What Alex Wants The Complete Duet (What Alex Wants #1-2)

by E. M. Gayle

  “I’m not letting you go.”

  The finality of his words stunned me.

  “And I don’t think you want to let me go any more than I do you. So it seems we’ve reached an impasse.”

  Like any good poker player I managed to contain the jolt of hope sparking through me and keep a straight face. “I guess so.”

  “Last night you came to me with a plan to end our relationship. Do you still have something you want to ask me?”

  I shook my head. Hell no. I was not giving up now.

  “Stand up, Harper,” he quietly commanded.

  With as much grace as possible I complied until we were both standing, with me unable to tear my gaze from his. My stomach clenched and I held my breath. Fear seized me.

  “Now turn around and face the water.” His eerily calm tone unnerved me. I also kind of wanted to fight him. I started to count, but only made it to two before I gave in. I slowly turned until I no longer faced him. In the short time we’d been talking the sky had darkened and the sliver of moon gave us minimal illumination. For a moment I felt as if I was on the precipice. With darkness in front of me and light behind me, I didn’t want to turn away from him anymore.

  “We may not be getting married tonight, but I do have something to give you and to me it’s as binding as a wedding ring. Lift your hair.”

  A shiver worked through me as I complied. He’d brought my collar back to me.

  “This is going to be different this time, kitten. I’ll truly own you now as you own me.” He slid the thick chain around my neck and I immediately felt the difference. He’d brought me a new collar, one far heavier than the previous one. This one would not be mistaken for a necklace.

  Something shifted inside me, loosening. The little bit of control I’d been holding back from him unraveled. “Hold out your hand.”

  I held my breath and waited until the small heart-shaped lock he wanted me to have settled in my palm. “Give yourself to me, Harper. Tell me you’re mine and I promise you’ll never run from me again. Even if I have to tie you to a chair.”

  I smiled through the silent tears that had begun to fall. He wasn’t running and I wasn’t either.

  “Tell me, kitten.” His breath brushed against the shell of my ear like a soft caress.

  “Yes, Alex. I’ve always been yours even when I didn’t realize it. I love you so much.”

  “Mmm, I’ve been waiting weeks to hear that again.” He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me against his body while he reached for the lock with the other. Seconds later, the chain around my neck tightened to a snug fit and the distinct sound of the lock clicking shut filled my head.

  The hand at my waist slid down and cupped my mound through the thin dress. “Mine,” he whispered into the night. He pushed me forward until my head and upper body leaned past the edge of the dock and over the open water. If he let go of me now I would fall.

  He rustled behind me. First his zipper went down and then the rustle of his pants signaled he’d shoved them down his legs. My skirt was lifted and the hot poker of his cock pressed to my backside.

  “I see you found my other present. You look good in diamonds.”

  “That’s a real diamond?”

  “Of course it is. Why put a crystal up your lovely ass when it can be an exquisite diamond?”

  He let go of my pussy and grabbed my hips with both hands. I jolted forward and automatically reached for something to hold onto only to find absolutely nothing to break my fall. He’d basically dangled me over the water and either he’d hold me up or I’d fall face first in the dark water.

  “Wait. Stop. I can’t—” I couldn’t even hold onto my legs without feeling like I’d tip over.

  “Relax, Harper. I’ve got you. Now trust me not to let you fall. You can do this.”

  Before I had a chance to respond or react, he pushed inside me. His cock slid against my slippery flesh with beautiful friction that nearly made my eyes roll to the back of my head it felt so good. Oh God. I was so full. So stretched. Between the plug and his not small cock, they fought for space inside me.

  I whimpered at the onslaught of sensations. Tiny spasms shook my insides while my torso bobbed as he shoved his full length to the hilt and rotated. “Yes, that’s it, Harper. Give yourself to me. Feel me filling you. Taking what’s mine. Mine,” he grunted.

  Of all the amazing things Alex had done to me, I’d never quite felt this taken over. Or this out of control. I stared at the inky water below me and did as he asked. I gave in to both our needs. His to take and mine to give. I surrendered.

  His movements never stilled. His hands held my hips in a bruising but steady grip as he began a hard, driving rhythm in and out of my body.

  “I love you, Harper. No matter what happens that isn’t going to change.”

  To my surprise, all the fear I’d worried over fell away as I succumbed to his mastery. The last few days, hell, the last couple weeks disappeared. The mistakes we’d both made no longer mattered. Not in the face of our combined emotions and Alex’s complete possession of my mind and body.

  “Come, kitten. Soak my dick and let me feel you ripple around my cock. Now, baby!”

  The urgency in his command slammed through me like a trigger and I exploded, my body convulsing against him. The waves of my unexpected climax rolled violently through me in an unending cycle. I reared back and Alex tangled his fingers through my hair and tugged me upright. The shocking pain in my scalp only fed the never-ending arousal I couldn’t hide from. Sweat soaked my skin.

  He continued to move inside me, stroking along fluttering nerves. I bit down on my lip and moaned deep in my throat.

  “You like that, don’t you?” His voice came out close to a growl. He shifted upward and changed the angle of his thrusts. “Thank God I own you now, kitten, because there is no chance I can get enough. Body and soul.”

  “Yes, Alex,” I cried.

  Steady and strong behind me, he built my arousal even higher than before. My muscles clenched and released while the sounds tumbling from my mouth made me feel wild and free. He was going to make me scream before he finished.

  Oh. God. His. His. His. His.

  Everything I’d ever wanted and hadn’t dared to hope for came to life under the dark Florida sky with nothing but nature and their love surrounding us.

  Another release exploded over me from out of nowhere. Power from the top of my head to the tips of my toes sizzled through me. It didn’t stop there. The spasms continued to an unbearable level. My eyes widened as the crest broke and a loud, ferocious scream erupted.

  “Fuck yes, kitten.” He plunged deep and hard several more times while I convulsed around him.

  Recovery came very slowly after that. The aftershocks alone kept my system firing far longer than it should have. Somewhere in the midst of my mind splintering into a million different thoughts, Alex had eased from my clasp and pulled me into his lap.

  “Jesus H, kitten. You are incredible.”

  I tried to move my aching legs with a huge grin splitting my face. His fingers caressed my bare arms and chest in a soothing pattern that made me feel like the real deal. If he kept that up I’d likely start purring.

  I grasped the lock of my collar and fingered the thick, cool metal. “I can’t believe this is how things turned out. It’s like a fairy tale. If I wake up tomorrow and this is some kind of dream I’m going to be really pissed.

  Alex leaned forward and tweaked my nipple until I gasped. “Nope, not dreaming, you little minx with the magic pussy.”

  I closed my eyes and let the joy and happiness take me over. If he’d let me go through with my plans, I’d be sitting on some beach alone at the moment nursing a broken heart and some unnamed fruity drink guaranteed to make me sick after I drank too many of them.

  Unless my test results had been different…

  Alex pulled me closer and pressed my ear to his heart. “Why are you crying, Harper?” He pressed his lips to my hair.

/>   “I’m sorry. It’s been an eventful day. But thanks to you I’m really really happy.”

  “You wanted to be pregnant, didn’t you?”

  I stiffened in his arms. How was he able to see inside me like that? “I didn’t think I did until I thought it was true. The idea of part of you growing inside me did something weird to my heart.”

  Alex growled. Really growled.

  I pulled back and met his gaze. “Does that bother you?”

  “Fuck no.” He lifted his hips and I got a feel of his hardening cock. “You’re making me hard again.”

  My eyes widened when I got a glimpse of something feral in his gaze. I couldn’t believe his reaction.

  “Don’t look so shocked, baby. It’s a primal thing. And sometimes no amount of education and money can overcome human nature. Are you still taking birth control?”

  I shook my head. “I stopped as soon as I thought I was pregnant.”

  “Good.” He scrambled to his feet and lifted me with him. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

  The moment I did as he asked I felt him nudging at my slippery folds. “Alex, what are you doing?” I gasped.

  “Exactly what I want to.” He pushed inside me. “Haven’t you learned by now that if I can’t get what I want, then I’ll just take it? Right now I’m taking you to bed so we can make our baby.”

  Epilogue

  Harper

  “I cannot believe you didn’t just marry him on the spot. Girl, you need to have your head examined. Have you seen your man? You do not say no to that!”

  I turned and glared at Zia, my best friend and now co-conspirator for the party I was hosting for Alex’s birthday tonight. I knew I was taking a significant risk considering I had not met anyone from Alex’s family other than Ronin, but despite Alex’s adamant demands that it wasn’t time yet, I disagreed.

  “How about we call it temporary insanity and leave it at that,” I laughed knowing full well Zia would not leave it at that. Not after I’d just shared most of my secrets with her.

  Zia looked up from the vegetables she was chopping and even though I was avoiding eye contact, I could feel her looking at me with her I-can’t-believe-you look.

  “What?” I tried to wave her away and failed as she moved closer to my side. “I didn’t say no exactly. I was just shocked. I mean I thought we were on the verge of a break up. I DID tell him I loved him and got nothing but silence after that.”

  Zia shook her head and this time I saw it. “Yeah. You should have known better than that, cara. Men are finicky about such things. If a woman says it first they almost always run.”

  I nodded my head. “It was all his fault though. He is too good at driving me crazy. I definitely lose my head when I’m with him.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” Zia’s words were spoken so quietly I almost missed them. Something about them, though. I had a feeling she wasn’t thinking about me and Alex anymore.

  “Who is he?” I asked, determined to find out what was going on with my friend. God, I was going to miss this when she left.

  Her head jerked up, but I saw a look cross her face instantly before she hid it away. “I was talking about you,” she said.

  “Uh huh. Sure you were. Do I know him?”

  “Seriously, Harper. There is no one in my life right now. If there were, you’d be the first person I’d tell. Besides, I don’t have time for anything complicated right now. When I arrive in Las Vegas tomorrow I have to hit the ground running. My restaurant opening is in less than a month and there are a million things I have to take care of before I’m ready.

  Yeah. Like clear your head of whatever man is currently taking up space. I didn’t say that out loud because I didn’t want to add to her stress. I could see from the tight lines around her mouth and the rigid stance of her spine that poor Zia was worrying about everything.

  I decided to let it go for now. With my best friend leaving town tomorrow for an indeterminate amount of time I didn’t want to spend our last hours pushing at her to talk about something she apparently didn’t want to discuss.

  “So, what do you think I should do?” I asked. “Wait for him to try again?”

  The sudden burst of Zia’s laughter filled Alex’s ginormous kitchen. One of the spaces in his fancy penthouse apartment I’d started to actually make more mine. While I hadn’t officially given up my apartment yet, pretty much most of my things had slowly crept over here. Particularly all the goodies from my kitchen.

  I did miss my butcher block prep space though. Enough so that I often wondered what Alex would say if I suggested switching out some of this exquisite marble for a slice of butcher block.

  “I think you should get your head out of the clouds and take matters into your own hands—For good this time,” she amended. “I mean, how in the world can you expect him to top something as romantic as a deserted tropical island? That’s a lot of pressure.”

  I sliced into another pepper, quickly mincing it as I considered Zia’s suggestion. I was pretty sure I was going to be in a vat of hot water after tonight’s surprise party, not sure I wanted to add anything else on top of that. I was all too aware of the tension between Alex and his family because he disapproved of his mother’s choice of husband.

  But dammit. I didn’t have a family and he did. At some point he was going to have to appreciate that. There had to be a way to have an occasional family get-together while leaving all the dangerous criminal activities out of it.

  “Maybe,” I finally answered. “I guess I should see how tonight goes and then see where I stand. This probably isn’t going to go over really great at first.”

  She paused her chopping knife. “Then why are you doing it? Does meeting his mother mean that much to you? Wait. Never mind. I know the answer to that. You miss yours and you don’t want Alex to take what he has for granted.” Her voice had softened right along with my heart.

  I did miss my mother. Although I couldn’t imagine what she would think of all this. Her life had been hard with no give whatsoever. But maybe if she were still alive, my life with Alex could have been the change she needed.

  “You’ve been back to see Dr. Wilson, haven’t you?” This time Zia put down her knife and crossed over to me. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, clamping my lips together and widening my eyes until the threat of tears passed. I wasn’t usually this much of a crier, but a lot had happened in a short amount of time. Sometimes it overwhelmed me.

  “I’m really good actually. But to answer your question, yes, I have been seeing my therapist again. Everything with Alex is going so well, I just want to keep it that way, you know? He encouraged it actually. But we both agreed that considering the kidnapping, the emotional letdown of not being pregnant and the constant worry that the case with Bill Bennett was going to cause trouble for me—even thought it didn’t since Alex’s lawyers made sure I didn’t have to testify and now it’s over and that bastard gets to rot in jail—well—it just seemed like a good idea. It’s nothing to be freaked out by.”

  Zia wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in with a tight hug. “God, I love you, cara. I can only wish I was as half as well adjusted as you are. I think being in love with a man like Alex suits you perfectly. Although I kind of did want to wring your pretty little neck at first for keeping me in the dark about so much of your life.”

  “I know you did. I even told Gerard to keep an eye out for you. I wish you could have seen his face. He looked kind of freaked about that. I think you scare him.”

  Zia laughed again. We both did and damn if it didn’t feel terrific. If talking things out with an objective third party made everyone this happy, I’d certainly made the right decision.

  “The kidnapping though. Why didn’t you call me when Alex rescued you? And what about Ronin? Any news on him yet? You still think he’s alive?”

  Zia’s sudden barrage of questions gave me pause. There were parts of my ordeal I still didn’t want to face. Namely the outcome for
Ronin. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. Things were a little messed up and you were traveling so much and stressed out about leaving for Vegas. I figured once I got back to work you and I would talk, but then one thing lead to another… As for Ronin, I don’t know what to think. Alex seems confident that he somehow got out, but honestly, I don’t see how. That ship—what happened—it was insane.”

  Zia touched my hand. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up what had to be a traumatic event. I just wish I could have been there for you.”

  I smiled. “You didn’t do anything wrong. And you’re here for me now. I really just don’t know what to do about Ronin. As much as Alex says he hates his stepbrother, I think he might be in denial. Why else would he be so insistent? The boat blew up. Even we barely got out. It might be time for him to face facts.”

  Zia nodded, her fingers squeezing mine. “Whatever happens, it’s not your fault.”

  I lifted my shoulders in a shrug, but the clench in my stomach belied my nonchalance. There were some days I couldn’t get Viktor’s words out of my head. I knew all his references to me as a pawn in Alex and Ronin’s game only referred to the ongoing feud between the two men, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it anyway.

  “If Alex believes his brother is alive maybe we should listen to him. He seems to have pretty good instincts. But why does he hate him so much? I don’t know much more about Ronin Kavanaugh than what I can read in the tabloids, but other than he’s an arrogant pain in the ass, why is Alex so pissed at him?”

  “I—uh—” I wasn’t sure how much I could safely say, but I owed Zia the truth this time. “He’s a—”

  “So, what do we have here?”

  I jumped at the question from behind me and spun around to find Jeremy leaning against the archway into the kitchen. His tall, broad frame filled a lot of space and the air he gave off with his arms crossed over his chest and a half smile formed on his lips was enough to make a woman melt. As for me, I still got a little flustered around Jeremy because it was a little hard to just forget that one night.