Chapter 7
T o give Alex credit, he didn’t rush her to the car or duck down an alley, like a few of her past boyfriends.
No, he had class and style. Though, judging by the speedometer and the set of his jaw, he was walking the razor’s edge.
He gripped her hand, clasping it on the console between them.
Of course, that could be because she had stroked his arm and thigh in the car, teasing him a little too much.
He’d growled and held on to her hand, keeping it firmly under his control.
When they pulled into the driveway at her sister’s house, he turned off the engine and stayed in the driver’s seat, staring straight ahead. “Be very sure, Lucy.”
Her heart flipped in her chest, and she fell further for this man, tumbling headlong down the rabbit hole in love with Alex.
He was considerate, thinking more about her and if she was with him, not thinking about his own needs, asking for her consent and not expecting it.
She’d always gone along with whatever her past lovers wanted, but now, after a couple of years of self-imposed celibacy, she was learning to respect herself.
And she was ready to break her fast and take a chance with this man, with more than her body but with her heart.
She clung to what remained of her fears and quietly said, “Don’t break my heart, Alex.”
After getting out of the SUV, he walked to the passenger side and opened the door. He turned her head to face him and peered into her eyes with his deep eyes, taking her breath away. He held out his hand. “Trust me, Lucy.”
She swallowed hard and studied him for a long moment, while her heart screamed at her to leap out of the SUV and take the plunge.
For once, she was taking her time, thinking before acting, and hoping she wasn’t making a mistake.
He waited patiently, watching her steadily with his hand outstretched, daring her to take a chance on him, on them.
She placed her hand in his, a tingle of awareness coursing up her arm.
He lifted her out of the car and into his warm, firm body.
Her lips were inches from his, their breath mingling in the cool night air.
She stared into his eyes, scarcely daring to breathe.
He kissed her, stealing the remaining breath from her body and she sagged against him, the heat from his body seeping into hers.
Distantly, she heard the car door slam, then he strode towards the house, holding her firmly against him.
She slid down his body, slowly, carefully, feeling his erection against her abdomen. “Keys?”
She blinked, and the word slowly penetrated her daze. Then she lifted the small purse and dug around for the keys, the dogs barking wildly in the house.
He let them in and headed for the kitchen to the let the dogs out back to do their business, leaving Lucy standing in the foyer, feeling nervous. It felt like the first time and in a way it was, though it had been far too long since she’d been a virgin. He returned quicker than she expected.
“Dogs are set and gated in the kitchen with some treats. We don’t need company for this.”
He paused, standing in front of her, his hand cupping her cheek, a thumb rubbing her lower lip sending shivers down her spine. “You’re so beautiful, Lucy.”
She flushed, heat burning her face. “Alex, not really.”
He laid a finger on her mouth, silencing her. “You are,” he insisted. “Upstairs?”
She took his hand and led him upstairs to the spare room where she’d been staying, glad she’d tidied it before he’d gotten there.
She had no sooner entered the room when he pulled her around into a heated embrace, his lips crushing hers, tongue sweeping inside, inflaming her arousal to a painful level.
She wrapped a leg around his and pressed against him, desperate to feel his erection against her throbbing core.
He swept a hand down her side and, with a motion, undid the tie of the wrap dress so it gaped open.
Then he slipped it off her, leaving her standing in the newly bought bra and panty set she’d bought just for him.
She held her breath, waiting for his reaction, feeling insecure in that moment.
He stared for a long moment, then burst out laughing. “Did you buy these special for tonight?”
She grinned, loving his reaction. “Like them?”
“Like them? I love them. Tonight, I can unwrap my own present. I don’t have to wait for Christmas, do I?”
He tweaked the bows that overlaid her nipples on the bra and then ran a finger over the present on the panties.
They were damp, and his eyes darkened as he touched her.
He rubbed a little harder, catching her sensitive little nub.
She gasped and gripped his shoulders, tilting her hips into him. But he pulled away.
“Not so fast, not tonight. I want to take my time with you.”
She pouted, then tugged on his tie. “Well, if you’re going to take your time, I want you naked, too.”
“That can be arranged, but I don’t have anything fun under my clothes.” He quickly discarded his suit, leaving him bare, with his cock jutting proudly towards her.
She reached out and stroked him from crown to root. “I beg to differ, Mr. Rasmussen. You have something very fun to play with.”
He groaned and gripped her hand, lifted it away. “Not right now. I’m too on edge. On the bed.”
He pushed her toward the bed and followed her over, caging her neatly on the soft mattress, settling between her thighs, his erection rubbing at the thin cotton that covered her growing wetness.
He took her lips in another deep, passionate kiss, while a hand stroked her breast, slipping beneath the cup of the bra to tweak her nipple.
She gasped into his mouth, and he chuckled, repeating the action.
She arched into his hand, rubbing her hips against his cock, which remained tantalizingly within centimeters of her pussy.
He began inching his way south, kissing, nibbling, and sucking on the soft skin of her throat, down her chest to lick at the peak of her breast through the fabric of her bra.
He sucked hard, then nipped the peak, and she moaned, burying her fingers in his hair to hold him in place.
He pulled the cups of her bra down and moved back and forth, nipping and sucking her tips until she writhed beneath him, begging for relief.
He chuckled against her skin and then placed a kiss on her soft belly. “I still have one more present to open. And I think it will be a sweet one.”
He swirled kisses down her belly to the top of her bikini briefs. He slid them down over her ass and down her legs, tossing them over his shoulder. Wedging his shoulders between her thighs, he spread her with his fingers and gave her a long lick.
“Yes, I remember this treat. Sweet and lovely.”
She arched into his mouth, but he held her firmly and laved her folds with slow licks, then sucks and flicks, torturing and teasing her into a frenzy.
It didn’t long for her orgasm to crest. He plunged two fingers deep and curled them and she arced off the bed, coming with a loud cry.
He kept her coming, his fingers mimicking the action his cock would eventually take and his lips twisting her nub.
When she opened her eyes, he was poised over her, his cock covered in a condom and fitted to her entrance, the head just at the opening.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and arched into him.
He kissed her, letting her taste herself on his lips, and she wrapped her arms around him.
He drove into her with slow, short digs, working his way into her, stretching her, easing the way until he was fully seated.
She sighed. She stared into his eyes, feeling a connection that she’d never felt with anyone else.
Instead of scaring the hell out of her, which she fully expected, a feeling of peace and rightness came over her.
Alex’s eyes widened, as if he felt the same connection, then a wicked smile crossed his face and he moved, long, steady strokes that hit a magical spot deep inside that sent her flying again.
She let herself go, as another orgasm stole her breath and left her reeling.
He followed her over with a loud shout, then rolled to his side, pulling her with him, their breathing loud in the night.
She sagged in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, completely drained of all energy. The impact of what had happened between them settled into her soul. This is what her sister meant when she said it was different with someone you loved. Lucy now understood.
Damn. She’d fallen in love with Alex Rasmussen.
A lex held Lucy as she dozed in his arms, feeling a complete sense of peace and rightness fall over him.
That same emotion that had enveloped him since the moment he had begun dating her—even the fake dating.
There was nothing false about this, nothing short-term.
This was something unique, something he’d only seen rarely in his life, like in his parent’s marriage, or with Dylan and Savannah.
He never thought he’d find someone to share his life with, especially not now.
But maybe Lucy really was that person. He’d never felt so right with someone else.
He tightened his arms around her, and she shifted in her sleep, mumbling a bit.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I think I love you, Lucy Monroe.”
She shifted again. “I love you too, Alex.”
He froze as she stilled and went back to an even sleep. Did she mean that? Did he?
Yeah, he did. He was in this relationship, come hell or high water. Everything else would get figured out. Somehow.