Conquer (Desired Affliction Book 2)

by C. A. Harms

  I wanted to feel more of him; I needed to feel him close.

  I reached down between us to lower his boxers and he placed his hand over mine. “Are you sure you feel up to this? I know you’ve had a rough couple days.” His concern for me only made me love him more.

  I bit my lip and watched his eyes focus on my mouth. “I want you, Kole. I’m absolutely, without a doubt, in desperate need of you.” I lifted my tank top over my head and looked at him lying before me. His eyes roamed my bare chest. “Touch me, Kole…please.”

  His hands ran up my stomach to cup my breast and he squeezed gently. He sat up bringing his mouth to my nipple, flipping his tongue against the hardness before sucking it into his mouth. I felt it low in my stomach. The feeling of his tongue rolling across my breast between sucking drove my need for him deeper.

  I ran my fingers through his hair, gaining his attention as he looked up to me. I wanted him so badly I couldn’t stand another moment without him. “I need you.” I knew I sounded desperate but I didn’t care.

  He leaned back away from my breast and began kissing my neck until he reached my ear. “I always need you, baby,” he whispered.

  When Kole entered me, I moaned his name just above a whisper because at that moment I felt complete. My heart ached at the love that swelled within my chest.

  It wasn’t rushed or hurried.

  He moved slowly within me and I knew he was making love to me. He wanted this to last and I needed it to last. He held my hips, guiding me with the movement of his. We rocked together in a perfect rhythm as his eyes locked with mine and he watched as I began to climb.

  I could feel the sensation build deep in my stomach. He slowly withdrew and thrust forward driving me over the edge as I came, throwing my head back. I felt his lips on my neck and his tongue tracing my collarbone.

  “I love watching you. You’re so beautiful, Lexi. So fucking beautiful.”

  I brought my lips to his and bit down softly onto his lower lip. He groaned and I began rocking harder and faster. He gripped my hips, but I never stopped. I wanted to feel him come. I needed to feel his release.

  “Lexi, slow down.”

  I shook my head and continued to ride him with purpose. His thighs tensed beneath me and his tongue rested against his lip. I couldn’t help but kiss him, sucking his tongue into my mouth.

  I whispered against his lips, “Come in me, Kole. I wanna feel you.”

  Another deep groan escaped him and his fingers dug into my hips.

  “Fuck!” he growled, almost animalistic.

  I felt his warm release as I continued to stroke him until his body relaxed against mine.

  After he took a deep breath he whispered into my shoulder where his head still rested. “Holy hell. One of these days I think you’re gonna kill me with this body of yours,” he chuckled. “Insane!”

  I giggled and he held me close.

  And at that moment everything else seemed irrelevant. Because Kole was here loving me, and when he gave me that love, I felt complete.

  Chapter 16

  Kole

  I grabbed the letters from Matt out of my top drawer. I’d put them there last night with the intention of reading them when I was alone; now was that time. Lexi was taking a shower and I needed to get to the gym and take care of a few things before we took off to St. Louis.

  I stuck my head into the bathroom. “Hey, Lex, I’m gonna run over to the gym for a little bit and then I’ll come home and load the car.” I heard her mumble an “Okay” through the sound of the water running. “Don’t carry anything out by yourself.”

  She peeked out from behind the curtain and rolled her eyes at me. “Fine…dad.”

  I walked over to the shower and leaned forward to kiss her wet lips. “You better be nice or I may just climb inside there with you and make you scream.” I winked and backed away toward the door. She watched and just as I turned toward the hallway I heard her groan out in frustration.

  I left with a huge smile on my face.

  When I pulled into the gym parking lot I reached into my passenger seat and picked up Matt’s letters. There were two dated within a few weeks apart. I fought the anger that began to boil thinking about what he put Lexi through.

  I tore the first one open and began to read.

  Fucking hell, the nerve he had.

  He was actually making excuses for what he did to her. He went on and on about finding a way to deal with his urges. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

  I opened the second one and it was the same thing. I sat in my truck fighting the urge I had to fucking punch something. There was no way that sick fuck was getting anywhere near Lexi or my baby.

  The ringing of my phone pulled me from my frustrated state. I saw that it was the gym calling.

  “I’m here,” I assured him. “I’m on my way in now.”

  Radley let out a deep breath before telling me what I didn’t want to hear. “Dude, you’re not gonna like what you walk into, man.”

  I pushed through the front doors and let my hand holding the phone fall away from my ear. I was looking at all the employees carrying around towels and buckets with mops. You could hear the water squishing under their feet. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration.

  A day that started out so amazing was quickly turning to shit.

  “We called the plumber, but it’s a wreck.” Radley walked toward me looking like he’d just been through hell and back. “You had water shooting out of the pipes in the men’s locker room. I had them turn off the water main, but it must have been draining for a while. The water saturated the weight room and the lobby. You’re gonna have to contact the insurance on this one.”

  I blew out an exhausted breath.

  “I gotta go call Lexi. We’re gonna need to reschedule our trip.”

  I pushed past Radley and went into my office. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint her, but I knew I had to be here. I couldn’t leave this mess for Radley or anyone else to handle. It was my gym, which made it my responsibility.

  She sounded so sweet when she answered the phone. “You miss me already.”

  Of course I did. Hell I missed the girl when she fell asleep and I wasn’t able to talk to her, even though she was right next to me.

  “Hey, baby, I got some bad news.” I said what I was dreading. There was no way to sugarcoat it.

  She was quiet for a few seconds. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked.

  I wasn’t looking forward to sharing this with her. I wanted to be there when she reunited with her dad. “I have a huge problem at the gym. Looks like I’m not gonna be able to get away. I’m so sorry.” I squeezed the bridge of my nose with my fingers, trying to fight the tension headache that was already building.

  “Kole, it’s okay. Megan can go with me, and Nat. She was kind of disappointed that she was gonna miss out, anyway. It’ll be a girl’s getaway.”

  I was pissed, but tried to hide it.

  “Lexi, I’m gonna be honest with ya. I really don’t like the idea of you girls traveling alone. I wanted to be there with you.” A huge sense of disappointment filled my chest.

  “It’s okay, caveman. We won’t leave each other’s side. I’ll only be gone a few days and we’ll talk every day.” I was silent for too long and she quickly started again. “Kole, I’ve missed nine years of my father’s life. I don’t want to wait any longer. I want him to know me. I wanna share everything with him. I wanna tell him about you and us. I want him to know about the baby. Please don’t ask me to wait.”

  I let out a slow deep breath. I couldn’t tell her no and expect her to wait.

  “Call Megan, but you guys are taking my truck. I don’t trust your car going that far.” I gave her no chance to argue. “I don’t like it, but I can’t tell ya no.”

  I knew she was smiling; I could sense her excitement. “Okay. Thank you. I love you.”

  I let my head fall forward into my hands and shook my head thinking about how whipped
I was. “I love you too. When I get a chance, I’ll come home and switch cars with you.”

  We said our goodbyes and I went out to help clean up some of the mess.

  When I finally made it home Megan was already there.

  I walked in to find them sitting at the table waiting for me and I immediately felt my stomach drop at the thought of Lexi leaving. I didn’t want to be away from her. She walked toward me and laced her hands around my waist. When her lips touched mine I let my eyes close, taking in the feel of her lips. It was unbelievable how much I loved this girl. Lexi became my world and everything I did was for her.

  I adored her.

  Once her lips left mine I felt hollow.

  “Do you have to leave?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “I’m gonna miss you.”

  She smiled up at me. “Yes, and I’ll miss you too. I need to do this, Kole. I need to see my dad.”

  I pulled her to me just a little tighter and breathed her in. I could smell her shampoo and I felt calmed by it, just a little. “I just hate that I can’t be there with you.” She buried her face into my chest and placed a light kiss through my shirt.

  I looked over my shoulder at Megan and she was watching us with a smile on her face. “Hey, Meg, do me a favor. Take care of my girl,” I gave her an intense look, “and my baby.”

  I felt Lexi’s arms tighten around my waist just a little more as I kissed the top of her head and took in the feel of her wrapped in my arms. The next few days were really gonna suck.

  Chapter 17

  Lexi

  Kole helped us get everything loaded into his Avalanche and Natalie arrived shortly after. I waved to Kole as we backed out and drove away.

  “Awe, that’s so sweet. Why can’t I find a hunky caveman like you two?” Natalie was turned around in the seat watching out the back window as Kole faded in the distance.

  Megan and I laughed at Natalie as she stared longingly at my sexy man. I pushed forward when I really just wanted to turn around and go back for one more kiss. I silently agreed that it was going to be hard being away from Kole.

  I missed him already.

  It was a little after 2:00 in the afternoon when we left, and we had a long road ahead of us. We planned to stop at a hotel so we could get some rest before continuing tomorrow.

  I hadn’t contacted my father because I wanted to surprise him instead. I didn’t want our first encounter after all this time to be over a phone conversation.

  “So how far is it again? I mean, are we stuck in this beasty truck for days or just hours?” Natalie was a rambler. She was quiet when I first met her at the community center, but now she never shut up. “I get car sick sometimes. I guess I should’ve told you that earlier, huh?”

  I looked over at Megan and we both laughed. “Total time is a little over twelve hours, Nat. I thought we could stop near Nashville and get a room, then get up tomorrow and finish the drive.” I looked in the rearview mirror and smiled back at her. “Oh, and by the way…if you puke in Kole’s truck, he may kick your ass.”

  Megan laughed, “Yeah, I agree. Considering the guy still has the dealer plastic stretched along the floors, he may not appreciate the puke.” Natalie just giggled and watched out the window as we sped onto the interstate.

  We had been gone less than an hour when my phone started to ring. I quickly slipped on my Bluetooth and answered my caveman’s call, unable to contain the smile on my face.

  “Do you already miss me?” I asked.

  He laughed in response but I knew he did. “Lex, I missed your sexy ass before you left the parking lot. I just held out as long as I could before calling you.” I imagined him smiling that sexy grin. I could sense his mood and it was one I knew well.

  “So you in the mood for some dirty talk?” he asked, his voice husky and low.

  I laughed. “Um, no…I’m not alone and I’m pretty sure the girls aren’t up for it.” I looked over at the puzzled look on Megan’s face as she shrugged her shoulders.

  “Tell ’em to plug their ears.”

  Before I could answer I heard a laugh and looked in my review mirror at Natalie’s expression. “Wow seriously? It hasn’t even been an hour. No wonder you’re knocked up. The guy can’t stay off you.” She shook her head. “He’s a horny caveman.”

  Megan laughed first and then Kole broke through the laughter. “Horny caveman?”

  “Yeah, Natalie has been entertaining to say the least. Oh, and she suffers from motion sickness, so you may have to shampoo your carpets when we get back.” I bit my lip to hide my own amusement.

  His reaction was panicked. “Hell no, Lex, hang her head out the window. Better yet, throw her ass in the back. No fucking puke in my truck.”

  All three of us laughed at his manic reaction.

  I reassured him that she wouldn’t puke and he calmed down a bit. I knew the new direction of the conversation pulled him from his horny state at least. I let him go, agreeing to call him when we reached Tennessee.

  “Love you, baby. Drive safely.”

  I smiled because I always did when it came to Kole. “Love you too, babe. Talk to you soon.”

  The remaining drive went smooth. After stopping just outside of Asheville, North Carolina to get a bite to eat, we drove the remaining distance to Nashville. Megan had called ahead and booked us a room at the Embassy Suites. I was exhausted by the time we pulled in to the parking lot at 9:15. I hadn’t slept very well last night and it was now catching up with me.

  Megan ran inside to check in while Natalie and I waited by the car stretching our legs. Once she came out we grabbed our bags and made our way to our room. They wanted to go out to dinner and I just felt like sleeping, but forced myself on. I made a quick call to Kole to let him know we made it, but unfortunately it went to voicemail.

  I left a quick message.

  “Hey, where are you?” I asked. “I told you I’d call when we got to Nashville. Call me back. We made it here safely. I think we’re gonna step out and grab a bite before bed. I love you. Miss you like crazy.” I silently wondered what he could be up to.

  I changed quickly into something comfortable and we made our way downtown. We chose a little Italian restaurant and were seated quickly.

  I could barely eat because I was so nervous about tomorrow. A million things were running through my head. What if he was mad that I just showed up? What if he refused to see me? What if he was remarried and she hated me?

  I was brought from my inner panic when Megan gripped my shoulder. “Lex, are you okay? You look pale.”

  I just shook my head, waving off my worries as nothing and told them I was tired.

  I needed some sleep and I wanted to talk to Kole. He could relax me, but he wouldn’t answer his phone. I tried to call once more before I finally gave up and went to bed.

  Forcing myself to find some peaceful place within.

  Chapter 18

  Kole

  “What the hell are you doing here, Miley? How do you even know where I live?” I asked, feeling frustrated.

  I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard the knock on the door; I thought it was Radley. He was closing the gym and was gonna grab a pizza and some beer on the way over.

  We figured with our girls gone we would make it a boys’ night and crash here. If I had known when I answered the door it would be Miley standing there, I would’ve put on something other than the towel I had wrapped around my waist.

  Miley looked me up and down, making my skin crawl as she silently devoured me. She licked her lower lip before answering my question. “Damn, Kole, you look good in a towel. I bet you’re even hotter without it.” She reached forward and jerked on the front of it before I could stop it from sliding away.

  I held on to the corner and yanked it back into place. “What the fuck, Miley?” I scrambled backwards down the hall shielding myself from her prying eyes. When I reached the bedroom I quickly threw on some shorts and a T-shirt before going back out to get rid of her.


  I entered the living room and found the front door closed, and relaxed for a moment. But that was short lived when I heard the pop of a soda can behind me. I turned around and there she stood, in my kitchen, holding a can of Sprite and staring at me with a smirk on her lips.

  “What are you doing here? Get the fuck out!” I yelled pointing toward the front door.

  Miley just laughed and moved around the countertop towards me. She wore the skimpiest pair of cutoff shorts I’d ever seen and the tightest white t-shirt. I could instantly tell she was not wearing a bra. Her nipples were erect and she pushed her chest out further when she caught me looking. I looked at the ground quickly to settle myself.

  Miley was a very attractive girl, but she wasn’t Lexi.

  I looked back up at her and she was now only a few feet away from me. “You need to leave.”

  She bit her lower lip and then released it slowly, tauntingly. “Kole, I know Lexi is out of town. I heard her friend Natalie at the café earlier. She was saying they were taking a little road trip. So I know the chances of us getting caught are slim.” She took another step toward me, bringing her hand up to my chest. She ran her fingers down toward my stomach before I gripped her wrist.

  “Miley, you need to leave, now.” I was getting pissed that she thought this was a fucking game. “There’s no way anything is gonna happen between us. I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last woman on earth.” I pushed her hand away and went for the door.

  When I jerked it open, Radley was walking up the sidewalk toward my apartment. His face instantly changed to angry when he saw Miley just inside. She walked toward the door, but before she walked out she turned her head toward me and smiled.

  “That was really great, Kole. I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard. You’re still a fucking champ between the sheets.”