Chapter 19
Cora
Saar
Are you alive?
Celeste
I stopped by the bistro but it’s closed.
Lily
Jesus, go check on her at home.
Chill. I’ve been sick and took a few days off.
Saar
I didn’t know it was that serious when you canceled the date. Can I get you anything?
Celeste
Do you want me to come?
You don’t need my germs. I’m fine. I have everything I need. I promise.
“Xander,” I scream for the third time. My legs quiver, my pussy clenches, my mind is wiped blank.
With my legs wrapped around his waist, I tilt my head back and close my eyes. The water streams down my face, its warmth in contrast with the cold tiles of my shower.
The man has stamina. I give him that. And he is strong as fuck. How he manages to hold me and pump into me at the same time is beyond me.
Yet here we are, and the handsome devil chases his release and looks like a god of sex. On his face are only desire and bliss, no exertion.
I guess he’s my fiancé now. Jesus. I’m really doing this, am I not? Though at the moment, satiated to the brim, my system flooded with happy hormones, I am probably the happiest bride-to-be in the world.
There is a small part of me that the orgasm-induced bliss hasn’t reached yet. That part keeps reminding me that this will lead to heartbreak. Because we might have negotiated the conditions, but this is not a business arrangement.
This is a relationship.
Physical only.
But still a relationship.
And even that part isn’t completely true, because if it was only physical, Xander wouldn’t show up in all the ways he did.
He took a Cinderella to the ball and never let go. He pampered me with massages and a facial when he saw how tired I was.
He didn’t want me to be alone on my birthday.
The way he showed up for me when I got sick.
The man sold his freaking bike.
When I close my eyes and only feel his body flush against mine right now… his muscles straining under my fingertips on the background of his thrusts and my moans, I allow myself to fantasize that this weird union can somehow work.
But I remind myself it’s only temporary. He will get his deal, and he will move on. Get a few more years of fun under his belt and then settle down with a woman his own age and start a family.
And me? I will hopefully be able to remember this as an exciting affair. One that helped me get out of the shell I grew around myself post-Ethan.
“Fuuuuuck,” Xander roars, his cock twitching inside me.
It’s a heady feeling to see him undone like that. And apparently, there is no justice when it comes to him; even his orgasm face is pretty.
He bows his head to my neck, panting before he lowers me with care. Cupping my face, he seizes my lips, his tongue exploring gently.
It’s no surprise he knows what he’s doing, his reputation preceding him. And yet his attention is overwhelming and unexpected.
Xander Stone is a generous lover.
He puts me first. And he fucking clearly draws satisfaction from it. It’s addictive. And an addiction is the last thing I need with this man.
That first orgasm rammed through me on a wave of emotions that brought tears. I expected him to run away. Who wants a crying woman in his—technically my—bed? Instead, he kissed my feelings away, without ridiculing me.
If he keeps it up… Just stop thinking, Cora.
“You’re gorgeous when you’ve just been fucked.” He pivots me away from the shower stream.
I laugh. “As romantic as ever.”
Xander lathers his hands and starts washing me. “I might not be a poet, but the fact remains…” He soaps up my back, his touch gentle and attentive. “This back is a piece of art. These tits…” He steps closer and washes my chest, his fingers flicking over my nipples. I arch into him.
“They are masterpieces.” He moves his hands down to my hips and ass, lathering my skin. “Works of beauty.”
It’s the reverence in his voice that breaks me. I swallow around the lump in my throat, hoping the tears will stay hidden this time. I really don’t want to cry from sheer joy twice in front of him.
“And this pussy…” He sinks to his knees and kisses me between my legs before he looks up at me.
The sight is striking. Xander Stone worships with his entire being, and I’m the lucky object of his affection. Pure bliss.
I swallow again.
“This pussy is the holy fucking grail.” He slaps my ass gently, winking as he stands up and starts washing himself.
And just like that, he’s played every one of my strings—pulling until I am taut—only to ease the tension with a well-timed tease, lifting the heaviness like he knew exactly when I needed some air.
I squirt some body wash into my hands and lather his chest. “Let me.”
My hands roam over his skin, and if I’m honest, it’s for my benefit as much as his. The bulges and valleys of his body are a study in contrast—hard muscle beneath smooth, heated skin.
Every inch of him feels sculpted, carved from determination and ego, and just enough recklessness to make it thrilling.
He’s solid in a way that makes me feel unsteady. My fingers trace the deep line between his pecs, slide down over his abs, and I swear his skin pulses beneath my touch.
He’s all tension and heat and restrained power. Like something barely leashed. And yet he’s letting me touch him like this—slowly, reverently—as if he’s mine to explore.
And maybe that’s the most dangerous part.
“Careful there, Coraline, that was our last condom,” he rasps, raking his fingers through my hair and pulling me in for a kiss.
I hum into his mouth. “I guess we will have to go buy more.”
He squeezes my ass. “Go?”
“Yes, I need to get some nasal spray, or we won’t be able to use those condoms. I can barely breathe.” I turn the water off.
Xander reaches for a towel and hits his elbow. “This shower is the worst offense to humanity. This whole closet of a bathroom is.”
He dries my skin, wrapping me in the towel.
“You’re so spoiled.” I roll my eyes.
He turns, and half of the things on a shelf by the shower tumble to the ground, mocking me. Xander says nothing, just looks at me, deadpan.
“You paid them to do that.” I pout.
He leans to pick up the scattered tubes and bottles and drops them into the sink.
“Let me put them back.” I reach, but he grabs my hand and pivots me to him.
“Later.” He kisses me, reaching for my robe on the door at the same time.
Okay, this is a tiny bathroom, and it feels even smaller with Xander here.
He drapes the soft fabric over my shoulders.
“I can put on my robe,” I croak, the steamy room filled with emotions.
“I know.” He kisses my forehead.
I swallow… This man’s natural attention, this gentle thoughtfulness, is unraveling me.
“You’re still recovering. You need to rest.”
His concern is my undoing, but I can’t let him affect me like this, taking me apart. “Keep dreaming, young man; you will fuck me until I can’t walk.”
He laughs. “Your wish is my command. Let’s order everything we need.”
“What we need is to get out of here for a bit.”
I don’t tell him I need an opportunity to assess whether his effect on me finds reason during non-bedroom-related activities.
Also, I imagine there will be many occasions in Xander’s world in my future, so it wouldn’t hurt to take him for a test drive into my mundane world.
“I don’t see why,” he grumbles.
He towel-dries his hair. It’s sticking out in all directions, but with his boyish grin, he still looks like a model.
“To buy you a toothbrush.” I ogle him as he leans against the counter, not bothering to cover any part of himself.
“Am I moving in, Coraline?” He smirks.
I laugh, but then I realize that’s a valid point. “Shit, where are we going to live?”
Picking up my hairbrush, I try to untangle my hair.
“Let me.” He takes the brush and starts gently brushing the ends of my hair.
My poor heart.
“You have to stop taking care of me like this,” I protest while I lean into him.
He lifts his gaze, and our eyes meet in the mirror. “You didn’t seem to complain when I was taking care of you with my tongue between your legs.”
To make his point, he snakes his hand around me and cups me roughly between my thighs. I gasp, despite enjoying the gesture.
It’s the ease he brings into this that is… just perfect. There is no awkwardness, no hesitation, no second-guessing on his part, and it overflows into the energy between us.
God, I could get used to this.
God, I can’t get used to this.
“Here is the thing, darling fiancée.” He massages my clit, and I kind of forget what we’re talking about. “You can’t pick and choose what attention I’m allowed to give you. It’s all or nothing.”
“You promised to do only what I consent to,” I breathe, referencing our earlier conversation.
That was a revealing moment for me. Ethan had never gone down on me. And he told me I was shit at giving head. That pretty much buried the idea of oral for me. Until this man.
He removes his hand, leaving me breathless and needy while he casually returns to combing my hair.
“I will honor that promise.” With his skilled fingers, he returns to my clit and draws another moan out of me. “But I’m sure you’ll consent to everything. So yeah…” He flicks my clit, driving me crazy. “All or nothing, Coraline.” His breath fans my skin.
Something tells me all or nothing in Xander Stone’s world is something I have no reference for. Hurricane. Tsunami. Earthquake.
Life-threatening.
Unavoidable.
Out of my control.
And yet I jump into the experience willingly.
“When was the last time you were in a drugstore?” I bite my lip.
“High school,” Xander answers casually, not looking at me. He picks up a box of cereal, turns it over, and frowns at the label. “Maybe college. We were going through a lot of condoms with Cal.”
“You went to school with Celeste’s husband?”
“Yep. This thing is poison in a pretty box.” He puts the cereal back on the shelf.
“For some, it’s a cheap source of energy, often the only source.”
He frowns and glances at the box again. “I never thought of it like that.” Then he shakes his head. “Scratch that; I never thought about those kinds of struggles.”