Chapter 8
Christmas cameand I never even put up a tree. No surprise there. My home hadn’t seen any kind of Christmas decoration since Peter died. The holiday was simply meaningless to me anymore. Why should it? No family, no one to share it with. My alarm woke me up at five a.m. because I had volunteered at a local soup kitchen to help since there was nothing else for me to do. I thought I’d put my time to good use.
Later, Terri stopped by on the way to her parents’ house. She’d invited me to go with her, but I declined. Christmas was family time, and since I wasn’t part of her family, I’d feel like an intruder. She disagreed but it didn’t change my mind. We exchanged presents. I bought her a really cool silver cuff that I’d saved up for. She took one look at it, and I knew it had been the perfect choice. Her eyes lit up like the tree I didn’t have. She bought me a new purse that I’d been dying to get. We hugged each other and I thought of how she was my only family. My eyes teared up, but I blinked them away. My parents didn’t send gifts to me. They still blamed me for Peter’s death. They were right. It had been my fault. All communications between us had ceased since the accident. My sister never called either, even though we’d been super close. So much for my family.
After Terri left, I walked over to Lisbeth’s. The entire Rutledge clan would be there later. I wanted to make sure there weren’t any last-minute things that had to be done. The table was set for dinner and her housekeeper would come to help with the meal. I’d come back later to clean up. She wanted me to eat with them but there was no way that would happen. I was entirely out of my element with her family. They treated me well, but square peg, round hole and all.
I had a little something for her too. I had found a pretty scarf, and I knew she loved those. Gift buying always stumped me, especially when the recipient was someone like Lisbeth. She oohed and aahed when she opened it. I guess she liked it. Then she handed me my gift, which was a small box which I opened and inside was a key fob for a car. My brows lifted because I wasn’t sure about this. “What is this?”
She grinned. “It’s a key to a car. Why don’t you take a look out front in the driveway?”
I walked to the front door and sitting in the driveway was a brand-new Toyota Highlander. “Have you lost your mind because this is insane?”
“Well, I’ve been called a lot of things, but never that.”
“You can’t give me a brand-new car.”
“I most certainly can, and just did. Here are the title, registration, and all the papers you need.” She handed me a folder containing the documents.
My head shook. “I … I can’t possibly accept this gift.”
“You can and you will, or you will vacate this property immediately.”
My mouth formed a gigantic O. She was serious. I was shocked. She couldn’t give me this car. She just couldn’t. I stood there dazed.
“Listen to me, Alexia Wells Hammond. It’s about time you let me do something nice for you. I have money. Lots of it. It’s sitting in the bank or wherever the stuff sits, gathering dust, and making more and more money. I can’t possibly spend it all. I’m going to die soon and leave my children and grandchildren enough money they won’t know what to do with. Take the car and just say, ‘Thank you, Lisbeth, I love it.’ Make me a happy woman.”
I laughed so hard my sides hurt. “Thank you, Lisbeth, I love it. But can I go look at it?”
“Honey, you can drive it all day long if you want. But be back here at five to help with this mess, will you?”
I hugged her hard and shot out the door, laughing. The SUV was a silver beauty. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d never owned a new car in my life. Honestly, I never owned a car that didn’t break down all the time and was reliable and safe. Even the car that Peter owned … well, I just wasn’t going to think about that today. Nothing was going to spoil the Christmas of my brand-new set of wheels!
I drove around the Charleston peninsula, over the Ravenel Bridge across the Cooper River, and I crossed the Intracoastal Waterway on the Isle of Palms Connector. Then I made my way down Palm Boulevard, across Breach Inlet and onto Sullivan’s Island. I meandered around until I hit the lighthouse. Turning around, I drove past Poe’s Tavern and Home Team and headed back to Mount Pleasant via the Ben Sawyer Bridge. I soon found myself heading back into downtown Charleston. I turned into my driveway and then it hit me. I was happy and in L-O-V-E! I loved my new car.
“Woohoo! I love my new car,” I yelled as I jumped out.
I ran into my carriage house, super excited and hopping around like an idiot. I was so psyched I didn’t even notice my phone was ringing at first. I dug in my pocket and answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“Merry Christmas!” I shouted into the phone.
“Merry Christmas back to you. Sounds like Santa was good to someone I know.”
My belly immediately dove into a forward two and a half in the pike position and headed straight to my toes. It was Pearce. I’d recognize that sexy voice anywhere. I forced myself into a quick recovery and said, “He sure was. How about you?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On your answer.”
“Oh. Well, ask your question, then.” I was uncharacteristically happy, and there wasn’t anything he could ask that would spoil my mood.
“Can I see you tonight?”
“Yes!” Double holy hell! I just agreed to see him!
“R-really?” he stuttered. Pretty sure I just shocked him with my answer. I was excited with my new car that I was feeling very magnanimous.
“Yep, but I promised to help clean up after Lisbeth’s dinner. They’re supposed to finish at five. What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll come and pick you up at seven. Will that work?”
“Sure, that should be fine. What are we doing?”
“Christmas, silly. My place. Casual attire. Jeans are fine.”
“Um, Pearce?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t get you anything.”
“Good. I didn’t get you anything either. See you tonight.”
* * *
It wasfive before I knew it and I walked over to the main house. The whole clan was scattered everywhere, and I didn’t want to make a grand entrance. Slipping in the back door, I went straight to the kitchen to start cleaning up. The dinner had been elaborate, which made for plenty of leftovers. I put all the uneaten food away in containers and stacked them in the refrigerator. Then I loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. Of course, they used silver, which I hand-washed along with the delicate crystal. I was finishing up when Lisbeth came into the kitchen.
“You’ve been a busy bee, honey.”
Smiling, I said, “It looks like you all had a good time.”
“We sure did. Please take some food with you.”
I wouldn’t pass that up for anything. Prime rib, mashed potatoes, gravy, and the works. “I’ll come and pick some up tomorrow. I have a date at seven, so I have to go.”
“A date? With whom?” Her expression told me I was going nowhere until she got an answer.
“Pearce Middleton.”
“Well, I’ll be! You go and pretty yourself up, though you don’t need any prettying up. Have fun, but I expect a full accounting tomorrow, missy!” She crossed her arms, and whenever she did that, she meant business.
“Yes, ma’am,” I shouted as I headed out the back.
Once I got home, I threw on a pair of jeans and my pretty bright green flowy sweater. Then I added black boots and a bit of blush to my cheeks. That was about it for makeup. Ever since my night with Fred and Barney, I’d thrown out the mascara tube. The thought of putting that sticky goop on my eyes made me itch. I quickly brushed my teeth and ran some gloss over my lips. Earrings and a bracelet completed my ensemble. I was ready for Smoky Eyes. Okay, not really, but I was dressed anyway.
At seven on the nose, my doorbell rang and there he stood. He held a piece of mistletoe over his head and had a sheepish grin on his face. I couldn’t help the eye roll, so I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“That won’t do,” he said, his voice sending shivers down my spine.
He put his arms around me and hugged my body close to his. His eyes caught mine and the question was there whether it was okay to continue. I nodded, holding my breath.
He bent his head and his lips touched mine, lightly, hesitantly at first. But then a spark lit between us, as my fingers tangled in the wavy hair on the nape of his neck. I kissed him back, and just as I had imagined, the man could kiss. I was a goner for sure.
Soft, yet firm lips overtook mine. Pearce knew his way around a girl’s mouth. As I relaxed, his tongue peeked out and softly swept over the curve of my lower lip. He took it between his teeth and gently nibbled on it. Then he sucked it into his mouth. His tongue continued its sexy exploration, tasting all the hidden secrets of my mouth. I melted, my body sagging against his.
He finally lifted his head and said in that beautiful voice of his, “Merry Christmas, Alexia. You make the most unbelievably sexy noises when I kiss you.”
My tongue froze as I was unable to utter a word. He ran the back of his finger across my cheek and smiled. The desire to touch every single inch of his body surged. I could’ve stood there staring at him like an idiot all night long.
“Are you okay?” he finally asked me.
I cleared my throat and shook my head slightly. “Um yes, I’m good. Fine, thanks.”
Hell to the no I wasn’t okay. I was toast, done for, no resistance whatsoever. What am I going to do?
A soft chuckle escaped from him before he asked, “Shall we go?”
I just stared at the man and nodded.
We walked outside and climbed into his fancy Porsche 911. Of course, what else would he drive? He didn’t live but a few blocks from me.
“We could’ve walked,” I commented.
“Yes, but I came from my parents’ house. I picked you up on the way.”
Well, that made sense. We entered his home, and it was lovely. Not overdone or stark like many of the remodeled homes of today. It was perfect. He had impeccable taste. There was a series of beautiful paintings that lined the walls.
“This artwork is amazing.”
“Thanks. She’s local. I fell in love with her work a few years back and now I try to pick up some of her pieces whenever I can. She travels to various places and paints scenes from wherever she goes. She’s doing quite a few from Italy right now.”
“Ahh, it makes me want to go.”
“Maybe we can work that in sometime.”
I smiled, loving the idea but knowing it would never be.
“Can I get you a glass of chardonnay?”
“Only if that’s what you’re having.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t want you to open a bottle just for me.”
“Hey, it’s Christmas. You can have whatever you like.”
Okay, that’s not what I expected him to say.
He gave me a lopsided grin and added, “You don’t have to respond to that. Is chardonnay your beverage of choice or would you prefer something else?”
I smiled. “Chardonnay would be excellent.”
He was the perfect gentleman. He handed me the glass of wine and poured himself one too, then put the bottle in a chiller. I followed him to what I guessed was the living room.
“Have a seat and make yourself at home.”
He left for a moment and then I heard music. It was classical. I should have guessed that. I knew some classical, but not much.
He joined me again and said, “Don’t worry, it’s not all classical. I’m not that dreary. It’s a mix.”
“I like classical. I think it’s beautiful and definitely not dreary.”
He looked at me intently and said, “I think you’re telling me the truth and not just saying that.”
Our eyes locked and his were captivating.
We both spoke at the same time and then we laughed.
He said, “You go first.”
“I was just going to tell you that you have amazing eyes.”
A chuckle escaped from him as he said, “That’s interesting because I was going to tell you the same thing. Your eyes are quite lovely. They’re very expressive.”
What to say to that? Things were heating up. I needed to open up to him but didn’t know what to say. Should I just jump in?
I started to rub my palms on my jeans. My nerves were wreaking havoc, causing a massive overload of moisture to coat my hands. I despised when that happened. It was embarrassing. All of a sudden, the need to tell him the truth about me and my reluctance to go out with him hit me.
“I need to tell you something, Pearce. Maybe this will bring to light a bit of me and my issues. Do you even want to hear it?” I asked, my voice squeaking.
“A part of me doesn’t … at least not tonight. I just want it to be you and me. Without anything else between us. But then, the other part of me wants to get it over with.”
I sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to bring this up again.”
“Then by all means, you should tell me.” He reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Oh boy, here it goes. “A little over three years ago, the guy I was engaged to was killed in a car wreck.”
“Ah, I see.”
“No, you don’t. The thing is, we’d gotten into this huge fight. Shouting at each other. Pretty ugly actually. It was about us getting married. He couldn’t understand why I had decided I didn’t want to marry him. Anyway, I was really upset, and stormed out of the restaurant we were in. He followed and begged me not to leave. I didn’t listen and got in my car, so he jumped in too and we headed down the road. It had been raining. We were still shouting at each other in the car. Looking back, it was all stupid. Anyway, I flew around this curve, lost control of the car, and it flipped. When the car stopped, it was wrapped around a tree. Peter died instantly, but I walked away with only a few bruises. You probably see this crap all the time. Anyway, the whole thing messed me up and I’ve been dealing with it in a very unhealthy way that we maybe can discuss at a later time.” I shrugged. “I wanted you to know why I’ve been so reluctant to go out with you.”
People usually tell me it wasn’t my fault and blah blah blah. Then they want to hug me and get all sappy-assed. He did none of that. He did something completely different. He got on his knees in front of me and took my hands in his. He looked me straight in the eyes and asked me one question.
“Did you mean for your car to flip and crash into that tree and for Peter to die as a result of it?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then you’re going to have to find a way in your heart and soul to forgive yourself. You’ve heard this a thousand times, I’m sure. But that accident wasn’t your fault. Now if you sat there and told me you wanted that car to crash, that would be an entirely different matter. And before you say a word, the fact that you were arguing doesn’t mean a thing. People argue all the time. But they don’t die doing it. It just happened. Can you understand my point?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Then please forgive yourself. Peter would if he were here. Now it’s up to you. Don’t let this break you.”
No one had ever put it like that to me before. I would never have wanted Peter to die that night. I didn’t mean for anything like that to happen. It was an accident.
“Find a way, Alexia. Don’t let this destroy your life.”
I nodded as I rubbed my palms over my jeans again. He grabbed and held them, forcing me to stop. I gave him a sheepish look. There was my sexual history that he needed to know about, but I still wasn’t ready to go there. I’m sure there are girls that would argue I didn’t need to disclose everything, but I had been out-of-control promiscuous, if we ever decided to head down that road, he needed to know about my past.
“There are other things about me you need to know, but I’m not ready to share those just yet.”
“When you are, just say the word.”
He sat down next to me again and kissed the back of my hand that he still held. Then he faced me, took his hands, and wrapped them around my face. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll help you if you’ll let me.”
I covered his hands with mine and leaned my forehead against his. Something made me want to wrap myself around him and hold on for dear life. But I would never do that until he knew the whole truth about me. I hadn’t slept with anyone since the incident with Jeff’s roommate. All those tests I had were negative, indicating I was healthy, thank God. But still. I had slept with a lot of men and not remembered most of it. And add the drugs I had done. He had a right to know about that before we entered into any kind of relationship. It would give him an out, because to be fair, he was too good for me anyway.
“I just might do that. But then you probably might hate me.”
“I won’t ever hate you. I can promise you that.”
“Pearce, don’t make promises you can’t keep. There’s some nasty baggage associated with me. That attack is just one other thing added to the mix. I’m a lot to take on. But for now, can we change the subject?”
“Absolutely.”
He released me, but I got the sense it was reluctantly. Then he stood and held out his hand.
“Come with me please. I’d like to show you something.”
We walked up a long flight of stairs, which was common in the old homes of Charleston since most of them had twelve-foot ceilings. When we reached the top, I followed him to another flight of stairs, and we climbed that. He led me through a door, and we walked out on his rooftop. It was then I noticed we were on a widow’s walk and in one direction had a view of the Charleston Harbor, and in the other a view of the city.
“This is amazing! I bet it’s gorgeous in the daylight.”
“Yeah, except in the summer when it’s so damn hot you can’t walk out here after eight in the morning.”
“I can imagine. But this is great. Look at all the stars.”
“They really pop on a crisp night like tonight.”
He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, tugging me close to him.
“Is this okay?”
“Hmm. Yeah, Pearce, it’s more than okay. Please understand. I’m not hesitant because of me. It’s because of you … for your protection.”
“Stop worrying about me for a while. I’m a grown man and can take care of myself.”
“I’ve noticed.”
He bent his head into my hair and inhaled. “Mmm, this is nice.”
Something, I don’t know what, made me turn around, and the next thing I knew we were kissing. Not testing-the-waters kind of kissing, but full-blown, sparks-flying, knees-turning-to-Jell-o kind of kissing. My back was suddenly against the door, and he lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I yanked his shirt out of his pants and my fingers walked trails over his smooth skin. Dear God, I never felt heat like this before. Never. Not even with Peter. It was nirvana.
I wanted to rip off my clothes and feel every inch of his naked skin next to mine. I wanted to run my hands across his chest and lick every inch of his body.
He lifted his head and looked directly into my eyes. His smoky-gray orbs were half closed and heavy with passion. They reached into my mind and asked that question. I knew I had to say no, but didn’t want to. I wanted this moment to go on and on, with my body wrapped in his warm embrace.
“I want to, but I can’t … not until you know everything about me. Then you’ll have to decide if you want to continue down this path.”
“Then talk to me, Alexia. Tell me what I need to know.”
“Like this?” He wanted me to tell him now?
“Yes, like this. Here. Now.”
“I’m not sure if I can.”
“Yes, you can. Please trust me. You can tell me anything.”
He sounded sincere and made me believe in him. My mouth suddenly went dry as sand. I licked my lips and swallowed. Mustering up the courage to tell him the truth wasn’t easy, but I forced the words out.
“I moved here after Peter died. Everyone back home blamed me for his death, which made it impossible to stay in Lynchburg. After I got here, I started partying. Really hard. Not just alcohol. Drugs. Coke and weed mostly. Other stuff too like X. Nothing in the vein. Mainly pills. Anyway, I ...” I dropped my head and squeezed my eyes shut and forced my breath through my lips. Taking another deep one, I rubbed my forehead and then my eyes. “I … ah, I really fucked around a lot. A lot, Pearce. Not just a few times. This went on for three years, so you can only imagine.”
“Alexia, you ...”
“Let me finish, because if I don’t get this out now, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to.” I looked up at him and he nodded. I took another deep breath and went on. “One morning I woke up between two guys I didn’t even know. The truth is I barely knew any of them. I didn’t want to know any of them. And if you ask me why, I can’t tell you. It went on a few more times even after that. But my friend Terri picked me up and made me go and get tested. Thank God I’m healthy. But after I was kidnapped, I made the decision to change. I stopped it all. No drugs, drinking, clubbing, or anything like that. The only alcohol I’ve had has been with you. I don’t have an addiction problem. I have zero desire for any of the stuff. I haven’t been in a club or a bar since that night with you … the night I was attacked. Anyway, I thought you should know all of this before … well, now that you do, I suppose you’ll want to take me home. I may be healthy, but I’ll always feel dirty, Pearce.”
I wiggled a bit, thinking he’d put me down, but he only held me tighter. Why wasn’t he letting me go?
“Alexia, stop making decisions for me. I told you I was a grown man and meant it. Now, as for your behavior, I can’t say I like what you’ve done because it would be a lie. I can’t even say I understand it, but I think I know why. You have this self-loathing thing going on and it’s all part of that. You were giving yourself more of a reason to hate yourself. I’m glad you stopped, glad you got tested and ecstatic you’re healthy. Like you said, you’re obviously not an addict, or you’d have gone back to either drugs or alcohol before now. Just so we’re clear on this, you are responsible for your actions, but you’ve cleaned up your ways and everyone fucks up. You’ve learned from your mistakes. It’s time to forgive yourself and move on. Got it?”
I nodded, feeling a burden had been lifted.
“Now will you go out to dinner with me again?”
I laughed my ass off as did he.
“Will you do something for me?” he asked.
“Yes, what?”
“Will you go to counseling? You’ve been through entirely too much to handle it all on your own.”
He felt me stiffen and his brows arched.
“I did and it made things worse for me.”
“Then you had a terrible counselor. I know someone who’s excellent. Will you go?”
I scrunched up my face and looked at him.
“Under one condition. If he makes me call my parents, I call it quits with your friend. I refuse to contact them.”
“Fair enough. Just be up front with him about that.”
I nodded and agreed. “Are your arms not about to give out?”
One corner of his mouth curved up. “My hands are on your lovely ass. What do you think?”
I squealed when he squeezed me. And then he was kissing me all over again. Wet passionate kissing. My hands wandered back to the exploration of his abs and my fingers stepped across the sculpted curves of his muscles. I wanted to tear his shirt off and stare at what I knew would be perfection.
The door behind me suddenly opened and we moved through it. We went down the stairs and I’m not sure how he accomplished it because his lips never left mine. Our tongues danced and the fire that started in my belly now raged throughout my veins, turning my body into molten lava. My hands went back up to his hair, his thick soft wavy hair. I fisted my hands in it and held on to him tightly.
We broke apart briefly and I realized he’d stopped moving. We were standing in the doorway of his bedroom, and he was looking at me with his head tilted to the side.
“I want to take you in there and spend hours doing things that ...” He stopped and just stared at me. Then he put his mouth against mine and whispered, “I want to kiss your beautiful mouth and make you beg for me to do things you’ve never begged for before. I want to watch you sleep when you’re so exhausted, I can’t possibly eke one more orgasm out of you. But I won’t do that tonight. Even though I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. I won’t do it tonight … not because of what you’re thinking. I won’t do it because when we decide to do it, we decide together. For the right reasons and not in the heat of the moment.”
He started walking again and carried me back down the next flight of stairs until we were back in the main living area.
“Now that we’re here, I find that I don’t want to let you out of my arms,” he confessed.
“Then don’t.”
His lips crashed into mine again as he set me down on the sofa. Grabbing his shirt, I yanked him close. He nearly fell on top of me, but I couldn’t have cared less. I didn’t want to let him go either. I wanted him in my arms. I wanted to be surrounded by his warmth, his touch, his smell. I wanted his lips on mine, his hands all over my body.
“Christ, Alexia, you make it difficult on a man.”
“Only you, Pearce. I want you. Really want you. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.”
He started to say something, but I framed his face with my hands.
“Please, let me finish. I know what you’re going to say or maybe I don’t. But let me just get this out. You know about my past. I did all of that under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. Other than the sip of wine I had earlier, I’m totally sober. This may even be too much info for you, but there has never been anyone in my life I’ve wanted like I want you. I want to feel all of you. Maybe I’m rushing things. I don’t know. Maybe this isn’t what you want. If it’s not, just say the word and I’ll back off. But if you feel the way I do, please don’t hold back because you think it may be more sensible or something ridiculous like that.”
He turned his lips into my palm and placed a soft kiss there. Then he asked, “Are you sure about this? The last thing I want is for you to regret anything that happens between us.”
“Regret? The only thing I’d regret is not feeling your skin against mine.”
He pounced on me like a tiger. I barely got the last word out when his mouth was on mine, taking and giving at the same time. He lifted me in his arms again and I smiled against his mouth.
“I think I could get used to this,” I whispered against his lips.
“There’s no thinking about it for me.”
Up the stairs we went and straight through his bedroom door. He set me down on the bed and followed me there, straddling me. He leaned back on his heels and just stared.
I slid my hands up his thighs and continued to the waist of his jeans. I ran my fingers around it and under it, dying to get my hands all over him. As I unbuttoned his shirt, the breath left my lungs. The man had no body fat. An exquisitely sculpted set of abs stared me square in the eyes. I walked my fingers across them, nearly drooling at the sight before me.
My gaze drifted back to his and his eyes were half closed as he watched. He pulled my sweater up and gently tugged it over my head. I lowered my gaze as a feeling of shyness blanketed me. He ran his index finger from the base of my throat down to the waist of my jeans. When he got there, he stopped and then undid the button. His eyes never left mine as I heard the zipper slowly unzip. Lifting himself off me, he slid my jeans down after taking off my boots. While he stood, he slipped off his jeans too. I watched every move of his and gaped like a fool, because he was simply too beautiful.
He turned and looked straight into my eyes as he shed his shirt. I wondered if he’d drop the boxers too. I didn’t have to wonder long because they went right after the shirt. I’m sure my heart either skipped a bunch of beats, or maybe it stopped beating altogether. I knew for certain I stopped breathing … at least for about an hour.
“Alexia,” he breathed, “close your mouth.” He chuckled.
I swallowed. Again. “Fuck me.”
“I’m getting to that and I plan to drive you insane with pleasure.” Then he chuckled again.
“Shit, I didn’t mean to say that. Not shit. The fuck-me part. Oh fuck!” I covered my face with my hands as I made a strange noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and an arrgh. What was wrong with me? How could I have said that?
He laughed again.
I tried to salvage myself and began, “I mean ...”
He pulled my hands away from my face. “I know what you meant. Or that you didn’t mean you wanted me to fuck you. I was trying to make a bit of a joke. But I do fully intend to drive you insane tonight.”
“You already are without even trying.”
“I haven’t even begun.” He slipped off my panties and next went my bra. Then he sat there and just stared. I began to feel a bit self-conscious when he didn’t say anything. Finally, I squirmed because he said, “Don’t be shy. You’re spectacular. You’ve a mouth made for kissing and a body made for love. You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Your skin is like silk, soft and smooth and don’t get me started on your hair. Dark chocolate to match your eyes. Warm and inviting. You’re ravishing. And you’ve charmed the pants off of me. See?”
I looked at him and giggled. Then his tongue was all over my body, making me writhe. He started at my neck and made his way south, slowly, exquisitely and excruciatingly sexy. I couldn’t hold still as his tongue found areas of my body I had no idea could give me such pleasure. My rib cage, my hip bones. It went on and on. My gasps filled the room repeatedly. When his mouth clamped on to my nipple, I nearly flew off the bed. Good thing those old Charleston homes had thick walls or else the neighbors would’ve been appalled at the noises coming from Pearce’s house.
Pearce stuck to his promise because he made me come twice before he really got down to business. By the time his mouth hit the inside of my thighs, I was jelly. I couldn’t have stood if the house had been on fire. He nibbled and sucked and licked his way up my thigh until he came to that place where my legs joined together. He swirled and flicked his tongue across and around my clit and then slipped it inside of me. He repeated this until I came again, practically screaming his name.
“Not yet, Alexia,” he said as he flipped me on my stomach. He started running his tongue up and down my spine, sucking and nipping at me. Running his hands along my back, he moved down to my ass and started massaging the muscles there. Soon I was beyond relaxed, and he continued the massage up to my shoulders and neck.
His tongue was everywhere. His teeth nipped my ass and then he started biting me … little bites that drove me wild. Then his fingers ran down and slid along to that little crux of sensitivity, rubbing circles on it.
“Please, Pearce. I need you. I need to have you inside of me.”
“I’m here,” he said as he flipped me over and slid into me.
“Ah,” I cried.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just hold still for a minute,” I gasped.
“Better?” he asked after a minute.
I nudged him, saying, “Yes, much better now. In fact, it’s perfect.”
“Don’t I know it.” He started moving again. At first, very slowly, gently. Then he started moving a bit faster.
“Ahh yes.”
“Open your eyes and look at me.”
I did as he asked. His gaze was intensely focused on me. Only me.
“That’s it. Tell me what you want.”
“You. I want you.”
“Yes, but how do you want me? Like this?” He swiveled his hips around and pushed himself into me.
“Ahh,” I cried.
“Or like this.” He pulled almost all the way out and then thrust back in and repeated the movement. “What do you like, Alexia? Tell me so I’ll know. Or is this what you like?” He slipped a hand between us and started to rub that tiny spot. “Don’t close your eyes. You’re going to come, and I want to watch.”
Suddenly everything went out of control. I moaned out his name as I orgasmed. It went on and on. I wrapped my legs around his waist and squeezed, rocking back and forth.
“That’s it, babe,” he said as he came. We both breathed like we just finished a marathon.
“Wow. Just wow,” I said after I could finally speak again.
I felt his chest rumble. “I take it you were satisfied.”
“Don’t even try to pretend you couldn’t tell.”
He laughed even harder.
“Is this something they teach in medical school because, Dr. Middleton, you certainly have the magic touch?”
Something shifted in his eyes. The humor disappeared and was replaced by an intense emotion that stirred my passion.
“It’s you, babe. I’ve never ...” He closed his eyes for a moment and tucked his head in the crook of my neck. When he lifted it, his eyes were even darker. “I’ve wanted you since the night I first saw you in Camellia’s. There were so many times I wanted to call you. To come to your house and pound on your door, demanding why you wouldn’t have a thing to do with me. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent thinking about you. And now this. I’ve never felt this close to someone while making love before. This is crazy, I know, but it’s the way I feel. I’m just being honest with you.” His eyes never left mine as he spoke.
I lifted my fingers to his lips and gently touched them. Then I put my lips where my fingers had been.
“It’s not crazy at all. I know exactly how you feel because I feel the same way. I’ve never wanted to touch anyone like I want to touch you. And just so you know, I wanted to call you. But I was afraid. I didn’t want you to be with someone who had such a tainted past.”
“I wish you had let me be the decision maker on that. But that’s the past and now you’re here, right where you belong. Stay with me tonight. I want to wake up with you by my side, wrapped in my arms. I know this is fast and maybe we’re making a mistake, but I want you in my arms tonight. Please say yes.”
“I thought that was the plan. Didn’t you say you were going to make love to me all night long?
“I did, didn’t I? Well, I’d better get a move on, then, because the last thing I’d want is to disappoint you. Tell me what you like.”
“No, I want you to discover it for yourself. You’ve already done an excellent job of it.”
He laughed and his hands started to work their magic.