Sugar and Sin Bundle

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  ‘No.’

  ‘Okay, so if it wasn’t Simon, who was it?’

  A hot rock stuck in her throat making her eyes sting.

  She couldn’t look at him.

  ‘It’s nothing,’ her voice croaked.

  ‘Rosie, look at me.’

  When she wouldn’t he grabbed her shoulders, hauled her across the bed and lay on top of her.

  His hips pinned hers to the bed.

  One hand caught her wrists, held them above her head, while the other gripped her chin.

  She closed her eyes tight.

  But it was no use, his breath brushed her burning cheek.

  The scent of him, aroused warm male and soap and cologne spun across her heightened senses.

  The hard, heavy weight of him on top of her was a deep pleasure and a deep pain.

  Don’t you dare cry, she implored herself. Don’t you dare.

  ‘Look at me.’

  ‘No,’ she whispered.

  ‘What did I do?’

  Chapter Twenty Six

  By her jolt of shock he realised that his shot in the dark had hit the target.

  Alexander was a patient man and he was prepared to wait as long as it took for her response.

  God, she felt wonderful under him.

  His cock fired.

  It cost him, but he managed to remain perfectly still.

  She opened her eyes and looked right into his.

  ‘Absolutely nothing,’ she said.

  He recognised the truth of it, but he also saw the pain of it.

  And something else that absolutely infuriated him.

  ‘You’re scared? Of me?’

  He let her go.

  Rosie sat and grabbed the duvet to cover herself again.

  She was shaking so hard it drove her nuts.

  ‘I’ve never been scared of you,’ she lied straight to his face, again.

  ‘Then you’re scared of yourself, of how I make you feel.’

  ‘Now you’re being an idiot,’ she snapped.

  ‘Prove it,’ he shot back.

  ‘How?’

  ‘Stop playing games.’

  His tone, the command in his voice nudged her fraying temper.

  ‘I’m not,’ she yelled.

  ‘Then what the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he yelled back.

  It was out of her mouth before it entered her brain.

  ‘I’m trying not to be destroyed!’

  Crap.

  The silence was deafening.

  Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest she was amazed he couldn’t hear it.

  He blinked. ‘You think I would destroy you?’

  Moving to sit on the edge of the bed, he stared unseeing at the floor.

  With something like panic she watched him thrust frustrated hands through his hair as he stood.

  With jerky steps he paced back and forth.

  Then he stopped dead.

  He turned his head and caught her eyes with a look that seared her right through to her very soul.

  ‘Wait a minute. Just wait a damned minute here. You little witch.’

  Rosie had the overwhelming urge to dive under the duvet and pull it over her head.

  But he’d never permit it and she absolutely refused to give in to the yellow coward that lived inside her.

  Her tongue licked her bottom lip.

  His voice went low and silky.

  ‘You have strong feelings for me?’

  Omigod.

  Her heart battered so hard against her ribs she found it hard to think.

  But she raised a brow, pleated the fine cotton of the duvet cover through nerveless fingers and would not, could not, look at him.

  Her voice was no more than a croak.

  ‘I might.’

  Telling herself to keep the tone reasonable, she cleared her throat before continuing,

  ‘I realise my behaviour has been a bit... freaky. But the main part of the reason for that is because I never expected you to want me. And to be honest I’m finding it very hard to deal with. I can’t handle the... change in... our dynamic.’

  Christ she was babbling like an idiot.

  Shut up, Rosie.

  ‘How long?’

  She winced at the tone but held her nerve, just.

  ‘Too long,’ her voice was no more than a whisper.

  ‘Rosie?’

  He sat on the edge of bed and stopped the frantic pleating of the duvet cover by laying his hand over hers.

  Her face burned in utter mortification and her eyes were squeezed too tight.

  ‘Years.’

  Alexander hauled her into his arms and simply held her.

  ‘Aww, baby.’

  ‘No, no, no,’ she cried.

  And pushed him away to retreat once more under the duvet.

  Hadn’t she known he would be just like this? That he’d feel sorry for her?

  Panic ripped through her psyche.

  What the hell had she done?

  ‘You don’t understand. Having an affair or being friends with benefits, God, I hate that phrase, is only going to make it harder on both of us when I leave.’

  Fear.

  Alexander felt it.

  If she left him she’d be as well putting a bullet in his heart.

  She was scared of her feelings for him and he got that because he was scared of his feelings for her too.

  And fear made his voice hard.

  ‘Unlike you, I can’t just switch off how I feel and walk away. What we shared was magical and you damn well know it. And I’ve got news for you, Rosie. I won’t let you walk away from what we might share either.’

  Now she looked at him and the uncertainty, the terror, he saw in there devastated him.

  ‘Why won’t you let me work through this? Do you think intimidating, taking advantage or harassing me is going to work?’ she pleaded.

  Those big eyes stayed level on his.

  He had forced her to tell him the truth.

  The time had come for a bit of straight talking of his own, although now might not be the time to tell her that she was not going anywhere. She was going to stay right here, with him.

  ‘You know we know each other really well,’ he said now and told himself to keep the tone friendly.

  Her brow creased as she plucked again at the cover.

  She thrust an irritated hand through her hair, flicked him a look.

  ‘We do.’

  ‘Then you know I’m not perfect.’

  Now those big brown eyes sent him a bland look.

  ‘Very true.’

  ‘Watch it. But you also know I’m one of the good guys. And you also know I care for you.’

  She heaved a big sigh as his eyes held hers.

  ‘Where is this going?’

  ‘Wanna go steady?’

  ‘What are we, fourteen?’

  ‘You don’t think we should date?’

  Now she frowned in a way he found absolutely adorable.

  ‘Most adults have lovers.’

  ‘Good point,’ he said in a reasonable tone that he knew would bug her and he was right. ‘And I have to ask myself why you don’t?’

  Now her chin rose.

  Excellent.

  ‘I’ve not met anyone I want.’

  He flicked a finger tip over that chin.

  ‘That’s a load of crock and you know it. What about dear Simon and what was all that with Josh?’

  ‘We didn’t have the zing,’ she said.

  He watched with interest as guilty heat flared into her cheeks.

  Hmm.

  ‘No zing? We have the zing. Don’t we?’

  She hunched her shoulders and shot him a glare.

  ‘It doesn’t have to mean anything.’

  ‘You.’ He poked her in the shoulder. ‘Are a difficult woman to please. But then that’s nothing new.’

  ‘You.’ She poked him right back. ‘Are seriously pissing me off.’

  This time he gave he
r a little push.

  ‘You wait, angel face, this is nothing. The wonderful thing about you is that if I’ve pissed you off it means you’re thinking, foaming at the mouth, about me.’ When Rosie simply stared at him, he continued. ‘And that is a good thing.’

  She shoved him as her temper went on a steady simmer.

  If he only knew Rosie thought, unable to decide what to say and that seriously irritated her too.

  So she fell back on an old standard.

  ‘I hate you.’

  He appeared delighted by the statement.

  ‘Wanna fight, roll around the floor and have make-up sex?’

  She won the war not to laugh, but couldn’t suppress a shiver as his eyes went dark with arousal.

  He leaned towards her.

  The scent of him made her head spin.

  The way his hand stroked her hair back from her face made her breath hitch.

  ‘I like you a lot,’ he said. ‘I care for you very, very much. Wanna guess what comes next?’

  Rosie shook her head unable to let her mind go there as the unbelievable look for her in his eyes made her shake her head again.

  Her heart did a jerky little dance then leapt into her mouth.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’

  How could the room spin when she was sitting down?

  This time her response was a whispered,

  ‘No.’

  Alexander’s hands framed her face and those eyes looked into hers with an intensity that made her heartbeat roar in her ears.

  He wanted to say, ‘I’ve loved you my whole life.’

  But the genuine terror in those big eyes held him back.

  Patience, Alexander.

  So instead he said, ‘Vanilla sex.’

  And wasn’t unhappy when he recognised disappointment mixed in with relief.

  She needed time to accept the change in the dynamic of their relationship, to deal with her feelings.

  Giving her time was the least he could do.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Rosie wondered if she was losing her mind because she’d been certain he’d been about to tell her he loved her.

  Christ, she was becoming delusional.

  Mixed in with relief was a disappointment that shook her it hurt so much.

  But she still couldn’t take her eyes from his.

  No one had ever looked at her with such intensity and it pulled her in like a magnet.

  How many times had she dreamt of this moment?

  He drew her slowly, relentlessly down on top of him on the bed.

  His mouth met hers in a kiss that sizzled, sparking a flash of heated response low in her belly and Rosie groaned.

  She lifted her head to simply look at his wonderful face, his long thick eyelashes, his sensual mouth.

  Her heart was hammering, or was it his?

  His hands slid up her back in a long slow caress before sliding down to smooth her bare bottom.

  Her body was melting against his and it felt fabulous.

  His palm curled around the nape of her neck.

  Strong fingers squeezed and drew her head inexorably down to his mouth.

  Alexander needed this, needed her.

  He needed the feel of her warm, wet mouth and she tasted fabulous, sweet and tart, like strawberries picked after the rain.

  Soft breasts were crushed against his chest as he pulled her closer.

  She felt so small in his arms.

  Her fragility reminded him to take care even as his mouth plundered.

  He fed on her sweetness as the need to devour, to take, had his tongue mimic the sexual act.

  He felt her shudder as her hands raked through his hair and her pelvis tipped against his rock hard cock.

  How could he have known Rosie had such a passionate nature?

  Her little gasps and moans were driving him crazy.

  Taking great care, he rolled her onto her back and stripped off his jeans.

  She lay there with her arms above her head and simply stared at him while he settled between her legs and looked his fill.

  The ache in his lungs at the look of total surrender in those big brown eyes had him clear his throat.

  ‘You’re stunning,’ his voice was no more than a whisper.

  He needed to touch her.

  His hand moved up her narrow rib cage to cup her breast and he felt her shudder, gasp, as bent his head and found the ripe gift.

  His mouth was hot and moist as his tongue licked and flicked coaxing her nipple to a firm peak.

  Scraping erotically with his teeth, teasing in a way that drove her body wild with need, Rosie held his head close to her heart as wave after wave of sensation swam through her.

  Passion was a brutal pleasure, a burning need, a weeping response between her legs.

  How was it possible for her to come again after everything they’d shared. And part of her wondered if her system would be able to cope with the demands he made upon it.

  Her body didn’t want him to stop but she needed more and she needed it now.

  ‘Alexander.’

  Her voice came out needy, breathless and sexy in a way that staggered her.

  ‘What do you want from me, baby?’ he murmured against her breasts.

  The warmth from his mouth made her ache even more.

  ‘I need you inside me, please.’

  Frustrated tears stung as he tasted her belly, her hip bone and nuzzled the tender skin between her thigh and her mound.

  He blew gently over the swollen lips of her sex and Rosie almost came off the bed.

  And he was between her legs, big hands slid under her bare bottom lifting the core of her and Rosie just gripped the duvet and held on.

  ‘Such a pretty, pretty pussy,’ was all he said before he devoured her.

  She screamed as her back arched as he shot her up and over the edge so fast the world went black.

  ‘I can’t...’

  The words were a cry for mercy.

  He didn’t stop.

  His thumbs spread the lips of her sex wide and his tongue speared into her in a way that made her feel as if her whole body was melting into the bed.

  Slowly and oh so gently he took her up and over.

  Bliss, utter bliss.

  Braced on an elbow Alexander leaned over her and simply stared at the dazed expression on her beautiful face.

  ‘Are you on birth control?’

  She nodded.

  ‘To regulate my cycle.’

  ‘Have your partners used a condom?’

  Partners?

  What partners?

  Her voice refused to work so she just gave a jerky nod.

  ‘I want to feel you, skin to skin,’ he said softly.

  ‘Okay.’

  His hand stroked up her torso, massaged her breast and she arched her back like a lazy kitten into his hand.

  He leaned down to taste the delicate skin of her neck.

  She murmured his name softly in a way that made his burning cock swell and thicken even more.

  He couldn’t believe how responsive she was to his touch, his kiss.

  The words, ‘I love you’ trembled on his tongue but his ache for her was too much.

  Instead he said, ‘Look at me, baby.’

  A smile curved her soft mouth as her eyes fluttered open.

  He recognised a deep contentment and something else that humbled him.

  Restlessly, her body moved under his.

  As he placed himself between her legs in the cradle of her hips, her slick need of him was crystal clear.

  He found her hands, pressed them into the mattress next to her head.

  His eyes never left hers.

  He saw them go opaque and they both gasped as he entered her with a single thrust.

  Would he ever get used to how hot she felt?

  She was so wet, so ready, it was amazing.

  ‘Wrap your legs around me.’

  He hissed out a breath as she
did as he asked and tilted her pelvis in such a way his inhale was a shuddering breath.

  ‘Your too tight. Am I hurting you?’

  The frantic shake of her head made him withdraw very slowly and thrust right to the hilt.

  She closed her eyes as her breath came out as a high sob and the sound broke the choke hold he had on his control.

  His hips pistoned and she was with him every step of the way.

  ‘Look at me!’ he commanded.

  Big eyes never left his as he did his level best to prolong the journey but it was no use.

  The sting at the base of his spine ricochet down to his toes and right up to his scalp as his balls went too tight, too hard, too fast and his seed rocketed out of his cock.

  Her burning core fisted him too tight and he howled with release as her orgasm made her muscles spasm in a rhythm that emptied him again and again.

  He was shaking as he collapsed on top of her.

  His heart threatened to escape through his ribs has he lay on his side next to her.

  Still inside her, he pulled her to him.

  Rosie knew she would never be the same again.

  He’d ruined her for any other man.

  This was what she’d wanted, the connection, the intimacy.

  The way he’d looked into her eyes as he’d made her his was something she’d never forget.

  He hadn’t just taken her body.

  He’d taken her heart and her very soul.

  God she loved him so very much.

  Fear tickled her gut.

  Too much?

  ‘Stop thinking. I can hear the wheels turning,’ he growled low in his throat.

  He was still inside her physically and he appeared to be inside her mind as well.

  She’d never shared such an intimate moment with another.

  It felt so right.

  Her eyes opened to find his staring at her with something like awe.

  She spoke from the heart,

  ‘I’ve never felt, experienced, anything like that.’

  He smiled, but his eyes were watchful on hers.

  ‘Are you scared?’

  The truth pierced her heart.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

  ‘Me too.’

  He was?

  The thought that Alexander might care enough for her to be hurt caught the breath in her throat.

  She raised a hand to his face, traced her fingers over his eyebrow, his slashing cheekbone, that stubborn jaw before threading her fingers through his hair.