What Alex Wants He Takes

by EM Gayle

  “Kitten, I’m proud of how capable you are. You are equally smart and beautiful. That doesn’t mean you don’t need my protection, especially from my own family. I’m responsible for any harm they cause. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about and they will hurt you.” Not that he wouldn’t do everything in his power to prevent it.

  “We don’t get to choose our family, Alex. We get what we get and some people have to do the best they can with what they’ve been dealt. That’s the kind of man I see you as. The one who surveys those around him and then, once armed with the facts, uses that information to improve the situation.”

  “Is that your nice way of saying I like to manipulate those around me?” He reached around her hip and pinched her scantily clad butt. She might not love the bathing suit he’d picked out, but he did. It gave him more opportunity to stare at the lush curves he loved so much. Like now. His mouth watered and his dick started to harden.

  “Hey!” She swatted at his hand and rolled a few feet out of his reach. “That’s not exactly what I meant but if the shoe fits…” She jumped up and started to run toward the water.

  “All right, Harper. Game on!” He scrambled to his feet and surged after her.

  In several fast strides he caught up with her and scooped her from the water’s edge and into his arms.

  “Alex!” she cried. “I wanted to go in the water.”

  “I’m sure you do. However, what you need is entirely different from what you want. Did you really think you could run from me and I wouldn’t come after you?” Her eyes darkened at his words. They both knew he meant more than her simple flight on the beach. He dropped to the sand and laid her out in front of him. Being outdoors in the sun with a half-naked Harper growing more and more compliant by the second turned him on. “You’re mine, kitten. If you need me to keep reminding you of that I will. Whatever it takes.”

  He spread her legs and moved in between them, coming down over her until his hardened cock came in contact with the sensitive apex of her thighs.

  She gasped.

  “Running away from me is your way of teasing me.”

  She flushed a pretty shade of pink, which simply made him think of the blush of her pussy when he licked it. “Not true,” she denied.

  “Mmm hmm.” He licked at the side of her neck to the hollow at her throat. “I’m not sure what happened to my sweet, obedient submissive, but I’m up to the challenge of taming a feisty one.” He continued to nip at her skin until she writhed under him trying to get him to get her off. God, he loved how responsive she was.

  He shifted, allowing for some space between their upper bodies so he could watch the warm sunshine brush her baby soft skin. Aching for more of her, he stretched the skimpy fabric that covered her so that her breasts were exposed to his gaze. And he drank in the sight of them while the hardened nipples bunched tighter under his perusal.

  For a long moment neither of them said anything as he studied and stroked her curves from the indent of her waist all the way to her eyes that were riveted by his actions.

  “You’re right that we don’t get to pick the family who birthed us, but we do get to pick who we want to make our own family with.”

  Suddenly her body stiffened beneath him and her eyes widened in apparent alarm. Her reactions made no sense. He thought she’d be happy to hear this.

  He bent forward and captured her lips, taking advantage of her surprise to sweep his tongue inside her mouth. As he kissed her, he also took the opportunity to cup her breast and flick a nipple through the fabric of her swimsuit.

  She gasped, urging him to take her deeper. He now held her nipple between his fingers and pinched until she offered him a moan. Yes, much better.

  When he detected the slight tremble of her limbs he eased back and stared down at her. “You are so damn beautiful, kitten. I’ll never get enough. Ever.”

  He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. The connection between them was beyond palpable. His pulse quickened and the ache in his cock became constant. With every passing minute the need to fuck her here on the beach became more imminent.

  He lifted his head and met her gaze once again. “I do love you, Harper. You have to know that.”

  For one stunned moment she stared at him in complete shock before she began to struggle.

  “I have to know that? What the hell, Alex?”

  He grabbed her flailing arms by the wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand. “I know I hurt you after what you said that night, but you caught me off guard.” He slid his free hand to her hip and sunk his fingers into her flesh in a tight grip. “That doesn’t mean my feelings are not strong.” He bent forward and set his teeth at her throat. He paused for only a moment before he bit down and sucked hard. Everything inside him clamored to mark her in every way possible. By the time he lifted his head, her eyes were closed and her jaw had gone slack in pleasure. “I am still your Master and by the time we leave this island you’ll either surrender to me once and for all or we’ll part as friends. It will be your choice.”

  He gave her nipple one last tug before he stood and lifted her to her feet. It took her a moment to regain her equilibrium and he steadied her with his arm wrapped around her. “You’re still my girl and I’m feeling pretty damned possessive right now.” He pressed his mouth to the top of her head. “I didn’t expect to find a woman like you, someone as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Your submission has been the most precious gift I’ve ever received and the thought of losing it makes me a little crazy.”

  “Oh, Alex,” she started.

  He shook his head and pressed his finger to her lips. “Not yet. You need some time to think without my influence.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  Sliding a hand around her nape, he bent forward and gave her a quick hard kiss. “Try. Take some time to enjoy the big jetted tub in the house and then meet me down on the dock for dinner. We’ll do something special.”

  She started to follow his directions and turned back as if she wanted to say something.

  “No. You need to go now before I change my mind and tie you to a tree.” He winked, doing his best to lighten the tension between them despite the churning in his gut.

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered, turning slowly away.

  As he watched her walk toward the main house in the center of the island he recounted their conversation. It was easy for her to say that she could handle his family and his life because she didn’t know better. There were some obstacles he wasn’t sure love was enough to overcome. They both had a choice to make today. He could walk away from Harper forever, let her find a new Dom and never have to deal with his family, or tie her to him forever and have faith that together they’d make it through.

  He knew what he wanted.

  Chapter 20

  Harper

  * * *

  I leaned back in the tub and sighed as the heated water began caressing my skin. I still felt every touch from Alex as if it were happening now. That’s how wound up he’d gotten me. Of course I didn’t want to leave him. Taking off my necklace had been the hardest thing I’d ever done. Actually, until the moment I’d unbuckled it I’d had no idea how much it had come to mean to me.

  Everything apparently.

  Still stunned by his sudden confession of love, I didn’t know what to think. If he’d discovered the pregnancy test, then all the heightened emotions he was feeling right now were being swayed by the possibility of me carrying his child. I couldn’t bear that being the only reason we stayed together.

  I placed my hands on my bare stomach and sighed. Pregnant. I still couldn’t believe it could be true.

  A boy that looked just like Alex would be adorable and then he’d grow up to be just as commanding as his father. And a girl… It didn’t take much to imagine how doting and possessive he would be with a daughter. Lord help the first boy who came after her when she became a teenager.

  I covered my m
outh and suppressed a giggle. I was certainly getting ahead of myself. I’d removed the test from my purse once again, but it still sat on the bathroom counter untouched. Once again, I rubbed my belly and tried to imagine it growing larger and larger each day. I had a feeling that if Alex really meant what he’d said, and I believed he did, then he was going to enjoy the hell out of my pregnant body as well.

  The rumors of a woman’s sex drive during this time alone would drive him mad. Now that was an idea I could get behind. Driving Alex mad. Turn about would be fair play since he enjoyed driving me crazy so often.

  Thoughts of him not being able to keep his hands off of me made my nipples bunch tight. Before Alex I’d never seen myself as this insatiable sexual woman. Others may not understand why a woman like me would choose to submit to a man like Alex, but that was only because they didn’t understand the sense of freedom that comes with surrendering to another.

  I closed my eyes and imagined my dark-haired Dom towering over me as I knelt on my knees with his flogger laid out across my lap. Or better yet, the rose crop he’d given me for our first date. Butterflies erupted in my stomach when the provocative image formed in my mind. He’d command me to stand and bend for his appraisal. There were many facets to my Master, but I could always count on one thing. He’d make sure I exposed myself to him completely every time we were together and he always told me how hard I made him.

  There was a lot of power to be had in that knowledge. Watching him get turned on by what I did for him gave me a sense of strength nothing else did. It was like getting drunk and high without any of the negative side effects.

  Before I could react to my body’s awakening, the memory of him on the beach crowded my thoughts. He’d told me he loved me. Love. I couldn’t quite process all that entailed. Not when the unanswered question about the baby hung between us. If he already knew, how would I ever believe he’d meant what he said?

  I glanced out the window I’d left open and up at the impossibly blue sky. Heat and sunshine had a way of soothing my soul. Unfortunately, the seesaw of my emotions kept me off balance and unsure. One minute I ached to go to Alex and beg him to keep me and the next I wanted to hide in this bathroom forever. Or at least until he gave up and went away.

  Fat chance of that. A more tenacious man I’d never met. He took stubborn to a new level. Some might even call him sexist with his intense desire to protect and cherish me. I secretly and not so secretly loved it. While more than willing to fight him for what I wanted, there were plenty of times that giving in to him fulfilled my wildest and deepest desires.

  Another deep sigh escaped me. The luxury of the tub was heavenly but what I really needed was another heart to heart with Alex. We’d skirted the issue with his family, but he’d opened up to me more than he ever had in the past. Then he’d gone and confessed he loved me and I couldn’t see beyond the probability that he knew I was pregnant.

  Frustrated, I hauled myself from the deep tub, grabbed a towel, wiped dry and stalked to the stupid box on the counter. Enough already.

  This time stage fright did not stop me and afterward I laid the stick back on the counter and checked the clock. The instructions said to wait five full minutes. I drummed my fingers along the cool granite and watched thirty seconds go by impossibly slow. Five minutes was going to kill me. Maybe if I went and scavenged for some kind of clothing to wear it would go by faster.

  I stepped into the bedroom and immediately noticed the items laid out for me on the bed. A long, filmy white sundress and a small square box sat waiting for me along with a note.

  A smile tilted my lips as I picked it up and began to read the familiar scrawl.

  * * *

  Harper my love,

  I have provided everything here that you will need for tonight. Prepare quickly and then proceed to the dock. I eagerly await your arrival.

  Alex

  * * *

  I traced my finger over his name and fought back the bittersweet emotions threatening me. He sometimes wrote me notes such as this with his instructions and I’d savored each and every one. As I would again with this one. I folded the paper neatly and tucked it into my purse, now sitting on the nightstand. I then turned to the small box and lifted the lid.

  Inside, wrapped in bold blue tissue, I found a stout silver anal plug with a gorgeous clear crystal embedded in the end. I rolled my eyes. Some women got earrings, I got butt jewelry.

  Still curious, I lifted it from the box and examined it closer. What the toy lacked in length it more than made up in thickness. I’d feel every inch of it when it went in and it would keep my mind occupied while I wore it. Alex had never kept his love of toys a secret. Between the rose crop I received for Valentine’s Day and the different cuffs he used to restrain me, I more than got the picture that he liked to experiment and play. This new gift kind of felt like a promise of many more to come. His creativity knew no bounds.

  Some of the fear I’d been harboring dissipated a fraction. My Master had a knack for knowing exactly how and when I needed his grounding. The simple ritual of preparing for dinner at his explicit instructions with his chosen garments had a profound way of calming my mind and giving me the confidence to continue our earlier conversation over a meal.

  Anxious now to see what Alex was up to I quickly finished getting ready. I stopped in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection. My mouth gaped open. With the sun-kissed glow of my skin from our afternoon on the beach, the dress Alex had chosen for me complimented my coloring perfectly. It made me think of an odd mix of innocence and seduction. Not to mention the dress fit my figure perfectly. The snug halter cupped and supported my breasts while the skirt skimmed along my full hips instead of clinging to them.

  I also couldn’t deny the fabric felt divine against my sensitized body and I’d never felt more beautiful or seductive in my life. Is this what pregnancy did to a woman?

  That sobering thought brought my mind back to the fact the test still waited for me in the bathroom. I’d give it a quick peek and then I’d head out to the beach for my rendezvous with Alex.

  Chapter 21

  Harper

  * * *

  I stepped out onto the long wooden dock that wound across the water’s edge to a secret spot shrouded from my vision by a clump of trees. The giant orange orb of the sun was already sinking behind the horizon. I’d taken longer to compose myself than I’d thought. But the last thing I needed was to show up for dinner with red, puffy eyes from crying.

  Alex and his all-knowing gaze would see right through me and the rapid-fire questions would begin. God. Part of me wished I’d never taken that stupid fucking test. I’d foolishly thought the hard part was the not knowing for sure. I’d been wrong.

  As more of the sunlight faded, small solar lights began lighting the path before me. In any other moment in time I might have found all of this incredibly romantic. Just the two of us alone on a tropical island… Instead my nerves fluttered wildly as I took one step after another toward Alex. At the first curve of the dock the lighting changed. I found candles lighting my way and—

  Was that—?

  I bent and plucked a small red petal from the ground. My heart clenched. My man had gone all out for whatever he had planned. Sunset, candles and now a path of rose petals for me to follow. The urge to run swelled inside me. Except run where? We were on an isolated island with no one else around. I had no choice but to keep moving forward and face the reality of my fears.

  At the last bend I straightened my spine and took one last calming breath before making that final step to the right. When I did, the first thing I noticed was Alex. Of course. He stood there waiting for me as if he’d known I would arrive any second. Dressed in black tailored slacks and a white button-down shirt he looked even more amazing to me than the first night I’d met him. He’d left the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned and my gaze was drawn to the tanned patch of skin with its sprinkling of hair below his throat. My body clenched. It was my very favorite
place to kiss.

  I sucked in air and continued taking him in all the way to his bare feet. Like me he’d dressed impeccably and without shoes. I lifted my head to find him staring down at me with his mouth quirked in a slight grin and a deep five o’clock shadow that lent a dangerous quality to his look tonight.

  “Do I meet your approval?” he asked.

  “You’re gorgeous,” I replied, a little breathless.

  He stepped forward and took my hand. “Thank you.” His eyes softened. “I hope you know how beautiful I find you.”

  When a blush began to creep up my neck I turned my head to the side. “You have exquisite taste in clothing as usual, Mr. Woodman. I love my new dress.”

  “A perfect gown for a perfect night.” He cupped my chin and lifted my head at the same time he stepped aside and I got my first glimpse behind him.

  His friend Jeremy stood behind him in similar attire as Alex. Waiting.

  Taken aback, I glanced between the two men. “Jeremy? What are you—” My gaze settled on Alex. Had he set up another night of the three of us without my knowledge? “What is he doing here?” I whispered.

  At the sound of another person’s throat clearing I turned and took in the rest of the scene. There were literally hundreds of candles lighting the small space and a man I didn’t recognize stood not far from Jeremy in a black suit with his arms crossed in front of him holding a book. The message of his intent started to sink in when my eyes landed on the white collar at his neck.

  I pulled my hand from Alex’s grasp and staggered back a step. “What the—?” I felt a sudden loss of balance as if the proverbial rug had been pulled from under me.