by Malone, Nana
"Bend over the couch. Knees on the cushions. Brace your hands on the back rest."
"Uh…" Her voice trailed off. She trusted him. Knew he wouldn’t hurt her. She could refuse if she wanted to. But she was slow to comply. He didn't say a word, just waited patiently for her to do as he said. She started to shake as adrenaline pumped through her veins.
The couch dipped as he stood and he shifted behind her. When his big hands cupped her ass and flexed gently, she held her breath in anticipation.
"You are so fucking gorgeous. You’re all I can think about and it’s pretty fucking distracting.” While he spoke, he caressed her gently. "Do you understand that you distract me at work? When I'm supposed to be focused? All I can think about is touching you again. I feel out of control."
Not sure what to say, she whispered, "I—I’m sorry."
His voice was tight. "Are you? Or are you trying to break me?"
"Xander…"
He slid his hands up over her back, unsnapping the buttons along her spine in one swift motion. "I've been dying to do that since I dropped you off at rehearsal. I've been thinking about ripping it off of you."
"You could have done that before we left.”
"I should have. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel like this."
She didn’t understand. “How do you feel?"
His voice was soft, but she could tell he still spoke though clenched teeth. "Like I’ll die if I don't touch you right now."
"I'm yours."
Twenty-Two
Xander stared down at her. She'd straightened her hair today for rehearsal and it hung thick and free down her back. Her leggings-clad butt upturned toward him. He needed her too much. He'd come straight home after leaving Lex's and tried to calm himself down. But everything he'd tried had just made him more keyed up. It alarmed him to realize that what he needed was her.
He needed her too damn much. And now here she was, offering herself up to him. His cock twitched painfully in his jeans and he tried to rationalize with his inner demons. Telling them that they didn’t want out. That this was a result of his fight with Evan. That what he wanted was to take care of Imani. That he didn’t want to scare her off.
But the demons weren’t listening. With shaking hands, he looped his hands in the waistband of her leggings and yanked them down her legs.
Imani gasped, but didn’t protest.
In the darkness, he could just make out the sweet lips of her pussy and he wanted to bury himself inside her deep and never come up for air. Her scent surrounded him even as he fought for some control. But it was no use around her.
With her knees apart, he helped her tug the leggings and her thong all the way off her legs.
When her legs were bare, he repositioned her so her legs were parted, bracing her on the couch properly in the perfect position to slide home.
But as her scent wrapped around him, driving the need that took over his body, he knelt behind her. "So fucking pretty."
The first taste of her on his tongue was better than anything he could think of eating. She was sweet, spicy, and he lapped at her swollen lips like a starving man.
Her breathy moans spurring him on, Xander spread her lips with his fingers, exploring every inch of her. Unable to leave any part of her unexplored. When he wrapped his lips over her clit, she moaned his name and scored her nails on the fabric of the couch. That’s what he was looking for from her. Something deep drove him. He had to mark her as his. He flicked his tongue against her clit and she screamed. And when he slid a finger into her, pressing the raised flesh at the front of her tight, silken walls and stroked her G-spot, she came around him with a tight grip on his finger.
Watching her come, knowing he'd taken her there, should have calmed him a little, but it didn’t. It just drove him harder. He wanted more. Wanted to make her beg to come again and again and again.
Xander kissed her inner thighs before standing behind her. He quickly shed his clothes, and grabbing a condom out of his wallet. Her smooth, wet lips beckoned to him and he couldn’t resist sliding the tip of his cock through her folds.
"Oh my God," she ground out. When he aligned the tip to her sweet opening, he could still feel the tremors of her around the head. He stood perfectly still, letting her convulse around him, before he pulled back with a growl. Shit. What was he doing? He’d never once had sex without protection. It didn’t matter how good she felt. He didn’t take risks like that. Sliding the condom on, he aligned himself back to her slick core.
Imani canted her hips backward and he bit his bottom lip. Go slow, go slow, go slow. But he was too far gone to listen to his meddling brain. She was so wet, he slid in all the way with no resistance. Like she was made for him.
She gasped and dropped her head to the headrest as he drove into her again and again. Her inner walls stroked him, massaging steadily. His blood boiled and he gritted his teeth against the impending orgasm, the feeling of freedom within reach. But it didn’t come. Focusing all his attention on her and the sensation around his dick, he gripped her hips tighter. His fingers pressing into her honey-colored flesh.
The sweat dripped off his brow as he filled her, so high on the feeling of being inside her. He never wanted to be anywhere else. But he was no closer to letting go. "Play with yourself. I want to feel you coming around my cock."
She obliged and he pumped faster as she chanted his name. But even with each slide in to her warm, slick depths, he wasn’t any closer to release. With a snarl, he released one hand and joined it to hers, sliding over her clit. He tried to rub faster, but she slowed him down. He tried to control it, but she intertwined their fingers, making him take his time.
When he yielded to her, the tingle started in his lower spine. Fucking finally. If he could just come, he could be rid of the fear that chased the adrenaline. He didn’t want to keep thinking about what would have happened if she'd been on the barge tonight. The moment he lost focus, the orgasm that was so close evaporated into thin air.
But hers slammed into her. "Xander! God. Yes. Right. There. Yes, yes, yes."
He fisted a hand into her thick hair as he fucked her. "You like that." Need drove him in as far as she would take him. Her only answer was a low moan. "I know you want more. I'm not stopping until you come again and again around my cock."
Leaning forward, he nipped the back of her neck and kissed that spot just behind her ear. But it was no substitute for kissing her. For feeling her lips against his. Her tongue tangling with his.
Suddenly, she grabbed the back of the couch and stopped moving, locking her hips in place. Imani turned her head and brushed her hair off her shoulder. "Xander."
He didn’t meet her gaze, instead kept looking straight ahead. He didn’t want to see the concern in her eyes. He didn't want her to see the desperation in his. He wanted to avoid the intimacy. Wanted to hide the truth from her—that he needed her. He didn’t want to, but he knew he craved her. Xander slid his fingers over her clit and reveled when she shuddered again. "Come for me."
She shook her head. "No."
The word was like a slap of ice-cold water, and he immediately stilled. "W-what?"
She moved her body forward away from him and his hands tried desperately to hold her in place. "Xander, let me go." The sting of rejection had him stumbling back. But she reached out and took his hand. "Look at me."
He stubbornly refused, and he looked anywhere but at her. "It's okay. I’m going—"
"Xander." Her voice was more firm now and he didn’t want to see the concern on her face, but he couldn't deny her and slid his gaze to hers.
"What?"
She licked her bottom lip and he stared, mesmerized. "Look at me."
When he did, he saw the heat he was accustomed to seeing. She wasn’t rejecting him. She tugged him closer and shifted her position until she lay back on the couch. He settled between her thighs, and his gaze slid down that incredible body of hers, honing in on her wet lips where he wanted to bury himself again.
All it took was her tongue sliding over his and the promise of bliss was back. He started to spiral out of control, but in a good way. The emotional connection he'd been avoiding, that’s what was missing. She anchored him.
Sliding a hand to her breast, he enjoyed the softness of her skin. “Imani,” he breathed. She arched into his caress, seeking more of his touch and the emotion welled so deep in his chest he feared he might choke on it. God, she fit into his big palms perfectly when his thumb traced over a nipple. Her hips rose, bringing her slick sweetness sliding over his cock. He took full advantage, sliding home, seating himself fully inside her. When he stroked deep, she threw her head back, gasping his name.
With a heavy-lidded gaze, he watched her, the unabashed way she responded. And he knew in his bones that he was falling for her. The well of emotion spilled over and as she started to come around his cock again, his orgasm rolled through him. Xander poured everything he had inside her.
He blinked away the stinging in his eyes and nuzzled her neck. He wasn’t letting her go. He had a few weeks until the gala. He could convince her to take him seriously, convince her to stay. Whatever it took. He needed her too damned much to lose her.
#
After grabbing a shower and getting dressed he watched her sleep. It was definitely high on the creep factor scale, but he wanted to be near her. Early morning sunlight streamed into her room through the shades, lighting her softly.
He wanted to photograph her. With the sheet thrown over her body and her hair rumpled and curling in every conceivable direction, she looked content. And he liked that he was the one who'd gotten her that way. He also didn't feel as out of control as he thought he would. Being with her hadn't spun him out. Just the opposite. It had anchored him. Once he stopped fighting her, that was.
She stirred and the lashes fluttered across her cheek as she cracked her lids open. She smiled when she saw him. "Morning," she mumbled.
Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed her softly. She was so soft, like her lips were made for kissing. Especially him. "Morning, love. Are you hungry?"
Her stomach growled in response and she ducked her head under the pillow. "I'm always hungry.” She stretched her arms over her head and the sheet covering her breasts slipped. Suddenly his mind was on a different kind of hunger altogether. But he beat back the urge to climb back into bed with her.
"Come on. I figure we can head to breakfast. Maybe call Lex and see if he and Abbie want to meet us."
She peeled her eyes open further and frowned. "You’re dressed. Why are you dressed?"
He laughed. "Well, you were out pretty hard if I do say so myself."
She threw a pillow at him and he ducked. "Smug bastard."
He nipped her shoulder. "Too right. And as soon as we're back from breakfast, I plan on putting you in a comatose state again. But first I need to feed my...” His voice trailed off as he looked for the right word.
She slowly sat up. “Not sure what to call me, huh?”
“Guess not. We’ve been playing house and you’re posing as my fiancée, but that’s all different now.”
She nodded slowly as she studied him. “I guess it is.”
With a nervous laugh he said, “Don’t look at me. I haven’t a clue how to do this. But I know staying away from you isn’t really an option I’d like to explore any longer.”
She chewed her lip. “It’s not like I have some kind of manual either. I don’t really—I mean I haven’t really had a lot of relationships. And I don’t really do the whole trusting people thing, so this is hard.”
Panic flared in his chest. She didn't want this. He scrambled for a way to make sure she stayed in his bed. “Why don't we just take it easy, see where the meandering road leads? Maybe we’ll make a good team.”
She looked down at her hands before slanting him a glance. “Xander, you’re paying me to be here. It doesn’t feel…right.”
Bollocks. He knew the money would come back to haunt him. “I already wired the rest of the money into your account this morning when I woke up.” His heart hammered as he searched for the right words. Not too clingy, but interested. Yeah, more like desperate, mate. “I want you to stay because you want to.”
“Why did you do that? I could be the kind of person to walk out.”
He shook his head. “Because I’d like the real girlfriend instead of the fake one, if you don’t mind. I mean, I’d still like you to stay until I hear about the trust, but even when you move back to yours, I’d like to see you. A lot.”
She bit her lip and blinked up at him with misty eyes. “I’d like that. Just one thing, though.”
“Name it.”
“Maybe it’s time we start talking through some stuff? Last night was…”
He winced. “Believe me, I know how fucked up that was.” The hot wash of shame splashed him briefly before she put a hand on his arm.
"You didn’t hurt me."
Through gritted teeth he muttered, “Somehow I guarantee if I check your inner thighs, I’ll find some bruises. I wasn’t gentle."
She sighed and gathered the sheet more tightly around her. "And I liked it. If you must know, I've got a sex hangover. I've got sore muscles I didn’t know I had. And you're big. So I am a little achy, but I like the feeling. I can just imagine the state my hair is in right now."
His gaze scanned over her, cataloguing everything about her from her rosy cheeks to her heavy-lidded gaze and the beard burn on her shoulder.
"You're sure I didn’t hurt you?"
She squeezed his bicep. "I'm sure, Xander."
"Okay." Nervously, he licked his lips. "So you're saying the chances are good I could not hurt you again."
She laughed and flopped the pillow over her eyes. "Hell yes, but you’re gonna have to feed me first. Because this woman can not live on incredible sex alone."
"One massive English fry up coming right up. But first, a kiss." He slid his lips over hers and need slammed into him quick. But unlike the compulsions he couldn't control, the compulsion to destroy himself, this felt good. Before he dragged her back to bed, he broke the kiss. "Let's get you fed."
“And then more kissing?”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
Twenty-Three
All Imani heard when she answered the phone that morning was high-pitched squealing. The kind only her sister could make at a decibel that probably drove most dogs insane.
"Ebs, I'm gonna have to ask you to stop screaming. Use your words. I can't hear you."
"I got in. I got. In. I got in. I. GOT. IN." That was all Imani caught before the high-pitched yelling continued. Ebony was generally excitable by nature so Imani had long since learned to just put the phone down until the squealing stopped. When it finally went quiet on the other end of the line, she picked the phone back up again.
"Awesome, you got in. Now, do you want to tell me what you got in to?"
There was more squealing, but somewhere in the mile-a-minute teenage chatter, she caught the word that meant the world to her. Briarwood.
She started squealing with her sister. Ebony had done her part. From her interviews to her test scores, she'd gotten in.
Imani danced around the living room laughing. "Oh my God, Ebs, you’re going to love London. From the West End to the clubs in Brixton to the East End. There’s so much culture and shopping and food. God, the food. And access to travel. You and I are going to be on a train at least once a month, just going somewhere different. This is great."
There was a momentary twinge of guilt when she thought of her father. He'd have no one to look after him. But she shook it off. She would still look after him the best she could, but Ebony was her priority. She’d promised her sister to come back for her and now she could fulfill that promise.
"Oh my God. I am so proud of you."
"Thank you, Imani. I know, I didn’t exactly believe you when you said it was going to happen. I guess so much bad shit happened that I lost a little faith."
&nbs
p; "I told you you'd get in. This is awesome."
Some of her sister's earlier enthusiasm waned. "Except how am I going to pay for it? You had to come to the rescue and pay the mortgage. So Dad clearly isn't going to pay for it."
"What was that you just said about a little faith? I promised you if you got in, I'd find a way for you to go, and I will." Briarwood offered scholarships, but not for boarding. Families had to deal with the money of either boarding accommodation or alternatives all on their own. So she'd need a bigger place for them to live. But with the scholarship, she'd be able to manage tuition…maybe. Things would be a little tight, but there was no way she was telling Ebony she couldn't go. Besides, with the money Xander had paid her, she'd have enough for the first term. Buying her a little time to get the money for the next term. She could do this.
"All you have to do is pack."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I’m serious. You're going to love London."
#
Xander took a swig of beer before settling down with his laptop. Though the moment he sat back, the lights flickered and told him someone was coming up the elevator. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Jean LeClerc on the other side.
"Jean. How are you? I'm surprised to see you here." More like fucked, because the one time he needed her, Imani was at rehearsal.
"I'm sorry to just drop in, but I was in the neighborhood, on the way to meet Charlotte, and I thought you wouldn’t mind."
"Of course not, come on in."
Jean nodded and Xander thanked God; Imani had the tendency to spread out when she was working on part of the script. She’d left some things in the kitchen and living room. It would be hard to mistake that she was least a frequent visitor.
"Would you like something to drink? I can open a bottle of wine?”
The old man held up a hand. "No, no. Charlotte is honestly waiting for me." He glanced around. I like what you've done with the place. I haven’t seen it since you had that artist retrospective five years ago."
