She noticed his change in demeanor. Alec seemed more tense and yet impassioned. “Why are you so concerned about Damien’s part in this?”
Alec slammed the cup on the coffee table and stood.
The dog’s head snapped over to look at his master.
Alec rounded the table, coming toward her. “Just tell me this. After everything you have learned during the past few weeks, do you still love him?” he asked.
“Yes,” she stressed and put her cup on the table.
“Why? Is it because he’s a doctor and buys you everything you want?”
That’s when she noticed Alec’s pale-blue eyes were full of heat. “No. He’s a good man,” she stuttered as she took a few steps away from him.
“And?” he urged as he took a step toward her.
“And . . . and.” Layla couldn’t come up with anything because Alec’s stare was boring into her like he was trying to melt her clothes off. She rounded the back of the sofa.
He didn’t move. “You don’t even know, do you? You love him because you were told that you loved him – by him,” he concluded in a deep tone.
Layla turned away from him. As she took several steps toward the sliding balcony doors, her mind flashed back to the cabin. Hers and Alec’s limbs were wrapped around each other’s as sweat glistened on their bodies. She gasped at the physical pulse that shot through her and the emotions that flooded her heart. Before they had made love, she had apologized to him, stating what a fool she was for breaking up with him. That she had thought of him during the years they were apart. That she still had feelings for him despite what she had felt for Carter.
“You didn’t mention that you remembered what happened between us at the safe house, Lana,” he whispered in her ear from behind her.
She jumped and whirled around at the statement. “What do you mean?” she stuttered.
He scoffed as a smirk spread across his lips. “You know what I mean. Playing dumb doesn’t suit you. I knew you remembered that we made love when you asked me if I was one of the agents protecting you at the cabin.” He looked as if he was imagining her naked as he spoke.
Layla turned around to face the balcony doors. Mists of rain could be seen under the streetlights. “It was a mistake coming here. I see that now.”
“It wasn’t just that one time either. We made love every night until I was ordered to return to my original post in New York,” he whispered in her ear.
She quickly moved away from him, but he was faster, capturing her arm and swinging her around. Their eyes met. She was going to tell him to let go, but her resistance faded as they stared into each other’s eyes.
They came together in a kiss.
Chapter 24
Alec gathered her in his strong arms. Heavy breaths escaped from both of them during the searing kiss. Layla wrapped her arms around his neck.
His touch felt so familiar, so safe, so . . . passionate. As Alec pried her mouth open with his tongue, flashes of their relationship appeared in her mind; they had gone on a picnic, they had hung out in clubs with Bruce and other college friends, and they had laughed together. She could see every kiss, caress, and touch they had shared.
She tightened her hold around him as his tongue swirled in her mouth. Then he began to slowly pull his lips away. As he was, he lightly captured the tip of her tongue between his teeth. The sensation of his teeth dragging to the very tip of her tongue made her whine with want. Then he gave her a sultry smooch.
Still having her in his arms, he pressed his forehead against hers. “Maybe you were right. Perhaps you shouldn’t have come.”
Layla knew that she should break free from him, gather her things, and get out of there, but deep down, she didn’t want to. She wanted to feel his touch, his embrace, and his heat.
“Go, Lana,” he said hoarsely. “You’ll have to do it. I don’t have the strength to let you go again.”
Then she did something that she almost couldn’t believe. She kissed him, capturing his upper lip between her lips. His fingers dug into her back. She slowly broke the kiss and used her tongue to lightly trace the inside of his lips. A low, primal groan echoed from the back of his throat.
Layla licked her lips, savoring his taste. “I don’t want to go,” she said in a low, sexy tone she didn’t recognize, but she welcomed this newfound sultriness that overcame her.
Alec stared down at her under heavy lids. “Think before you make this decision, Lana. If we do this, it won’t be a one-night stand. I’m not letting you go if we make love tonight. You’ll be mine.”
Layla knew he meant it. In that moment, she knew that what she decided tonight could change her life forever. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that, but what she did know was she wanted him. Her heart and body ached for this man who had steel-blue eyes and a rock-hard erection against her pelvis.
He slid one hand up her back all the way up to the back of her head. The base of his palm rested on her scalp as his fingers fondled the length of her hair. “What’s it going to be, Lana?”
She decided to dive in, kissing him with all she had.
Alec balled his fist, capturing strands of her hair. He gently pulled her head backward.
Layla looked at him with confusion.
“I need to hear you say it. I need to hear you say, ‘Alec, I want you and only you’ – and mean it.”
She swallowed, preparing herself to say the words he wanted to hear, the words she wanted to say. “Alec, I want you and only you,” she breathed.
He pulled her head farther back by her hair. Then he bent his head to kiss her neck. His kisses quickly became aggressive as his teeth started nipping at her skin.
She moaned as he slowly lowered them to the carpet. They kissed as she shrugged out of her burgundy jacket. Alec broke the kiss to whip his T-shirt over his head, exposing his perfect pecs and six-pack. Then he reached out for her bustier with the crisscross spaghetti straps around the back. Grabbing the soft fabric from the bottom, he pulled it over her head.
Her dark nipples began to harden under his stare. Alec leaned in for a kiss. He pushed her down flat on the floor as they lapped at each other’s lips. Her hands roamed to the thickness of his crown as he kissed his way down to her chest. His teeth gently nicked and grinded against various parts of her skin, then he would soothe the spots with his tongue and lips. Layla ran her hands through his hair as he kissed his way up her breast to her nipple. Alec’s mouth enveloped around it, pursing his lips together as he pulled back, letting it plop out of his mouth. He repeated the motion several times before he covered the moist bud and rapidly flicked his tongue against it. She let out a long, yearning moan. Then he moved over to her other cup and repeated the same titillating seduction.
When he lifted his head, something caught his attention. He turned his head. Layla followed his glance. The dog was peeking around the couch, watching them.
“Get out of here,” Alec ordered as he waved his hand at the dog. “I don’t sneak a peek at you when you walk behind the bushes with that poodle in the dog park.”
The German Shepard seemed to be taken aback, but turned around and disappeared into the hallway.
And as if they weren’t interrupted, Alec placed his lips against her tummy. He nicked and lapped kisses around the area. Then he hit a tickly spot. Layla tried to stifle her laugh, but it squeaked out. She felt his lips curve into a smile against her. Alec hooked his index finger under her pants and started pulling them down.
His hand froze. “When did you start wearing underwear?” he asked with a hint of puzzlement.
She gasped with amusement as she glanced down at him. He had a crooked smirk. Apparently, that was new for her. But Alec was only distracted for a second by the extra garment. He slowly pulled her pants and thong down with his fingers as his palms smoothed her legs. Alec carefully pulled the clothes over her heels. He took her ankles and raised her legs in the air, admiring the curve of her calves and thighs. Then he slowly opened her legs.
Layla�
�s sex was soaked with anticipation. She couldn’t take anymore. “Alec . . . take me,” she said as she stretched her arms out wide.
He glanced away from her hairless womanhood to look up at her. “I’ve waited four years to have you again. I’m taking my time whether you like it or not,” he said with a mischievous smirk as his hands glided down the inner part of her legs. His hand stopped on her inner thigh. He squeezed the heavy flesh there. “Now, stay right there,” he instructed gently.
She sucked in when Alec lowered his body on the lower half of her. Her eyes widened as he dipped his head into the most intimate part of her. Had he done this to her before? Layla couldn’t remember if any man had tasted her down there.
His lips and tongue tingled her bud. She gasped. Alec administered slow, long licks there, making her back arch and her heart race. Layla could feel his middle finger entering her. She let out long moans as he carefully fingered her and continued to lay down his long laps. Alec continued to torture her until her legs started to tremble with pleasure. Her mouth formed a perfect O as her button tingled and warmed. She cooed through the little shudder of the orgasm.
It was good, but she wanted more. As she opened her eyes, Alec was coming back into view. He kissed her. Layla could smell and taste herself on his lips. It drove her wild. Her emptiness demanded to be filled by what he was hiding in those shorts. As they kissed, she reached down to his waistband and started pushing them down. The waistband got to his hips and then they were out of reach. She lifted her right foot and bent her leg. Without breaking the kiss, she was able to hook his shorts with the heel of her stilettos. Layla dragged her leg downward, pulling his shorts down to his knees.
He stopped kissing her. “Oh, all right,” he said in playful defeat. He started shifting out of his shorts. His impressive hard-on bobbed against her.
Layla quickly opened wide for him. Bracing himself with one hand and taking himself in the other, he dragged the tip over her button. Then he flicked himself against it, making them both hot and bothered. Alec finally moved himself downward. It didn’t take him long to find her center.
They stared into each other’s eyes. Alec didn’t blink when he pushed all the way into her at once.
She cried out as her hands clamped down on his sides. His staff filled her completely. He pulled back to where his tip was hanging on by a thread, and then he slammed into her again. She yelped. He did it again and again. She lost count of how many times he did it before he started pumping in a hard and fast rhythm that made her break out in a continuous purr. “Ooooh, Alec,” she cried out and simmered down back into satisfied-cat mood.
Layla was afraid to close her eyes because she was afraid he would disappear. That their connection would stop.
Alec bent his head and started kissing her neck, biting at her skin every so often.
Her body began to warm, and her face flushed like the sun was shining directly on it. A low, vibrational energy began to build in her core, quickly moving to the surface. “Oh, God!” she shouted as she dug her fingernails into the lower half of his back.
He groaned loudly has he bit the upper half of her shoulder.
“Yes! Alec!” she yelled as the energy took her.
He slowed his pumping as he released the erotic vampire grip on her shoulder. He continued moving slowly, giving her the experience of free-floating down from the incredible high.
Hard rain started pounding the window. Layla could see lightning flashing in the sky from the corner of her eye.
Alec grabbed her by the waist and pulled her forward as he leaned back on his haunches. “Come on, beautiful. In my lap.”
Despite her legs feeling a little unsteady, she went to him. He got on his knees and then put his hands on her hips, pulling her downward. Getting the idea of what he wanted, she took his wet rod in hand to steady it. Alec leaned back a little, allowing her to inch onto him. Layla moaned as her vagina settled into the new angle. She bent her legs as he came forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. Alec bounced them.
Thunder rumbled outside.
She cooed as she folded her arms around his shoulders.
He captured her earlobe between his lips and pulled.
“Mmm,” she moaned.
“Lana, you feel so good,” he groaned in her ear.
“Mmm, say it again. Say my name again,” she breathed.
“Lana,” he repeated in deeper tone. “Lana.”
It was the first time that name sounded right. He made her feel like Lana Murphy. And in that moment, she became Lana Murphy.
He bounced faster as he grunted and groaned.
She inhaled sharply as a short spasm of pleasure shot up her back. Her walls began to quake.
Alec grabbed the back of her neck and pulled it back, making her look at him. “Uh,” he groaned.
She tightened her hold on him as her body began to tremble. A bolt-like vibration struck her, making her throw her head back. “Ooooh,” she shrieked. She came again – harder . . . wetter than she had before.
“Shit! Lana!” Alec yelled.
She was practically hyperventilating as she felt him spill in her.
He rocked her as they both came down to earth. After a moment, he laid her down on the carpet, laying kisses on her cheek as they held each other.
Chapter 25
Alec had propped his head on his hand, his elbow braced on the carpet supporting his weight. His fingers caressed her cheek as they listened to the noise of the storm.
A light burning sensation tickled Layla’s buttocks and the back of her thighs. She couldn’t remember a time that she felt so relaxed, satisfied, and complete. It was more than the sex. It was like she and Alec shared a connection that couldn’t be severed. She shouldn’t have been surprised about it. After all, her first memories were of him — and what they had.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
She turned away from the rain-soaked patio glass and focused on him. “I was thinking how I . . . could have forgotten you — about how I never felt so close to someone in my life.”
He placed the pad of his thumb against her chin and the side of his index finger under it. Then he bent his head to give her a gentle and short kiss.
There was a chiming in the distance. Then it got louder.
“Is that your cell phone?” he asked.
Shit, it is. Layla scrambled up on her knees and maneuvered to the back of the sofa. She reached over and grabbed her Coach purse. Quickly, she dug out her cell phone. The caller ID said it was the landline at her house.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Señora Miles,” Izabella said with relief in her tone. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Alec crawled beside her. He started rubbing her back.
“Well, I woke up and went to the bathroom to get a glass of water, and that’s when I remembered you hadn’t come home when I went to sleep. I went to your room. You weren’t there, so I was afraid something happened to you. Did you meet with that agent? Was he able to tell you anything about your past?”
“Wait. What time is it?”
“It’s fifteen minutes after midnight.”
Layla’s eyes bulged at the answer. “Shit,” she hissed. “I’m sorry to have worried you, Izabella. I’m fine. I just . . . lost track of time. I’ll be home soon.”
“As long as you’re all right. Be careful driving in this rain.”
“I will, and is Keisha all right? She didn’t wake up, did she?”
“Oh no. I just looked in on her. She’s sound asleep.”
Layla felt a twinge of guilt. She was the one that usually woke up in the middle of the night. She would look in on Keisha at night. “All right, and thank you. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, señora. I might be back to sleep by then though.”
“That’s fine. Get your rest. Goodbye.”
“Adios,” she said and hung up.
Layla sighed as she clicked off. She couldn�
��t believe that it was after midnight. The time had flown by.
“What’s wrong?” Alec asked as he continued to rub her back.
“I have to go. It’s after midnight,” she said as she dropped her purse. She stood and quickly started collecting her clothes.
“So?”
“So?” she huffed as she hopped into her panties. “Suburban housewives with young children don’t stay out past midnight.” She grabbed her bustier.
Alec cupped her cheek and turned her to face him. “I didn’t make love to Layla Miles. I made love to Lana Murphy.”
She nodded. “I know, and you did. I . . . I have accepted who I am. That part of myself. But I still have . . . responsibilities.”
“I know that. But he isn’t home. You can stay here for the night,” he suggested seriously.
She started putting on the bustier. “Alec, I can’t spend the night here. I have a child — who can be very inquisitive at times. If she wakes up and I’m not around, she’ll ask questions. Even if she wasn’t inquisitive, I want to be home when she wakes up in the morning.”
Alec nodded. “I understand.”
They got dressed.
“I’d feel a lot better if you let me follow you home. As you said, it’s late. We both live in safe neighborhoods, but you never know what you’ll run into in between.”
Layla was touched at the suggestion. Alec was such a gentleman, so considerate of her needs and safety. “I should be fine. I’ll lock the doors, and I’m going straight home. Besides, I got nosey neighbors. They act like they’re not, but someone in that neighborhood will see something no matter what time it is.”
“I tell you what. I’ll follow you home. When you pull up in the driveway, I’ll just keep going. I’ll circle the cul-de-sac and keep going. Problem solved.”
She did like the feeling that he was close by just in case. “All right.”
“Lucky,” he called. “You want to go for a ride?” Alec grabbed his tennis shoes that were next to the door. As he was putting them on, the dog came walking out of a back room with a leash in his mouth.
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