“I wasn’t good enough for her rich family. She was a debutante. Didn’t belong with trailer trash.”
And then Alana understood why he’d been weird about seeing her against Javi’s wishes. He’d been reticent about talking about his alcoholic mother and deadbeat father the night he came over to check on her car. His fiancé thinking his background wasn’t good enough would be enough to make him ashamed. “You know, my dad didn’t have anything when he came here from Cuba. My mom’s parents were middle class.”
“And look at y’all now.” His tone was rueful. He shifted his gaze and rubbed his nose. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better. I’m over it now.”
“Are you?”
He didn’t answer and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. His shoulders slumped, so she continued eating even though she regretted getting into the heavy topic. She hoped she could hush whatever demons visited him later, with her mouth against his and body against body.
She didn’t think he would say any more about it, but he put down his fork and said, “I made one of those dumb flash mob engagement videos—hired a video crew and everything. She turned me down flat.”
“I’m so sorry.” Alana wasn’t quite sure what else to say. Her food rolled around like rocks in her stomach. That had to have been horrible—to put himself out there in a public way only to be turned down.
He shrugged and took a gulp of his drink. “It’s over now.”
Although she was kind of glad his ex was a stupid debutante, and that Cole was here with her, Alana would like the opportunity to rip that girl’s face off. Or at least yell at her using all of her favorite Spanish curse words.
They sat in a kind of awkward silence until the server came by with a dessert menu. Aware that she’d be naked in front of Cole soon enough, she said, “Oh no. I’m fine.”
“We’ll have the crème brulee.”
“I do not need that. Or rather, my rear end doesn’t need dessert.”
Cole leveled her with a cock-eyed grin. “Your ass is just fine, darlin’. And who said I was going to share?” He moved her hair and kissed her behind the ear before he said, “Two spoons.”
When the server left, he leaned close again. As though bossing her into ordering dessert had returned his confidence. “I bet they’d kick us out if I spread you on the table and ate it from your pussy.”
Alana made a small squeak and sipped her wine, Cole sex Santeria face on the whole time. When their food arrived, he ate very little of it, which was too bad because it was perfect. The burnt sugar on top gave way to bourbon-tinged vanilla custard that reminded her of the way Cole had tasted on their first night together.
She offered him a spoonful, and he enveloped it with his mouth. The “mmm” sound he made in his throat made her wet. She wanted him right now.
She leaned close and whispered into his ear, “I think we should go back to my place for a night cap.”
He pulled back and trailed a finger down her throat. “I think that sounds like a good plan.”
As they were leaving the restaurant, Manuel Rivera, a long-time friend of her parents, entered the restaurant. He rushed over to Alana, and he gave her a kiss on both cheeks. Even though there was nothing wrong with him, he’d always kind of creeped her out. Maybe it was because her parents had always hoped that they’d get together. All she knew was that he was the kind of guy she’d been trying to avoid the night that she’d met Cole. Someone who would only see her as a way to get in with her family. Not a guy would try to know her, who would give her what she needed in bed and out of it.
Financed by his hardworking parents, Manuel owned a club on Miami Beach—the kind of place where people don’t start showing up until one in the morning. Manuel’s Lamborghini was always stalling out because he never learned how to shift properly. He was about an inch taller than Alana in heels, maybe five-eleven, fit, and his wardrobe consisted of ill-fitting linen pants and tight T-shirts. His tan came from an airbrush, and his teeth were capped. Alana remembered when he’d had the procedure done, the caps pulled on his lips and gave him a slight lisp. She knew it was awful, but listening to him talk had annoyed her since he got them.
“Alana, my dear,” he said, as if he were an older relative, “Join us for a drink.”
Alana looked at Rivera’s companion. She was…basic. Petite, blond, obvious boob job, barely there dress, mile-high heels, and sniffing due to her probable coke habit. It was too bad that she was going to ruin what looked like a very expensive nose job with a deviated septum.
Cole interrupted. “We were actually just leaving.”
“That’s too bad.” Rivera grasped her hand and kissed the back. Revulsion threatened to upend her stomach’s contents. “You’ll let me take you to dinner sometime soon?”
Alana flipped her hair behind her shoulder, ready to tell him where to “shove it” with a smile. But Cole beat her to the punch. He offered his hand and said, “Cole Roberts.”
Cole brought her closer to him with an arm around the waist for good measure. The move surprised her; as far as she knew, they were still having a fling despite all of the sharing they’d done.
Cole stiffened against her side when Rivera offered his hand for a brisk handshake. “Where are you from? I haven’t seen you around.”
“I’m from all over. Served in the Navy for almost a decade.” Cole’s answer came through gritted teeth. “I’m here now.”
“Are you two dating?” The fingers on her hip tightened.
“Cole is a good friend, Manuel.” Alana shifted on her feet, needing to get away. “We have to go.”
Cole’s “Nice to meet you,” came out as a series of grunts. She didn’t love having two guys in a pissing contest over her, but it turned her on to think that Cole might be jealous. That he might not like the idea of another man touching her. That he might want to be the one touching her after this week.
Despite her own good sense, she wished it were real instead of just macho posturing. She knew it wasn’t likely, or even possible. He had a job and life in D.C.. But the idea of more romantic dates gave her a fluttery feeling in her stomach.
She was glad when he took her arm and they walked out of the restaurant without incident. The look on his face the whole time they talked to Rivera spelled violence. She’d have hated ending dinner having to bail him out of jail.
Cole had paid the valet to park the car close to the entrance and keep an eye on it, so they got the car quickly. Cole remained silent, but the air felt thick with something.
“Who the fuck is that guy?”
“Just a friend of my parents.” When Cole didn’t answer but tapped the steering wheel in beat with a country song on the sound system, she continued. “He’s always asking me out. He’s not serious.”
“He sure as hell looked serious to me.”
“Calm down. He’s sleazy, but harmless.” She looked at Cole and could see his jaw muscle twitching. “You’re jealous.”
She flipped through her memory quickly to confirm that she couldn’t remember anyone ever being jealous about her. Maybe that wasn’t it, though. He might just be annoyed by Manuel’s existence.
“Damn right I am.” He stopped the truck near a curb, shifted into park, and turned to face her. “You’re mine.”
A frisson of heat formed in her lower belly. “For how long?”
He didn’t answer, but put the car into gear and drove away.
Chapter 10
Alana’s question turned over in Cole’s guts during the whole drive home. How long did he want to stay? The way she’d looked at him during dinner, practically cooing every time he brushed his thumb across her inner thigh made him want to leave everything behind and be with her permanently.
Every time she laughed at dinner, he wanted to grab her face and taste that sound on his tongue. When that other guy had touched her like she was his, he’d wanted to rip his arm off and beat him with it.
He usually didn’t spend enough time with a woman to get jealous. As soon as feelings got involved, he moved on. This was new territory, way more than just fucking. The feelings blooming in his chest, the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Alana, made this feel like way more than a fling. Even though he was leaving in a few days, and there was no way he could pick up and move here, nothing temporary about the way he felt.
As soon as he pulled into the driveway, she got out of the truck, slamming the door. For a woman accustomed to waiting until a man opened the door, that spelled trouble. Why had he given her the silent treatment over small talk with that douche bag?
Maybe he was losing his mind over her because they’d spent so much time together. He should probably end this right now before he sank any deeper in a vat of pig shit.
Even though the questions were there, he knew that he couldn’t pull the trigger. He was going to take everything this woman had to give him—take until they were both sweaty, tired, and spent. He’d let her use him for her pleasure until she’d had her fill. Then, she’d be the one to end it. She wasn’t about to end up with someone like him, was she?
No matter what she said about her family’s history, Alana’s future was with a guy like Manuel, someone from here. Manuel clearly had money. Although Cole did well, he knew he couldn’t keep up with a guy like that.
What was he going to do down here anyway? Miami was all about connections; he was only connected to the Hernandez family by some thin threads that could break if Javier found out what he was doing with Alana. But the thought of leaving at the end of the week, of Alana meeting someone new and leaving him in the dust had his chest tightening and his head throbbing. There wasn’t a good solution. Once again, he’d fallen for a woman he shouldn’t have. Had he fallen for her?
No, but he could. And the more time he spent with her, the more likely it was that she would see that he didn’t belong here. Freezing her out in the car had probably sped that up. She probably wouldn’t let him in her house if he got the stones to get out of the truck and knock on the door.
The thought of her kicking him to the curb made heat and a need to dominate spread through him, inside him to his bones. He stepped out onto the driveway and the crisp evening air cooled his temper and cleared his mind.
Alana hadn’t gone right in the house. She hesitated on the doorstep, which gave him hope that she still wanted him.
If she did, for the rest of the time he was here, he would give it to her so good that any man after him wouldn’t even register. Even if they weren’t meant to be permanent, he’d tattoo his lust for her into her being. A little piece of her would always belong to him.
* * * *
Cole had remained silent the whole drive home. Every so often, she’d looked over and saw the muscle in his jaw tick. She wanted to hate his caveman behavior; part of her did. What business did he have being jealous? None. He was leaving in a few days, and he’d be back to his life in D.C.. Why was he ruining the time they had left acting like a dick? The way he touched her made her insides melty; the way he looked at her made her chest feel warm. She would miss him when he left, not the sex, being with him. Even with the stupid jealous shit. When she’d proposed a fling, she hadn’t anticipated feeling so much for him. Or wanting someone so like her dad and brother—with so much alpha seeping out of him. She should probably seek therapy.
From his silence and the look on his face, she guessed that he would just drop her at the door. So much for her dirty little fantasy of getting tied up and spanked.
A drop of sorrow sat in her stomach when she thought about that. About never getting to explore kink with Cole. She wanted to try everything with him, enjoy the things that worked for them and laugh at the things that didn’t. Because she cared about him. A lot. She’d never have the guts to seek that kind of thing out from a guy she was interested in dating. They had clubs for that sort of thing, but she could never go there.
Ugh, her brother was probably a member at all of them. That would be so gross.
But Cole would never make her feel bad for wanting something like that. She felt free with him, even though he’d acted like a Neanderthal in the car. He hadn’t made her feel like she was a freak for wanting to explore.
She made it to her door before she realized that he followed her. Her arousal kicked back up to eleven as soon as he got close. He plucked the keys out of her hand, opened the door, and pulled her inside. His hand was like a vise around her wrist, and the heat from his callused fingertips spread all the way to the deepest part of her.
“What are you doing?” She shouldn’t want this, but she couldn’t deny that she did.
He pulled her deeper into her house, towards the bedroom. “We’re not done with the list, darlin’.”
“Even after you acted like an ass on the way home?” She shook her hand loose from his, and he stopped. He turned around and stared at each other in the dim light from the hallway. “I’m just supposed to forget about that and trust that you won’t hurt me?”
She didn’t believe he would harm her physically, but she wasn’t sure she could trust his mood right now. Was this still playing a game for him? Did she want to get naked with him when the energy between them was so serious?
He looked down and sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted that way.” He paused before he said, “I just—guys like that make me feel like shit.”
His admission softened her. Something about this big, burly man admitting that someone could make him feel small made her ache. She grabbed his face in both hands. “Manuel is a worm. He’s never done anything for anyone but himself. I will never be with someone like him.” She leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Tonight, I just want you.”
“How about after tonight?” His eyes flashed in the sliver of moonlight cutting the darkness.
“I want as much of you as you have to give.” She took a deep breath, unsure as to whether she should say the next part. “Let’s not pretend that, just because our relationship is temporary, that it doesn’t mean anything. I can’t remember being happier than I have been since New Year’s Eve. Let’s just be happy for a few more days.”
He nodded, and his mouth curved into a cockeyed grin, the kind that said he was about to thoroughly debauch her. He nodded and put his hands over hers. He kissed each palm before putting his hands on her hips and walking them down the short hallway to her bedroom.
When they got there, he gently pushed her back onto the bed and crawled over her. He shifted so that he was resting on his arms above her. They were both fully clothed, but his hard cock pressed into her lower belly felt rather obscene. It was all she could do not to rub against him like a needy kitten. She shouldn’t give up so easily. He’d been a brute.
And I fucking loved it. I wanted some more.
Take it.
Her thighs spread and he sank against her. He held her gaze with his own as he rolled his hips against hers. She softened and opened; she was soaked with how much she wanted him. She wanted to tell him to hurry up, but his hold on her wrists and way he pinned her body to the bed on every downstroke told her that he was in charge. And she needed him any way that she could have him. So, if he wanted to be in charge, he got to be in charge. All of Cole’s focus on her gaze, the way he ground against her, had her close to coming. Letting him dominate her would be good. It was already so good.
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“You can be in charge.”
“Yes, sir, you mean?”
Alana took a deep breath. It was really against her nature to take orders, but this was so fucking hot. “Yes, sir.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently, almost tentatively. She had expected him to take her once she really gave him the reigns. It’s not like she hadn’t read popular fiction in the last few years. In fact, she had a whole slew of titles with ultra-dominant romantic heroes on her e-reader. She’d always found it sexy, but never though
t about actually doing it until Cole.
The crazy sexual chemistry and his dominance were overpowering, and she trusted him to take care of her. She trusted him enough to let go, but she still needed to touch him.
She arched against him and ran her fingers through his hair, tugging the dark strands. Cole grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. She whimpered at the loss of contact, but was surprised at how much it turned her on when he restrained her.
His index finger rubbing on the delicate skin of her inner wrist was reassuring. It melted her from the inside out. And she knew he would let go if she asked. He wouldn’t go further than she wanted to go. She trusted him, which was the only reason she could do this with him.
He broke their kiss and sat up quickly, but kept his hand pinning her wrists to the bed.
“What?” Alana said, almost slurring her words. She felt drunk on his kisses.
Cole stood up, looked at her dresser. “Scarves?” he ordered.
“Top drawer on the left. Why do you need . . .” Then, she realized that he was going to tie her up. Without his body next to hers, the thought chilled her. She wanted it, but she was nervous.
“Take off your clothes. I want you naked and all spread out for me after you’ve been teasing me with no panties on all night.”
Even though she had a butterfly habitat growing in her stomach, Alana stripped off her dress, and threw it to the floor. He turned around with scarves in his hands, and winked at her as if he knew she needed to know that this was a game.
“I’m going to tie your wrists together.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to fucking move.” She ran her teeth along her lower lip, and her pulse sped up. She hadn’t been sure she wanted this, but his words were perfect. This was exactly what she needed.
While he went to work on binding her, she fought to keep still. It was a losing battle because she had to move closer to him. She felt like she would die if she didn’t. She moaned when he tied her wrists together and tested the fabric to make sure he wasn’t cutting off her circulation. His silver eyes twinkled as he felt the gooseflesh on her arms. When he was done tying her hands, he spread her feet and rubbed his thumbs across her ankles.
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