.” He sighed. “Lately, you’ve taken the number one spot in my mind. If I’m not thinking about you, then it’s Tabby. My two girls. I’d do anything for you both.”
And I knew he would, too.
I laid my head back on his chest, listening to his heart beating. “I’d do anything for both of you, too, Alex. I love Tabby like she was my own kid.”
“I know you do.” He moved his hand up and down my arm as his lips pressed against the top of my head. “We make one happy family.”
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. “Do we?”
He nodded, then pulled me closer to kiss me again. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him back as I moved to sit on his lap. I didn’t care if the cab driver would see what we were doing. It was so not like me.
Moving my hands between us, I unleashed Alex’s beast, then pulled my panties to the side before straddling him. We looked into each other’s eyes as I slid down his hard cock.
Alex ran his thumb over my lips. “God, I love you, Kyla Gertrude Rush.”
I tried not to let the sound of my middle name throw me off as I moved slowly up and down. “I shouldn’t have told you that dreadful name.”
“You’re supposed to say you love me back, Ky.” He moved his hands to my waist, lifting me at the speed he wanted.
I cradled his face in my hands. “I love you more than you will ever understand, Alexander Montgomery Arlen.”
All the way back to the bungalow, we rode that way, connected but not trying to get any more than that. As we pulled to a stop near the beach, the driver said, “You’ll have to walk from here.”
/> I popped off Alex’s lap and he handed the driver a couple of hundred dollar bills. “Thank you, sir. Have a good night.”
Smiling, the driver drove away, joyful with his tip. I looped my arm through Alex’s as we walked through the sand to get to our beach bungalow. The stars shone so brightly; they looked bigger than they did in Seattle. “It’s so beautiful out here tonight. Back home it’s raining and cold. Here it’s like paradise.”
We stopped, and Alex pulled me to sit on the sand with him. “Let’s take a minute to look at the night sky.”
Looking up, I pointed at the Big Dipper. “I only know that constellation and the Little Dipper near it. I suppose being in the Navy, you know most of them.”
“Yeah.” He gazed upward. “I was on an Arleigh Burke destroyer. I’d sit on deck sometimes at night, looking at the stars. I’d make wishes on some of them.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder as he draped one arm around my shoulders. “What kinds of wishes did you make?”
“Wishes about life and love and finding happiness.” He kissed the side of my head. “And they came true, too.”
I’d never been happier! “I’ve never wished for anything like this. I didn’t know love like this existed outside of the movies.” I looked at one star in particular. “But now I want to wish for this to never end.”
Alex chuckled. “Everything ends, Ky. No amount of wishing can change that.”
I didn’t want to think about endings. Alex had been through an ending; he knew the facts of life and death. “Does it scare you, Alex? The knowledge that all things—all people—end?”
“I’ve never been the kind of guy who was scared of anything, but I was scared of you. Falling in love with you is what I was scared of.”
“Yeah, I know.” I looked up and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you got over that.”
“Me, too.” He kissed my lips softly. “Living without love just because you’re afraid of endings isn’t much of a life. This life is not meant to be lived alone. No matter how bad the heart breaks, it can mend itself, given time and patience. I’ve found that out and have you to thank.”
Thinking of how tough it must’ve been to lose his wife, and at a young age, he managed to overcome that fear. But I was glad he had. “I hope we’ve got many, many years ahead of us, Alex.”
“I do, too, baby.” He kissed me again. “Me, too.”
Chapter 17
Alex
After the most amazing weekend, we got back home a little bit before Tabby’s grandparents arrived. When Mr. Randolph headed to the front door just as Ky and I walked in from the garage, he let us know they were there. “Seems your in-laws followed you two.”
Ky looked worried. “I’ll be upstairs.”
“Why?” She seemed to be out of sorts.
“The grandmother doesn’t seem to care for me.” She pulled her hand, trying to get me to let it go.
“We’ll have to fix that, won’t we?” I wasn’t letting her go and made her come along with me. “She will not hurt you, Ky. Please trust me.”
She wasn’t taking it well as she whined, “I don’t want to. Even just her sole expression makes me feel inadequate.”
I totally understood. “Ky, she intimidated me, too. She’ll be in our lives; nothing will stop that. Come to terms with that. The same way I have.”
“So this is what comes along with loving someone?” She frowned. “I hate this part of love.”
Chuckling, I put my arm around her, pulling her closer. “It’s not all diamonds and roses, baby.”
Meeting my old in-laws in the foyer, I couldn’t help but smile as Tabby ran to me. “Daddy!”
I let go of Ky to pick up my eager daughter. “There’s my girl! Did you miss me?”
“Yep.” She kissed my face. “So much!” Then she held her arms out to Ky. “And you, too!”
Ky took her out of my arms, hugging and kissing her, and that’s when I noticed the astonished look my mother-in-law was giving me.
“Hi, Rebecca. How was Tabby?”
“Fantastic as usual.” The look faded away as she pulled her tan leather gloves off, laying them across the top of her Gucci purse. “We missed seeing you when we picked her up. How are you holding up?”
There it was, she again tried to pull grief out of me. “I’ve been great.” Turning my attention to my father-in-law. “And how have you been doing, Claus?”
“Fine.” He reached out to shake my hand. “We’re going to Brussels for a month. We’re leaving next week. Can’t wait to go. Haven’t been there before.”
“Sounds nice.” I watched Ky put Tabby down, her eyes on the floor. I reached out, pulling her to me and putting my arm around her. “I know you’ve already met, but we’ve got news, Ky and I. We’re a couple now.”
Ky’s eyes stayed glued to the floor, and I was glad for that as Rebecca’s eyes went wide. “No! What?”
Tabby clapped and jumped up and down. “Oh, yay! You have love!”
Pleased with my daughter’s reaction, I wasn’t feeling the same way about my mother-in-law’s. “Seems not only did I find the perfect person to help me raise Tabby, but I found the perfect person for me, too.”
“This is insane, Alexander,” Rebecca stamped her petite foot. “I will not stand for this.”
Looking at the way Tabby’s lips pouted, and Ky’s eyes wouldn’t leave the floor, it may be best for them to leave the room. “Ky, why don’t you take Tabby up and help her unpack her things?”
“Sure.” Ky agreed, then picked up Tabby and left me alone with the people who obviously disapproved of my relationship. Which is unacceptable.
Claus ran his hand over his face, upset. “What will Rachelle think of this, Alexander?”
I shouldn’t have to point this out, but felt I needed to, “Rachelle won’t be affected by this, Claus. She’s not here to be hurt by another lover.”
Rebecca threw her hands in the air. “This isn’t love, Alexander! This is the product of a few years of loneliness, but it’s not love. No one falls in love with their much-younger nanny! One might screw the girl, but one does not fall in love with her. Everyone knows that.”
The way Claus nodded shook me in a way. “Look, I’m not from your background. I know where you come from and the circles you run in, and people do things differently. But I’m not you. I don’t have uppity people in my life to explain things to except for you guys. But you guys aren’t really in my life. You’re in Tabby’s.”
“And as Tabitha’s grandmother, I must say that this is a travesty, Alexander.” Rebecca played her grandmother card far too early in the game to suit me. “She needs a stable person in the role of mother. Not another child. Have you given any thought as to what will happen when this girl needs to sow her wild oats?”
“She’s not a teenager, Rebecca.” I ran my hand over my face in frustration. “Ky is a mature young woman. She’s not like most girls her age. And she loves Tabby. She’s a perfect role model for my daughter.”
Claus looked at me with one cocked brow. “I’m not so sure about that. Tabitha’s grammar isn’t what it was. She’s picked up a lot of slang.”
Rebecca chimed in, “And she’s saying only parts of words, like def instead of definitely. And totes instead of totally. I don’t like it. It’s not how a Vanderhaven speaks.”
“It’s fine. Kids talk like that these days. You can’t stop her from hearing things like that. Ky isn’t the only individual who speaks that way.” I knew they’d say something about that. They’d always been so strict about using proper language.
“And just when will you be enrolling Tabitha in a preschool, Alexander?” Claus asked. “She’s three now. She should’ve been in one already.”
I didn’t want to send her to school yet. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m not going to send her to preschool until she turns four.”
Rebecca did not like me saying it wasn’t their business; it was written all over her face. “Now see here, Alexan
der, Tabitha is our granddaughter. We have a responsibility to her. That means she is our business. And as such, we don’t think it sets a good example for her if you have a relationship with her sitter. What if she grows up to marry a stable boy?”
Laughing, I had to say, “I don’t believe they have those anymore, Rebecca.”
Waving her hand in the air, she huffed, “You know what I mean.”
Claus added, “As one of us, Tabitha is expected to behave in a way that’s fitting. And you are, too, Alexander. When you married our daughter, we explained things to you. Don’t you remember?”
They had sat me down and told me what was expected of me and what wasn’t allowed. But I wasn’t a part of that family anymore. “I’m no longer a part of the Vanderhaven family, Claus. And Tabby is an Arlen. She may have your blood running through her veins, but she has mine as well and carries my last name. There’s no need for you to worry about her tarnishing the Vanderhaven moniker.”
“How simple of you, Alexander,” Rebecca said. “As a doctor, you should be smarter than that. Tabitha will always be a Vanderhaven. She’s an heiress. Much like her mother, she will be expected to behave like one. And not one of those spoiled ones, either.” She turned to look at her husband. “Perhaps we should consider stopping our travels so we can take care of Tabitha?”
“There’s no need for that because that’s not going to happen.” I wasn’t about to let them undermine me. “Tabby stays with me. End of discussion.”
Neither of them was used to declinations. Claus pointed at the ceiling. “What will Rachelle think about this, Alexander?”
“She’s probably mad at you guys for threatening me.” What is her father thinking? Did he honestly believe that Rachelle wanted me to be alone—or worse—be with someone of her parent’s choosing?
“Rachelle wants us to do what’s right for her daughter,” Claus went on. “And it’s always been to stay with you. Now that you’ve gone and jumped off the deep end, falling in love with a member of your staff, now we must intervene. It’s in Tabitha’s best interest to live with us if you continue this idiotic charade of a relationship.”