Chapter 21 Nina
NINA
The kiss starts gentle and turns desperate in about two seconds flat.
Alessio’s tongue traces the seam of my lips, coaxing me open. One hand knots in my hair while the other clamps over my ass, dragging me flush to him until the rigid length of his erection presses hard into my belly.
My back hits the refrigerator, and I arch into his touch when he slides his hand down the front of my shorts. I gasp as his palm grinds against my clit, fingers sliding through the wetness he finds there.
“So fucking wet for me,” he groans against my jaw, teeth scraping my earlobe. “Do you want to get fucked, Temptress? Have you been thinking about riding this cock again?”
The nickname sends heat spiraling through me, even though I told him not to use it. “Yes.”
No point in lying when his fingers are proving exactly how much I want this.
He pumps two fingers in and out of me until my legs go weak, and I’m clinging to his arms just to stay upright. His mouth works down my neck, and I tilt my head back to give him better access.
“Should I bury my face between your legs again?? Make you scream while you come on my tongue?”
“No.” The word comes out breathless. “I need you inside me.”
He lifts me off my feet like I weigh nothing, carrying me toward the bedrooms when I point down the hallway.
We tumble onto my bed in a tangle of limbs and need. Clothes disappear between frantic kisses and wandering hands. My breasts feel heavy and aching, my core clenching on nothing.
I’m needy in a way that makes me feel reckless, out of control. So I shove against his chest until he’s flat on his back, straddling him and arching my spine to thrust my breasts toward his face.
He groans and captures one nipple with his mouth, tongue swirling around the peak while his fingers pinch and roll the other. I’m panting, grinding down against the hard length of him separated only by his boxers.
“Ride me, Nina,” he says, voice rough with want. “I’ve got condoms in my jeans.”
I scramble off the bed to dig through his pockets, finding the strip of foil packets. When I turn back, he’s naked and sitting upright, amber eyes dark with hunger.
“Well prepared, aren’t we?” I tear open a condom, hands shaking slightly.
“Hopeful,” he corrects, watching me roll the latex down his length. “Very fucking hopeful.”
His honesty catches me off guard, but there’s no time to analyze it because I’m straddling him again, his hands gripping my ass as I position myself over him.
I hold his shoulders for balance and sink down slowly, the sensation of his piercing making me remember exactly why I could never forget him.
We both groan as I take every thick inch.
My head tips back as I ride him, fast and rough, every thrust sending sparks through my body. His hands clamp down on my hips, guiding, steering, holding me in place as he slams upward to meet me.
My nails rake his shoulders and his groan vibrates against my chest, raw and guttural. The ache of his grip mixes with the pleasure, pain sweetening the sharp edge of every movement. The sound of our bodies colliding fills the small room, wet and relentless.
I lose myself in it. In the stretch of him, the fullness that leaves no space inside me untouched. It isn’t just his size—though he’s bigger than anyone I’ve ever taken. It’s the way he moves, the way he lets me think I’m in control while making damn sure I feel every inch of him.
He’s giving me power, and whether it’s intentional or instinctual, I need it more than I realized.
I fist his hair, drag his mouth to mine, and kiss him like I need him to breathe. It’s wild, messy, desperate. He takes it, gives it back harder, and the raw hunger between us breaks me open.
Pleasure rips through me, my pussy clenching around his cock as the orgasm tears me apart. I scream into his mouth, and he swallows it whole.
“That’s it, Nina,” he growls, his grip shifting to drive me down harder. “Come on my cock, baby. Squeeze me until I lose it.”
I convulse around him, shuddering as the waves crash through me, and then he follows. His curse burns against my throat as his cock pulses deep inside me, flooding me with heat while I writhe through the last tremors of release.
The thought of that failed condom seven years ago flickers through my mind, but I push it away. Hope to hell the birth control works better this time around. Austin’s been begging for a brother, but this sure isn’t how I pictured that happening.
Alessio holds me for a moment, both of us catching our breath, his heartbeat still pounding against mine. Then reality creeps back in when my eyes land on the alarm clock.
Shit.
I slide off him and reach for the lamp, flooding the room with harsh light that makes us both squint. Alessio blinks up at me, looking thoroughly satisfied but confused as I start hunting for my clothes.
“What are you doing?” he asks, disposing of the condom while I pull on my panties.
“Getting dressed.” I spot my bra under the bed and grab it. “You need to do the same. Keshia and Austin will be home soon.”
I can’t let Austin see Alessio. The resemblance is too strong, too obvious. I need more time to figure out how to handle this situation.
“Okay.” Alessio reaches for his pants, moving with infuriating casualness while I’m scrambling around the room. “Relax. How much time do we have?”
I check my phone, and my stomach drops. Keshia texted eight minutes ago saying they were leaving the arcade.
Double shit.
“Come on,” I say, already fully dressed and heading for the door. “You have to go. Now.”
I peek out the living room window just in time to see Keshia’s black Mini Cooper pulling up to the curb. My heart sinks.
Too late.
Alessio emerges from the bedroom, tugging his shirt over his head. “That your kid?”
Our kid. But he doesn’t know that, and I plan to keep it that way.
“Yeah.”
The front door opens before I can think of a plan, and Austin bounds inside with Keshia trailing behind him. He’s got a sucker in his mouth, which explains why he’s not chattering like usual. The silence feels deafening as both of them spot Alessio and freeze.
“Hey, bud,” I force what I hope looks like a normal smile. “Did you have fun?”
Austin pulls the sucker stick from his mouth and drops it on the coffee table. Normally I’d make him throw it away properly, but I’ve got bigger problems right now.
“Yeah! We went to the arcade!” His amber eyes—identical to his father’s—are bright with excitement.
“He dominated the Ninja Turtles fighting game,” Keshia adds, setting her purse on the couch. She shakes Alessio’s hand with the kind of smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Hi, I’m Keshia.”
“Alessio,” he says, shaking her hand.
I catch the exact moment recognition hits her face, followed immediately by worry. Please don’t let him notice.
But Alessio’s attention has shifted to Austin, and I watch my son look back at him with open curiosity. When Alessio crouches down and extends his hand, my heart draws tight.
“And you must be Austin.”
“Yep!” Austin grins, that brilliant smile that lights up his whole face as he shakes hands with his father for the first time.
“How old are you?”
The question hits me like ice water. I can’t let Austin answer that—not when I lied and said he was five.
“Hey, Keshia.” I keep my voice light and casual, “Could you take Austin to get his bath started? It’s getting close to bedtime.”
Keshia reads the situation immediately, bless her. “Of course. Come on, buddy. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
She takes his hand and leads him toward the bathroom, leaving me alone with Alessio. I turn back to him with another smile, this one hopefully more natural than my first attempt.
“Well, thanks for stopping by.”
The words sound ridiculous the moment they leave my mouth. Way to make it sound like he dropped off groceries.
“I get it,” Alessio says, standing and adjusting his shirt with a knowing smirk. “You want me out of here.”
“It’s not personal.” I’m already guiding him toward the door, trying to seem casual about it. “Austin’s not used to me having... friends over. I don’t want to confuse him.”
“Friends?” His eyebrow arches. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
Heat floods my cheeks. “You know what I mean.”
“Actually, I’m happy to hear you don’t make a habit of this.” His expression turns serious for a moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow night at the club. But no private dances.”
I’m surprised by how relieved I feel. Private dances pay better, but I’m not ready to be trapped in a small room with another stranger. Not after the other night. If he wants to be protective and bossy, fine. This time, it’s working for me.
He leans in and presses a quick kiss to my lips, then heads for the door. I’m about to follow him when Austin calls out from the bathroom.
“Mommy! I need help with the shampoo!”
I glance back at Alessio, who’s paused by the door. “Go ahead,” he says. “I’m leaving.”
I hurry to the bathroom to help Austin, but even as I’m shampooing his hair, I’m listening for the sound of the front door.
It takes longer than it should.
When the lock finally turns, I should feel safe. Instead, it sounds like the start of a countdown.