by Nana Malone
Shit. I'd heard about the other movie. An indie flick with immense critical acclaim ...that and the lead actor was totally hot and particularly well endowed. There was no way I could sit through another movie sandwiched between Jasper and Lex. I wasn’t going to do that to myself. “I uhm–”
Before I could expose myself, Jasper glanced at his watch. “Oh, hell. I'm supposed to be at a gig in the South Bank in a couple of hours.”
Nick piped up. “Oh yeah? The one with Rebecca Slough, the model?”
Jasper grinned. “The very same.”
“Mind if I tag along?” Nick asked.
My heart sank. If Nick was going, then that meant Lex was going with him, and I really wanted some time to talk to him.
Nick leaned between my seat and Lex's. “What do you say, mate? You coming?”
I held my breath.
Alexi’s voice was smooth. “No. I'm actually pretty knackered. I wouldn’t last the night.”
“All right, then you're on your own for a ride home.”
Alexi shrugged, and I could feel his eyes on my profile. “I'll figure it out. Push comes to shove, I'll just take the tube or spend the night and grab a taxi in the morning.”
A heady cocktail of relief and anticipation flooded I veins. When all was said and done, it was only me, Tamsin, Lex, and Angel left in the screening room. Max and Sophie had eventually retired to take their loud make-out session somewhere more private. Tamsin eventually leaned forward. “I'm headed to bed. I think there are the two spare rooms and the couch. Which one do you want, Abbie?”
Oh wait, we were all staying? Alexi too? I’d just assumed he’d be going back to wherever he lived. Uhm, yeah, that was so not going to work for me. There was no way she could survive the night knowing Lex was somewhere in the house after everything that had happened with us. “I uhm.” She slid a glance to Lex.
“Not to worry, I'll take the couch.”
She frowned. “Are you sure? It doesn’t look that comfortable.”
“Let the man take the couch, Abbie,” Tamsin admonished. “I'm headed to bed, you coming?”
“Uhm, I think—”
Tamsin inclined her head sharply and widened her eyes, then tapped her temple. I groaned inwardly. Tamsin had invoked their I-need-to-talk-to-you-right-now signal. Of all the times. No doubt she wanted to give a full deconstruction of everything Angel had said and done in the course of the night. There really was no graceful way to back out of going with her.
“Yep, right behind you.”
When I stood, I only allowed myself a fleeting glance in Lex's general direction. If I let my gaze linger on his, there was a high likelihood I would spontaneously combust. “Goodnight, guys,” I muttered to Angel and Alexi.
As it turned out Tamsin did need me. And I felt like a terrible friend because I couldn’t give the Angel deconstruction my full attention.
“I mean, he’s acting like he’s into me. I know you couldn’t turn around lest Jasper lean in for a kiss or something, but our legs were touching the whole time. I think that means something.”
I pulled my focus together. “Maybe. Did you feel like you had a cocoon of tension wrapped around you?
“Yes. I swear. That love scene didn’t help.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.
“So what do I do?”
Tamsin was seriously asking for my advice? I had no clue what to do with my own life, let alone anyone else’s. “I have no idea. You guys should maybe talk about it. Though first things first—What about Liam?”
Tamsin’s face fell. “I don’t know. Liam’s great, but Angel…I mean, look at the guy.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ve seen him.” I sighed. “Look. I think you need to figure out things with the boyfriend you have before you deal with a new one.”
She sighed. “Maybe you’re right. I won’t know what I’m dealing with until I see Liam again.”
Tamsin headed to her room and me to mine. Alexi’s whispered goodnight still lingered over me like a caress. Even thirty minutes later, while I tossed and turned in my bed, my body felt the magnetic pull to Lex. I could only assume he was on the large sectional in the living room. Was he having a sleepless night too?
The light from the moon cast a slivery shadow on the guestroom I'd taken at the back of the house on the lower level. The clouds were so low I couldn’t make out any stars, and it gave the night sky and eerie quality.
After tossing over for the hundredth time, I finally gave up. I might as well try some warm milk, because lying there wasn’t going to solve my problem. And if Alexi just happened to still be awake, maybe we would have the chance to talk. Yeah, as if talking was what my too aware, too horny body wanted to do.
What I wanted to do was find out if what his kisses promised was as good as what he could deliver. What I really wanted to do was let go of the ghosts of my past. And let go of the bullshit of the last several years of my life. I wanted to be free. And Alexi tasted like freedom.
With a frustrated sigh, I tossed off the heavy duvet and shivered at the chill in the air. Careful of waking anyone, I slowly opened my door and traversed the darkened hallway by feeling my way along the wall. On tip toe, I jogged up the stairs into the kitchen, though when I opened the door, I realized someone had already beat me to it.
With only the light under the ventilation hood on, Alexi stood stirring something on the stove. When he turned and smiled at me, my stomach dropped.
“You can’t sleep either, huh?”
***
Lex…
I tried to calm my lust-buzzed nerves and smiled at Abbie. “Do you want some hot chocolate?” It helped if I didn’t look directly at her in that threadbare tank and those tiny shorts. Through the thin fabric, I could see the outline of her nipples, and they made my mouth water.
She was silent for a moment. No doubt trying to determine if she should run back to her room or not. “Uhm, yeah. Sounds good. Thanks. I was having a hard time sleeping.”
“Yeah me too.”
Glancing up the stairs, she licked her lips nervously. “Did everyone head to bed?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Angel went to bed soon after you two did.”
She cleared her throat. “Listen, I'm sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you back the last couple of days. I got a little busy.”
I slid her a glance and handed her a mug. She took it from me, careful not to let her fingers slide over mine. After a tentative sip, she moaned.
I took a sip of my own and watched her carefully. “You really want me to believe that you weren't running from me?”
She straightened her back, which only made those full breasts of hers jut out. I tried desperately to focus on her dark eyes.
Lift you tossers. Lift. I could do this. Show her I was a good bloke who was interested in what she said. And I was. Just so happened I was also very much interested in her tits.
“I wasn't running, I just need—”
“Let me guess, space?”
She made a frustrated sound and put a hand on her hip. “Yes. Space. Look, it’s a good thing that call from Xander interrupted us the other day.”
I lifted a brow. “How do you reckon?”
“It stopped us both from doing something stupid. I mean, I barely know you. And you sure as hell don’t know me. And you made it clear yourself that you think this is a bad idea. You said we shouldn’t. I'm choosing to listen to you.”
I took another long sip and let the warm chocolate ease down my throat before I spoke again. “And if I said I was tired of trying to be good? And I only said I shouldn’t. Not that I don’t want to.”
Her eyes turned wary, and she took a cautious step back. “See, that's what I mean. You keep telling me you’re not the good guy, and frankly, I'm in need of the good guy. I spent the last several years of my life dealing with someone who pretended to be something he wasn't.”
“Abbie, I'm being honest with you ab
out who I am. Is it a good idea for you to stay away from me? Probably. But will I hurt you? No.” I took a step toward her, and she didn’t retreat. “I think you already know you can trust me. I think you feel it every time you're with me. It was why you let me touch you the day you took me to the lab.” I placed my mug on the island before closing the distance between us.
She didn’t move. “Alexi, I—”
“Unless, Jasper's who you want.” I forced the pang of jealously down. I didn’t have a right to be jealous. But even as I said the words, my hands involuntarily clenched.
Her eyes widened. “No. Alexi, it's not that. He's a harmless flirt.”
“Yeah, he is. I’d rather he not flirt with you though.”
One delicate brow arched. “Seriously? Are you jealous?”
Yes. “No.” I sucked in a deep breath. Big mistake. Her ginger shampoo wreaked havoc with my senses. “Okay, if it's not Jasper, then tell me what are you so afraid of?”
Her wide dark eyes shimmered in the dim light and with shaky hands she placed her mug on the table. “Me. I'm afraid of myself. I'm afraid of wanting this and being wrong about you.”
I was afraid she was wrong about me too. But in this moment, I wanted to be the guy she could count on. The guy she could want. Not the unworthy asshole. “I won't hurt you, Abbie.” I now stood close enough to feel her warm breath on my neck. “Just give me a chance to show you.”
Chapter 23
Abbie…
I breath lodged in my throat as Alexi took control of the kiss. I had no choice but to ride the wave of pleasure as my knees shook and need pulled at my womb. He slid his tongue over hers then teased hers inside his mouth and sucked gently, muffling my cry of pleasure.
I slipped my hands over his torso, skimming over rippled abdominal muscles and the hard planes of his chest, eventually digging into his T-shirt.
He tore his lips from hers, dragging in ragged breaths. “Abbie, now is a good time to stop if you don’t want to do this.” His gaze briefly flickered to my lips, but then he held my steady gaze as he waited for my answer.
“I’m scared that I don’t know how to do this. But I want you.”
“Fair enough.” He deftly lifted me into his arms as if I weighed nothing, urging me to wrap my legs around him.
The position brought the hot, hard length of him directly against my heat, and I hissed, already dangerously close to bliss.
He kissed me gently, savoring my taste. “Are you okay with going back to your room?”
“I-I’m right at the bottom of the stairs.” I wanted this—wanted him.
He carried me down the stairs and through the back hallway as easily as if I weighed nothing. Once in my room, he gently laid me on the bed and slid in next to me. When he kissed me again, his fingers drummed on the nape of my neck, holding me in position while his thumb caressed my cheekbone.
To hold on and attempt some level of control, I slid my fingers into the thick soft curls at his nape and gently tugged. With a moan, he smoothed a hand down my back to the curve of my ass and tucked me closer to his body. I rolled my hips into his, and Alexi tore his mouth from hers with a harsh curse.
“Abbie, you’re addictive. I can’t stop.”
I trembled in his arms. “Then don’t.”
“Christ. You can’t say things like that to me. I could happily occupy myself kissing you for decades.”
I shivered as he slid a hand up under my tank top and found the hardened tip of my nipple. My body remembered the feel of his gentle teasing in the lab and wanted more.
Breathing hard, he pulled back. “Is it okay if we take this off?” He tugged on the hem of my tank softly. Even though his eyes were clouded with lust, I knew he would stop if I asked.
I nodded. And catching the hem with sure fingers, Alexi lifted the thin fabric over my head and deposited it on the floor.
“Wow.”
Self-conscious under his gaze, I fought the urge to cover myself. Alexi kissed me softly before shifting me so my head was closer to the headboard. He then settled his body between my legs, tracing a path of kisses from my lips to my jaw, to the sensitive hollow between my neck and my ear. Slowly, he brushed kisses over the tops of my breasts, and I held my breath.
Leaning down, he breathed soft kisses on first one, then another nipple, each responding to his caress by instantly budding into hard little peaks. Focusing his attention on one, he drew the dark bud into his mouth, taking greedy tugs, while his thumb teased the other.
I bucked, and my back bowed as pleasure reverberated through my body. Alexi took his time, paying close attention to how I responded. To his tongue, to the gentle use of his teeth.
Too impatient to wait, I tugged at his T-shirt and half dragged it off his body. With a chuckle, he released my breast long enough to discard it. When he resettled into position, I sucked in a sharp breath. The heat of his skin nearly set mine on fire.
I traced my palms over the skin of his arms to his wrists. Some of his bracelets shifted and I could feel the faint ridges over his arms. What were those?
My gaze searched his looking for answers. I found them in a kiss. “We all have scars,” he whispered before his teeth nipped my bottom lip.
Tingling started in my spine. I couldn’t form a single coherent thought. The only way I could communicate was to hold his head in place and to rock my hips into his body.
Lex kissed his way back to my lips, taking his time, with a little lick here, a little nibble there. All the while his thumb and forefinger gently tugged at my sensitive nipples, sending stabs of need to my core.
I could feel every inch of his hardness between their bodies. Throbbing insistently. Begging for attention, but still, he didn’t rush. Didn’t make any move to remove the rest of their clothing, just kept on leisurely kissing me and teasing my nipples.
He skimmed the flesh of my belly and the curve of my hip. I held on tight to his shoulders when he paused at the waistband of my teeny tiny shorts.
He lifted his head, and I had to force open heavy-lidded eyes.
“Are you okay with this? I would really like to touch you if you’d let me.”
I gave him a vigorous nod. After all, it would eventually be my turn, and I was dying to have unfettered access to his body. “Yes. It’s okay.”
With what sounded like a muttered exaltation, his hand tucked under the waistband of my shorts and my underwear and slid immediately to my slick folds. Suddenly unable to breathe, I could only grip his shoulders tighter.
Sure fingers slid through my lips, seeking my center. Alexi met my gaze as he found his quarry. Silver eyes, wild with lust gazed at me, watching my reaction as his questing finger found the center of my torment.
I cried out as he gently sank into me. Alexi held perfectly still except for his questing finger, gently exploring and retreating. Occasionally detouring to swirl around my clit, but always returning to delve just a little deeper inside me. “Jesus, you are so tight. So hot...” He bit his bottom lip as he sank in with two fingers, and his thumb traced circles on my clit.
Molten heat spread through my body. I parted my legs to give him even better access to my folds. “Alexi…”
“Do you have any idea how fucking sexy it is to hear you say my name. Like I’m the only one who can make you feel like this.”
My whole body coiled with tension. If I could just. “Alexi, I—”
He kissed my jaw, then whispered. “Tell me what you like. Help me make you come.”
Distress chased away some of the burning need. I didn't know what to tell him. Didn’t know how to let go. I shook my head. “I…I’ve never…I don’t know how…”
He paused and studied me, brows drawn down. “Are you saying that you’ve never had an orgasm?”
I shook my head and sighed. “On my own yes. Just not with anyone. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can. I should have told you. I—” I squeezed my eyes shut, too embarrassed to look at hi
m.
“Abbie.” He kissed her softly. “C’mon, look at me. In here, it’s just you and me. Why don’t you tell me if something feels good, and we’ll start from there? What do you think? Can you do that for me?”
Slowly, I nodded. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”
“How about this? Does this feel good?” He slid both fingers out of me and focused his attention on my clit, making small circles with his thumb.
“Yes.”
“Good. That’s an excellent start. Now, do you want me to go harder or softer?”
He started nuzzling my neck again driving me mad with his teasing. “Harder.”
He immediately adjusted his pressure. “How’s the speed?” His kisses trailed back down to my left breast.
My back bowed as his lips wrapped around the tip again. If he could just… “Faster, please faster.”
Lifting his head slightly, he released my breast to ask. “What about if I add a finger. Do you like that?” He slid his middle finger back inside my depths, and he hissed. “Fuck, I will never get over touching you like this.”
He began a rhythm of sucking on my nipples that he paired with the stroke, retreat, stroke and retreat of his finger while he circled my clit just how I liked.
My legs trembled and heat tapped up my spine. “Alexi?”
“Yeah. That’s it sweetheart. Let go. I have you.”
“Oh, God!” Stars danced on the edges of my vision, and my climax rocketed through me as I held on tight to Alexi.
Even as waves of pleasure pulsed through my body, he continued to stroke me gently until I lay limp in his arms. He tucked me against him and wound his arms around me tightly. “You are so fucking gorgeous.”
As the hazy fog of sleep threatened to drag me under, my brain clamped onto the knowledge that I’d only taken pleasure, but not given any. Damn. I hadn’t gotten to explore very much at all. He’d distracted me with his very skilled fingers. Leaning up, I placed an open-mouthed kiss on his jaw.