The blush crept back in but she didn’t look away. “You,” she whispered, her voice thick and husky.
Aleks sat back in his chair. “Then I have nothing to be jealous of.” More satisfied by her answer than he wanted to admit, he returned to the menu.
When the waiter returned, Aleks willed himself to ignore the man’s blatant flirting. After ordering, they sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke. He wanted to learn more about her. Not just what turned her on, but what she thought about her work, how she felt about her future. She was a perplexing mix of poise and apprehension; her core was solid iron, but it was obvious she often over-thought things, always stuck in her own head.
He thought of all her fire, her passion, and somehow he couldn’t quite picture her as an uptight contract lawyer.
His curiosity got the better of him. “Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?”
Belle laughed as she answered, “God, no.”
“Seems a strangely random choice then; why choose it as your path?” He found himself eager to understand the inner workings of her mind, as she always seemed to surprise him.
“My father.” She looked down, a slight sadness to her expression.
“He pressured you into it?” Aleks’ anger rose thinking of someone forcing Belle into anything she didn’t want to do.
She looked back up at him, shaking her head. “He hates the idea; thinks lawyers are the scum of the earth.”
He raised a brow, not understanding in the least how he influenced her into something he hated. “You lost me.”
She paused before answering, as if debating to tell him the truth. “When I was young, and my mother was alive, we travelled to Paris every year. There would always be one night they left me at the hotel with a sitter so they could go to a burlesque show.” She smiled at the memory, her eyes far away.
“When I was twelve she passed away. It was sudden, an accident. My father and I decided to host a small funeral, then to go to Paris one last time as a tribute. My father took me to the burlesque. I was finally old enough to not be hassled about getting in, and I saw why it was so special to her. On the way home, he told me he planned to open one of his own, in memory of mom.
“I saw how much the club meant to him, but also how much he struggled. To make rent, he had to open daily. It was too expensive to have the show every night, so we settled on weekends only. He has to be there night and day, cleaning, ordering, managing. I think it’s his way of still caring for my mom.
“I decided I wanted to take care of him, to let him be able to enjoy his life again. I thought about some of the most lucrative jobs, and most of them I had no interest in. Law is challenging. I would never want to defend a guilty party, and couldn’t prosecute anyone innocent, so real estate made sense. It was a good middle ground. And so, here we are.”
Aleks listened to her words with an ache in his chest. The concern and obvious affection she had for her father, the way her father loved her mother, it reminded him of his own life. Before it had been taken from him.
“What was your original plan?”
“My original plan?”
“You said you never wanted to get into law.”
“Oh. It’s silly.”
“Dreams are never silly.”
The faraway look he had seen the first night at her bar came over her again as a smile lit her face. “All right then, you want to know my original plan? I would love to move our bar to the city. Create a real burlesque, not a bar pretending on the weekends.”
He watched as she became more animated, hands gesturing as her speech quickened.
“I’ve had the picture in my head for years: The outside would be hidden, like a speakeasy; you’d need a sort of secret membership or something just to get in. Once inside, it would be ‘Great Gatbsy’ meets ‘Moulin Rouge’; twinkling lights and chandeliers. Plush booths you could sink into and stay for hours. A chef would make 4-star dinners and the wraparound bar would serve only top-shelf alcohol. And the girls … the girls would be magnificent; beautiful, classy, sultry, and elegant. I would love a few of them to sing as well, and…” she paused and smiled at him. “I get a little carried away sometimes just thinking about it. See, I told you. Silly.” She looked down at her hands on the table, as if embarrassed.
“It sounds wonderful.” He spoke genuinely. “Why haven’t you tried?”
She played with the napkin in her lap. “It’s too expensive. We can barely keep our little bar afloat as it is. We don’t have enough collateral for a loan, and the rent would probably kill us before we could make any real profit.”
He could sense the sadness in her voice. “I could help it become a reality. All you have to do is ask me for something you want, and it’s yours.”
She looked up at him with a flash of something he couldn’t discern. “Let’s not go there.”
“Go where?”
She paused, before a determined look crossed her face. “What we are doing is … wonderful. But this,” she gestured between them, “isn’t long-term. I’ve known that from the beginning and as much as it would be easy to just give in, I’m not about to pretend that just because you came in my life and let me live in your … your castle, that all my worries are gone. My internship is half-way through. Granted, it’s not like you’re letting me work, but at some point I’ll go home. And you’ll eventually get bored of me and move on with your life.”
There was a whisper of truth in everything she said, but it bothered him. It was true that he hadn’t planned on anything long-term, but the idea she had already decided that to be the case and that he would get bored of her, made him uneasy.
At that moment, the waiter came by with their appetizers.
“Is everything okay, miss?” He looked briefly to Aleks with an expression of disgust and optimism, as if Belle would jump into his arms and leave with him.
“She’s fine. Frustrated with the service,” Aleks quipped pointedly, not hiding his displeasure.
The waiter narrowed his eyes, challenging Aleks, before squatting on his heels directly in front of Belle. “My apologies, miss. I’ll make sure to pay extra close attention from now on. If there’s anything you may want, or need, I am happy to provide it.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles as he stood and walked away.
Aleks could feel the rage beginning to boil in his gut. He’d had enough. He was about to stand and go after the man, when Belle placed her hand on his, stalling him.
“Still you.”
“Still me, what?” he snapped at her, immediately regretting his tone.
“Still you I’d rather have inside me.” Her lips curled into a smile and his anger faded. He suddenly didn’t care about the waiter, didn’t care how obvious his affection was. She wanted him. And damn it, he would give her what she wanted.
After dinner, they strolled around the pier, hand-in-hand. On the ride home, she rested her head on his shoulder and laced her fingers with his. They didn’t talk and her mind wandered ahead, wondering if he would take her to the library or take her to his room. The warmth of his hard body lulled her to sleep and she woke the next morning, alone in his bed.
She vaguely recalled him carrying her upstairs and undressing her before climbing into bed beside her. She’d slept, curled up in his arms, and as the final dregs of sleep left her, she found herself missing his presence.
She crawled out of bed and paused at the window. He was out in the yard, attacking a mat-covered tree trunk with a barrage of fists, knees, and kicks. He was, in every sense of the word, a beast. He wore dark grey sweats and no shirt. A slight sheen of sweat formed at his back as she watched his hard muscles flex and relax with each movement.
She ran to her room to brush her hair and teeth. She threw on a loose tank-top and shorts, then pulled her hair into a messy ponytail as she skipped down the steps. She stood at the back door, watching him, transfixed by his body. His arms moved at a rapid pace, the striations in his biceps and forearms apparent. He grunted wi
th each blow.
He stopped after a few more minutes, standing to perfect posture as he shook out his arms and shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet. She couldn’t wait to close the distance between them any longer.
“Morning,” she called out as she approached the tree.
Sweat glistened between the muscles of his abs and chest as he turned to face her. His loose sweats hung dangerously low around his hips, leaving his Adonis muscles in full view. She bit her lip, remembering the rock-solid length they led to.
“See something you like?” he teased.
“Yes, as a matter of fact.” She laughed and licked her lips. Trying to avoid the flush creeping in, she joked, “I thought you abandoned me.”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Well, I’m awake now. You remember last night, you said if I wanted anything to just ask?”
Aleks’ face lit up, no doubt assuming he knew what she wanted. “And what would that be?”
Belle looked to the mat tied around the tree, and before she became too embarrassed, asked him, “Can you teach me how to hit someone? Just in case?”
His eyes narrowed. “In case what?”
“In case I’m ever in a situation where I need to defend myself. I realized as strong as I think I am, when it comes down to it I’m … I’m pretty useless.” She looked down, remembering the helplessness she felt when Gabriel attacked her. She knew she would never fully be able to defend herself, but putting up more of a fight would be good enough.
Aleks was quiet for a moment, no doubt annoyed at her assuming she would be in another vulnerable position. Rather than chastising her, he squared himself towards her.
“The first two important points: thumb on the outside of the fist, never tucked in, and never hit with your ring and pinkie knuckles. Hit with your index and middle fingers, otherwise you risk breaking your hand. Show me, make a fist.”
He talked her through different styles of punching, depending on how she was standing against him. He allowed her to hit his open palms; at first, none of her hits phased him, yet as the morning went on, a few times he had to shake his hand out, smiling at her for a job well done.
Belle took every directive seriously. She felt her knuckles bruising, yet he gently pushed her to continue, to learn to fight even when in pain. The memory of Gabriel squeezing her arms until she bruised reminded her of how important this lesson was.
Suddenly, he turned her around as he held her back against his chest in a chokehold. He was squeezing just enough not to hurt her, but was cutting off air.
“Come on, beautiful. Get out of the hold,” he encouraged. His coaxing voice was in complete contrast to the motion against her.
“I — I can’t breathe,” she said, struggling against him, her fingers digging into his forearm.
“Yes, you can. Don’t panic. Get away.”
He lifted so just her toes were on the ground and she couldn’t get leverage. She tried to kick against his shins yet he was able to anticipate her movements, her legs useless against him. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to flip him over. She tried to reach behind to pull at his hair, yet he used his other hand to swat her away. She struggled against losing air, not wanting to fail him.
“Grab back onto my forearm and turn your chin towards my elbow.” She listened and found with her neck tilted this way, she again had air.
“Good, now you can use your chin to dig in as you push my arm over your head.” Again, he was right; she tilted her chin down and was able to get under his arm. She knew he hadn’t loosed his grasp, and felt proud of getting out of the hold. She turned back to him, smiling.
He pulled her into him for a kiss, the smell of unadulterated testosterone emanating from him. She melted into him, his sweat seeping through her t-shirt to her skin. She turned her hips into his and felt him instantly harden. She reached down the side of his body, reveling in the muscles under her fingertips.
“One last important rule, Belle.”
“And that is?” she muttered breathlessly from the kiss.
“Never, ever hesitate to fight dirty.”
His arms looped around her waist and he lifted her off the ground before turning her and dropping them down, trapping her beneath him. He straddled her, pulling her wrists above her head. She was at his mercy and her stomach clenched in anticipation.
“Another hold you want me to get out of?” she teased.
“You can try all you want, kotik. I’m not letting you out of this.” He looked at her hungrily. His gaze raked down her throat as he lifted her shirt up. Her nipples hardened, obvious through her thin bra.
“Sorry beautiful, this needs to go,” he breathed as his arm released her hands. He ripped her bra straight down the center. The savagery of the move left her breathless. The cool air felt delicious on her hot skin. When his mouth found one peak, she buried her hands in his hair and arched her back, pulling him closer. His hands grazed down her sides, squeezing at her hips before dipping under the band of her shorts. He shimmied the sides of her shorts down as he continued to lick and suck her nipples, moving back and forth from one side to the other. He pulled away momentarily to pull his shorts off, and she reached out to pull him back. His hard erection slipped between her thighs, pressing against her center.
Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pushed to the side. She smiled to herself when he relented, rolling with her so she could straddle him. Rubbing herself wantonly against his thick shaft, her juices coated him.
“Belle…” he muttered, eyes closed. Knowing he was writhing underneath her, wanting nothing but her, she felt powerful. She sank down slowly.
Using his chest for support, she rode him, circling her hips to ensure his shaft rubbed all the right areas. He moaned, his hands grasping her hips as he helped ease her up and down his length. She tilted her head back as she rose, sitting up. Her hands grasped onto his thighs, the hardness of him under her fingers unimaginable. As she undulated, his breaths quickened.
She widened her hips as she sank further down his shaft, rocking her hips as she went. Wanting to tease, she changed her pace, moving up, then back down slowly, torturously.
“Do you want more?” she teased, pulling almost fully off of him.
“You have no idea.” He pulled her down hard, then flipped them over, eliciting a squeal from Belle.
Once again, he took her hands in one of his and lifted them above her head. He lifted her thigh, bending her knee around his elbow and pushing her leg up her side. The position both opened her wider and prevented her from rocking her hips into him. He slowly pulled out, circling her sensitive bud for a few moments before pushing back in. He continued this rhythm — slowly drawing out and rubbing his head against her clit, before thrusting back in — bringing her towards the brink. His languid movements coupled with her inability to move had her near begging already.
He teased her, pulling out completely. “Do you want more?” he repeated her question with a cocky smile on his face.
“Yes,” she moaned.
“Tell me.”
“I want you, all of you, inside of me.”
He licked the sensitive skin on her ear, where he grated, “I want to ram myself deep inside of you. Fill your sweet cunt with my thick cock. Can you feel how hard I am, waiting to thrust inside?”
He moved a few inches into her, teasing her, purposely keeping her orgasm at bay. She tried to wiggle her hip up, desperate for him to put his words into action. Her insides were clenching, beckoning him to re-enter her.
He bent and pulled a nipple into his teeth, biting down as he thrust his full length into her, making her scream. The contradiction of sensations — pleasure and pain — sent a shockwave through her system. He pulled out and thrust back in slowly while teasing her clit, knowing exactly what he was doing. He kept the leisurely pace, keeping her orgasm just out of reach.
“Tell me what you want.” His voice was rough with desire.
“Faster. Harder. More �
� just … more.” Her back arched, lifting her breasts higher. He continued to hold her wrists with one hand and let the other trail down her face, and across her lips. His touch continued down her neck and between her breasts, going further until his thumb found the center of her mound. The arm now around her leg squeezed her tighter as he circled, binding her movements even more. He began slowly thrusting into her again, her body begging for release.
“I can do this all day; watch myself fuck you. I know you want me to make you come. Give me what I want. Tell me.”
Belle couldn’t stand it any longer. Pushing her pride aside, she gave in. “Please. Please, Aleks. I need it.”
“You need what?”
“I need you to make me come. I need … please.” Tears welled in her eyes as the sensations overwhelmed her.
“See how easy it is? Just tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.” He increased his tempo, thrusting into her now with wild abandon as he kissed her. A few undulations were all it took to send her over the edge. She cried out at her release, until the last spasms ripped through her. He continued to rock into her, his thumb continuing to circle her now oversensitive clit.
“Aleks! Oh, god, Aleks, I can’t take anymore.” She tried to move her hands out of his grasp yet he kept a firm hold.
“You can, and you will.” He continued his assault of her, pushing into her with more force as his thumb circled her harder. The pain of her sensitivity ebbed as the pleasure quickly overwhelmed her. The second rush came an instant later, harder than ever before. Her legs squeezed him as her core shuddered.
His thrusts become more erratic. He released her wrists and legs to grab her ass with both hands, tilting her hips forward, and burying his length deep inside of her. He pulled himself into her harder until she felt him shooting into her, grunting in her ear as he found his own release.
He relaxed against her and rolled onto his side, pulling her with him, still inside of her. Smiling against her lips, he rasped, “Lesson learned.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Stealing Beauty (Fairy Tales After Dark Book 1) Page 21
