by Erica Lynn
“Yes, Alec. Just like that. I’m so close.” He slowed his movements, causing her to cry out in frustration. “What are you doing? Faster.”
“No.”
“What?”
“No. Not yet.” He adjusted the movement of his hips so that instead of thrusting forward and back, he could slowly grind against her.
Stassi watched in awe as his muscles flexed beneath his skin as he fucked her. The way his eyes bore into hers. How his hands ran up and down her leg, squeezing and massaging until every nerve in her body was on fire.
“You’ve ruined me,” he said again as he slid his hand up her waist. “Ruined me…” He wrapped his hand around her thigh and leaned forward.
She gasped as she accepted the pleasure the adjustment in position provided. She looked up into his eyes, not too far from her own, then reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. “I can’t believe you don’t see it.” She pushed herself up as much as she could and brushed her lips against his. “You’re the one who’s ruined me.”
“Be my girl.”
“Alec—”
He grabbed her hand from his face and placed her fingers where he entered her. She bit her lip and moaned as she felt their physical connection. The exact spot where he slid in and out of her, his cock slick and wet from her pussy.
“Feel that? That’s how we’re supposed to be. We were fucking made for each other and you know it.”
She gripped him tighter as his thrusts began to pick up speed.
“Come on, Stassi. Say you’ll be my girl.”
She closed her eyes as her orgasm began to build. The truth was she wanted to be with Alec. He was good man, and she’d be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t developed feelings for him. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be,” he said through clenched teeth.
He was clearly close to the edge, and Stassi wanted to be the one to bring him over. The thought of any other woman having that power over him made her see red. “Ask me again,” she panted as she worked her pussy against him.
“Fuuuuck…” he groaned. “Please, be my girl.”
“Yes.”
He gripped her thigh and brought it up higher, his thrusts more erratic. “About fucking time. Now, Stassi, come for me. Come on. I’m ready for my girl to come.”
With her fingers still wrapped around his cock, she extended her thumb and rubbed it against her swollen clit. She rubbed her thumb around it once, twice, then pushed down. Hard.
She moaned as she came, again, and felt his cock harden as he followed right behind her.
Their moans of satisfaction filled the room. He pushed into her as her pussy milked his dick, and the thought of him losing himself in her had her coming again, his name falling off her lips over and over like a chant. A fucking prayer.
When the last tremors finally subsided, he slowly pulled out of her and took off the condom, tying the end in a knot before tossing it in the trashcan beside the nightstand. He kissed her body as he climbed on top of her, one inch at a time, alternating between soft pecks and licks. His hands found her face, and she looked up into his eyes.
She said nothing as he stared at her, just took in his features. His salt and peppered hair, his strong jaw, full lips… “What’s your favorite color?”
“What?” Alec’s laugh was one of pure joy.
“Because I want to know. If I’m your girl, I should know your favorite color.”
“Red. It’s bold. Powerful. Raw. I love it.”
Stassi nodded. “Yeah. Red is nice.”
“Do I get a question now?”
“Sure.”
“Who is most important to you?”
Stassi didn’t have to think long. “Lacey.”
“Really?” Alec seemed surprised.
“Yes. She’s always been there for me, and she’s everything I want to be. Funny. Kind. Compassionate. I think I’d die if I ever let her down.” Stassi smiled up at him. “What about you? Who’s most important to you?”
“That’s easy. My baby sister and niece.”
“The ones from the farmers’ market?”
“Yes.” Alec grinned and shook his head. “Jen got the short end of the stick, but she’s pulled through it. And thankfully I’m blessed enough to be able to help her when needed.”
“Do y’all have any other siblings?”
Alec remained quiet for a moment, his carefree features suddenly shifting into ones of worry. Finally he nodded and spoke in a tortured voice. “Yes, actually. We have an older sister. She’s not doing well. She, uh, well, she’s an alcoholic. We’ve both tried over the years to get her help, but it hasn’t quite worked out yet.”
Stassi’s heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry. Do you still talk to her?”
“Not in a while,” Alec admitted. “At some point you have to decide if you’re going to continue enabling someone simply because you love them, or if you’re going to do the hard work, you know?”
“I can’t say I do. I’m so glad you still have Jen, though, and that the two of you are close.”
“We are. Thank you.” Alec ran his thumb up her jaw and cheek. “Do you want to tell me about your father?”
Stassi let out a deep sigh, realizing for the first time she actually did want to talk about him. Just not now. “I’ll tell you the whole sordid tale tomorrow, if that’s okay. I’m exhausted.” She smiled up at him, his deep eyes looking down into hers. “But I will tell you. I promise.”
“Okay. Whenever you’re ready.” He leaned in and kissed her, soft and sweet, the taste of what they’d done still fresh on his lips. When he finally pulled away she felt like her chest was about to burst.
He lay down and pulled her into his side, and she planted tender kisses on his chest until sleep finally overtook her.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning came entirely too soon, but then again there hadn’t been much sleeping going on. He and Stassi had taken turns waking the other up with various sexual advances. They’d made love over and over. They’d started on the bed, and when he’d lost his balance and fell to the floor, she’d simply giggled and crawled on top of him.
She’d smiled and laughed and moaned as she orgasmed over and over again. On his fingers. On his face. On his cock. Fuck… The sight of her parted lips as she came, her breasts bouncing, her hard nipples demanding attention from his mouth. His tongue. His teeth. Fuck. She’d been perfect. She was perfect.
Alec tried to keep the noise down as he rummaged through the cabinets for some coffee. They were pretty bare, which made sense considering it was only her, but he couldn’t even find a single coffee cup. He took a step back and took a quick sweep of the counter only to realize he didn’t even see a coffee pot. “Blasphemy…”
He went back into the bedroom and woke Stassi with a series of gentle kisses starting at her collar bone and ending on her eyelids.
“Mmm. Good morning.”
“Morning. Get up and get a shower. I’m going to run across the street and grab some coffee.”
“I can think of something better than coffee.” She giggled as she reached for his pants.
Alec chuckled and gently moved her hand away. “I’m afraid there’s no time for that. You have work and I have to go to the bank before I go in to the restaurant.”
Stassi made a pouty face which only caused Alec to laugh harder. “You’re cute,” he said as he brushed her nose with his. “But the answer is still no. Get up and get ready. I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter, then jogged to his car. If he was going to have time to bring coffee back to Stassi, he needed to be quick about it. He parked in front of the shop and hurried inside. The line wasn’t too long, which was good. He pulled out his phone to check in on Jen and Gracie, when he saw he’d missed a call from Stassi. He pressed the callback button, and she answered on the first ring. “Hey, I thought I’d get some coffee for Lacey and Gigi as well. Do you want me to pick up—”
&nb
sp; “I have to get to the hospital. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Wait, what?”
“My mom just called.” Stassi went silent for a few long beats, then continued. “My father collapsed.”
Alec threw open the hospital doors and ran inside. He quickly found Stassi, wide eyed and pale in the lobby. He walked up, knelt in front of her, and wrapped her in his arms. “Babe, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“He had a heart attack about eight weeks ago.” Stassi looked straight ahead as she spoke, not making any attempt at eye contact. “He pulled through, though. They did surgery, and he came out of it okay. He had to take medicine to make sure he didn’t form a blood clot, and that was that.”
Her voice was monotone. Her eyes dry of any tears. The sight broke his heart. Alec ran his fingers through her hair, trying desperately to comfort her. “Okay. So what happened?”
“Ha. What happened?” Stassi laughed bitterly and finally looked at Alec. “What happened is he didn’t take the damn pills. He did for a little bit, but then decided he didn’t need them anymore. Because he’s so smart, right? The man couldn’t hold a job, left his wife and six-year-old daughter to fend for themselves, and then when he manages to come out of a major heart attack, he can’t be bothered to take his pills.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
“I’m not sure. I’m waiting to hear. I’m mostly here for my mother anyway.”
“I’m so sorry. Are the two of you close?”
“No. But she’s the only family I have.”
Alec pulled her into him and ran his hands along her back. She shook beneath his fingers, but from the temperature or adrenaline he didn’t know.
Stassi rose suddenly and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the back stairwell. She opened the door and tugged him through, then pushed him into the wall and crushed her mouth to his while her hand cupped his balls.
“Wow. What are you doing?”
She didn’t respond to what he said, only fidgeted with his belt buckle.
“Stop.” Alec tried to calm her down, but she dropped to her knees and pressed her mouth against his cock over his slacks. He finally managed to grab her by the arms and haul her up so he could see her face. “Stassi, stop.”
“Why? I want you.”
“No.” Alec held her back and lifted her chin, making her look him in the eyes. “Hey, it’s not going to happen. I let it go at the restaurant, but I won’t this time. We’re not going to fuck every time you don’t want to talk about something. That’s not how life works.”
Stassi pulled out of his arms and backed up until she stood against the opposite wall, her eyes narrowed as her breath shot out in agitated puffs. “This was a mistake.”
“What?”
“This can’t happen again.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night. The sex. All of it.”
“We’ve had sex a few times before. What’s the problem?”
“Yeah, we’ve had sex. That wasn’t sex. That was something else. You know what it was, I don’t need to spell it out, and it can’t happen again.”
“Seriously? This is the way you’ve decided to play it?” Alec ran his fingers through his hair, gritting his teeth. “I know what you’re doing, I’m not stupid. But dammit if it still doesn’t piss me off. Is this how it’s going to be every time life gets hard? Every time one of us is dealt a raw deal? What the hell are you so afraid of?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” Alec put his hands on his hips and looked at her, not able to hold in his anger any longer. “So we can fuck, but God forbid we let some emotions get in there, huh? That’s just too much? That crosses the line?”
“I’m not who you’re trying to make me be.”
“I’m not trying to make you be anything.”
“Yes you are. I can feel it. You’re trying to make me into some little lady type. I’m not that woman. I’m not going to make you coffee in the morning before work. I don’t want to pop out babies and make cookies for all the neighborhood kids. I’m not that person. I’m not that, good.”
“I know who you are.”
“You don’t know shit.” Stassi pulled her T-shirt tighter around her middle, arms crossed in a defiant stance. “I think you need to leave.”
“What’s wrong? I got a little too real for you? Tried to be there for you when your world got rocked?”
“You don’t know anything about my father, so don’t think you get brownie points for coming to a building.”
“I would if you told me. If you opened up.”
“I don’t want to.”
“So this is it, then? Goodbye? See you later?”
“No, it’s not, but we need to go back to the original rules. I made them for a reason, and I take full responsibility for letting the lines blur. It won’t happen again.”
“That’s a crock of shit and you know it.”
“Whether it is or isn’t, we only see each other at the parties. No more of,” Stassi waved her hands in the air between them, “this.”
Alec fisted his hands by his sides. He was pissed. No, strike that. Pissed didn’t even begin to describe what he felt. His jaw was clenched almost painfully. His stomach turned and his chest ached. “Look, you’re under a lot of stress, there’s obviously shit going on with your parents that I know nothing about, and now isn’t the time for you to have to explain it. I’m going to give you some space for now, because I think it’s what you need. I don’t want to leave, but I have a feeling this will only turn into more of a shit show if I stay. So go wait for your mom and I’ll call you later, okay?”
Stassi nodded, her eyes cast down, hands crossed in front of her.
Alec walked up and leaned in, gently running his nose against hers. “I’ll call you, okay?”
“Right. Fine. I’ll see you later.”
Alec cursed under his breath as he turned from her and made his way out of the stairwell.
Chapter Twelve
“Earth to Alec. Are you listening?”
“Yeah, I’ve been excited to tell you about what my youth group is doing and you aren’t paying attention.”
“Sorry, tater tot,” Alec murmured as he leaned back in his seat. Jen and Gracie had come in for dinner with him and here he was, ignoring them. He ran his fingers over his eyes, exhaustion had crept into them hours ago, and it didn’t seem to want to leave anytime soon. “I’m not trying to ignore you. Just a lot on my mind.”
“Still no word?” Jen asked as she cut into her steak.
“Nope. I’ve been calling and texting all day. Nothing.” It’d been two days since he’d left Stassi at the hospital, and he hadn’t heard a damn word, and it sure wasn’t for a lack of trying. He didn’t know how her father was, how she was holding up, hell, he didn’t know if she’d packed her bags and moved to Alaska. “I don’t understand you women.”
“Hey, we aren’t all crazy. Just the ones you’re attracted to.” Jen looked at Gracie while cocking her head toward Alec. “Your genius uncle here likes them a little unhinged. You were too young to remember Claudia, but consider yourself lucky. That broad…” Jen made circular motions with her knife to the side of her head, the universal sign for cuckoo.
“Was she, Uncle Alec?”
“I hate to say it, but yes.” Alec chuckled and poured himself another glass of wine, images of licking the liquid off Stassi’s breasts filling his head. “What’s worse is I still didn’t leave her. She left me.”
“She did you a favor, no doubt. I feel sorry for whatever man she’s sinking her claws into these days.”
“No kidding.” Alec looked across the table at Gracie. Her strawberry blonde hair was different today, but he couldn’t tell exactly what it was. Her lips were shiny, and her bright blue eyes were lined with darker lashes than usual. “Are you wearing makeup?”
“Yes,” Gracie said, sitting up a little straighter.
“Isn’t thirteen too young for makeup?”
“It’s not like she has bright red lipstick on, for goodness sake,” Jen scolded. “She has a little bit of mascara and lip-gloss. It’s fine. She looks like a gorgeous young lady.”
Gracie beamed at her mom, and Jen smiled right back.
Those two girls were the quintessential picture of a mother and daughter relationship, and Alec couldn’t be more proud.
“Hey, Jen.” Frank strolled up to them, his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. “How, um, well, you look really nice today. Beautiful, actually.”
Alec watched Jen tilt her head slightly to the side as little spots of red colored her cheeks. “Why thank you. That’s very kind of you to say.”
“Oh, no ma’am. It’s the truth. You’re always…” Frank cleared his throat and looked at Alec, then back at Jen and Gracie. “Anyway, I need to get to work. I just wanted to say hello. And hi to you as well, Grace.”
Gracie gave him a small wave and pursed her lips shut, no doubt trying to hide a giggle.
Alec waited until Frank was away from the table, then arched his eyebrow at Jen. “Really, baby sis? Frank?”
Jen shrugged her shoulders and waved her hand in the air as if to erase the notion, but even as she did, her cheeks turned a darker shade than before.
Alec rolled his eyes and chuckled, then took another sip of his wine. “It seems love is in the air. Maybe some of it will come my way one day.”
“Call her.”
“I did.”
“Do it again.”
“Yeah. Okay. If I don’t hear from her by this evening, I’ll go check out a place I think she might be. Or send out a search party. Either will do.” He turned to Gracie, determined to get his mind somewhere else than the blonde woman who continued to elude him. “So, tater tot, tell me about what your youth group is doing. I’m all ears.”
Alec’s heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. He adjusted his mask as he walked up the drive, small stones crunching under his boots.
It was a beautiful night. The air was still slightly cool, but not so much that a jacket was necessary. The stars were out, and there was even a breeze. The perfect background for a night full of romance. Somehow, though, he didn’t think his evening would play out that way.
