“Listen to me, Krystina. I was done with that life the moment I met you. Bringing you to that club, even if it was only once, was a mistake. I only want what you can give me. Nothing more. I no longer need that life to be an outlet for me. And, quite frankly, I’m not seeing how any of this connects to my nightmares.”
“I’m not saying that it is connected,” I interjected. “It really was just a passing thought last week. I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t have!” Alexander snapped.
“Please, Alex. Calm down. Lashing out at Krystina isn’t the answer,” Dr. Tumblin placated. “Perhaps we are discussing the wrong thing here. Tell me, why BDSM? What was it an outlet for?”
“Why don’t you ask Krystina? Apparently, she’s been a wealth of information lately,” Alexander spit out. His fury caused me to blanch again.
“Look, I’m sorry for divulging your damn secrets, okay? I just can’t figure you out lately,” I said, and my voice cracked. I could feel the sting of tears from frustration in the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let them shed. “It’s not only your dreams. It’s everything – from the wedding, to the house, and even my wardrobe! It’s like your need for control has intensified, and it feels like I’m navigating a minefield half the time. Maybe I’m way off the mark, but I’m just trying to make sense of it all. That’s how I came up with the theory about you and the change in your BDSM lifestyle.”
“The mind works in mysterious ways, Alex. You know this,” Dr. Tumblin said softly.
Alexander abruptly stopped his rapid pacing and whipped his head around to stare at Dr. Tumblin. I stilled when I saw the set in his jaw. The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Ice was near forming. By comparison to how heated he appeared just a moment before, Alexander suddenly looked arctic. When he finally spoke, his voice was eerily calm.
“Yes, it does. And right now, my mind is telling me that our time here is up.”
“Alex, we still have another thirty minutes,” I pointed out, shocked that he wanted to leave so soon.
He turned to look at me.
“No. It’s time to go.”
In the blink of an eye, the calm façade was gone, replaced by genuine anger as he hastily slipped into his navy suit coat. We were clearly done with our appointment. Alexander was, as usual, calling all the shots. Feeling awkward and embarrassed by Alexander’s outburst, I stood up and began to put on my jacket.
“Perhaps we’ve accomplished enough here today,” Dr. Tumblin said as he came around the desk he had been sitting behind. He had a worried expression on his face. “Krystina, please call if you need anything. In the meantime, Patricia will schedule the next appointment for you on your way out.”
“Krystina will not be calling you and there isn’t going to be another appointment,” Alexander announced with an air of finality.
“Wait. What?” I asked incredulously.
“You heard me. I’m done.”
6
alexander
The entire ride back to the penthouse went by in silence. Krystina hadn’t muttered a single word, which was completely fine with me. I was so revved up from the damn session with the shrink and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was too furious over the fact that she told him about the club. Any discussion at this point would only end badly. We would never go back to see Dr. Tumblin again, of that I was sure. There was only one thing that would fix the state of things between Krystina and me.
When we pulled up to the front of the penthouse, I got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Krystina. Cold wind whipped around us and I held open my suit coat to shield her from the worst of it as we made our way inside to the lobby.
Jeffrey, the blithering doorman for my building, quickly stood and hurried out from behind the lobby’s security desk upon our entrance. He had been staring down at his phone when we came in, no doubt playing some sort of frivolous video game.
“Mr. Stone. Miss Cole. You’re back. I hope you enjoyed a lovely evening. Allow me to –”
“I’ve got it, Jeffrey,” I snapped and flashed my elevator key card for him to see. I didn’t want to wait for the fumbling fool to dig out his own card. One would think, that after six months on the job, he would’ve learned to keep his keycard easily accessible.
I took Krystina’s elbow, brushed past Jeffrey, and guided her across the marble floors to the elevator that would take us up to the penthouse.
“Ye – yes, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening,” he sputtered from behind us.
Once inside the elevator, Krystina rounded on me.
“Just because you’re in a bad mood doesn’t give you the right to be nasty to Jeffrey.”
“He’s incompetent.”
Her head snapped back and her gorgeous chocolate brown eyes flashed angrily. I loved it when she turned fiery. It made me want to fuck her senseless.
“He is not incompetent and you know it,” she persisted. “He means well and you were rude.”
“Rude? You haven’t seen anything, baby,” I remarked with an unapologetic smile.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you want to see what rude really looks like?”
Without giving her a second warning, I rushed her faster than she could blink. Grabbing both of her wrists, I pinned them behind her back and pushed her roughly against the elevator wall. Locking them in place with one hand, I wrapped the other around the nape of her neck and crushed my mouth to hers.
“Alex –” she protested, turning her head in resistance.
I pulled back sharply to look at her, my temper flaring at the mere idea of being denied, but her resistance was also a turn on. At times, I didn’t know if I wanted her to submit or to fight, but the thought of breaking her was amazingly arousing and my cock grew harder at the idea. I would have her submission and she knew it.
Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were like molten fire. But it wasn’t from anger. That look said that she comprehended what was coming. She knew that we were about to settle this like adults. Naked.
I groaned and pressed my lips to the shell of her ear.
“You’re fucking gorgeous when you’re aroused.”
“I’m not,” she tried to refute. However, her labored breaths betrayed her.
“You are. I know that look in your eyes, angel. Your cheeks. Your breathing. I know you’re already wet. You won’t deny me.”
I pressed my mouth to hers once more, fisting one hand through her lush curls while my other kept hers pinned securely behind her back. Although, she made a slight attempt to resist, I wouldn’t allow it. My dominant side was coming out. Powerful and blinding. I took her fully, assaulting her with my tongue until she was like malleable putty.
I released her hands and pulled her hips tighter against mine. My cock throbbed as I pushed up against her, and a fire coursed through my veins. She had stopped fighting me, but I could also tell she didn’t want to surrender. However, she knew she had to. She knew I had to win. When her arms flew around my neck and her fingers began to intertwine through my hair, I smiled inwardly. Victory never tasted so good.
There’s my angel.
My message to her was clear and needed no explanation. She understood my authority. There would be no more talking and no more arguing – at least for tonight. Krystina and I required that physical connection to bring us back to where we belonged. I needed to feel her body, warm and submissive, under mine. It was the only thing that could erase the tension between us.
The elevator doors opened to the foyer of the penthouse. We both stumbled out, tearing at each other’s clothes with an animal-like frenzy. She kicked off her shoes as I slid her skirt off with expert precision. When she was in nothing but her bra and thong panties, I brought my face down to her breast, biting at a taut nipple through the thin lacy material of her bra. She gasped and threw her head back, her need now just as hot as mine. Her gentle moans and bodily responses to my touch were
the strongest of aphrodisiacs, driving me to the point of madness.
God, how I fucking love this woman…
I flicked my tongue up the side of her neck and stopped to nip at her ear. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of my shirt as I loosened my tie. The rapid succession of her breath matched mine, both of us fueled with nothing but pure carnal need. Impatient, I ripped the shirt apart, causing the buttons of the cotton Versace to scatter over the tiled floor.
“Oh! Your shirt!” she said with surprise when she realized what I had done.
“Who cares? I have others,” I growled, sealing my lips over hers once more.
Sliding a hand down her smooth belly, I slipped inside her panties to find her wet slit. The minute I found her pulsing nub, she sucked in a sharp gulp of air.
“Alex!” she hissed against my lips, raking her nails across my back. I slid a finger inside.
“Oh, angel. I knew it. You never disappoint me,” I murmured, appreciating how ready she always was for me.
Her hips pushed up against my hand, searching in desperation for quick release. I grunted, not wanting to waste another minute. The need to be inside her was fierce. In one swift move, I bent to scoop her up from behind her knees and cradled her in my arms. Moving to the dining room, I set her down on the sprawling table and laid her back. She was trembling. Desperate.
“Oh, god…” she breathed, writhing beneath me. “Please, Alex. I need to feel you.”
I loved it when she begged.
“Give me your hands,” I ordered. She complied immediately as I ripped off the tie that was still hanging loose around my neck. Wrapping the tie around her wrists, I secured it with a tight knot. Dipping my head under, I positioned her bound hands so they were resting at the base of my neck. “Don’t move, angel. This is going to be rough.”
Her eyes flashed with desire, causing my cock to throb and ache, knowing I was so close to feeling her snug heat. I reached down to quickly unfasten my belt and dropped my pants to below my hips. My erection sprung free, craving the constriction of her moist walls.
Bracing one hand on the table for balance, I used the other to notch the throbbing tip to the outside of her waiting entrance. In one quick thrust, I plunged my shaft through her tight clasp until it was completely sheathed. I let out a groan of pleasure.
“Oh, yes!” Krystina cried out.
Cupping her ass, I pulled her body closer to mine and shifted my feet to get the leverage I needed to drive all the way home. And for me, when my cock was buried deep in her body, I was home. It was the place where I claimed her to be mine. I was her conqueror and I owned her. I lurched forward again and she let out a gasp as her body worked to accommodate my girth.
“That’s it, angel. Take me. All of me.”
The rippling of her heat drove me wild, but I held steady as I waited for her to get there. I hissed through clenched teeth and pushed harder. By the time I felt her clench around me with her building orgasm, I was ready to explode. Invigorated by the feel of her slick walls, I increased the speed of my thrusts.
“Alex!”
“Yeah, baby. Say my name. I want to hear you scream it.”
Over and over again, I impaled her. Her eyes rolled back and her moans turned into screams. She came around my cock, her wet canal slathering me on all sides. Her cry of release was all I needed to lose myself. It was my turn.
I sunk deep and hard until my seed burst forth, filling her completely. I came with such a violent force that I was left shuddering and trembling in her arms.
7
krystina
I lay limp in Alexander’s strong arms, our rapid heartbeats slowly returning to a normal rhythm. During our crazed sex frenzy, we somehow made it to the bedroom and went at it another two times. The only time we paused was to grab a quick bite to eat in between rounds. Even then, Alexander was still touching me, caressing my breasts as he hand fed me bites of local artisan cheeses and a variation of seasonal fruits.
I lazily swirled my fingertip over his chest, feeling completely and utterly spent. I loved how he could make me forget everything in an instant. With his gorgeous face taut with desire and his expression filled with something much more tender, I wanted nothing more than to erase the turmoil between us and just feel. And do that, he did. Time and time again.
“How do you do that?” I murmured.
“Do what, angel?”
“Make everything go away. We went from wanting to rip each other’s throats out, to ripping each other’s clothes off. You’re awfully sneaky, Mr. Stone. Do you know that?”
“I just know how to tame that sassy mouth of yours,” he laughed.
I propped up on one elbow and stared down at him.
“My sassy mouth? I believe you were the one to have a tantrum in Dr. Tumblin’s office,” I pointed out.
Alexander didn’t say anything at first, but reached up to tuck a loose tendril of hair behind my ear.
“Shh, angel. No more fighting,” he said firmly and placed a finger over my mouth to silence the argument I was about to make. Cupping the back of my neck, he pulled me back down to rest my head against the side of his chest.
He’s right. No more fighting.
Nevertheless, there was still a very important issue that needed to be addressed. It wasn’t about today’s therapy session, as that was a dead issue. Based on his reactions in the office just a few hours before, I knew we wouldn’t be going back. It didn’t matter. Even I was failing to see any benefit from it. There were too many secrets that needed to stay hidden, and progress would be limited because of it. However, therapy or no therapy, I couldn’t ignore Alexander’s overly controlling ways as of late. He had to tone it down a bit before I snapped.
I went back to tracing small circles over his pectorals and thought about how to bring it up. I really didn’t want to argue, so I had to carefully choose my words so as not to sound confrontational.
“Alex, ever since I was released from the hospital, you’ve made all the decisions. I know it’s just your nature, so I let it go for a time. But…lately, I feel like I’m starting to lose a little bit of myself,” I said quietly.
“Krystina, you know why I have to be in control. It’s who I am.”
“Yes, and I understand that. But I worry about after we marry. Marriage is supposed to be a partnership. Certain things should be decided together, if you know what I mean,” I explained cautiously. I glanced up at his face to see his reaction. When he merely raised an eyebrow at me, I continued on. “When it comes to our house and our wedding, I want to plan them together. I don’t want you to make all the decisions for us.”
“Angel, I’ve asked for your input,” he tried to counter.
I pursed my lips and tried to suppress the building agitation. He truly didn’t see what he had been doing. Choosing a different way to approach the situation, I swung a leg over his hips and sat up so I could straddle him. He pushed his hips up against me, and I could feel his erection begin to harden, the head of his thick cock pressing against my entrance. How he was able to even think about round four was beyond me. His sexual appetite was insatiable. I for one wouldn’t be walking straight for a few days at the very least.
“No funny business,” I scolded playfully. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation here.”
“Is that why you moved to sit on top of me? Is this a power play to make you feel more in control?”
“Maybe,” I said with a guilty smile.
“Okay, angel. I’ll give you this, but only because I’m curious about what’s been bugging you. Besides, if you have something to get off your chest, I’d rather you do it when you’re naked,” he added with a cocky smile. A wicked gleam flashed in his sapphire eyes.
My stomach did a flip, stirring with renewed desire, and it was a real struggle to stay focused. The more he looked at me that way, the more I felt like round four was definitely imminent. I ran my hands up and over his chest, appreciating the hard lines of honed muscle. Not bothe
ring to suppress a groan, I leaned down to kiss the side of his neck and breathe in his scent. He was intoxicating. As long as I lived, I would never get enough of this man.
“Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow,” I murmured into his ear.
“Oh, no you don’t, my little sex goddess. Quit paying attention to the devil on your shoulder for a minute,” he told me and I could feel the vibration of his laughter.
“Hmmm…but the devil is so much more fun,” I replied, playing along with his joke about my cartoonish self-conscious that plagued me every once in a while.
I flicked my tongue around the lobe of his ear, but Alexander wouldn’t be deterred. Pushing me up to a sitting position, he looked pointedly into my eyes.
“You wanted to talk. Let’s just do this now and be done with it. What’s bothering you?”
Knowing I shouldn’t put it off, I reluctantly placed my hands on my thighs so as not to be distracted by him.
“Well, you said that you asked for my input. You really haven’t, Alex. The conversations were always about decisions you already made.”
“Such as?”
“Take the house in Westchester for example. You and the architect worked on the plans. You’ve designed the layout of everything. We are almost ready to break ground, yet I haven’t even seen the blueprints. There is also the wedding. You decided it should be a small intimate affair, which I’m not opposed to. However, for all you knew, maybe I wanted to fly to Las Vegas to elope.”
“That’s out of the question,” he stated firmly. “Vegas is such a cliché. Not to mention, I think it’s a foul city. We would never get married there.”
His statement just further proved my point.
“Do you see what I mean?” I asked and gave him a small I-told-you-so smile.
His eyes narrowed before the comprehension dawned.
“You’ve got me there, angel. Well played. What do you propose we do?”
He flashed me a sexy, crooked smile. I knew then that I got through to him.
Set In Stone (The Stone Series Book 3) Page 5
