Having nothing better to do, and armed with this information, she texted Jackson. She suddenly felt like doing some last minute shopping for her trip.
✽✽✽
Connor paced in his office, going over the proposal for a potential client for the third time that day. He’d put it together over the last three days, and then he’d asked the team for their opinions and recommendations. He owned the company, but his crew had just as much, if not more, experience. They also had their different strengths and he liked getting different perspectives on a project before making his final recommendations.
Some of their notes were good, and he was working on incorporating them into his pitch. He’d bumped up the meeting in order to clear his schedule for Alexandra’s trip.
For the millionth time he questioned the decision to go to London. His concerns over the effect their relationship was having on his objectivity were only growing by the day. That, combined with the fact that he normally didn’t personally handle protectees, and it probably would have been wise to send Jackson and Parker, or maybe Sam and Tom.
But just because he didn’t normally do protection work personally, didn’t mean he wasn’t well qualified. And considering their personal relationship, it would be easiest and most comfortable for her given the social circumstances. It was a wedding, after all.
Och, yer talkin' shite.
He was going because he wanted to, and he knew it. It was selfish and probably daft, but he wanted to take her to the wedding. He wanted to have a week with nothing to do but spend time with her. And he wanted to be the one to keep her safe.
As much as he trusted the guys, it had been hard to leave her with them during the week while he’d been occupied with the other end of the business. It made him edgy. He had to keep himself from texting her twenty times a day just to check in. As it was, he was checking in with her detail more than he should have. Parker was too quiet to complain about much of anything, and Sam was too level-headed to get irritated at something so unimportant.
Jackson, though, had lit into him this morning. He’d been on a tear about something and Connor had called at the wrong time and gotten hell. Jackson had no qualms about telling him the unvarnished truth, even if it would piss him off. It was one of the reasons Connor hired him and part of why he considered him a friend.
His friend had pointed out that if he didn’t trust him to do his job, Connor should either find a replacement or get his arse in gear and do the fecking job himself. And then he’d actually warned Connor not to cock things up with Alexandra. What the feck was that about?
He was trying to refocus on the presentation when his phone chimed.
AH:Playing hooky. Out shopping with Jacks and need your opinion.
AH:Red or black?
Alexandra followed the question with a photo of two different sets of lingerie. Jesus. She wasn’t even wearing them, but he could imagine her in them, and then out of them.
CM:Both. In every color.
AH:Jackson agrees.
Connor had a sudden urge to punch his friend in the throat. Repeatedly.
CM:Jackson can fuck himself. And you can quote me.
AH:So rude…
CM:You have yet to see “rude.” But you will...
Connor scowled and tossed his phone back on his desk and tried to focus on his presentation. That lasted for all of a minute. He cursed under his breath, gathered his papers and shoved them into his bag, along with his laptop.
When Jackson pulled his ridiculous Range Rover into the space behind his Hummer, Connor was waiting on Alexandra’s front stoop. She descended from the vehicle, laughing at something Jackson had said. Her eyes went wide when she stopped him, and he pushed off the railing by her door and gave her a predatory smile.
She tossed her hair and retrieved her bags. By the time they met at the bottom of the stairs, she had composed herself somewhat, but he could see the wariness in her eyes.
Jackson handed Connor her last bag with a smug smile. Connor took it, and punched Jackson right in the gut. Jackson made an “oof” sort of noise, but quickly straightened, smiling.
“Hell mend ye, mate.” Connor shook his head.
“Connor!” Alexandra gasped.
“Don’t fash yourself. Jackson’s a big boy. He’ll be fine.”
Jackson nodded at her. “Just a love tap.” He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but winked at Alexandra as he backed toward the car.
“What was that about?” Alexandra hissed, unlocking the door as he carried her bags up the steps.
“Guy stuff.” Connor grunted.
“More of this macho territorial crap?” Alexandra sighed as she entered the code into the new security system while he locked the door behind them.
“Yup. If ye keep tryin’ to make me jealous, it’ll keep happenin’.”
Alexandra blinked at him, and then blushed. “But you’re so hot when you’re jealous.” She said with a sly smile.
“Is that so?” He asked, dropping the bags. She bit her lip and nodded. He walked toward her, slowly. He wanted her to see it coming and know there was no way to stop it. She’d brought this on herself. Now he had no choice but to remind her who she belonged to. His whole body hummed along to the same tune. Mine.
He carefully placed a hand at the back of her head, the other along her jaw. He tipped her head back, slowly, and she licked her lips in anticipation. He lowered his mouth over hers, just barely brushing her lips with his-- teasing. She moved to kiss him and he moved back, using his hands to keep her still.
“Greedy girl.” He murmured, brushing her lips again. His thumb stroked the smooth skin of her jaw and he inhaled the scent of honey and almonds mixed with a bit of the cool autumn breeze. He fisted his hand into her silky hair, holding her firm.
She made a slight whimper at his steadfast hold, and he searched her face carefully to make sure it was frustration tinged with arousal, and not fear. Her eyes blazed gold, as if lit by some inner fire. No fear, only desire.
He pressed his lips to hers, savoring her sweetness and the soft molding of her lips to his. They groaned in unison when he slipped his tongue past those lush lips and began to ravish her-- claim her. She melted against him, wrapping her arms about his waist and pulling him against her. She wore those sexy heels and her hips aligned perfectly with his. He growled and moved a hand to her ass, grinding her softness against his rock hard erection.
She wore a pencil skirt which had ridden up. The silk of her stockings teased his fingertips as he let his hands roam to her thighs. If he didn’t get a handle on himself he was going to fuck her against the wall, and that wasn’t what he wanted.
He pulled away and the lost expression in her glazed eyes had his cock stirring against his leg.
“Come.” He said gruffly, grabbing her hand and all but hauling her up the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside, he led her to the center of the room near the foot of her bed. He kissed her again, one hand on the small of her back and one on her nape keeping as much of her body pressed against him as possible. He broke the kiss, tugging off his coat and suit jacket.
“Strip for me.” He said softly. She looked at him hesitantly. He held her gaze as he untied his tie and let it drop by his side.
She shrugged out of her coat, letting it slip to the floor. She raised a trembling hand to her blazer and unbuttoned it slowly. That too was soon on the floor. Her white shirt was pristine and buttoned up almost all the way, hiding those lush curves that he knew lay beneath that austere facade.
She unbuttoned the cuffs first, and then untucked the blouse from her skirt. Instead of starting at the top, she began unbuttoning the bottom first, giving him a glimpse of the smooth creamy skin of her stomach. She gained more confidence with each moment, and by the time she reached the buttons just beneath her breasts, a small seductive smile curved her lips.
Connor adjusted himself, allowing her to see how she affected him. Her smile grew and soon she was slipping the crisp white shir
t off her bare shoulders, exposing her nude lace bra. She reached behind her to undo the clasp but he stopped her.
“Let me.” He took her hand and turned her around. Instead of going for the clasp of her bra, he instead tugged down the zipper of her skirt. She turned to face him and pushed it down over her hips, leaning forward enough to offer a tantalizing view of her luscious breasts spilling over the top of her bra.
The skirt fell to the floor and he took her hand to help her step out of it. His jaw clenched at the sight of her in that bra, matching panties and thigh high stockings. God in heaven and all the saints…
“Now the bra.” He said thickly, sitting on the end of the bed. She gave him that secretive smile again as she undid the clasp and let the bra fall down her shoulders to the floor. His mouth watered at the sight of her rosy tipped breasts waiting for his attention. He reached for her and pulled her down onto his lap, a knee on either side of his thighs.
“Such gorgeous breasts.” He murmured, cupping them in his hands and nuzzling the soft skin between them. She giggled a little, such a light sound. It morphed abruptly into a sigh of pleasure when he took her beaded nipple into his mouth and sucked gently. He bathed it with his tongue and she moaned. He nipped it, eliciting a sharp gasp.
He gave the other equal treatment and then began the process again, until she was squirming on his lap, his cock positively leaping with the friction.
He slid her off his lap until she sat on the bed, primly, knees together. “Oh, no. Don’t be shy now.” He chuckled as he knelt on the floor directly in front of her. He put a hand on each knee and gently moved them apart.
“Lean back on your forearms.”
She obeyed and he took a moment to survey the feminine feast laid out in front of him. He hooked his thumbs on either side of her underwear and tugged them down. She lifted her hips to allow him to work them down to her thighs, where he left them. She gave him a puzzled look and he chuckled again.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss gently on her mound. Then he placed sucking, open mouthed kisses on her thighs, her hips, and her belly. She was panting and thrashing by the time he ran a finger between her slick folds.
She was wet and hot and the scent was driving him mad. He put a hand beneath each of her knees and lifted. She startled but didn’t protest. He kept his eyes on her face to gauge her reaction when he bobbed his head between her legs, putting her legs on his shoulders. Her panties were now behind his neck, locking her into place just where he wanted her.
He leaned in and began to lap at her with long broad strokes of his tongue. She tasted so sweet, he could spend hours buried in her. She moaned and rolled her hips and he stopped.
“Hold still, or I stop.” He said quietly. She stilled and her expression was frustrated, surprised, and intensely aroused.
He firmed his tongue and prodded at her, circling her entrance in methodical circles, relishing the way she clenched around him. Her hips were still, but her muscles squeezed and relaxed with his movements. He closed his mouth over her clit and sucked gently and she bucked beneath him. He stopped again and she whimpered in frustration.
He smiled as he flicked her little nub with the tip of his tongue and she struggled to remain still. He closed his mouth around her again giving her teasing little flicks of his tongue between gentle pulls of his lips. Her breathing grew heavy and her muscles grew tense and he knew she was getting close.
He slid his middle finger through her folds, and pressed it into her, slowly, drawing a guttural groan from her. Her hands fisted in his hair, holding him to her more tightly. He loved all the different noises she made for him.
He moved his finger in curling it slightly to reach that place that made her mad with pleasure before withdrawing. He repeated it, increasing the pace incrementally until she was rocking into his mouth, seeking the pressure she needed.
Connor began making small tight circles with his tongue in rhythm with his thrusting fingers until she cried out and convulsed beneath his mouth and hand. He sucked gently at her clit in time with the pulses he could feel, drawing out her orgasm until her muscles relaxed and her shuddering eased.
He continued to lick and stroke, using his free hand to undo his pants and withdraw his aching cock. He squeezed it and began stroking slowly to staunch the pain and his need to claim her until they were both exhausted. Connor had never experienced such raw possessiveness for any woman, but he didn’t want to examine that too closely at the moment.
“Up on your knees. Brace your hands on the headboard.”
She sat up, running her hands through her hair and he wondered at how beautiful she looked, flushed from orgasm, still in her stockings and high heels, her hazel eyes warm and hooded.
Connor stood, offering a hand to steady her as she moved up the bed and put her hands on the headboard. She turned her head to watch him as he stripped out of his shirt. He kept his eyes locked on her face as she watched him disrobe.
Her eyes were hungry, and she licked her lips when her roving gaze landed on his cock, bare and standing at attention. He growled as he toed off his shoes and stripped his underwear, pants and socks in one swift motion. Her eyes would be the death of him if she kept looking at him like that.
He crawled onto the bed until he was behind her. He slid his hands from her hips up her ribs and found the lush curves of her breasts. They filled his hands as he kissed her neck and shoulders. She sighed, shuddered and leaned her head to the side, exposing more of her smooth pale skin.
He feasted on her skin, filling his lungs with the warm sweet scent of her as he kissed and nipped his way from her ear to the ball of her shoulder.
“Connor.” She moaned.
“Shhh.” He soothed. “I’ve got ye, lass.” He trailed his hand down the splendid curve of her waist and slid it forward on her hip, until he found her warm, wet clit. She was still sensitive from her orgasm, and she jumped slightly at the first brush of his fingers. She arched her back, pressing herself against his groin and he slowly, gently stoked the fire inside her back to a blaze.
The muscles in her thighs tightened and she rocked faster against him. She whimpered when he withdrew his hand, and then gasped as she felt him position himself at her core and begin to push.
He seated himself a bare inch inside her and gritted his teeth, trying to savor the warmth and softness of her body stretching around him.
“Ready, love?” He asked through his teeth.
“Yes. God, yes.” She panted.
He slammed home and growled in satisfaction as she squeezed around him. He pulled out, almost completely and then rammed into her again. She cried out, throwing her head back. That show of abandon, that picture of her complete surrender to pleasure tipped him over the edge.
“Arch your back.” He rasped, using his knees to widen her stance. She tilted her pelvis, changing the angle, allowing him to go deeper. He took her with long deep strokes, lost in the feel of her slick heat, and the decadent noises she made as he steadily drove her mad with pleasure.
“Are you mine, Alexandra?” He gritted out.
“Yes.” She moaned.
“Say it.” He growled.
“Yours.”
“Say my name.” He didn’t know why it was important, but suddenly it was. Vitally so. He felt as if he might die if he didn’t hear her saying his name as she came around him. He needed it like he needed his next breath.
He moved faster with his hips and his fingers, applying more pressure to her clit, and adding a roll to his hips as he thrust.
“Yours, Connor.” She cried out, her body tightened like a coiled spring.
“Come for me, love.” He growled.
She exploded with a rush of liquid heat and a high wail of ecstasy. He felt himself ready to break. His baws were heavy and aching. He felt them drawing up, ready to erupt.
“Alexandra.” He choked out, as a rush of pleasure overwhelmed him. He roared with the sensation of spilling himself into her while she was still shudder
ing from the release he’d given her. He gripped her hips and stilled himself inside her, trying to remember how to draw breath as the glory of the moment surrounded him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Alexandra sat soaking in her bathtub, replaying the way Connor had taken her just a little while ago. It puzzled her, and excited her. Sex with Connor had been incendiary every time, but this had been something… more. He’d given her intense pleasure, and taken his own, but he had been commanding, determined… Dominant. The word itself nauseated her. It immediately conjured Lucas and his torture.
But Connor wasn’t like him. She’d been young and very naive then. She’d seen the warning signs but couldn’t recognize them except in hindsight. With the benefit of that knowledge, surely she would be able to spot them now.
Connor had been genuinely kind. Sweet, considerate, funny and caring. He’d been careful not to push her too far. She’d noticed how closely he watched her reactions and she knew it was because he wanted to make sure he wasn’t crossing any of her many, many lines.
No, Connor wasn’t even close to that sadistic bastard. And she’d enjoyed his control-- control that didn’t come from physical restraint or force. She knew she could have said no to any of it, but she hadn’t wanted to. That made all the difference.
It still confused her, but she hadn’t been afraid with Connor. Not for a second. Uncertain, perhaps, but never afraid. She’d never thought she would tolerate, let alone enjoy letting a man take control of a sexual situation. She certainly hadn’t before. Connor was different somehow, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was that made her feel safer with him than any other man she’d ever been with.
After close to an hour of her soaking and thinking, the water was nearly cold. She got out and dried herself quickly before wrapping the towel around herself and venturing out into the bedroom. She stopped short.
Connor was propped against her headboard in just his suit pants, bare feet crossed at the ankle, laptop perched on his thighs. His dark hair was mussed, and she could see the stubble growing along his jaw. His blue eyes were focused, intense, as he glanced between some papers on the bed beside him and the computer screen, his nimble fingers flying over the keyboard.
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