Stroke of Midnight

by ANDIE J. CHRISTOPHER

  “Scared?”

  Alana could barely breathe, so she just nodded.

  “Good. You should be a little scared. Makes it better.” His words were harsh, but he stopped everything except for a light touch of his fingers against her ribs. Her whole body softened and rested deeper in the bedding.

  Then, he rose from the bed and grabbed her left foot. He tied another scarf around her ankle and secured the other end to the bedpost. He grabbed her right foot and repeated the binding. The way he handled her was crazy hot, and it might have been able to get her off. But she needed him inside her.

  Alana had never felt so open and exposed. But she really wasn’t scared of him. She was scared of how much she wanted him. It was if she’d been locked inside a dark room, trying to appease everyone else. Cole had brought her back into high-definition life. Everything about him, from the touch of his hands, to the well-timed wink filled her with ease. Having him tie her up was exciting, but being able to rely on him to keep her safe and give her pleasure filled her with ease.

  “I love wetting my mouth with your sweet pussy.” Her hands clenched and lips parted at his words.

  He took off his shirt and shucked his jeans. His physical strength was written in every muscle and ridge of abdomen. His body art was gorgeous; she could watch his tattoos dance as he moved for hours. How he looked was nothing compared to how he felt. Cole had just the right amount of body hair. There was just enough chest hair to tickle her nipples, a very happy trail to point the way, and a sprinkling on his thighs. He felt so good up next to her.

  He grabbed his cock. Rubbed it almost absently. “It hurts, darlin’. Think you can fix it?”

  She nodded. Her system overloaded with arousal, laying there while he jerked himself for her. He might be in charge, but she was the one getting a damn show.

  His hard cock was not only big; it curved straight up and the head was pronounced. She remembered how he’d felt inside her, and it brought her close to begging. She could tell that he was just as anxious for her as she was for him. The head was purple and straining and a little bit of liquid leaked out. He fisted himself for a bit longer before he rejoined her on the bed.

  He crawled over her, and licked the shell of her ear, tugged on the lobe gently with his teeth, and covered her breasts with his hands. Every touch made her center pulse with want. He brushed his fingertips over her nipples, then tugged and pinched. The pain seemed to travel straight to her core as pleasure. She moaned and moved her head because it was the only part of her body she could move freely, almost willing him to just fuck her already. When he put his mouth on her breasts, she thought she might come from that alone. Pins and needles danced through her chest. She had always thought that a nipple orgasm was an urban legend. Maybe she would get to debunk that myth with him.

  As if he sensed her urgency, his mouth left her breasts and his hands traveled up and down her sides. His mouth moved along the dips and curves of her belly and hips. Then, she felt his fingers on the soft skin of her inner thighs, where he brushed them ever so gently before spreading her lips open to expose her clit.

  “Mmm. I still need just a little taste before I start fucking you.” He put his mouth on her core and, though she thought that coming without permission was probably against his rules—it was in all the books she’d read—she couldn’t help herself. Especially when he sucked her clit into his mouth and his teeth raked against her most tender spot. Her whole lower body went into spasms and her body felt like it was floating for long seconds. She squeezed her eyes shut and rode out the feeling.

  When she came down, she realized that Cole was no longer touching her. He was kneeling on the bed between her thighs, cock curved up towards his belly, with another self-satisfied grin on his face.

  “That wasn’t supposed to happen without permission, was it?”

  Cole crawled over her body again. He must have gotten a condom from his jeans at some point because he was ready to go.

  “No. But that was so hot. I don’t think you earned any punishment for that.”

  She laughed, throaty and deep; the sensuality in her own voice sounded foreign. “I think I’d enjoy any punishment you gave me way too much.” She’d never laughed with anyone during sex, either. Another thing she could strike of the list. She only stopped laughing when she felt the tip of his cock at her entrance. She was so wet that he slid right inside her. He was motionless.

  “You’re so tight, darlin’. I fuckin’ love it.”

  He started moving slowly, and she strained against the scarves. Her fists opened and closed as she lifted her head to kiss the side of his neck. She wanted him so much closer.

  She wanted to wrap her legs around him and spur him to go deeper and faster. The fact that she couldn’t, that he was totally in charge, turned her on even more.

  * * * *

  Cole crushed her mouth in a deep kiss to put a stop to the fluttering pecks she kept laying against his neck.

  She was so hot and tight that he was going to lose it. He wanted this to last. So, he kept it slow, but she massaged his tongue with hers, enticing him to slide deeper inside her. As he kept on, his control slipped. If he only had a few days with her, he wanted to get so deep inside her that she’d always feel him. Ruin her for pencil necks like the chef and the douchebag at the restaurant. Make her remember him. Because he would never forget how it felt to be inside of this woman—this kind, sexy woman who moaned and panted and responded every time he gave her something new. He moved faster, his hips slapping against her inner thighs. Their mingled breathing was the only other sound in the room.

  Sweat popped out on his brow as he fought to hold off the orgasm he could feel building up. Then, she squeezed him from the inside. His naughty girl was doing her best to make him lose control. Fuck, she needed a spanking. The thought of slapping her perfect ass made him drop his hips down just enough so that he could grind her pubic bone with his own. After a few strokes at the new angle, he felt her body stiffen and spasms in her pussy held him inside her like a vice. Feeling her come while he was inside her was everything he needed to let go and come for what seemed like forever. His balls were empty, but his chest was full.

  He wanted to stay inside her, but he withdrew and disposed of the condom in the bathroom. Alana was still tied to the bed, so he released her. He loved how she gave him control. This smart, powerful woman giving him her submission was the sexiest thing he’d ever experienced. Her limbs didn’t move, and he rubbed her wrists and ankles, ensuring that he hadn’t left a mark. But he wanted to leave his mark on her. He felt like an animal that wanted to mark its mate.

  Soon, he would leave red handprints on her sweet, round ass. He wondered if she’d prefer the paddle or the flogger. The whole tying up thing worked for her; it wasn’t a regular part of his repertoire, but fuck if he wouldn’t do whatever would make her come that hard—anything.

  When she looked up at him her eyes were glassy. He knew he had to reassure her. He didn’t quite have the power of speech yet, but he gathered her to his side, rubbed her back, and held her. Then he brushed her hair back from her face. She blushed and tried to burrow into his chest. It was startling how different this woman was from the badass that took care of anyone else.

  He almost told her then that she wasn’t going to be able to get rid of him. He would find a job here, or they could try to make long distance work for a while. If she would let him tie her up, he could trust her to stay true to him. But, he wasn’t sure that she wanted that. No matter how she’d looked at him in the hallway later, like he was a hero, like he was worth more than a bank account, he couldn’t be sure that she’d accept such an uncertain offer.

  No. Before he offered her a more permanent relationship, he would have to make plans.

  He never thought he’d do that with a woman again. The thing that sealed his mouth shut was the niggling voice in his head, his mother’s voice, that told him that she would never want a guy like him to s
tay. All the warmth in his chest that came from thinking about a future with Alana cooled when he remembered that.

  Chapter 11

  Cole couldn’t stop fidgeting in traffic. His stomach was in knots and sweat pooled at the base of his spine. Alana had insisted that they show up to her parents’ house for dinner separately. It ate at the part of him that wanted them to be together. For real together. But it made sense. And he really wasn’t ready to tell Javier that he was fucking his sister. He wasn’t sure how the hell that conversation would go. Probably not well.

  It was different from the last time that he pulled up in his truck. No other guests, no valet. This time, he needed to impress Alana’s parents; he needed them to like him. He wasn’t sure how it would happen, but he and Alana were going to end up together. Going back to D.C., avoiding commitments, wasn’t going to happen.

  Something had changed the night before, when she’d slept next to him. After she’d given herself up to him. He had a mission again, to do what he had to do to keep Alana in his life.

  He parked on the driveway behind Javi’s Porsche. He hoped that he didn’t have “I’ve spent the last few days fucking your sister” all over his face. Javier blowing up would ruin his whole plan to impress the family.

  Javier answered the door when he knocked, and immediately put a bourbon in his hand. Such hospitality. Miami wasn’t the South, not really, but it was close on that account.

  “Come on in. I’m glad you’re here before Alana.”

  Shit. Maybe Carla told him? He clenched his fist around his drink. “Sounds ominous.”

  Javier poked him in the chest and let out a short laugh. He jerked his head towards the library. Of course, someplace where he’d think about Alana and get a hard-on.

  When they were both in the room, Javier closed the door. Cole’s heart rate picked up, and he unconsciously braced himself for a punch.

  Javier just smiled, and said, “I have an offer for you.”

  Cole let out a short gust of breath. “What kind of offer?”

  “A job.” Javier motioned to him with his drink. “South Beach agrees with you. You look tanned and happy.”

  If only his friend knew that he looked happy because he was getting naked with his sister. He nodded and grunted. “Yeah. Who wouldn’t like it down here?”

  “No one. This is God’s country for real.” Javier took a sip of his drink. “Relax. You look like you’ve been called to the principal’s office.”

  Cole intentionally relaxed his shoulders and took a long pull of bourbon. “Stop being cryptic and hit me with it.”

  “I want you to come work with us.”

  Cole nearly choked on the swallow of bourbon he’d taken in an effort to seem cool. Alana would hate that idea, especially because it hadn’t originated with her. Not wanting to say something that would blow up the job offer as well as his chances of making a go of things with Alana, he wasn’t sure how to respond. He wanted to say yes, but he knew that Alana would be pissed that her brother hadn’t brought her in on the decision to hire him. She didn’t like the fact that she did all the work while Javier was still the chosen one to take over the business.

  “Man, I don’t think you know what you’re asking. I’ve been working for a government contractor. There are hordes of guys, guys with much more expertise in what you do that could help you out.”

  He left out the part about Javier needing to get up off his dead ass to do something instead of just hiring a new person. He finished his bourbon. But this might not be the worst thing. If he could roll it out to Alana and make her see that they could make this work long-term, working together, it could be the perfect solution.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Anything I can do to convince you?” Javier smirked. “I would think you’d be happy about getting to stay and pound the new piece of ass you met on New Year’s Eve.”

  Cole wanted to punch Javier in the face for saying that about Alana, but his friend didn’t know that the “piece of ass” was his own sister. Instead of telling the truth, he said, “I don’t know if she wants me to stay.”

  “In the meantime, I’ll take you out and let my city seduce you.”

  Cole had an inkling that “seducing” would involve a lot of going out. And time away from Alana. Fuck.

  * * * *

  Alana’s nerves were trying to eat through her stomach lining. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to say to hell with it and tell her family about her and Cole—despite the fact that he was leaving—or if she wanted their affair to remain a secret. She was sure, absolutely certain, that her mother would see her mooning over him and start asking questions.

  She was running late, a client had called as she tried to get out the door, and she heard voices in the formal dining room. When it was just family, her mother usually served dinner on the patio. The dining room meant clients. She spared a glance at her appearance in a hallway mirror, put a few loose strands of hair into place, and pulled her shoulders back.

  There’d been a time when she didn’t feel like family time was a battle, when dinner with her parents was relaxing. They’d be that way again. She just had to get her brother on her side; he could convince their father that she deserved an equal stake, an equal say in their business. She didn’t want to throw Javi under the bus, but it might come to that if she couldn’t get him to wake the fuck up. But she didn’t have a plan other than waiting for him to snap out of it.

  Alana had a lot of concerns about this family dinner. She was nervous about Javi finding out that she was sleeping with Cole. She expected her father to say something sexist, but she did not expect to walk into an episode of The Bachelorette.

  Cold fingers of dread scratched her insides when she saw a tallish guy who wasn’t Cole standing next to her mother. The only reason Molly wouldn’t have told her they were expecting a surprise guest was if this was a surprise fix-up. It hadn’t happened in a while; she’d thought her mother had given up. But no. She wanted to throw up.

  She hesitated at the threshold, unsure how to play this. She could discreetly confess to her mother that she was seeing someone. But then the whole family would be expecting to meet him. And then she’d have to confess some more. Then, Javi would blow his top because she’d done the opposite of what he’d told her, and she’d probably ruin his relationship with Cole.

  And Cole needed Javi’s friendship. He didn’t admit it out loud, but she knew that he felt rootless because he had no family left. Being a good friend was worth something to him. She wouldn’t take that away so that she could avoid playing nice with one of her mom’s strong suggestions. She didn’t know if she was more worried that Cole would act like the jealous dick again or that he wouldn’t care.

  So, she schooled her features into cool indifference.

  “Alana, look who joined us for dinner.” When Manuel Rivera turned around, she almost lost her game face. She clamped her mouth shut, and her eyes went wide. Blood rushed in her ears, making the sounds in the room disappear. Why would he agree to a fix up when he’d seen her out the other night with someone else? Cole was going to lose his shit.

  She found Cole on the other side of the room, talking to her brother. Maybe he hadn’t noticed the other man yet. She hoped Manuel would keep his mouth shut about seeing her and Cole together. “Manuel, pleasure to see you.”

  He gave her a kiss on both cheeks, and his hand lingered too long on her upper arm.

  “Manuel was telling me that he needs a date for the horse races next weekend, and I hope you don’t mind, I told him you were available,” her mother said.

  “Uh. I might have plans. I’ve been really busy at the office.” Cole would be gone, but she couldn’t stomach accepting her mother’s matchmaking efforts in front of him. She looked around for something to drink. Something with a lot of alcohol.

  Her father piped in. “You’ll never get married or give me any grandchildren unless you leave the office to have fun.”
Like dating Manuel would be fun.

  Normally she would just roll her eyes and make something up about thinking of Manuel as a brother. Right now, she just couldn’t. Her time with Cole hadn’t just scratched her sexual itch. He’d woken up a need she hadn’t realized that she had. She’d miss the sex, but the man himself—she would miss that a whole lot more.

  She looked over at him, drinking and smiling with Javi. Why wasn’t he freaking out? She caught his gaze. He winked; it was subtle, so her brother wouldn’t notice. As thrilling as it was to have a secret, a fun one, she sort of wished she could sidle over to him. He’d wrap one massive arm around her shoulders and she’d curl into him—intimate, familiar, the opposite of the indecent things they did behind closed doors. Last night, something had changed. He’d opened up, and he’d taken care of her when she gave over to him. Cole was enough to take her mind off work. She would get out of the office and have fun with someone like him. She wanted that; she’d make that happen.

  As a bonus, her mother’s matchmaking efforts would stop and maybe she could crawl up Javi’s ass about his love life. She smirked at the thought.

  “Alana, can you help me bring out some appetizers?” her mother asked. She nodded and dutifully followed her into the kitchen, where catering staff were putting together appetizers. “Do you want to tell me why you were so rude to Manuel? I know he did that stupid reality show thing, but you could do a lot worse. I mean, look at him.”

  Alana scrunched up her face and shook her head. “It’s not that; I’m just not into him.” He was nothing compared to Cole. Fake and plastic and nothing.

  “I want to see you happy.” Her mother took a bite of a canapé and offered Alana one, which she took. “Your father says you’ve been working a lot. I worry.”