by Davis, Alexa
Please don’t let it be the ex – I don’t want Elle to be that hurt. I knew it’d kill her, which was probably why she didn’t want even to think it.
“I did, actually.” I breathed a sigh of relief, she sounded happy. That had to be a good sign. “The reason she was so shady about it is that it’s one of Mark’s friends or ex-friends, I don’t quite know. But yeah, she thought I’d be upset because he’s so close to Mark.”
“And, you aren’t?”
“Nah,” she smiled and shook her head. “I don’t mind. It’s a little strange, but if they’re happy, then I’m happy, too.”
“Good, good.”
I watched intently as her face crumbled. She looked like the emotion was getting the better of her. She had been so strong; she was holding a whole lot together, it was no wonder that things were popping a little at the seams.
“Are you finished?” she asked thickly. “I’ll do the dishes.”
I only sat back and allowed her to take my plate because I could tell that she needed a second to pull herself together. She wanted to turn her back to me while she got her sadness in check. I paused, gave her a couple of necessary seconds, then moved over to the sink to join her.
Without thinking too much about it, I moved behind Elle and wrapped my hands around her waist. I wanted to embrace her, to make her feel better. I guess I didn’t think about how it might be received.
“Oh.” Elle stiffened, almost as if panic was racing through her body. She braced but quickly realized that I didn’t have any untoward intentions. Once that became obvious, she clasped her hands to mine and slumped against me. Her head rolled against my chest, and I could see her eyes sliding closed. “Oh, Alex.”
Okay, that definitely sounded like a groan. But what did it mean? Did it mean... I didn’t want to read too much into it. I couldn’t. I was just here for comfort, nothing more.
“I won’t let Mark take Delaney away from you; you know that, don’t you?”
She didn’t answer me, but she turned her body around in my arms, so I was still hugging her tight. She snaked her arms around my neck and pulled my forehead to hers. We remained in that position for a few moments, just looking into one another’s eyes, and I found myself lost. I wanted to swim in that beautiful sky blue color. I could see the secrets, hopes, and dreams flying behind there and I wanted to know more. No one had ever made me feel that way before.
Damn it; I can’t hold back any longer.
I pursed my lips and gently brought them to hers. Almost instantly, a whole range of fireworks exploded deep inside of me. It was far more instantaneous than anything I’d ever been through. It proved that the chemistry we shared was real.
I pulled back slightly for a moment and stared at her once more. I’d already crossed the line a little bit, but there was still a chance to redeem myself. I had to decide whether or not this was the wisest decision.
But Elle’s eyes were filled with lust, desire swimming through her gaze. I couldn’t hold back: she was everything. Her beauty overshadowed any rationality in my brain, all the feelings that I’d had for Elle came racing to the surface. Fuck it.
I crashed my lips against hers in a much more passionate way. I claimed her with my mouth, sliding my tongue between her lips to explore the inside of her mouth. Every second that passed simply intensified my feelings. In the heat of the moment, Elle felt like the one. My chest tightened, my pants strained, my heart pounded painfully against my rib cage. She responded just as enthusiastically, clearly wanting this just as much I did. That made everything feel so much better.
This is happening... It’s really happening. How did I get to be so lucky?
“Do you want to come to the bedroom?” I gasped at her lips. In the back of my mind, I knew that my mom could arrive at any moment. While she would probably be glad, I didn’t want her to see Elle and me hooking up. What a mood killer that would be.
“Yes.” Elle nodded and smiled. She molded her body into mine, sparking bolts of electricity racing right through me. “Yes, I really do.”
I took her hand and led her down the hallway with an almost skip in my step. The day had turned from crappy to fantastic. All because of Elle. I couldn’t wait to see where this night was going to lead.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Elle
Wednesday
What am I doing? Have I gone insane?
Yes, this was something that I wanted – how could I not? Alex was insanely hot, utterly unbelievable, the most attractive man who had ever shown interest in me during my whole life...
But at the same time, he was my boss. He was the man who hired me, and he also could fire me. Much as I knew that this job was only temporary when I took it, I didn’t want to end it too soon. I certainly didn’t want it to end because I’d hooked up with Alex...
But I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I wanted this so damn badly. My body pulsed with desire, and I needed a relief that only he could give me.
“Nice room,” I commented with a giggle. I came in here every day doing jobs for Katherine, plus it wasn’t his actual room. He had his own house somewhere else in the city. I guess I just wanted to make light of the situation.
“Yeah, I know,” he replied with a smirk, totally getting my teasing. “I decorated it all myself.”
He hooked his hand behind my neck, lifting my hair off my prickly, hypersensitive skin, and pressed his lips hard against mine one more, taking my breath away. I hadn’t ever been kissed in such a commanding way before. It left me willing to simply hand my body over to Alex without even thinking about it. I would let him do whatever the hell he wanted with me because I knew it would feel good.
Slowly, Alex ran his free hand tantalizingly down my body, brushing past my breast as he grabbed onto my hip. I didn’t have a bra on under my oversized tee shirt; it was just one of those things that I didn’t think about when I got dressed this morning. The almost direct contact with his fingers and my nipples caused them to harden instantly and stand to attention. Every part of my body screamed out for him – I needed him.
Sensing that, Alex curled his fingers around the bottom of my top and dragged it upwards, fingering my skin as he went. I gasped breathlessly as we parted so he could whip the material right off of me. His eyes burned holes into me. I loved the hooded, dark pleasure I saw there. It was incredible to think that was there because of me.
This man could have anyone in the world; I thought as my teeth grazed my bottom lip. Supermodels would literally throw themselves at him, but for some reason he wants me. At least, for now.
I wasn’t about to get disillusioned. I just wanted to throw caution to the wind, to see how this would feel.
“So beautiful,” he muttered while cupping my left breast. He kissed me hard again while flicking his thumb over my rock hard nub. I arched my back, pressing myself into him as the desire inside of me grew overwhelmingly powerful.
If I didn’t have this man, right here, right now, I would die. I knew it.
I hooked my thumbs in the waistline of Alex’s pants and tried to tug them down. I had grown so needy, so desperate, that I could barely even remember that they needed undoing before I could see any part of him.
“Here, hold on.”
He stepped back and gave me an intense stare as he unbuttoned his pants and he slid them down. I was far more exposed than him, my heaving breasts reminded me of that with each deep inhale I took, but still, I wanted him to see more. The way that Alex was looking at me made me feel sexy as all hell like I was a goddess.
With a cheeky grin, I grabbed the top of my leggings and shimmied them off. It was light in here, everything about my pale, milky skin could be seen, even the flaws that I usually tried to hide, but it was as if Alex couldn’t see any of them. With his gazing at me like I was the best thing he’d ever seen, I kind of felt that way.
“Take a seat,” he growled, nodding at his bed.
I did as he commanded, scurrying back until I was at the headboard.
There, I leaned my hands back on the sheets and pushed my breasts out to entice him while he unbuttoned his shirt to expose the amazing body he had underneath.
Oh... My... God...
His body was something else. It was on another level entirely. He had an actual eight pack hiding away under there, a really defined set of muscles that had my heart hammering faster. I wasn’t sure when exactly he had the time to work out, he was always just so busy, but clearly, he snuck the time in somewhere.
“Come here,” I said with flashing, eager eyes. I needed to feel him; I wanted to know what his body would be like at my fingertips. I wiggled my finger and lured him in.
He crawled across the sheets with a fiery expression on his face. It made me shrink back for a moment. I’d never seen desire so powerful, but once his lips connected with mine, I fell into him right away. He had this way of making me feel comfortable with him, which I absolutely loved.
“I need these panties from you,” he groaned into my mouth. “There’s too much of them.”
They were thin, lacy, barely there, but I knew exactly what Alex meant. Any material separating us was an annoyance. When he grabbed onto them and yanked them hard, I raised my butt off the bed.
“Now, you,” I murmured. “It’s only fair. I can’t be the only one naked here.”
He pulled back with a smirk and tugged his boxers off. My eyes nearly popped out my head when I saw what he had hidden in his underwear. His erection was monstrous, terrifying, yet somehow incredibly sexy at the same time. I couldn’t wait to feel him inside me; I could feel my core fluttering at the mere thought.
I flattened myself on the bed and allowed Alex to hover over me. As we kissed, I cupped his cheeks in my hands, but I couldn’t resist, and soon I found myself moving my hands slowly down his body, brushing over every damn delicious inch of him. His muscles were rock solid, his chest felt utterly delightful, and I could even find a V shape trailing right down towards that thick, throbbing cock of his.
“Oh wow.” As I grasped him between my fingers, a vibration ran through me. “Oh, Alex. You feel so...”
I couldn’t finish my sentence – I didn’t stand a chance. Alex stripped the words right from my throat by plunging his velvety fingers into me and sating me just a little bit.
“So wet,” he murmured as his lips ran across my neck. “So tight.”
I gripped onto his erection tighter as my head began to spin. There was a storm brewing inside of me – a hurricane swirling out of control. Any minute now the scream that balled up in my chest would be set free, and the pleasure would swallow me up the whole.
Alex grabbed both of my wrists and pinned my hands above my head. I had absolutely no control over my body, but I didn’t mind being submissive at all. Especially because I could feel his tip teasing me at my entrance.
“Please, Alex,” I begged him. “Please.”
“What do you want?” he asked smugly.
“You know.”
“Beg.” He bit my lip, sending a weird flurry of pleasurable, painful stings all over me. “I want you to beg for it.”
“Please...” I started, but it was hard to get any words out because he left me so utterly breathless. “Please, fuck me.”
As soon as I said those magic words, Alex slammed into me. I was on fire, and every sensation in my body was intensified. He barely needed to do anything because I was on the brink of losing it already. All the months of sexual chemistry are circling us, all the pent-up frustration, it all exploded at that moment. Combined with the fact that every powerful thrust he gave me was brushing past my clit, it wasn’t long until the pressure had built up to boiling point.
“Oh, fuck,” I moaned much louder than I would normally. “Oh fucking hell, Alex.” He pushed me closer until I was standing on the edge, ready to dive in. “Oh shit!”
As the tsunami of pleasurable waves shattered through my body, I buckled and crumbled underneath him. I wanted to reach forward to grab onto him, but I couldn’t because he still had me fixed in place. Weirdly, that was kind of exciting. It was as if he knew what was best for me, and I had to put all my faith in him.
“Oh my God...”
Alex swallowed up my screams with his mouth. As his thrusts intensified, I knew that he was growing closer, too. It made me want to take control. My core spasmed, I could feel my walls contracting around him, but still, I snatched my hands away and shoved him violently until he was on his back.
“Oh, Elle.”
I didn’t give Alex a chance to say much. I pushed myself into a sitting position and rode him hard and fast. My head tossed back in desire, and I could feel my hair flying everywhere. Everything was happening much too fast yet somehow not quick enough...
“Oh wow.” Before long, we had both crashed back into the sheets in a sweaty, post-coital bliss. “That was something else.” I wanted to giggle, but I felt like I shouldn’t. I wasn’t sure why, but I forced myself to keep the noise inside so we could remain in silence for a couple of seconds, with only our breath for company.
“That was amazing,” Alex gasped.
I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced down at his body. He was definitely the hottest guy that I had ever been with – by a long shot. If this weren't such a weird situation, I would be already planning our incredible wedding day in my mind.
This is just a one-time thing, I warned myself. The feelings are all one way. I need to get out of here before things get weird.
I wanted to stay. All I really wanted to do was curl up in his arms forever more, but I needed to prove that I was totally okay with this being a one-night stand. Even if I wasn’t. At least, I didn’t think I was... I wasn’t totally sure how I felt. I needed to get out of the situation to get a clear enough head to work out how I felt.
“I suppose I better go before your mom gets home,” I said regretfully while scanning the floor for my clothes. “I don’t want her to catch us like this; she probably won’t be impressed.”
Urgh, that sounded too teenager like. We weren’t kids doing something naughty; we were consensual adults. It was only the employer/employee thing that made it complex.
“You should stay,” Alex said decisively. “Mom won’t even know.”
It was tempting. Too tempting for words, to be honest. I really wanted to climb back between those sheets, to fall asleep in his arms. It had been far too long since I’d been embraced as I slept. But I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry. I need to get back for Delaney.”
“Oh right, okay.”
It was awkward now – there was a definite tension in the air. I needed to get the hell away before I made even more of a mess of things. I really didn’t want to make things uncomfortable.
“Yeah, so I’ll just get dressed.”
Alex wrapped a sheet around himself and walked from the room, leaving me alone with a weird sensation in my heart.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alexander
Thursday
“What is with you today, Alex?” Mom snapped at me from the other side of the room. “Why are you pacing like a bear? What’s going on?” She cocked her head to one side to look at me intensely. “This isn’t because I went out last night, is it? I don’t want you to start thinking that you can control me. I know what’s good for me. I’ve been looking after myself just fine thank you very much.”
“I know, I know.” I shut her down before she could start ranting at me. I didn’t need to get into an argument about my need to care for her whatever the cost. I had too much else to worry about today. “I’m just worried about how things are going to go with Elle and Ryan. He wants to see her tomorrow, and I have to explain that to her.”
“Hmmm.” Mom could see right through me, but luckily, she didn’t push it.
Really, my brain was buzzing about last night. Everything had been wonderful. Unexpected, yes, but amazing. While we had sex, I felt a connection with her, a real powerful bond. I thought that meant...
Well, i
t doesn’t really matter what I thought that meant. Clearly I was wrong. Almost right away, Elle started acting shifty; it was almost as if she couldn’t wait to get away from me. I knew she had a daughter, of course, she had to go home. But why was she so strange about it? I wanted to see her today, to try and figure out what was happening between us, but I was also terrified of ripping off the band-aid in case I didn’t like what was underneath.
“Well, it’s good that you’re helping out Elle, anyway,” Mom interjected my thoughts. “She deserves someone good to look after her. No one deserves to go through what she has. That ex-husband of hers sounds like a nightmare.”
I narrowed my eyes at Mom, wondering if she knew more than she was letting on. There wasn’t any real possible way that she could know that something went on last night – unless Elle blabbed, which I highly doubted – but Mom had a perceptive nature to her. There was a chance that she could just sense it.
“Yeah, well, you know Ryan. He’ll get it sorted out,” I replied innocently. “That’s why I hired him. No mother deserves to lose their child to a monster.”
“I still haven’t met Delaney. Maybe we should invite them over.”
Fear tied a knot in my stomach. I couldn’t even think about inviting Elle to be anywhere near me until I worked out how she felt. “Yeah, maybe.” Luckily before I needed to say anything else, the door opened. “Oh, here she is. I’ll tell her about Ryan and get going.”
Elle’s footsteps as she walked up the stairs made my heart race anxiously. What if she handed in her notice? What if she didn’t want to work for Mom and me anymore because of one crazy moment? What would Mom say if she knew that Elle was leaving because of me?
“Hello, everyone,” her voice called through the door before I got to see her. She sounded as happy as usual, but I wasn’t totally convinced she would look it. I braced myself, trying to prepare myself for the worst. “How is everyone today?”
