When Lightning Strikes (The Storm Inside Book 3)

by Alexis Anne

  Or at least we thought she wasn’t looking, anyway. She seemed to have this secret smile all morning that only got bigger as the day wore on. Before we left, he kissed me and asked me out to dinner. I was saying no just as Natalie announced she would spend the night at Grace’s.

  So here I was watching my daughter pack because she really, really wanted me to have dinner with Greg.

  “What’s the big rush to get us together?” I asked as she grabbed her pillow.

  “The fact that you are both chickens.”

  Chickens?

  Before I had a chance to respond, we were interrupted by Grace yelling from the front door. “I’m here! What are you wearing?”

  “We’re in Natalie’s room.” I ignored her question. “We are not chickens. We’re practical.”

  Natalie frowned. “Practical sounds boring and dumb to me. You both need to stop thinking so much.”

  Two seconds later Grace was beside me. “You’re not wearing that, are you?”

  I looked down at the shirt and shorts I’d been wearing all day. “No, I still have time to change.”

  “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and then turned to Natalie. “You ready for a girls night?”

  “All packed.” Natalie threw her duffle bag over one arm and her backpack over the other. “Have fun, Mom. And I mean it. Have fun.”

  “Yeah, what the munchkin said.” Grace nodded with a thumb over her shoulder. The words sounded light and there was a smile on her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  I put my hand on her shoulder and stopped her. “Something wrong?”

  Grace glanced at Natalie who was already headed down the stairs. “I’m just having a bad week, nothing to worry about.”

  I didn’t believe her, but I also knew that Grace was more likely to pick a fight than tell me what was wrong if she wasn’t ready to talk. “Okay. I’m here if you need to talk, you know that.”

  She nodded tightly. “Thanks. I’ll get the kid to school on time. I mean it, have fun.”

  And then she was out the door and I was waving to the darkness. By the time Greg knocked on my door I was dressed and more than ready for a drink or two.

  I really liked him, he was great with Natalie, and most interesting of all, my body took over every single time he was near. It was weird, exciting, and a little freaky.

  “Swanky,” he said as I opened the door. We’d met him at his car this morning so this was his first chance to see the inside of my house.

  “Thank you. Come in.” I stood to the side and he stooped down to kiss me lightly on the lips. It was nice and surprisingly tender.

  He let out a low whistle as he took in the foyer and living room. My house was only built fifteen years ago, but it was made to perfectly mimic the historic bungalows that were the trademark of the historic district we lived in—completely modern with a historic look. I absolutely loved my house.

  “Marie, this is very, very nice. I never considered actually living in Hyde Park before but now…”

  “We really like it here. We’ve got Bayshore, SoHo, and the Village all right here, and downtown is a hop, skip and a jump away. Plus the house.”

  “Is sweet as shit. Very impressive. You ready?”

  I nodded. “You want a quick tour first, or straight to dinner?”

  He grinned. “I’d love a tour.”

  My heart skipped a beat and I got all tingly between my legs. “Well this is the living room and back here is the kitchen.” I led him through a doorway. The kitchen was on the same level as the front of the house, but from there it was down three steps to a sunken family room that Natalie and I used primarily for movie marathons.

  “I could live in this room. Nice couches.” His voice was like soft seductive velvet.

  “There is a guest room over there, and our bedrooms are upstairs.” I waved my hand at the stairwell.

  “You gonna show me or should I guess?”

  Okay, so I was totally hesitating because I was a little afraid of having Greg near my bed. I desperately wanted to see him in it. Maybe I should just go around wearing a sign that said, “I like fucking Greg Hamilton” because I swear that’s all anyone saw when they looked at me.

  Not that it was a bad thing. I did like fucking him. And talking to him. I liked the way he treated my daughter and his friends.

  “Marie?” I realized I was standing there staring at the stairs instead of answering him.

  He came toward me and slipped his arm around my waist. It made everything around us disappear. “Are you afraid to take me upstairs?” he growled in my ear.

  The feel of his breath against my skin was intoxicating. Who the hell needed alcohol when Greg was around? I could get drunk on him. “Yes.”

  “Why?” he kissed me on the lips and then worked his way along my jaw.

  Blood rushed straight south so hard and fast it hurt. I squeezed my legs together to ease the throb. “Because I want to rip your clothes off.”

  He growled again. “So what’s stopping you?”

  “Dinner?” I asked.

  “Are you more hungry for me, or for food?” He held his mouth just out of my reach. He was very still and I could hear every breath we took.

  I could also feel his erection growing against my hip.

  “Food?” I lied. I didn’t want food. I wanted him.

  He grinned. “Show me your room. We can order takeout.”

  I nodded and grabbed his hand, yanking him up the stairs behind me. It had been over a week since he had last touched me like this. Last Sunday I thought I’d never see him again, and yet here we were, together again.

  How did this happen?

  I pushed my questions aside as he tossed my shirt on the floor, popped off my bra, and started licking and sucking my nipples until I couldn’t breathe. Somehow a week without his cock had felt like an eternity. I wanted him deeper and harder to make up for his absence.

  “I need you,” I gasped. “Don’t make me wait.”

  That turned him on. His eyes went dark and the rest of our clothes disappeared. The condom went on and I was on my back before I could take a breath. And then…well, then he thrust hard. I cried out but it wasn’t in pain really, it was more like relief. He pulled back and thrust again. He slid deeper and I shuddered. Third time was a charm—he reared back and slammed into me until he was buried as deep as my body would let him go. “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I gasped.

  “Fuck, I need a second. You feel…too good,” he whispered in my ear. I was on fire everywhere. My skin tingled, my core throbbed and pulsed, and the blood coursed through my veins like I was coming alive for the first time all week.

  His cock twitched inside me and Greg squeezed his eyes shut, resting his head on my shoulder. I wanted to wiggle my hips and make him ride me even if it was only for a few brief seconds, but I also knew if I just gave him a moment to get used to me, we might be able to make this last a little longer.

  “Talk to me,” I whispered. “It turns me on, remember?”

  He groaned like I was causing him pain. I hoped it was the good kind of pain.

  “Woman. Are you trying to kill me?”

  “No, I just know we have all night.”

  He sucked in a breath. “You are trying to kill me. At least convince me to name you in my will before you off me.”

  “Oh, am I in for a big inheritance?”

  “Very big,” he groaned as he rocked into me. I knew he was insinuating his cock was very big, but I also realized I still didn’t know all that much about him. I knew him and yet, I didn’t. We had such a strange relationship. I knew what made him tick and which whiskeys were his favorites, but until last night, I had no idea what he did for a living.

  “I like big things,” I murmured.

  “Oh, I can tell.” He moved south, hitching up his knees so that he was kneeling over me with my legs around his waist. “You seem to like my dick quite a lot.”

  I ground against him, feeling his heavy and wide cock str
etching me, heating me from the inside out. My skin was hot, like I was running a marathon, but all I was doing was responding to the feel of his cock and his hands.

  “I also like your mouth.”

  “Oh…baby…” He leaned over me, taking my breast in his hand and sucking my nipple sharply into his mouth. It shot a jolt of pleasure straight to my core. He grunted in response and moved his other hand over my clit. “I just need another minute, and then you’re in for a rough ride. I hope that’s okay with you and your needy body.” He said all this with my nipple between his teeth. It hurt so good.

  I shuddered as the memory of Greg slamming into me ran through my mind.

  “Yes…that’s exactly what I want.”

  “It doesn’t matter where I lick you, you always taste like candy. And you have to have the warmest, slickest, tightest pussy I’ve ever been inside. I want to stay here forever.” His fingers swirled around my clit and I felt like I was flying. My legs squeezed tighter around his waist and it took everything in me to keep from grinding against him.

  “Keep talking,” I begged. The things he said about my body, and the way it made him feel, was the hottest thing I’d ever heard. The only thing better was his cock inside me.

  “In ten seconds I’m going lay myself on top of your fantastic tits and slide my dick so deep inside that you see stars. I’m going to see stars, too. Because,” he kissed my nipple one last time and started shifting his knees out from their position. “There is nothing on this earth that feels as sweet as my dick slamming into you.”

  He plunged his tongue into my mouth, planted his elbows on either side of my head, and reared back. I sucked in a breath as the anticipation overwhelmed me. Would it hurt? Would he go too far? Would it feel so amazing I came right then? The possibilities were endless and I loved not knowing what to expect next.

  He thrust into me and my world exploded, my body quaking and begging for more. I used my nails in the skin of his shoulder to let him know when hard was too hard. It didn’t take long—we were both so damn horny and ready—before my orgasm hit. My legs shook and my entire body shuddered as it pulsed through me. I felt it in my hair and the curl of my toes.

  Greg watched me the entire time, holding back just a little bit, until I was close to being done. That was when he finally let it all go. His movements suddenly became jerky, and then it hit him, too. He groaned and moaned, finally burying his face in my neck as he thrust in quick little strokes until there was nothing left in either of our bodies to keep going.

  *****

  For the first two weeks we were too busy to think much. He was out of town most of the first week, and then Natalie and I had a function over the weekend. I was glad to have time to think, but I ached being away from him again. If my body were in charge of this relationship we’d be joined at the hip.

  There was so much to think about. If we kept seeing each other, did that mean it was turning into something more? Was Greg the kind of guy who could do more? Was I the kind of girl who could do more? We hadn’t talked about anything personal. I didn’t know why he was so closed off and he knew nothing about Brandon or my work. Each piece of information felt like a bomb that could possibly explode what little we had. I was walking on eggshells and I didn’t know why.

  I barely knew him. I wasn’t losing anything if this ended tomorrow.

  But somehow I didn’t quite believe that.

  We hadn’t seen each other in days so Greg offered to bring us dinner and finish his work at my house. He was currently on my couch, dealing with a mess at work.

  “No, it’s because you’re a fucktard and don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground. Read the directions carefully and follow each one. Do not make your own corrections, do not skip steps because you think you can, and for fuck’s sake, do not call me and ask me how to do it when the instructions are right in front of you!” Greg was swearing into his phone with his laptop out on the coffee table and a mostly empty whiskey in his hand.

  Natalie grinned at me. I shook my head. “Just ignore him. He’s like this most of the time.”

  “I know,” she giggled.

  Of course she did.

  He slammed his phone down on the coffee table and started pecking at his computer as if pushing the keys harder somehow made whatever poor soul had been on the other end of that phone call smarter.

  “Hey Greg?”

  “What?” he barked at me just as vehemently as he had his caller. Then he looked at me and his whole face softened. “Sorry. I guess I got a little worked up, huh?”

  I nodded but smiled because seriously, it was just him. And I really liked him.

  “Sorry kid. But you should learn sooner than later anyway. Most people are dumb fucktards and it’s best to deal with them with a lot of swearing.”

  Natalie laughed some more and kept working on her homework. I cocked an eyebrow and narrowed my eyes.

  “Oh?” he growled. “Am I going to be punished?”

  “No!” Natalie howled covering her ears. “Swearing and stupid people I can handle, but kinky grownup gross stuff I cannot!”

  I tried really hard to pretend I was embarrassed, but I wasn’t and I knew it showed. In a really weird way I was glad Natalie got to hear some healthy banter between us. “I’ll go over there and distract him from his work. We’ll be quieter, I promise.”

  “Doesn’t make it any less gross,” she grumbled, pulling out her headphones and plugging them into her phone.

  I grabbed my glass of wine and pulled Greg into the front room where we settled onto the much less comfortable living room couch. “Problems at work?”

  He slid his arm around me and pressed my head into his broad shoulder. It felt kind of perfect to lie there. “Not really. Just idiots. It still amazes me how incredibly stupid some people can be.”

  “Why don’t you fire the idiots and hire non-idiots?”

  He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t have any employees if I did that.”

  I nuzzled his neck and the scruff on his chin tickled my nose. He smelled damn good and felt even better.

  “Can I ask you a question?” he said softly.

  I looked up and saw that he was watching me carefully. “Sure?”

  “It’s about Natalie’s dad. Who is he?”

  I nodded a few times, pumping myself up for that conversation. “His name is Brandon.” I glanced toward the family room where I could hear Natalie humming along to whatever song was playing on her phone. “He’s very much a part of her life, but he lives in France.”

  “That sounds complicated.”

  “Sometimes, but mostly not. It’s just the way we are. It gives Natalie a chance to travel and she’s pretty fluent in French, which is cool.”

  “I’ve noticed. She was reading The Stranger and The Hunchback in French a few weeks ago.”

  I smiled because I was so damn proud of that girl. “Yeah, she’s crazy.”

  “Is he a good guy?”

  Greg was surprisingly tense. It made me like him even more—the way he felt toward Natalie was really endearing. “Yeah he’s a good guy. He never really wanted to settle down and raise a kid, so this works out for us.”

  Greg nodded, but he didn’t relax one bit. “You make it sound like settling down and raising a kid as a teenager was what you wanted.”

  “No, it’s definitely not what I wanted,” I replied even more quietly than I was already talking. I kept stealing glances across the room because I never liked talking about this stuff in front of her. I was always worried she’d hear something out of context and take it the wrong way. “But what other option was there? I love her and I wanted to give her the best life I could. She shouldn’t suffer because I was being a rebellious teenager. And,” I sighed and started picking my nails. “I knew Brandon well enough to know that if I pushed him for too much, or tied him down too hard, he’d make us all miserable and eventually walk away. I didn’t want us to be miserable and I most definitely wanted Natalie to always have he
r dad. Brandon and I were not meant to be and we were not ready to be parents, but he’s a good guy and when the chips are down, he’s a good friend.”

  “How did you meet?”

  I chuckled remembering back that far. The image of me as a teenager was not something I enjoyed. “We went to high school together. Our dads were rivals and they sent us to the same prep school for over-privileged kids. At first I thought Brandon was devastatingly cute and I about melted when he started flirting with me. But then we realized who our dads were and that being together pissed them off royally—something we were both desperate to do.”

  “I can’t picture you as the rebel.”

  “Oh, by sixteen I was doing the full-court press on my parents. Sneaking out, wearing things they forbid me to wear, drinking, smoking.” I ticked them all off on my fingers. “But it all felt pointless. Sure I was making them mad and occasionally embarrassed, but I was hurting myself, too. I wanted to do something that would really get under their skin. So I started dating Brandon, sneaking out to be with him, and having sex.”

  Greg pulled me in closer to his side and kissed my cheek. “And then you got pregnant.”

  “I did. I finally got what I wanted: my parents were mortified and the fact that it was Brandon’s child only made it a thousand times worse. They called us Romeo and Juliet in the gossip columns.”

  “You were in gossip columns?” Greg sputtered.

  “High society and all that crap. They ran a few stories on the rivalry between our families and our ‘love story’. Luckily the story died well before Natalie was born.”

  “You went to college?”

  “I did. My parents hired a fulltime nanny and I went about my life. I finished high school and college with Natalie and the nanny in tow. Linda was amazing. In a lot of ways she was a mother to both of us. I’m really grateful for her. Brandon went off to Harvard, and then moved in to his role with Calais. He’s the one who transitioned them from an agency to athletic clothing. He’s always had a better understanding of the European markets than just about anyone. He has a gift for it, really. I’m glad he didn’t let his dad intimidate him into running the company the same way he did.”