He sat upright and called out her name. When he got no response, he threw his legs off the side of the bed. Outside, it had started to darken, the last rays of the daytime sun beginning to disappear over the horizon. He swiped a heavy hand over his face, then lifted his naked frame from the bed and moved to the closed bedroom door. As he threw it open, the decadent aroma of food cooking greeted him from the floor below, wafting up from the kitchen. He was suddenly hungry, his stomach rumbling with anticipation.
He called Sarai’s name a second time.
She called back from the bottom of the stairwell. “Hi, sleepyhead. You’re finally up!”
“I thought you’d gone.”
“And not say good-bye?” She laughed easily. “I wouldn’t end our perfect day with a fight.”
“We wouldn’t fight. I’d be mad but we definitely wouldn’t fight.”
She giggled again. “Come on down. Dinner’s ready.”
Down in the kitchen, Alexander found Sarai dressed in one of his T-shirts, the oversized garment like a short minidress. As he leaned to kiss her mouth, he slid a slow hand beneath the top, gently caressing her upper thigh and buttock. He was delighted to find her naked beneath, the discovery causing his manhood to quiver.
Sarai giggled as she pushed his hand away. She grabbed his face between her palms and kissed him again. “I thought you were hungry?” she questioned.
Alexander laughed with her. “I was just thinking about dessert.”
She gestured toward the table. “Well, let me feed you first. We need to get your energy back up.”
“I’m already back up,” he teased as he copped another feel of her backside, caressing each cheek with a heavy hand.
Slipping out of his grasp, Sarai laughed heartily as she grabbed a bowl from the counter and headed to the table.
“It really smells good in here,” he said as he took a deep inhale of air.
“I know how finicky you are about your diet so I hope it tastes as good as it smells.”
He took a seat at the table as she set plates of food before him. He was impressed as she pointed out what each dish was. There was soft tofu that had been floured and deep-fried and was served with a soy glaze. She followed that with a refreshing cucumber salad in a light vinaigrette, garnished with sesame seeds. And then the entrée, a stir-fry consisting of chicken, cashews, pineapple chunks, bell peppers, bamboo shoots, baby corn, celery, and onions, served in spicy garlic sauce with brown rice. It was all good, and he said so.
“You really can cook!” he said as he swallowed his last bite of chicken. “This was incredible!”
Sarai smiled. “You had doubts?”
He shrugged. “You never know. I dated a woman once who swore she was a master chef. Then I discovered she was ordering food from a local restaurant and having it delivered before I got to her house.”
Sarai laughed. “Well, my mother taught me how to cook. When she died I had to take over cooking for my father.”
“I can’t wait to meet your father.”
A wave of sadness suddenly crossed Sarai’s face. Her eyes dropped to the table. She spoke to her father regularly, and each time he admonished her for some of her choices, it hurt her feelings. It upset him that she was not married and that she had left home to follow dreams he had no understanding of. He wanted her back in Thailand and regularly said so.
“What did I say?” Alexander questioned, concern rising in his tone.
She shook her head. “I just miss my father, that’s all.” She lifted her mouth into a slight smile. “I’ll see him again soon, though.”
Alexander nodded. He extended his hand, pressing his palm to the side of her face. “Don’t be sad.”
She pressed her hand to his. “I’m not sad. You make me happy.” She lifted her mouth to his and kissed his lips lightly.
“Why don’t you go up and relax,” Alexander said. “I’ll do the dishes.”
Sarai grinned. “Are you sure?”
He nodded as he gave her a wink of his eye. “Positive. And when I’m done, I’ll bring you some of that dessert.”
Chapter Eleven
For weeks Sarai and Alexander had been inseparable. They were tied at the hip, with work the only time that the two found themselves apart. The duo had fallen into an easy routine with each other, and it all felt good. Hiking had become their second-favorite pastime. Sarai had fallen in love with the natural waterfalls that spanned the area and the trails that took them past the spectacular water sights. She’d been excited to drag him to the annual Colorado Shakespeare festival, and despite his reservations, he’d actually enjoyed the theater production of Othello. She motivated him to do and experience things he’d never considered before.
He and his brother had also fallen into a comfortable routine with each other. Fully focused on his training, Zachary barely missed her presence when he’d find his way home to fall into his bed. Alexander had put him on a strict regime, and he was so intent on following it to the letter that he didn’t have time to focus on anything, or anyone, else.
Alexander let himself into his brother’s home, calling out the man’s name. He found Zachary slumbering heavily on the living-room sofa. He snored loudly, a low rumble of air echoing around the room. Staring down at him, Alexander couldn’t help but smile. Zachary was working hard, and everything had improved since he had shown up on his doorstep. Knowing how hard his brother was working, he almost hated having to wake him from his deep sleep. Almost. He swatted a pillow at his twin’s head, smacking him in the face—hard.
Zachary jumped, his eyes wide. “What the . . . ?”
Alexander laughed. “Wake up. It’s just me.”
His twin shot him a look through narrowed eyes, not at all amused. He stretched his body upward and yawned. “What time is it?”
“Time to get a good run in before we head to the gym.”
“Why didn’t you just call me?”
Alexander shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Zachary yawned again. “I guess not.” He looked around the room. “Where’s Sarai?”
“My place. She was still sleeping when I left.”
“Lucky girl. I wish I was still asleep.”
“Sarai’s not in training. Now get up,” Alexander said, casting a glance down to his wristwatch. “We’re already thirty minutes behind schedule.”
Zachary nodded. He eased his legs off the side of the sofa and sat up. Rising from his seat, he moved to the bathroom to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
Alexander wandered through the house as he waited. The space was oversized and lavish, but it felt cold, nothing about it feeling like a home. The last weeks had found Sarai at his home more than not. He had convinced her to move her stuff, giving her a key and unfettered access to every aspect of his life. He sensed that with her gone, the house was now just a house and little more.
Standing in the doorway of Sarai’s room, he saw that the space no longer showed any evidence of her previous presence. Zachary seemed to read his brother’s mind as he came out of his own bedroom, pulling a long-sleeved cotton T-shirt over his head. “It’s quiet since she left. It doesn’t even feel the same.”
Alexander nodded. “Do you miss her?”
The two men exchanged gazes.
His brother shrugged. “Not really. It’s not like I don’t still see her every day. And we still talk. It’s just different.”
Minutes later the two were running through the streets of Boulder. There was a distinctive chill to the air, the start of winter beginning to settle in. The pace was enough to get their heart rates up but not so much that they couldn’t continue their conversation.
“I think you should move in with us,” Alexander said, his eyes staring at the landscape before them. “Into my house.”
Zachary’s head snapped toward the man. “Excuse me?”
“Even though you’re in training you still need to be close to family and friends. It’s not good for you to cut yourself off from people.
Dad and Mama Lynn barely hear from you anymore and the only time we talk it’s always about your training regime. Your emotional health is as important as your physical health. You sitting around here by yourself all depressed and lonely isn’t good. So I think you need to move into my home.”
“Who says I’m depressed?”
“You always look depressed.”
There was a moment of quiet as Zachary pondered his brother’s offer. “I don’t want to be a third wheel between you and my girl. That would definitely depress me. Besides, things are good with you two right now. I wouldn’t want to mess that up.”
“Things are great with Sarai and me right now and there’s nothing you could do to mess that up. But you’re my brother and she’s your best friend so you wouldn’t be a third wheel. It’ll be good for all of us and it’ll save you some money on that rent you’re paying. That place has to be costing you a fortune.”
The two men finished another half mile before Zachary answered. “I’ll think about it. No promises but I will give it some thought.”
“That’s not a problem. Whenever you’re ready,” Alexander replied.
Zachary shot his brother another look. “Thank you,” he said, and then he picked up the pace, leaving Alexander close on his heels, trying to keep up.
* * *
Sarai marveled at the sensations sweeping through her. Alexander had her feeling some kind of way. No words in any of the languages she spoke could describe the emotions flooding her spirit. As she lay on her stomach, his hands glided lightly over her entire body, a thin layer of lavender-scented massage oil moisturizing her skin.
His first touches were warming as he established a sensuous connection. He gently massaged her head, her neck, her shoulders, back, arms, and legs. His strokes were hard and soft, then fast and slow. He worked each muscle with firm, teasing passes that dissolved every ounce of tension and relaxed her into a gelatinous mess. When he reached her butt cheeks, he massaged each slowly and deeply. He used his forearms against her lower back, her bottom, and down her hamstrings, and then he reversed the process.
He rubbed her feet, kneading the length of her legs up to her inner thighs. She opened her legs further with each long, hard stroke, and he teased her inner groin with his thumbs. He had caressed her entire body from head to foot when he told her to turn over.
As she rolled, a smile pulled full across her face. Her nipples were hard, and her neatly trimmed pubic hair glistened with her wetness. Alexander continued, massaging her face and neck, then focusing his full attention on her breasts. He caressed her nipples, rolling the hardened buds between his thumb and forefinger. Her skin was heated, her pale complexion flush with color. He caressed her rib cage and kneaded her arms, and her hands. His strokes lengthened and slowed as he moved his hands up the insides of her legs to her thighs.
Sarai’s parted legs fell open with complete abandon, exposing the folds of her labia. His fingers teased her, his nails lightly grazing the skin until she quivered unabashedly. She opened her eyes as he taunted her private parts, his own soldier at full attention. And then he stroked her clit, tapping gently at the swollen nub. She gasped and moaned loudly as she threw her head back against her shoulders, arching her back off the mattress. She was wet and throbbing, her intimate juices coating his fingers.
Sarai was completely gone when Alexander pushed her legs out, guiding her knees toward her shoulders. Crawling onto the bed, he dropped his mouth to her most intimate spot and he licked her hard. His tongue dived deep into the folds, gliding back and forth. His mouth trailed, slithering across her ass and back. Her feminine nectar flowed in abundance as she writhed and twisted, her hands pressing against the back of his head. As he sucked at her core, her hips began to buck and she pushed herself against his mouth over and over again. Sarai suddenly raised her hips high and froze. Then she collapsed and squeezed her thighs around his head. Her inner lining contracted as she came, the hard pulses energized by her deep, throaty moans. She gushed into his mouth, and he continued to lap at her greedily until there was nothing left in her inner fountain for him to drink.
Alexander continued to sex her slowly, his touch possessive. Need and desire fueled their bond as they made love over and over again. He fell deep and hard into the intimate connection, and time stood still, nothing and no one between them. They loved each other from one side of the bed to the other, their antics moving over every square inch of the home. And when they rested in the aftermath, cradled tightly against each other, neither had any doubts that the bond between them would last well past their lifetimes.
* * *
Despite their best efforts, Zachary was finding it difficult to find a level of comfort in his new home. The decision to move in with his twin and his friend had come with some reservations, but he’d been missing them both and was hoping they could all reconnect on a whole other level.
He could hear them in the kitchen, giggling together. It had been a good long while since he’d seen Sarai so happy. There was no denying the joy his brother brought to her life, the love they shared irrefutable. Because he loved them both so much, it made his heart sing to see them together. But as he watched them basking in the newness of their relationship, trading easy caresses each and every time they were near each other, he felt an emptiness that was both awkward and debilitating.
Sarai had proclaimed it movie night, and the smell of freshly popped popcorn scented the air. The two had been debating an action film versus a drama, and then they’d called his name, proclaiming that he would have to make the final decision. As he stepped into the kitchen, Sarai stood against his brother, her petite frame lost within his thick arms. Alexander was kissing her passionately, the two so lost in their love for each other that nothing else mattered.
Zachary cleared his throat. “You two really need to get a room.”
Alexander broke the kiss and grinned. “That’s why I own my own home.”
Sarai giggled. “What took you so long? Your brother was just about to make me watch some stupid Jean-Claude Van Damme movie!”
“I like Jean-Claude Van Damme,” Zachary said as he leaned across the kitchen counter.
Alexander gave his twin a high five. “Brilliant minds think alike,” he said.
She rolled her eyes skyward. “Uh, no! I think we should watch a drama. I vote for Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone.”
“I’ve never seen that Gone Baby one,” Zachary said. “I’m game.”
Alexander nodded. “Only because I’ve never seen it either.”
Sarai grinned. She passed them each their own bowl of popcorn, lightly salted with nutritional yeast. As she headed for the family room and the big-screen television, Alexander slapped her backside and she laughed. Zachary shook his head.
Hours later as the credits rolled on both movies, the trio were debating performances, the men insisting that Morgan Freeman’s role in Gone Baby Gone was weak in comparison to Jean-Claude’s role in every movie he had ever made.
“You can’t compare the two!” Sarai insisted. “That’s like comparing an apple with a mango and Morgan is the mango. His performance had more nuance, more definition, richer taste!”
“His performance was boring!” Zachary said, he and his brother slapping palms.
She shook her head. “I’m going to bed. I’m officially done with the both of you tonight.”
“I’m right behind you, baby,” Alexander said. His voice dropped to a loud whisper. “But I’m not done with you yet!” he said as he winked his eye.
She giggled as she nuzzled her nose into his neck and kissed his cheek.
Zachary interrupted the moment. “Before you go up I need to talk to you both,” he said. He shifted forward in his seat, folding his hands together in front of him. Alexander pulled Sarai down onto his lap, the two staring at him curiously.
“Are you okay?” Alexander asked.
His brother forced a smile to his face, his head bobbing up and down. “I’m great. I’ve just mad
e a decision that I need to share with you two.”
“What’s wrong?” Sarai questioned, her expression shifting into worry. “I know you and there’s something wrong.”
He smiled. “There’s nothing wrong. I . . . well . . .” He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’ve decided to go back to Thailand. I’m only six weeks away from fight night and I think I should take these last six weeks back to my own gym.” He tilted his head slightly, staring directly at his brother.
“You’ve been amazing. I have never been in better shape and I owe that to you. But you know how I need to do. It’s time I stopped training with all the convenient photo ops at your gym that my sponsors love and go get down and dirty in the jungle where there are no distractions.”
Sarai clutched Alexander’s arm. “You’re leaving?”
Her friend nodded. “I am. And I know you’ll be in good hands. But it’s not like I’ll be gone forever. I’ll be back.”
“When are you going?” she asked, her soft voice quivering as she struggled not to break out into tears.
He gave her a bright smile. “Next week. I fly out next Tuesday.”
The silence that suddenly filled the air was uncomfortable. Zachary’s gaze shifted back and forth between them. Sarai swiped at her eyes, brushing away the mist of tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks. Alexander sat, staring down to the floor, consumed by emotion that he hadn’t expected. He briefly reflected on his brother’s decision and both their reactions to the news. “No,” he said suddenly, lifting his eyes to stare at his twin.
“No?”
“I said no. You’re not running.”
Zachary shook his head. “That’s not what I’m doing. I just think . . .”
Alexander interrupted him, his voice suddenly raised. “That’s exactly what you’re doing.” He pushed Sarai off his lap, gently shoving her to the sofa. He stood up, the gesture abrupt. “If you want to go to Thailand I can’t stop you. But if that’s what you want, then we’re going with you.”
Guilty Pleasures Page 14
