by T. K. Leigh
“Morning, beautiful,” Cam crooned, sitting on the foot of the bed and staring at Olivia’s resting body. “Sleep well?”
Olivia stretched. “Yeah,” she croaked. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you yesterday. I was exhausted.”
He grinned. “That was Sunday. It’s Tuesday.”
She shot up. “It is? Fuck! Nepenthe! He needs to be fed.” She jumped out of bed, scrambling to pack her things and get back home.
“Relax, Libby. I found your keys and made sure he had food.” He smiled, watching her frantically run around the room wearing just a pair of boy shorts and tank top.
She stopped abruptly, turning to look at him. “You did?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to wake you up. It looked like you needed sleep. Of course, every few hours or so you’d wake up and stumble into the bathroom, then stumble back to bed. I didn’t know if you were ever going to wake up. I tried to get you to eat, but you could barely open your eyes.” Olivia’s stomach grumbled loud enough for Cam to hear. “Get ready. I’ll take you out for breakfast and then back to your place, okay?”
“I’m sorry, Cam. I’ve made you miss work. I’m the worst friend.”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, Libby. You needed me. I’d be a worse friend if I ditched you for my job.” He walked out of the room to let Olivia get ready in private, grabbing his cell phone and sending a quick text message to his new friend.
A few hours later, after a nice relaxing breakfast, Cam pulled up in front of Olivia’s cottage. Grabbing her bag, he ran around to the passenger side of the Jeep, helping her out and handing her bag to her.
“Thank you. For everything.” She planted a kiss on his cheek before walking across the sandy road abutting the coastline toward her house, her eyes settling on a figure standing on the deck. Her chin quivered and she spun around, heading back toward the Jeep.
“Libby,” Cam said, glaring down at her.
“No. Take me back to your place. I can’t…”
Cam clutched her hands in his. “Libby, look at me.” She slowly raised her gaze, meeting his kind eyes, the sun reflecting in them and making them sparkle. “Just listen to what he has to say.”
Olivia visibly shook. “I don’t think I can. I’m not…”
“Yes, you are, Libby. You’re stronger than you think you are. I’d never make you do something if I didn’t think you could handle it. You can do this. Go. He flew all this way to see you. At first, I wanted to kill him for how he hurt you, but then we talked yesterday over a few drinks and he explained everything to me. Just talk to him. And then, if you want, you can drive back over to my place, okay?”
She took a deep breath and nodded as Cam brushed that same errant curl behind her ear. “Good girl.” He planted a kiss on her forehead and watched as she walked toward her house. At that moment, he knew he would probably never see her again.
Olivia slowly crossed the narrow beach road back to her front deck, her heart beating loudly in her chest. Walking up the steps to her deck, her eyes met Alexander’s, his green eyes empty, the usual vibrancy gone.
“Hi,” she said sheepishly as she made her way to the front door, noticing the mark from when Cam had to kick it in. She shuddered at the memory, hoping that she would be strong enough to survive the impending conversation.
“Can I come in?” Alexander asked softly, approaching Olivia from behind.
Her body overheated from the proximity of him. A tear fell down her cheek as she thought how unfair life was.
“Shouldn’t you be with your wife, Alex?” she asked, turning around after unlocking the door.
“Please, Olivia. Let me in. I just want to talk to you. If you don’t like what I have to say, I promise I’ll never show up on your doorstep again. Please. Give me five minutes.”
Olivia exhaled, opening the door and walking through the living room, Alexander following.
He surveyed her house and noticed a piano in the guest room. “Here, come with me,” he said, grabbing her hands. He led her toward the piano and sat down at the bench, patting the seat next to him.
Sighing, she sat down beside him, their arms and shoulders touching, making her entire body tremble. Not with excitement. Not with fear. It was something far more devastating. She trembled with the excruciating pain of complete heartache and loss.
“Play it again, Olivia,” he whispered into her ear, his breath hot on her neck.
Olivia shook her head, unsure what he was talking about.
“The song you played the other night. I beg you. Play it again.”
Her eyes flung open, wide with curiosity and fear. She didn’t know if she could torture herself like that again.
“Please, Olivia.”
Inhaling deeply, she placed her shaky hands on the piano, playing the opening chords of the very song that she sang just a few nights beforehand in her last attempt to win Alexander back, pouring her entire soul into the notes and lyrics. Memories of that night came flooding back as she sang, her eyes boring holes into Alexander’s, tears flowing down both of their faces.
Sobs wracked through her body as she sang the chorus, begging for another chance…a chance that she never got.
Alexander stared into her eyes as she struggled to get through the words. He knew he messed up. He was such a fool to think he could forget her. He never forgot about her during those twenty-plus years he thought she was dead. His heart belonged to her and he needed her in his life. Her soft plea nearly tore him apart.
He grabbed Olivia’s hands in his, cutting the song short. “Smile, love. It’s the second best thing you can do with those beautiful lips of yours.”
Before Olivia knew what was happening, Alexander crushed his lips to hers, pulling her body against his own.
For a brief moment, they were the only two people in the universe that mattered. They poured all the emotions that they felt over the past several months into that kiss. It was desperate and passionate and, no matter how much they devoured each other’s mouths, it wasn’t nearly as deep as they wanted or needed.
After several long, intense moments, Alexander pulled back, gasping for air. “I never had a chance with you, Olivia,” he whispered against her neck. “It’s you. It’s only ever been you.”
“What about Chelsea?” she asked, confused about what happened.
Brushing a tear from her eye, Alexander cupped her cheek in his hand. “I couldn’t do it. I was such an idiot to keep pushing you away. You’re the only woman for me. No one else has ever compared to you. Please, Olivia. Forgive me for being such an ignorant ass. I’ll do anything. Name it and it’s yours. Just, please, don’t make me go through life without you in it. I need you. I…”
Olivia pressed her lips to his, not letting him finish his thought. Alexander groaned, running his hands all over her frail body as he told her with his mouth just what she meant to him.
He pulled back, catching his breath. “Bedroom?”
“Upstairs,” she responded, panting.
Alexander scooped her in his arms and carried her up the short flight of stairs and into her bedroom. Placing her gently on the bed, he slowly shrugged out of his jacket, followed by his t-shirt and jeans as Olivia watched, her eyes intense. Lowering himself back down on the bed, he hovered over her body and planted soft kisses on her neck, savoring the sweet smell of her vanilla body wash and a scent that could only be categorized as Olivia’s natural essence.
She moaned as Alexander trailed his mouth down her collarbone, fumbling to remove her shirt. As he lifted it over her head, he looked down at her body.
“Olivia,” he said in an almost horrified voice as he took in the sight of her ribs poking through. A tear fell down as he returned his mouth to hers. “I’m so sorry I did this to you. I’ll make it up to you. Just tell me what to do to make it right.”
Sobs shook her body from the closeness of Alexander to her again. She couldn’t remember ever being so happy in her entire life. “Please, Alex. I want to feel again. Let
me feel you.”
He groaned, nipping Olivia’s neck as he slowly slid her shorts down, tossing them to the side before taking off his own boxer briefs. Running his hands up and down her body, he positioned himself between her legs.
“Please, Alex. Make me feel again,” she sobbed out, the closeness of his erection to her apex was overwhelming. Slowly, he entered her, filling her.
“Do you feel that?” Alexander asked sweetly as he lowered his body on top of her, leaning on his elbows, worried that he would crush her.
“Yes, Alex,” Olivia cried out. “I feel it. Don’t stop.” Running her hands up and down his back, she gasped at the absolutely complete feeling she had as Alexander slowly moved in and out of her.
“Don’t ever leave me again, love,” he grunted. “There’s no one else for me. Only you. You’re my Eve. Always and forever.”
Olivia sobbed at his sweet words, wrapping her legs around his waist, not wanting any space between their bodies. His motions were slow and deliberate, and for the first time that she could remember, that’s what she wanted and needed.
“God, I missed you, Olivia,” he said, his eyes searing holes into hers. She reached up and grabbed his head, forcing his lips against hers. She thrust her tongue inside his mouth as she continued moving her hips with the tempo that he set.
“Alex,” she whimpered into his mouth as her body climbed higher and higher.
“Yes, love,” he exhaled.
Olivia’s body was on fire. She had never felt so much pleasure from Alexander before. There was something so different about having sex with him at that moment. For the first time, it was so much more than sex, and it didn’t scare her anymore because Alexander was someone worth facing her fears for.
She closed her eyes, fighting against her impending orgasm, not wanting to finish so quickly. She was feeling, and she wanted to keep feeling. She never wanted to turn it off again.
“Open your eyes, Olivia,” he demanded.
She smiled, following his command. She relished the dominating side of Alexander.
He leaned down and feathered kisses against her neck. “I want to see your eyes when I make you come,” he said, reminding Olivia of the very first orgasm she ever had at his hands. The happy memory was all too much and she exploded around him, her orgasm shaking her entire body, surprising her.
“Olivia,” Alexander moaned out as she continued convulsing underneath him. A big smile spread across his face. He loved watching her as she shuddered from an orgasm that only he could give her. Maintaining a steady rhythm, he released into her seconds later, savoring the feel of her body so close to his once again. This was right. This was home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
HOME
“PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS,” Alexander said a week later as they flew north in his Gulfstream. They had spent the last week locked in a suite at the Ritz, neither one wanting to leave the other’s side for too long. Over that week, they made up for lost time. Alexander was happy to keep Olivia in Florida a little bit longer. He was worried about taking her back to Boston. There were still unanswered questions and unknown threats to her safety, but they couldn’t stay in Florida forever.
“I just feel bad that I didn’t get to thank Cam for…” She stopped short, wondering how much Alexander knew about what had gone on.
He reached across the seat and clutched Olivia’s hand. “It’s probably best this way.” There was a loud silence in the air. “He told me everything,” Alexander said quietly.
Olivia looked up. “You mean…” She trailed off.
He nodded his head slowly, a tear falling down his cheek. “I could have lost you. That will never happen again, Olivia. I will always look out for you. You don’t ever have to worry about me leaving you because it will not happen. I swear to you.”
She looked into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to numb everything, turn it all off because it hurt too much. I didn’t want to feel anymore, and it was the only way I knew how.”
Alexander wrapped his arms around her, bringing her body close to his. “Don’t ever do that again,” he said forcefully, gently nipping on her neck. “I want you to feel. I want you to feel me every fucking day.”
She moaned from his words and his tongue drawing circles against her warm skin.
“I can’t get enough of you, Olivia,” he said before bringing his lips to hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She pressed her body against his, but no matter how close she was to him, it wasn’t close enough. Running her fingers through his hair, she deepened the kiss, not caring that Alexander’s flight attendant could walk in at any moment.
He pulled out of the kiss, panting. “Jesus, Olivia. You drive me fucking wild.” He stood up, pulling her up with him, and walked toward the back of his plane, opening a door.
Her jaw dropped, shocked to see a bedroom. She glanced at Alexander. “Is there a reason you have a bedroom on your plane, Mr. Burnham?” she asked sweetly, grabbing his tie and dragging him flush with her body.
“No reason,” he replied nonchalantly. “But I’m pretty fucking glad I have it now.” He pressed his lips against hers, picking her up and wrapping her long legs around his midsection, pressing her back against the door. “But I’m not so sure I want to fuck you in that bed. I want you here, and I want it rough. Do you want that?” he asked forcefully.
Olivia moaned, loving the feeling of Alexander’s erection between her legs again. She didn’t think she would ever tire of feeling his body so close to hers.
“Tell me you want that, Olivia. Tell me right now that you want me to fuck you against the wall.” He continued thrusting against her, nuzzling her neck, nibbling on her earlobe. “Say it,” he ordered.
“Yes, Alexander,” she responded finally. “I want you to fuck me against this wall.”
A smile spread across his face as he looked down at her, panting. “I love it when you say shit like that. Do you have any idea what a turn on that is?”
She lowered her legs to the floor and glanced down at his pants. “I have a pretty good idea, Mr. Burnham,” she replied coyly.
He glared at her, her heart racing from the intense stare he was giving her. “Are you trying to be funny, Olivia?”
She swallowed hard, thinking how every time she was with him, she never knew which version of him would be present in the bedroom. And she loved it. “No, Mr. Burnham,” she replied quietly.
“Good. Now, take off your dress, Olivia. We’ll be starting our initial descent soon, and I want you good and fucked when you walk off this plane.”
Olivia felt moisture pool between her legs at his words, a grin spreading across her face as she quickly removed her dress, bending down to unzip the same knee-length black boots she wore that snowy day back in January when she confronted Alexander in his office. The boots that she hoped would change everything.
“Oh no, Miss Adler. The boots stay on,” he said.
Olivia straightened up, keeping her boots in place. Alexander swiftly removed his clothes and stood back to admire Olivia in her pink lace bra with matching panties and, of course, the boots.
“Fuck, Olivia…”
She grinned as she lowered her eyes to his erection, noticing it grow even harder under her intense stare.
He rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her passionately. She pressed her body against his, thrusting against his erection, savoring the closeness of him. At that moment, she knew she would never run again.
He swiftly lowered her panties down her legs and over her boots. Lifting her up, he rubbed his arousal against her swollen clit. “You’re always so wet, aren’t you?” he asked with a smirk on his face.
“Yes,” she exhaled, her heart racing as Alexander continued teasing her with his erection. She was ready to come from that contact alone.
“I’m the only one who can make you wet like this, Olivia,” he growled. “I’ve barely even fucking touched you and you’re ready to come, aren�
�t you?”
Olivia stared at him. How does he know that? she thought.
“I know your body better than you think I do,” he whispered against her neck, entering her. Olivia moaned as he picked up his pace. She moved against him, wanting him to just crawl inside of her and never leave.
She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of Alexander’s body pressed against hers as he thrust into her, slamming her repeatedly against the wall. Her breathing became erratic as she thought how no one had ever satisfied her the way Alexander always did. She was never left wanting. “Faster, Alex,” she begged.
“You want it faster?” He leaned down, his voice husky in her ear. “You like it like this, don’t you? You like it hard…and fast…” He picked up the pace, pushing further and further into Olivia. “God, I love fucking you, Olivia.”
She moaned, throwing her head back.
“Do you love it when I fuck you like this?” He drove harder and harder into her, wanting to savor the feeling of her around his erection but knowing that he was about to explode. Olivia opened her eyes, looking at Alexander’s blazing green ones, his forehead dripping with sweat as he continued moving inside of her.
“Just fucking say it, Olivia, or I’ll pull out before you can come. I know it’s true. I know you like it hard and fast, and that I’m the only one who can make you feel like this.” He pressed his mouth against hers, kissing her with such passion.
Olivia’s body convulsed around his, her vision becoming fuzzy from the waves of pleasure overtaking her entire being. She screamed out Alexander’s name as her body trembled against his. “Yes, Alexander,” she said, finally finding her voice. “You’re the only one…”
A smile crept across his face as he continued pumping into her. “Damn straight I am. And you’re the only one for me, love,” he said before moaning out her name, finding his own release, relishing in the feeling of her body still shaking around his. When the last of his tremors ceased, he pulled back, staring down at Olivia. “Don’t ever leave me again,” he said, his voice pleading with her. “I don’t ever want to be the person I was without you in my life. Okay? Please. Promise me. Promise you won’t run again.”
