I’d yank her ponytail of long, red locks back and devour her neck as my other hand reaches around to caress her breasts. Fuck. Why again did I want her here?
“Alayna.” She jumps and spins around, brushing against the front of my jeans.
“Jesus. Would you please stop getting right into my personal space?” she asks.
“I was going to wash the dishes since you cooked.”
“You know how to do dishes?” Her sarcastic tone doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Yes. I haven’t always been this wealthy.” I stare at her for several seconds, unsure what to say next. She begins chewing on her fingernail, her gaze never leaving mine, and it’s pissing me off. I’m already battling a hard-on.
“Don’t put your finger in your mouth,” I say aggressively.
“Why? Is it because it’s a nervous habit? Not everyone is as cool as a cucumber like you. Or maybe I should say not everyone is a control freak like you.”
She’s only angry because of the effect I have on her. I’m certain of this since I’m feeling the same damn way about her.
“No, that’s not why. If you must know, it’s because it makes me want to fuck your wet mouth. So, if you don’t wish for that to happen, then keep your damn fingers out of it.”
I don’t recall ever seeing eyes so round in my life. Her lip begins quivering, and I watch her finger dart close to her mouth once again, but she yanks it back down.
“Oh, you are such a pompous ass!” Alayna storms around me, and in a matter of seconds, I hear her bedroom door slam.
That woman is maddening!
***
When she doesn’t surface for a couple of hours, I knock on her door. She opens it and takes too long to meet my gaze.
“I apologize for prying about your last relationship.”
“That’s what you’re apologizing for? Not for what you said to me three months ago or for your inappropriate statement in the kitchen this morning?” She appears angry, but I call it sexual frustration.
I can’t resist running the back of my hand down her cheek. I watch her swallow hard and close her eyes.
“Open your eyes, Alayna.” She sighs and opens them for me. I run my hand along her neck and up into her hair. I want to see it down. Pulling her closer, I massage her scalp.
“I simply told the truth when you were here for the wedding. I can’t apologize for that. What I said ... and when we kissed ... you obviously didn’t forget it.”
“But you assumed I wanted you. It was arrogant.”
“Look me in the eyes, Alayna. Tell me you didn’t want me to touch you then, and I’ll apologize for what I said three months ago.”
Her pointer finger goes straight into her mouth before she bites down on her nail, looking away from me at the same time.
I feel the rush of blood through my veins and then the anger over not being able to stay away from her or have her in the ways I desire. My hand goes from her hair straight into my own before I clench it hard.
“Alayna, finger out of mouth!”
She slowly slides it out, sharpening her gaze back at me.
“Fine. I can’t say I didn’t want you to touch me then, and I can’t say I don’t want you to touch me now.”
“Fuck, Alayna. That’s not how I thought you would answer.” I leave her in the doorway and march straight to my office. For the first time in my adult life, I feel as if I’m losing my control.
Chapter Six
Alayna
What the fuck? I basically tell him I want him to touch me, and that’s his response? It took so much courage for me to look into those mysterious eyes and tell a man I really know little about that I want him to pleasure me.
His hand in my hair, fingertips on my scalp, and the lingering smell of the ocean made the temptation too sweet. I don’t care if it’s fucking or lovemaking, if it would be one time, three days or a year. I want him, and I would’ve given myself to him had he not rejected me.
I get out my phone and text Felicia.
Alayna: Guess who I’m sharing space with and who is driving me insane already!
Felicia: Sorry, but I’m giggling. Maybe it’ll be the fun time you’ve been needing.
Alayna: Good one, chick. Talk to you soon. Oh, and I hate those bitches who get to go to the beach in January.
Felicia: I’m going to assume you’re saying that with a grin on your face, so I’ll have another umbrella drink for you. You really need to get laid, so go find the gladiator god.
Alayna: Something tells me I might not be his type.
Felicia: I find that hard to believe. Did you shave your legs when you got there?
Alayna: Bitch.
Felicia: Ha ha! That’s what I thought. Talk to you soon.
I haven’t told Felicia everything that transpired between Damon and me at the wedding, but after finding myself in this dilemma, I feel the need to pour my heart out to my best friend, but doing that to her while she’s on vacation wouldn’t be fair.
Throwing my phone next to me on the bed, I begin to weep. I hadn’t realized how lonely I’ve been until I found myself longing for him.
My body yearns to be reminded of what it feels like to be held, but my mind feels differently. I was doing fine on my own, so why did this man have to barge into my life? I close my eyes, desperate for a reprieve from Damon Lear.
***
After waking from a nap, I glance at the clock. I see I’ve been asleep a few hours. I needed it after the thrashing around I did last night in bed, fantasizing about him. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever have another night of restful sleep.
I go into the colossal, private bath, and after letting out my ponytail, I regather my crazy waves, which are all over the place. I swear this red hair has been a pain in my butt all my life.
I finish straightening up a bit before finding my way back to the kitchen. Nosing around the pantry and fridge, I spot the bottles of wine and stare at them for a few minutes while chewing on my nail. Hmm, how brazen do I want to be?
I stroll over to the windows and look out. This truly is a kick ass penthouse. The snow is still coming down heavy and steadily, the view a blanket of white.
Screw it. These are not normal circumstances, so I don’t have to behave like I normally do. If he wants to screw with my head, I’ll treat his home like a damn all-inclusive resort instead of the upheaval of my whole world.
I walk back to the pantry and gather some different kinds of crackers. From the fridge, I pull out wine, different cheeses and some olives. After finding a pretty plate, I cut up the cheese into cubes and arrange everything neatly. I pour a glass of Riesling and go to my room to retrieve my Kindle.
Placing everything near the electric fireplace, I stretch out on my stomach, my chest and arms resting on a big pillow near it. I find a mystery I’ve been eager to read, but after only a few sips of wine and a few pages into my book, I’m startled by that deep, sensual voice.
“Are we having afternoon cocktails with the neighbors, and I wasn’t invited?”
I lean up on one side of my body, propping myself up with my arm. “I’m not normally this intrusive in other peoples spaces, but seeing you don’t respect my personal space whatsoever or mind fucking with my head, I’m having my own party with your food, and you’re not invited.”
I find it impossible once again not to ogle him. Seeing him in jeans and a thin knit, light blue sweater has me all kinds of horny. I watch him run his hand through his hair, which causes his sweater to lift, displaying his abs.
“Ouch, Alayna.” He smirks and walks away.
Every part of me wants to watch to see if he’s really going to leave me alone, but then his head would swell even more.
Damon
After fixing a glass of wine, I walk over to the floor and sit parallel to her, my back pressing against the sofa. From right to left, I scan the full length of her body that’s completely stretched out on its stomach.
Her dirty mouth and boldness ha
ve me very turned on, but I’m not letting her have another second of control. She won’t be telling me what I can or can’t do. Only one woman ever held that power, and the situation was buried thirteen years ago.
“So, what are you reading?” I ask.
She sighs and shuts off her Kindle.
“I was going to read a mystery, but I see you’re not going to let me. Why is that?”
“Because it’s not what you really want.” I take a couple sips of wine, staying as calm as possible, mindful Alayna’s about to lose her shit.
I need to see how much courage she truly has to speak her mind. I have to be sure she’s strong enough to take what I want to do to her ... what I’ve decided I’m going to make happen. I watch her go from frustrated to furious in about two seconds.
She flies up to a sitting position.
“How dare you say that to me? Just hours ago, I told you I wanted you to touch me, and you walked away, so don’t start some kind of game that you don’t plan on finishing.”
This is what I was looking for. Even though she’s afraid and angry with herself for wanting me, she has a yearning and curiosity that’s too strong for her to resist. She’ll submit, giving me what I crave.
Calmly, I set my wine glass down and stare at her with great intensity like a predator studying its prey for the best time to strike. I see she’s nervously trying to challenge my gaze, but then she chews on her damn lip.
I lunge over, taking hold of her arms, and like a ragdoll, I yank her back across to me, sitting her on my legs in a straddle position. Putting one of her hands palm down on top of her other, I shove them between her legs onto my rapidly growing cock. I hold them there by her wrists with one of my hands while the other grips her ponytail, pushing her to me.
Seizing her mouth, I force my way in. She whimpers and responds, twisting her tongue with mine. I sweep and stroke, my mouth beginning its claim on hers.
Pulling her head back by the grip I have on her hair, I watch her heaving chest and take in the sight of her flushed face. Her gaze drops.
“You want to look away from me then fine,” I say in an aggressive tone. I tug her ponytail downward, exposing bare skin, her face toward the ceiling. Dragging my nose slowly down the front of her neck, I breathe in the honeysuckle.
Picturing her porcelain body naked, surrounded by wildflowers, and red hair spread out as she lay on a field of green assaults my mind. Sliding my tongue up the side of her neck, I bite down lightly at the top, close to her ear. I feel her trying to free her hands.
“Don’t. You’re going to feel how hard you make me,” I whisper in her ear, pushing her hand deeper against my jeans. I bring her head back down, and her eyes meet mine, displaying a mix of desire and fear.
“Don’t look away from me again, Alayna. It’s too late for you to wimp out now. It’s a shame you’re uncomfortable with me admiring your beautiful face.”
“That’s not it,” she says with a biting tone.
“What is it then?” I’m curious, surprised she spoke.
“I don’t want to admire yours. I don’t want to want you.”
“Why?” I clamp her wrists harder and push her head inches from mine.
“I’ll get attached, and you’ll leave me hurt.” Her breath whispers across my lips, leaving me unable to resist kissing her again.
This time it’s controlled and slow, our tongues exploring, tasting, and getting acquainted in a profound way before I pull her back again.
“You’ll be stronger, Alayna, having explored the part of you that you’ve been afraid to know. You’ll beg me not to stop, and when leaving here, you’ll believe you’re the gorgeous, sensual being I see in front of me.”
Chapter Seven
Alayna
I realize he’s negotiating an arrangement. Actually, he’s telling me I’m going to participate in one is more what it feels like.
Too many things are happening at once for me to process. I need to think, but all I can focus on is the unfamiliar blend of pleasure and pain. There’s a tingling on my scalp from the hold he has on my hair.
There’s friction on my wrists from rubbing against his powerful hand, and my fingers feel as if the blood’s being cut off from them, yet I can still feel his hard dick growing beneath my palm. Why does his physical hold make me feel afraid and safe?
The only other time I can remember feeling this alive and in the moment was when Damon kissed me three months ago. Even in the right mind to see I’ll end up hurt, my longing is clawing at my insides, begging me to release it. Leaning over, I plant one gentle kiss to his lips.
“OK. You’re all I’ve thought about for three months. We have this opportunity, so show me what I’ve been missing.”
He lets go of me, my hands finally free before he brushes some hair out of my face.
“We need to get to know each other better first,” he says.
I crawl off his lap and sit across from him with my knees pulled up in front of me, my back against the sofa opposite of the one he’s leaning against. The fireplace sits at one end. Shot nerves have me grabbing my glass of wine.
Having never experienced anything so hot in my life, I’m still trying to regulate my uneven breathing. Never taking his eyes off of me, Damon grabs an olive off the plate of food setting next to us and leans over, putting it to my lips. I open, and he drops it in before he eats one himself.
“Why do you write erotica?” I ask.
“You’ve heard of me?”
“Yes, and I don’t see how I’ve never noticed a picture of you before. It would’ve stuck.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re handsome.” I glance away but immediately look back at him after remembering what he said earlier.
“Thank you. I keep as low a profile as I can.”
“You didn’t answer my earlier question. Why do you write erotica?”
“For reasons I’d rather not get into.”
I stare straight at him, the wheels turning in my head. I’ve read one of his books, but it made me uncomfortable. There was no romance. Period.
“Do you write your books based on your experiences? Is that was this is about?”
“My sexual experiences with women inspire me and keep me from having writers block, but I don’t write the experiences as they happen.”
“I’m not going to be your writing tool.” I attempt to stand up. I want to get away from him, but he’s faster, grabbing my wrist as I go to stand.
“Sit, Alayna. I’m not using you for my books. I’d want you no matter what my profession.”
I look down and stare at his grip on my wrist. It’s turning me on, and I don’t understand why. I look back into his hooded eyes that are backed by lust.
“I want you for my personal pleasure and need for control and also for my desire to pleasure you. I’m asking you to trust me.”
I slowly sit back down. Damon lets my wrist go, and an emptiness falls on me.
“But you ... well, you know what you did to me in October, and then you left me like that. You would’ve never contacted me again, so why should I do this because we’re stranded here?”
“You turned me down, Alayna. You left things that way, not me, but I knew you’d come back here.”
“You’re really arrogant.”
“You and I have a strong physical connection. I knew it would bring you back to New York.”
“So, you’re saying I decided to move back here because of you?”
“Partly.”
“Now, you’ve lost your mind.”
“You said you’ve thought about me since we met. This is supposed to happen between us. I tried to fight it earlier, but frankly, I don’t want to.”
“Who are you? I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“I’m the man who’s supposed to make you feel things you’ve never felt before, Alayna.”
Damon
“Have you read any of my books?” I ask.
“One.”
“You’re one of the most successful erotica writers, so since I was curious about that genre, I chose yours. I figured it would be well written and it was. I stopped because it made me uncomfortable.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do know.”
Her fingernail goes straight into her mouth, but she pulls it back out. “The BDSM was taboo to me. I’ve never done any of it before. I’m honestly not sure what I think about it since I haven’t tried it.”
“You liked me restricting your movement earlier.”
I watch her suck in a rush of air. Her lip quivers, she fidgets with her hands, and her neck is getting blotchy.
“Yes, I did, but I haven’t had time to think about why.”
“Maybe you think too much. I don’t believe talking is the way to get you to trust me.” I move the food and wine out of the way.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to fuck you right here on this floor. Then, we’ll talk about the rest. You need a sampling of what I want to do to you.” I move across to her on my knees.
“Earlier wasn’t a sampling?” she asks, sounding anxious.
“Earlier was only a taste, Alayna.”
Alayna
Damon takes my hand and pulls me up until I’m on my knees like him. Without wasting any time, he cups my face and captures my mouth, his tongue finding its way in once again. Thoughts race through my mind.
The wonder of what’s to come have my muscles already clenching. They feel weighted as they contract open and closed. It’s a silent yet urgent plea to be filled, to have something to milk from.
My hands go to his hips before sliding under his shirt to the front of his stomach. Fingers trail up his rippled slab, and the warmth from his skin makes the desire to be closer to him discernible.
He groans against my lips and moves his hands to my ponytail. In a swift move, my holder’s out, causing my hair to fall around my shoulders before his hands are buried in the heavy strands.
One Urge, One Plea, Keep Me Trilogy Page 4
