by Emelia Blair
He groans.
I try to push aside the pleasant exhaustion and my hand is inexperienced as I stroke the long length of it.
He’s quick to grab my hands and force them above my head, keeping my wrists chained together with one hand. “I’m not done with you yet, Elise.”
I don’t know where the bravery comes from but I growl at him and he raises a brow, and then he smirks, lowering his head until his forehead touches mine. “Do you want my cock that badly, baby?”
“I swear to God—”
He cuts off my frustration fueled threat with a hard kiss before he releases my wrists and then uses both hands to part my legs before settling in between them. Looking towards me, he cocks his head. “You’re going to have to ask for it.”
I’m so far gone that I don’t even hesitate, “Please, Lucas!” The words are soft and pleading. Filled with pent up desire.
He grits his jaw, his eyes turning dark again and he thrusts into me.
He’s by no means average sized.
His cock is thick and long as it forces its way inside my passage. I let out a breathy moan. I can feel the condom and the relief gives way to unbearable pleasure. My overly sensitized pussy comes back to life and I reach for Lucas only to have my hand slammed back above my head again.
This time, the position is incredibly dominant and all my senses are assailed by this man, his incredibly unique scent, his damp skin that’s sliding against mine, his growls, his face taut as he holds himself back, wanting to pleasure me.
He moves inside me, a slow languid movement that has me arching my back, my face twisting at how deep he’s penetrating me.
I feel so full right now.
Then he pulls out and slams back in.
“Oh!” My cry sounds startled.
He chuckles, “Do you like that?”
“Y-Yes.”
He rotates his hips, forcing more moans out of me.
The man is a sadist.
“Let me touch you,” I beg, needing to hold on to him for purchase but he just curves his lips, shaking his head, his tone soft. “I want you to feel like you’re no longer in control.”
Another thrust that has me moaning out his name and I pant out, “When have I ever been in control when you’re involved?”
He lowers his head and gently bites my pebbled nipple in punishment for being so mouthy.
Then he pushes his hips again and all I see is white heat.
I try to beg now, “Lucas, I can’t take it anymore! Please, oh God, please!”
Maybe he takes pity on me or maybe he’s just as wound up as me.
He finally lets loose.
His thrusts are brutally controlled and my mind is in shambles as he fucks me over and over again.
I chant out his name in broken cries. I can feel the girth of his cock as it moves in and out of me at a harsh speed and the friction drives me wild. I don’t know when he releases my wrists but my arms are around him, my blunt nails digging into his muscled back, in a desperate bid for survival.
When I fall apart, I sob out Lucas’s name and he slams his mouth down on mine, and I can feel his body jerk as he too, releases.
Our bodies are sweaty and tired while we’re both wrapped around each other, coming down from the high. Our breaths are shallow and Lucas pulls me into himself and rolls over so that I’m tucked into his side.
His voice is unsteady as he finally speaks, “Well, it’s official now. I have to marry you after this!”
My mind is still in that pleasant haze and it takes me a few heartbeats to follow what he’s saying, “What?”
He pats my ass, amiably. “I’m not letting another man see you like that.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” I mutter with some mustered rebelliousness.
He glances down at me, where I’m resting my chin on his chest, amused. “I’m pretty sure I proved that I was.”
I flick his nipple in retaliation.
He winces, covering it, protectively.
But even I can’t deny this was the best sex I’ve ever had. To be fair, this is the only mind-blowing sex I’ve ever had.
I don’t know I’ve spoken the words out loud until Lucas smirks. “You’re damn right.”
I consider calling him out on being so arrogant but decide against it, choosing to burrow into his side instead.
After all, who knew Lucas would be a cuddler?
13
Lucas
Elise is a wanton woman in bed and it’s something that delights me to no end.
She hasn’t had many lovers and the few that she has had ended up being disappointments. So, she’s had no one to teach her how to express her sexuality with a partner, so openly.
As I watch her pad around the kitchen in an oversized sweater, I muse to myself, that I’m going to thoroughly enjoy myself, teaching her.
“What’s going on in your head?” She puts a cup of coffee in front of me, her eyes landing on my bare chest before she tears it away with some difficulty.
“Just thinking that it seems to have worked out with your parents pretty well.”
She nods. “I’m surprised, too. But it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. If Mother can watch Sophie, that will save me the costs of the daycare. But I’m not entirely sure about the move.” She looks around her apartment. “I’ve lived here for a long time. I don’t want to just up and leave. But I also want to think about what’s best for Sophie.”
Her parents will be able to provide a much better life for her than she ever could.
It’s not hard to follow her logic.
But she seems to be forgetting something crucial.
“When you marry me…” I see her flinch at my words and choose to address that later. “Sophie will live with us. And we’ll be able to send her to any school you want to.”
“Lucas,” Elise begins, her voice soft.
I let her continue, wanting her to present her argument before I dash it to pieces.
“This whole marriage thing. We’ve only just started dating. Do you really think rushing headfirst into marriage is really the best idea?”
I can hear her trying to sound logical but I don’t see any aversion to the idea of getting married. “Do you want to marry me?” I ask… bluntly.
She looks surprised. “Of course. I love you. Why wouldn’t I…”
I blink, blindsided by her casual declaration, “What?”
She gives me a confused look. “I said, of course I want to.”
I shake my head and round the counter to face her. “No, before that.”
She blushes now, “I love you.”
“You love me?” I breathe out. “Say it again!” There’s a demand in my voice.
She smiles now. “I love you.”
I step towards her until her back is to the wall, “Again.”
She reaches her hands up and caresses my face with a feather light touch. “I love you, Lucas.”
I close my eyes and take a deep shuddering breath, feeling my world is slightly off kilter. I hadn’t expected her to fall in love with me so soon. “That’s why you want to marry me?” I say, faintly. “Because you love me?”
She now looks confused. “Well, of course. Why…” Her expression turns tight and she asks me slowly, “Why else would you think I was willing to say yes?”
Because she had a child to raise? Because she knew I was in love with her? Because she wanted to give Sophie a good life.
Even as I finally give these reasons a voice in my head, I know how wrong these sound. Elise is a woman with a very open heart and if she hadn’t loved me, she wouldn’t have agreed to any of this.
From her pale face, I realize that she’s come to the same conclusions I had. But to her credit, she doesn’t cry or rage. She just watches me with a quiet intensity that is intimidating and yet so sad.
“I see.” Her voice is carefully blank.
I immediately try to salvage the situation, “Elise…?”
She steps back from me and
although the distance is slight, it feels like a gaping chasm. Her voice is polite as she states, “I think you should leave.” She deliberately glances outside. “It’s late.”
I can feel the wall that she’s constructed around her and for the first time since I’ve met her, I don’t know what to do or say. And yet, I try, “Elise, I wasn’t—?”
She lifts a hand, cutting me off with a desolation in her eyes. “I’m very tired, Lucas. Please go home.”
I just can’t bear the look on her face, so I try a different tactic, “What about church tomorrow? Your parents—”
She gives me a brittle smile as hollow as the look in her eyes. “My parents are used to being disappointed by me. What’s one more?”
A sinking feeling in my chest makes me think she’s referring to something aside from the church visit and I can feel all my hard work, all my efforts into obtaining her affection, unraveling.
And I’m at a loss. I don’t know what to say or do to fix this.
She’s more forceful now, wanting me to leave.
And I do.
I do because I’ve made a grave mistake in thinking that she would ever agree to marry someone she didn’t love because that would make her shallow and materialistic in her eyes. I simply loved her and had been willing to gain her, no matter what.
I’ve been forcing the issue of marriage on her and I realize it’s only today when she brought it up as if she’s only now agreeing to it. Previously, she would act surprised or touched that I’d been willing to offer such a deep commitment.
I need to regroup, to think. I need to find a way to fix this situation I’ve caused in my greed.
Because I love this woman.
She’s my whole world.
And so is her daughter.
In my eyes, they’ve become my family and as I leave the building, I’m lost in my thoughts.
Sunday passes by quietly, uneventfully.
There’s not a single call or message from Elise and on Monday morning, I walk in early, hoping to catch her. I’ve thought up of a few things to say, to beg her forgiveness.
But she doesn’t come to work.
At some point in the afternoon, I run into Darren who just smirks at me as if he knows something I don’t. I’m still fretting over my situation with Elise, so I ignore him. He would certainly be dealt with later.
Monday passes and so does Tuesday, but Elise still hasn’t come to work.
Even Lana hasn’t heard from her.
Kendall is at a conference with Caleb. I still call her up to check, but she provides no clues as well.
On Wednesday, I finally cave in, and I show up at her apartment with flowers and chocolates, ready to grovel.
However, when the door opens, shock is followed by cold rage as I push my way inside, “Who the fuck did this?”
Elise has a black eye and a bandage on her forehead. Her right arm is in a sling.
“Break in,” she mutters as she watches me toss the flowers and the chocolates on the couch. “Why are you here?”
“Where’s Sophie?” I demand, looking around as if the six month old was going to come walking in all on her own. “Is she all right?”
At this, Elise’s face softens a little. “She’s with my parents.” When I stare at her, she shakes her head. “They don’t know. I didn’t want anyone to know.”
I’m quivering with anger. “Why didn’t you – When did this happen?”
When she realizes I have no intention of leaving, she closes the door. There is exhaustion in her eyes, along with pain and she limps towards the couch, sinking onto it.
“Fifteen minutes after you left. There was a knock on the door. I thought it was you. So, I opened it without checking. I wasn’t really expecting anyone else to show up at two in the morning.” She takes a shaky breath and goes on, “It was a guy in a mask.” She opens her mouth and then snaps it shut. “I don’t want to talk about the details. I can’t. He didn’t harm Sophie. I begged him not to. And he wanted me to beg.”
There’s a detachment in her voice as she talks to me as if she’s not entirely present or that she’s dissociating herself with the trauma of the event.
“He didn’t take anything. But he wanted to hurt me. I don’t know why.” She stares at her hands, almost blindly. “I was in a bad shape when he left. I only managed to call the police and I held Sophie until they came.”
The knot in my chest is so tight that it’s getting harder to breathe. “Why didn’t you call me?”
She lifts her gaze to meet mine, “I didn’t want to. I was too vulnerable.”
The emptiness in her eyes shakes me and it’s only then when I realize how my actions have broken the trust this woman had seemingly forged with me. She thinks she and I have been in two different headspaces in this relationship, that while I may love her, I don’t hold a very high opinion of her character, and for a woman like Elise who hates depending on others, this has torn into her like a whirlwind and left gaping wounds that are still bleeding.
How could I not have seen this?
Elise has never been one for grand gestures but she has always been independent and has valued herself to be strong. She thought this was who I’d fallen in love with until I opened my mouth.
“I asked Brad to take Sophie to my parents’ house the next morning. I called them up and made some excuses.”
“And they bought it?” I’m trying to struggle with myself to not lose my temper, to not shout at her for not calling me, for not trusting me.
“Mother wanted to come herself but I told her Brad had already left. Sophie will be safe with them.”
I catch her strange tone. “What do you mean?”
Elise shakes her head. “Nothing. But I won’t be coming back to work. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what anymore?” I ask, sharply.
She ignores me, continuing, “I’m going to look for an apartment near my parents and a job close there. Me working at Starr Industries will only put both me and Sophie at risk.”
My blood runs cold. “Was it Darren who attacked you?”
“I don’t know. But the man continuously called me a whore. So, I have a feeling that this whole mess is linked together.” She shakes her head, repeating like a mantra, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t.”
Then I notice, her hands are trembling. And she’s barely holding it together.
I step towards her and crouch down until we’re eye level. “And what about us?”
She stares at me blankly, before asking, softly, “Is there even an, us, Lucas?”
For the first time since I’ve known her, she’d wearing a defeated expression.
She continues, “You thought I was agreeing to marry you because of your status and your wealth. That’s what you thought of me. Through all our friendship, that’s the opinion you held about me? While I was busy falling in love with you, you saw me as a gold digger.” Her lips are pressed together into a thin line. “I don’t think I can be with someone who has such a low opinion of me. I wouldn’t even do you that discourtesy.”
She’s so calm and yet when I grasp her uninjured hand, it feels so cold.
I have to push past the wrath that is building inside of me over this incident and focus on mending this relationship. “I never thought you were a gold digger, Elise. I just I’ve loved you for so long that I was desperate to have you even if you didn’t love me. I never thought about the whys of it, just that I had to have you.”
Elise sighs.
It’s the dull acceptance in her eyes that alarms me.
“I’m not going to fight with you on this, Lucas. I’m telling you how it is. If I don’t stand up for myself, then no one will.” She pulls her hand away from me.
My anger stirs, anger at myself for messing this up so royally, and anger at her for not caring enough and fighting for us. “So, you’re just going to run away?” My tone is cold.
She meets my gaze. “Yes.”
I grit my teeth as I repl
y, “You’re not even going to give me a chance? After everything, I deserve that much at least.” She looks uneasy at that and I grab at that opportunity, “Look, Elise, you and I, we’ve been through a lot together. I fucked up, I get it, but I never once thought you were a gold digger. I swear to you. You and Sophie mean the world to me. Both of you have become my family. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
I see the resistance in her eyes.
I also see the yearning to believe me.
My hands cup her face, and I let her see the despair in my eyes. “I’ll go on my knees if you want me to.”
Alarm flickers on her face now, the first animated expression she’s worn. “D-don’t do that!”
“I have no pride when it comes to you,” The words are harsh.
Her eyes widen, fractionally.
“I have nothing but respect for you, Elise.” My mind is jumbled, anger at what has happened to Elise, a strong desire to extract painful vengeance, guilt that I made her feel so small, and pain that despite it all she didn’t feel secure enough to come to me for help.
I made her feel this way.
I’ve had a clear idea of how Elise is adamant about never leaning on others for help and it’s only recently that she’s started looking at me with trust, as someone she is willing to depend on, and I’ve broken that trust with a few words.
She looks agitated now.
I press on, “I love you. I’ve never hidden that from you. Aren’t I allowed one mistake?”
There is conflict on her face and I go in for the kill.
“You said you loved me.”
Her face crumples at this and I know I’ve won. Using underhanded tactics, perhaps, but the win is mine.
“I don’t want your money,” she hisses, angrily. “I don’t want a single penny from you. Ever.”
So not completely forgiven then.
She grabs me by the lapels of my shirt with her good hand and slams her mouth on mine almost desperately.
The kiss is angry and I let her punish me. But Elise has always had a soft heart and when she lets go of my shirt and wraps her arm around my neck to pull me closer, I go willingly.
I am putty in this woman’s hands.
