It's as if no one lives here.
Alex opens the huge double door fridge and smiles when he sees a casserole dish covered in foil.
“I know it might not be anything fancy but, Ayla, wait till you try this: one of the maids, Rosa, makes the best chicken enchiladas I’ve ever had. I had the flu last year and it was the week the housekeeper was on vacation. My Father was in Hong Kong for some unmissable business meeting and there was no one that could take care of me. Sam's Mom was in Europe and Tuna’s parents were somewhere sailing on their yacht, so... Rosa volunteered to stay and take care of me and once I felt better, she stopped feeding me chicken soup and started making all sorts of delicious things, including these enchiladas. She always leaves me some on a Friday night. Normally Tuna and Sam make sure that they are here to have them as a late night snack, after whatever party we’ve had or been to.”
I smile.
“Hangover food?”
“You're right. But it's actually really awesome. So I was thinking that if you don't mind, we could eat this here, just me and you. And I promise that next time, I’ll take you to one of those super expensive, super popular places where you need a reservation one year in advance.”
I touch his bicep, feeling his warmth seeping through to my fingers and making me feel weak at the knees but it's when my eyes meet his dark blue ones that I’m in real danger.
“Alex, we could eat mac and cheese from a box. I honestly don't care about expensive restaurants. I’m here because I wanna spend time with you, that's all.”
His smile softens and it's one of the most relaxed smiles I’ve ever seen on his face.
He puts the dish in the oven, commenting about the fact that if Rosa ever caught him warming her enchiladas up in the microwave, she’d stop making them for him.
He moves to exit the kitchen but I stay put because all of a sudden, there's something on my mind and I really can't keep from asking him the question burning on the tip of my tongue.
“So, Rosa took care of you, which is nice but, Alex... I’m sorry, I know that you don't like to talk about your parents but... Where was your Mom?”
He backtracks to come and stand next to me, his eyes are dark, intense, hard.
That's the look he has at school when he issues a decision, it's his determined, admits no discussions look.
I hold his gaze for what feels like ages and I’m almost surprised when he takes my hand in his and squeezes it gently.
That kind of touch is something I’d expect more from Sam, not from Alex.
“Come on.”
He whispers taking me to the living room and lowering himself on a huge dark leather couch, bringing me down with him and settling me on his lap.
He brushes a lock of my long hair away from my shoulders and then starts talking.
“Ayla, I never talk about my Mom. With anyone. And the reason why I don't is that it hurts too much. But with you... You told me everything about your family and your life and I like getting to know you. You deserve the same thing, I do want you to know me too and I know that you’ll never go and blab about it around school.”
I nod.
“Ayla, I don’t really have a Mom. I did until my baby sister was born, before my Father made the family company into the global giant it is today. When business became so time consuming, it destroyed my family. Mom couldn't cope with being left to parent two small children alone. She had hired help but I guess she hadn't signed up for being always by herself. She started using prescription drugs, or should I say misusing? From that, she moved onto cocaine and god knows what else. Pair it with drinking and... She's always in rehab. She has come home about eight times since I was five. And every time, she relapsed within days of being back here. Abi, my sis, is at boarding school in England. Dad has other ways to... Look after his own needs. So, I was basically raised by nannies until I met Sam and then I went to live with his family. Then the summer of sophomore year something happened and... I was old enough to fend for myself anyway and now there's a housekeeper that makes sure the house runs smoothly and my Father checks in with me more regularly than I care for.”
“You don’t get along?”
He sighs.
“Getting along would imply a relationship and we don't really have one.”
I stroke his cheek with my fingertips: the way he's looking at me right now... It's as if that wall between us had disappeared.
I’ve rarely initiated physical contact with Alex, afraid that then I’d have to fend him off when he inevitably demanded more.
But I’ve been feeling closer to him lately, and he's stopped being so handsy and obnoxious.
And the result has been that we’ve started to get closer on every level. Until that fateful afternoon last weekend for my birthday.
But right here, right now, all I want is to kiss him and I place my lips on his, lightly at first, waiting for his reaction.
Alex
THAT'S IT.
Now she knows that I’ve got no family to speak of.
That Sam and Tuna are my family: and a dangerous but wondrous thought starts making its way in my head.
Maybe one day, she could be a part of that very small inner circle.
But all thoughts come to a halt when I feel her lips on mine and my body reacts to it as violently as it always does when we come into contact.
My heart is racing, my cock gets instantly and painfully hard in my jeans and all I want is to feel her close to me.
As close as she'll let me.
Our kiss started sweet and shallow but soon, I trace the seam of Ayla's lips with my tongue and when she allows me in, I stroke hers expertly.
I know how to make a girl melt in my arms if I want, I just haven't felt the need to kiss anyone this way for a long time, since the fateful summer of two years ago.
But I’m here, now, with Ayla.
And her sweetness, her beauty, her strength are the only things that matter.
Her body is soft against mine, she's melting against me, holding me tight, letting me kiss her passionately.
She's always been nervous, tense whenever I touched her but right now she's completely giving herself to my kisses, with no fight, no fear but a fiery excitement that only makes me want her more.
She’s wearing a white, floral blouse closed by tiny little buttons and I take my time undoing the first few until I can see her plump, delicious tits emerge from the thin lace of her bra.
I see her nipples hard and slightly pink under the white lace: the partial view of them through the pattern of the lace is almost more exciting than if she were bare in front of me and I can't resist but close my mouth around one of them.
That makes her gasp and curl one of her legs over my hip, rubbing our crotches closer together through our clothes.
One of my hands skims under her denim skirt, gripping the soft skin of her hip.
“Son, I hope you have an explanation of why you're having sex on my couch!”
I jump upright as if I’d been electrocuted: the video call system has come on suddenly and my Father’s looking at me and Ayla from the custom made three hundred and seventy inch flat screen TV monstrosity that sits on the wall directly opposite the couch.
I try to shield Ayla from his view, while she covers herself up.
My first instinct would be to ask her to leave, to go to another room but I know that if roles were reversed, that would make me feel rejected, so I don't do it.
And my Father soon makes me regret it.
“Alex, I thought we were clear that you aren't allowed to use the main house for your... Recreational activities.”
“I thought you said that I could have smaller gatherings here of up to three people? But if it bothers you, Ayla and I can definitely move to the pool house. I didn't know we were supposed to talk tonight anyway.”
“I texted your phone five times to tell you to answer my call. You didn't answer, so I used the remote activation code. Anyway, I heard that you’ve won your game
tonight. But you weren't the MVP.”
There it is!
Never good enough for him!
Had I been MVP, it would've been the bare minimum and not something worth praising.
So I don't say anything and hope that he gets to the point quickly and lets me get back to my girl.
“Alex, I don’t need to tell you how a sloppy performance is never acceptable. You get the best of everything and you need to give the best of everything. This is how it works.”
I don't even look at his stony expression: I know the coldness in his dark blue eyes because it’s like looking in a mirror.
I’m about to promise that I'll do better when Ayla speaks for the first time.
“Good evening, Mr. Richmond. I’m Ayla. I go to school with Alex. And I think that you’re being unfair to him: he's a fantastic football player and even a better student! Everyone at BHPA looks up to him, myself included. And Tuna got MVP because of Alex's performance, he—”
My Father sneers.
The corner of his lips lift in a cruel smirk.
“What did you say your name was? Ayla? Aren't you the new student transferred in from Illinois? Don't they teach you not to intrude in other people's conversations in the Midwest? I looked at your records and you seem a smart girl on paper: so smart that you’ve taken my son’s spot as top of your class. So you should know that once he's tired of the novelty, Alex will move on. He never sees the same girl twice. Thank god he learned to use protection from the beginning. Half of the girls he chooses to accompany himself with would be unsuitable to a Richmond anyway. And you are no exception. You're the poorest student at BHPA, so definitely not—”
I breathe deeply: how dare he speak to Ayla this way?
He fucking sounds like Michelle!
“Dad! I’d really appreciate it if you didn't speak to my girlfriend this way! I’ve been seeing Ayla since the first week of school and I’ve no intention of moving on. She's more suitable for me than anyone I’ve ever met. She knows me better than you do.”
“Over my dead body! She's with you because of my money, can't you see that?”
“No, dad! She really is not. She's with me because she gets me and because she likes me for me. And that's more than I could ever say about my own family. And yes, you can cut me off. I can move in with Sam again and there's nothing you can do about Grandpa’s shares in the company: they became mine on my eighteenth birthday and without them, your control on the company is iffy at best. So, just be more respectful when you talk to my girlfriend if you want to keep playing happy CEO. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date to get back to.”
I press a button on the remote and end the call, then take Ayla's hand and quietly usher her upstairs, into my bedroom.
I’ve never taken a girl here.
If I hook up here at home, I use the pool house or one of the many guest rooms.
She defended me: she stood up to my Dad to tell him how much she admires me.
I look at her quietly for a long moment: the admiration is mutual.
This is why I liked her instantly: she isn't scared of being herself.
She's mostly gentle and sweet but she defends herself or the ones she cares about fiercely and fearlessly.
And then it hits me more violently than a freight train: what the fuck am I doing to her with that stupid, cruel bet?
Yes, I was hurt that she wouldn't let me kiss her but she did Sam and Tuna but... Regardless of my feelings being justified at the time, what I saw in her eyes when she said that she looks up to me.
I’m calling the bet off first thing tomorrow morning.
I know Sam has never wanted any part in it anyway, I’ll speak to Tuna and I’ll tell EM that he's off the hook. I’ll find a different way to show him that you can't want to become a brother, you need to earn it in a different way.
“Alex, are you all right?”
She says it almost as a whisper and I let her hand go to take her in my arms.
“Ayla, what you said before, to my Father—”
“I’m sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble but he was being so unfair. You're the best at everything you do, you work so hard, you—”
“I love you!”
“You, what?”
“I love you, Ayla. And you don't have to say anything but I’ve loved you ever since you walked into that classroom. And I acted like an asshole because first of all it's my normal M.O. (Modus Operandi: it's the Latin expression for way of acting, normal behaviour) and secondly... I wanted you and the only way I knew to try and get you was to pursue you aggressively. And it took me a while to see it clearly but... I love you.”
The sweetest smile I’ve ever seen appears on her lips.
She stretches on the tip of her toes to bring her face closer to mine.
“I love you too. It's crazy and it's scary but it's true.”
I kiss her with everything I have and it still isn't enough.
We both melt into an all consuming kiss that expresses everything that words can't say.
I’ve never kissed Ayla without wanting more and this time is no exception.
I don't even know how we shed our clothes, I’m just too busy kissing every inch of her body and her skin is so smooth and feels so good that it makes me greedy.
I stop to look at her: naked on my bed, flushed with the same excitement I feel.
Normally this is when I’d take out a condom and the real fun would begin but I know this would be the first time for her so, I slow down.
“Baby, I want you so much...”
I say hiding my face in the crook of her neck and caressing her hip with one of my hands: I’m sure she can feel how much I want her right against her outer thigh, at least on a physical level.
“I want you too.”
She sounds a little bit breathless and that makes me smile.
“Ayla, are you on any birth control?”
She shakes her head.
“I’ve got condoms but I don't want any barrier between us, baby. If I booked an appointment and came with you to the doctor, would you consider going on something, so we could... I’ve always used condoms before but I want our first time to be—”
“Yes.”
That word makes me harder and I have to really try my hardest (pun totally intended) to not do something that we might both regret.
And then, I think about Ayla's birthday, the way she made me feel and how I had no chance to make her feel just as good, like I had planned.
“I owe you an orgasm anyway baby.”
She blushes: damn, I love when she does that! She's so cute and hot at the same time!
“You don’t owe me anything.”
I chuckle.
“Oh yes I do. Did you really think that I’d have walked away without returning the favour? Plus I’ve never seen anything I wanna kiss more than your gorgeous pussy. Have you ever... Have Sam or Tuna—”
“No.”
I slide down on the mattress and lower my head on her, keeping my eyes fixed onto hers.
“May I?”
I let my breath fan over her skin and I hear her gasp, goosebumps appearing on her smooth skin.
She nods and I kiss her and taste her, using my lips and flicking my tongue at her most sensitive spot.
I keep the pressure I apply light at first, I don't want it to be too much until she's ready.
When I hear her breathing speed up and I hear her moan and beg for more, I take that same little sensitive spot between my lips, to suck on it and torment it delicately, alternating with firmer flicks of my tongue.
I don't stop until she screams and I see her writhing and gasping, making the most exciting sounds I’ve ever heard.
I hold her in my arms, whispering to her to enjoy the moment and that I love her.
When she calms down, she's instantly worried about me and I smile, a little embarrassed.
“I’m ok, baby. I enjoyed kissing you a little too much and...”
I nod towards t
he evidence that what I did to her was enough to make me explode too.
“Wow, am I that good?”
She giggles.
“Definitely, baby. I’ve never had that happen to me before. I have only one favour to ask you. Please don't tell Sam and Tuna or I’ll get some unflattering nickname.”
The mention of my brothers makes her flinch.
“Alex, about Sam and Tuna, I—’
She looks immensely sad and I think I know why.
I should feel royally pissed off but surprisingly, I don't and it's not the post orgasmic bliss.
“You love me but you still have feelings for those two clowns?”
She nods, deadly serious.
“Surprisingly, Ayla, that's ok. More than ok. I love them too and if they like you as much as I think they do...”
“What are you trying to say?”
I shrug and place a soft kiss on her lips.
“Don't rush things, baby. But maybe... Maybe you don't have to choose. I know that if you decide that you feel the same way about them that you feel about me... It works for me. Just don't choose one of them over me.”
“I never could.”
I hold her tighter against me and we fall asleep in each other's arms.
14.
Family Ties
TUNA: THIRTY FIVE POINTS
Alex: twenty five points (but really forty five)
Sam: zero points (but really twenty one)
EM: zero points
Ayla
I OPEN MY EYES: WHERE am I?
It's dark in the room and all I spot is big, expensive looking furniture.
But I have strong arms wrapped around me and his spicy and woodsy scent tells me that the naked body next to mine is Alex.
I still feel foggy and for a second, I revel in his closeness, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room.
His breathing is even and his muscular chest rises and falls under my head: I could stay like this, in his arms forever.
I feel safe and I never would've thought that safe and Alex Richmond could be two thoughts that could be associated.
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 17
