by Alisha Rai
“Just say it.” He stroked harder.
“Please,” she bit out.
He kissed her hard, sucking on her tongue as if he would consume her. His fingers never relented their torture below. “Say it. Say you want my cock.”
“I want your cock. Please.” She gasped when he twisted his hand on the downward thrust and adjusted her so the water hit her clit directly.
“Say you need my cock.”
“I need it. I need your cock so bad.”
His teeth closed on her earlobe and he whispered, “Say you need me.”
Her breath caught. “I need you. I need you.”
“Why? Why do you need me?”
The words slipped past her lips, unable to be contained. “Because I’ve never had anyone as good as you.”
There. She couldn’t regret the words. The fact that she’d said them in the throes of sexual bliss didn’t make them any less true.
As if he’d been spurred, Wyatt removed his fingers and surged up, the displaced water splashing both of them. He slammed the jets off and hoisted her to her feet.
“Please,” she said, unable to stop begging now. “Please fuck me, Wyatt.”
“I want you in my bed.” He helped her out of the tub and spun her around, cursing as his fingers slipped over the wet knot tied at her wrists. There was barely a second for her to shake out her arms before he picked her up off her feet, carrying her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.
She didn’t even notice the cold air on her wet body—the fire in her pussy warmed her all over. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed frantic kisses on his neck and chest. “Please. Please, sir. Please fuck me.”
“Shh.”
Contrary as always, she couldn’t shut up now that he allowed her to. “I want your big, thick cock so badly. You can tie me to your bed and stay inside of me. All day and all night, just fucking me, coming in me.” She bit his neck, tonguing the area to soothe it.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a tempting idea.” He forced her to stand on her wobbly legs, facing the huge king-sized bed. His palm slid up her spine until he grasped the back of her neck.
He exerted pressure, forcing her down until her cheek pressed against the mattress. She was arched over the side of the bed, her ass high in the air. She flattened her hands on either side of her body. A wet chunk of hair slid over her face, tickling her nose.
“Stay,” he said, his voice cold and a little mean.
He left her like that, and she heard the rustle of foil that told her he was donning a condom. She jumped when his hands coasted over her ass cheeks, petting, shaping her flesh. “I love your ass. Your skin is so white.” One hand drew away, and then it was back in a stinging slap. He gave a dark laugh when she cried out. “I think I’d like it even more all pink and hot.” He gave another spank. “Too bad I can’t wait.”
With a grunt, he spun her around. His body came over hers. In the dark, he looked demonic, almost possessed, a marauder, his face a mask of selfishness. He pushed her thighs wide and sank inside her. “Make yourself come if you like,” he said, almost coldly. “This fuck is for me. That’s your punishment for being so difficult.”
And it was for him, she realized, as he began a driving rhythm, his face frozen in a determined expression. But the deep thrusts were perfect for her, detonating a chain reaction in her body. She opened her legs wider, giving him more room. He made a savage sound, grasping her legs beneath her knees and using the grip to open her completely, until her ankles were in the vicinity of her ears. Each stroke rubbed the base of his cock against her clitoris. She whimpered and pinched her nipples. Cursing, he leaned down and bit at the hard buds. The rough nip was just what she needed. She arched her back and came, keening.
“Fuck, yeah. I love the way you milk me,” he growled, his teeth clenched. His words triggered another small climax. The heavy bed moved as he thrust harder, shoving himself in so deep, she wondered how she’d ever dislodge him. He panted into her ear and ground against her, holding her tight as he came. “No one but you, Tatiana. No one.”
No one.
For long minutes there was only silence and the sound of their breathing, exhaustion hanging heavy between them. Finally, he hefted himself up and cursed softly, lowering her legs so they weren’t pressed up in a gymnast’s pose. He rubbed feeling back into her limbs, looking everywhere but her eyes.
She opened her mouth, her natural sassiness struggling to assert itself in the face of the serious mood. “Told you…” Her voice broke. She cleared her throat. “Told you I was flexible.”
His lips quirked, a mockery of his usual smile. “Yeah. You weren’t lying.”
“Yoga,” she rasped.
“Hm. God bless yoga.”
Her grin was shaky. It faded as they stared at each other.
No one.
He pushed himself off the bed. “I’m going to… I’ll be right back.” He staggered to the bathroom, his legs looking about as steady as hers felt.
She lay there, still breathing hard, their combined sweat all over her body. The room wasn’t that warm, the desert night naturally cooling the apartment. She shivered and realized her limbs were splayed wide.
She flushed and sat up, closing her legs and curling them underneath her. The sink ran in the bathroom for a long time, and the door opened, silhouetting Wyatt. He switched off the light, and his large shadow came toward the bed. He sat next to her. A towel dropped over her head, and he patted briskly, drying her still-wet hair.
“Thanks,” she murmured when he pulled the towel away and stroked it over her body, drying off the remnants of water and perspiration.
“No problem.”
So polite. The formal note in his voice was sharply at odds with their nudity. Worry wiggled through her. She didn’t know what the protocol was. It was late. Was she supposed to leave? Were they done with each other? Was sleeping together part of their deal?
He dropped the towel carelessly on the ground and gave a sigh that came from the bottom of his soul. Wyatt reached past her to lift the comforter. “Get in.”
Okay. “So I should stay?”
He looked at her. In the darkness of the room, his eyes were unreadable. “Yeah. You should stay.”
Tatiana swallowed and scrambled over the bed to crawl under the blanket. He slid in next to her. Immediately, his body heat warmed her, and she sought it out, curling into his side. Chilliness plagued her. What she wouldn’t give to have a heater like Wyatt in her bed every night. “The comforter on that side is wet,” she whispered. The mattress too, possibly.
“It’s fine.”
Unable to resist, she rubbed her nose against his pec. He grunted and moved so her legs and arms were tangled up with his, her cold feet and hands finding a natural resting place against his limbs. She breathed in his scent. Drugstore shampoo mixed with boutique bubble bath. So familiar and foreign. Exhaustion tugged at her. “Wyatt?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m…” Happy? Content? Glad?
His large hand passed over her head, pressing her closer to his chest. “Hush.”
Yes. There was no point in talking, not when she wasn’t sure what words she’d say. What words needed to be said.
She fell asleep with the touch of his lips on her forehead.
Wyatt knew she was gone within minutes of waking.
God damn it. She’d worn him out so much he hadn’t even stirred when she slipped away. He hadn’t felt so rested in years, but that was cold comfort. He stared up at the ceiling and listened carefully, straining to hear noises in the kitchen or bathroom that proved him wrong. Nothing.
You set the parameters. You can’t complain now.
Back when they’d broken up as kids, he’d gone on a two-week-long bender. But he was older and wiser, and this wasn’t a seven-year-long relationship that was ending, just a one-night stand that had run its course.
Calling himself a sentimental fool, he swept a hand over the empty sp
ace in his bed where she had snuggled next to him, frowning and sitting up when his hands met paper.
An unassuming file folder rested next to him. He picked it up and read the scrawled writing on the front.
There’s no one like you, either. I’m amazed at who you grew up to be. Thank you.
Thank you? Thank you for what? He cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the sudden lump there and opened the folder. At first he didn’t understand what he was looking at, until he spotted his own signature at the bottom of the worn paper.
Letters. Letters he’d written Tatiana a decade ago. Though she’d been the academic, she preferred the phone. He’d always been the one to write her when or if they had to be apart, something about the method of communication appealing to him. Tatiana had called him a closet romantic, and he’d scoffed.
She had kept these? All these years? Why? What did that mean?
No one like you.
He wasn’t a romantic. Pragmatism was his middle name.
But…maybe there was a tiny kernel of hope blooming in his chest. Bemused, he leaned back against his pillows and began to read the words he’d written long ago.
Chapter Ten
Every minute dragged by as if it had been dipped in molasses. It had only been three hours since Tatiana had left Wyatt sleeping in his bed, and not a second had passed without her trying to come up with a reason to go see him again, and just as many reasons why that was a horrible idea.
He’s not looking for a relationship.
They were so good in bed together.
You came here to help your brother. Even if that’s resolved, that little issue of theft might make family get-togethers weird.
It wasn’t only the sex. There was still something emotional between them. Something that should be teased out.
One night doesn’t mean you know him at all. Not who he is now.
Damn it, she wasn’t a moron.
Even if she did feel like one. Groaning, Tatiana laid her head on the steering wheel. That note. Why had she left that note? And his letters? What had she been hoping to accomplish there, some sort of closure?
A soft curse left her lips. They might have sat abandoned in her closet for years, with only an occasional glance, but she fiercely regretted losing those letters. She blamed their loss on the ooey-gooey sentimentality running through her system this morning. Which, indirectly, could be blamed on Wyatt and the orgasms he had given her. They had addled her mind. That bastard.
She’d been sitting in Ron and his wife’s driveway for a couple of hours. It had been too early when she arrived to knock on the door, but she’d had no place to go.
Last night was a fantasy, a dream best forgotten. Today is reality.
Reality was doing a predawn walk of shame from Wyatt’s bed to the hotel she usually stayed at in Vegas, flushing as the expressionless clerk checked her bedraggled self in.
Reality was showering and leaving said hotel room to come sit in a driveway, because even the modest suite reminded her of Wyatt’s more lavish rooms.
Reality was facing her brother shortly, and lecturing him on the stupidity of embezzling funds.
Reality was not seeing Wyatt anytime in the near future.
Maybe we can have another one-night stand in a decade.
Oh God. So depressing.
Her bag was vibrating. Listlessly, she reached for it, but a tap on the glass made her abandon the quest for her phone. Startled, she sat straight up, glancing out the window to find her brother’s surprised, cherubic face.
When he gestured and gallantly stepped back, she forced a smile and opened the driver’s side door.
“Tatiana?” he said, pleased amazement written all over him. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Hey, Ron.” She stepped out and let her long-lost sibling draw her into a bear hug. Ron was of average size, which meant he was still much larger than her. Though he was in his late twenties and a husband and father, he had a bit of baby fat around his face that brought out all of her protective feelings. She pulled back to smile up into his concerned green eyes. Her eyes.
Ron studied her. “Why did you come out here? You should have called me. Didn’t you understand my text? I worked things out with my boss.”
“Ron… Oh! Tatiana.” Caitlin appeared in the doorway, baby Pete on her hip. Like her husband, the pretty redhead was dressed in pajamas and a faded robe. The strain of the past couple of days had left their mark on the woman’s face and in her bloodshot eyes. “I wondered what was taking Ron so long to get the paper.”
Tatiana smiled at her sister-in-law, but before she could speak, Ron grabbed her arm, all easy affability. “Come in, sis, come in. It’s always good to see you.”
Caitlin stepped back as they entered. “Tatiana, did you drive out here?”
“I flew in yester— I flew in.” No need to explain where she’d been last night.
Ron frowned. “You didn’t have to do that. Everything’s going fine.”
“Yes. Fine.” Caitlin’s tone wasn’t as certain as her husband’s, and she pulled Pete closer to her chest. The four-month-old blew spit bubbles at Tatiana and waved his fist. Tatiana made a face at him, smiling when he did the same. She wasn’t an expert with babies or kids, but she was a fan of this one.
“Come into the kitchen. We were just about to have breakfast.”
It was a short walk to the kitchen. The home was modest, yet pleasant, open and airy. Caitlin arranged Pete in his highchair and gave him a spoon to play with.
“Pete’s still not sleeping in his so-called nursery, so you can have that room, Tatiana.”
“I got a hotel room.”
Ron made a shushing noise. “My sister isn’t staying in a hotel room.”
She gave a faint smile, used to his unthinking generosity.
“Not that we don’t love to see you, Tatiana, but you really didn’t need to fly out,” Caitlin said, her voice soft.
She shrugged and leaned against the counter. “Yes. But I wanted to.” Wanted to help her brother. Wanted to see Wyatt again. So many wants.
“I think Caine’s going to send over the agreement today for me to sign.” Ron cheerfully cracked eggs into a bowl. “The man’s a god. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d pressed charges.”
“You did a really stupid thing, Ron.”
“I know.” He frowned for a moment, his calm mask slipping. “It was wrong of me. Trust me, I don’t ever want to be in this position again.”
“We’re not home free yet. We still have to pay the man back.” Caitlin dragged a hand through her hair.
Her husband shot her a warning look. “I’m going to get two jobs. Don’t you worry. We’ll make it work.”
Tatiana thought of the useless, torn-up check she’d left sitting on Wyatt’s table. “I’ll give you the money.”
Ron scowled. “No.”
Caitlin didn’t protest. But then, Tatiana’d already figured the other woman was the more sensible half of the couple.
“I have the money, Ron. Let me do this for you.”
“I’m not taking a dime from you. That’s not what this relationship is about.”
“This relationship is about family. Family helps each other out.”
“Not a chance.”
“Ron—” Caitlin started.
“No.”
“We can do it as a loan if you like,” Tatiana offered. “You can pay me back.”
“I’d rather be in debt to your sister than some man we don’t know,” Caitlin interjected.
Her brother’s jaw was set. “I did something bad and wrong. I have to pay for it, one way or another.”
“You did it for me. For my family. How do you think that makes me feel?” Caitlin whispered.
Instantly, Ron abandoned the eggs and walked around the counter to pull his wife into a hug. “Stop that. Right now. You and your mom are my family.”
“I won’t stop feeling awful until we’ve paid that man back. You do
n’t know how filled with guilt I am. Please, Ron. We don’t have room for pride right now.”
Ron’s jaw worked, and he looked at Tatiana. “I’ll demand the same plan I worked out with Caine. Interest and everything.”
She nodded, relieved that a lecture wouldn’t be necessary. Her brother might have done something stupid, but at least he was trying to man up and be an adult. “Sure. Whatever you want. Pay him back in the installments you agreed upon, though, so he doesn’t think you stole the money from someplace else.” Or more accurately, so Wyatt didn’t realize she’d fronted her brother the money he’d refused to take directly from her.
“That’s smart.” He looked down at his wife and smiled tenderly. “See? No need to worry anymore.”
The woman sniffled. “Thank you so much, Tatiana. And I swear, I’ll get a job too, and we will pay you back as quickly as we possibly can. As long as I don’t have to keep worrying about us defaulting and Ron being sent to jail, I can actually get some sleep at night.”
“Wyatt wouldn’t send Ron to jail.” Not now that Wyatt knew they were related. Maybe. Probably.
Caitlin wiped at her eyes. “You can’t know that. You don’t know him.”
Oops. “Um. Yeah.”
Ron didn’t appear to have heard her slip. “He’s been surprisingly decent. Furious at first, of course, and he let me sweat things out for a while, but that offer from him was more than I deserved.”
“He seemed like such a tough boss,” Caitlin mused. “We were both so stunned when he called yesterday.”
“He was a tough boss,” Ron answered. “I’m guessing the deal is partly to keep a lid on publicity. Though he said he was only making an exception for me because we had a mutual friend.”
Tatiana froze. She straightened. “What was that he said?”
Ron glanced at her. “He said that he thought I had learned my lesson. And he was cutting me some slack because we have a mutual friend he thought very highly of.”
No. It couldn’t be. “Do you know who the friend is?”
“No idea. It’s not like we move in the same circles. I suppose it could be someone else who works at the casino, but he doesn’t exactly socialize with the people on the floor.”
