Chapter Eight
Alana
As the day slipped into night, her mind fled elsewhere, to Drew.
Thoughts of him flooded her. After their kiss the previous evening, they’d stopped things from going any further.
But she wished they had. If the past few days had taught her anything it was that life could change in the blink of an eye, the snap of a finger, and she needed to start taking it in both hands.
He felt the same. She could see it; she could feel it.
He was watching her this morning. It wasn’t coincidence she’d left her door open.
She never slept with it open. She wanted him to be the brave one.
She wanted him to be the one to knock on her door .
.. but he hadn’t. And so, she would have to be the brave one.
She wanted him and she wouldn’t wait any longer.
She couldn’t. These thoughts were a distraction, she couldn’t get on with her day, and if he was the cure, she was going to take it, again and again and again.
Her phone buzzed, taking her out of her thoughts. Good. She needed a distraction from them. She smiled, clicking the accept button.
“Lily, how are you?”
She was checking up on her. Figures.
“No, how are you? Keeping the wolves at bay?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing fell from her tongue. What to say? Best not to get her involved in any of this.
“Yes,” she lied. “Everything is fine. He’s given up on trying to gain membership. You know what it’s like with these types, when the next new, shiny thing comes along, that’s what they are going to focus on.”
The truth was, she had no idea if this was true.
In her experience, it wasn’t. The type of people she worked with, they wanted what they wanted, no exceptions, and it was her job to get it for them.
She didn’t doubt Max was like that. And he wanted Drew.
But he wouldn’t get him. She’d do whatever it took to keep him safe.
She just didn’t know what that was yet. But she would. She’d figure it out. She always did.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” Lily didn’t sound convinced. “Just make sure you’re keeping safe, yes? Maybe stay in a hotel for a few days.”
“Lily, it’s okay, really. I’m not in my house. I’ve found somewhere safe to stay, I’m here right now. But that’s all I’ll say about it, okay?” She sighed. As an afterthought she added, “Thank you, you’ve always been good to me. Thank you for checking on me. Take care, Lily.”
There was silence for a few seconds. “You too, Alana,” she said quietly, before the line disconnected.
Lily didn’t sound like herself. But she didn’t have any time to think about it, because Drew’s car door shutting and the front door opening eddied every thought from her brain.
She ran to the top of the stairs, making her way down faster.
The first sight of him in his dark suit, his red hair tamed back and the stubble gracing his chiseled face, had her heart stuttering.
How had she never seen it before? How had she never taken notice of him like this until recently?
He'd been right in front of her this entire time, always there, always watching, always helping.
Never failing to bring a smile to her face.
It was these thoughts slamming through her brain that allowed a tear to fall. She sniffed.
His eyes flew to her.
No, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go. She had meant to throw herself into his arms, not cry into them. He pulled her into him the second her feet touched the ground floor. He pulled her into him like he thought he’d never see her again and she could almost taste the relief pouring from him.
“What is it?” he murmured against her hair, his fingers making idle strokes.
She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t even know how to communicate what was in her head.
She’d never had to before. She’d never been in love before.
She gulped down the words, and pushed up into him, pulling his face down to meet hers.
She wanted to swallow the look on his face.
His eyes widened, before he responded with a force that nearly knocked her off her feet.
This was nothing like their previous two kisses.
This was desperate, tangling, like they were stuck together and there was no breaking them. Until he did.
“Are you sure you want this?” Drew gasped out, panting. “You’re upset...”
She pushed her hand into him, backing him up against the wall. His lips parted, the look of utter shock sending a thrill through her. “I want this. I want you. You’re wasting time—”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence because he pounced on her, like the words unleashed him. Her head was back, tilted at an angle so that he could claim her fully with his lips, his tongue, which explored her mouth like he already owned it, like they’d been doing this for years.
God, why hadn’t they been doing this for years?
A dark chuckle escaped his lips.
She hadn’t even known she’d spoken the words out loud.
“I don’t know, Alana, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get enough of you now that we’ve started,” he whispered against the shell of her ear.
She hadn’t heard this tone of voice before.
But she wanted to hear it again and again.
Gooseflesh rose along her arms, her legs, everywhere, wetness pooling in her core.
She pulled his lips back down over hers.
He grinned. “So greedy, so impatient. Now that I have you, I’m going to take my sweet time.”
With that, he lifted her off the ground and was carrying her up the stairs.
They landed in the first room with a bed, his room, and he dropped her down, all the while dropping to his own knees in front of her.
He separated her legs with a sharp push.
She melted at the look in his eyes, the darkening, the sight of him on his knees before her.
His fingers hooked around her underwear, pulling them off underneath her skirt. Slowly, so slowly, he trailed kisses from her feet to her ankles, to her legs and her thighs.
“Just so you know, Alana, you’re the only one I’ll kneel for.” His breath tickled her sex, and the sensation of it was almost too much. She rubbed her legs together for friction, something, anything.
It brought another huff of laughter from him.
“Drew, please.” She didn’t care how needy she sounded at this moment; she didn’t care that he was seeing her at her most vulnerable. She just needed him, and she needed him now.
He obeyed, and the first brush of his tongue was like heaven. Slow and luxurious, like he really meant what he said about taking his time. She wrapped her fingers in his hair, pulling slightly.
His lips broke contact. “Okay, Alana, I know how you want it.” The second time his mouth found her, his tongue, he feasted.
And feasted and feasted and feasted, until her legs were trembling around his shoulders, until she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
She arched off the bed, pushing further into him, into his face, as she rode out the waves of pleasure.
He continued licking her, helping her through it.
When she was panting and reaching for him, he stood back surveying her.
“This won’t do,” he muttered, pulling her skirt from her and dropping it to the floor. They locked eyes and, even though the man was still fully clothed, she took her bra off.
It seemed to steal his breath for a moment.
“Beautiful, even better than I—”
She opened her legs to him.
“Alana,” he breathed, eyes wide.
He began taking his clothes off, but he was taking too long.
She clawed at him, her fingers tracing his muscles, his hardness.
Her mouth watered as it skimmed outside of his boxers.
She reveled in the moan it brought out of him, so she did it again, this time tucking her hand inside so she could touch him, touch his skin. His hips bucked at the contact.
She giggled. “Not so collected now, are you?”
Her hand was ripped from him as he pounced, pushing her back on the bed, pulling off his boxers. He pinned her arms above her head.
“Who said I was? You drive me crazy.” With those words the head of his penis was positioned at her entrance. He was close now, so close, why had he stopped?
“Shit.” He looked down at her, releasing her hands. “I don’t have protection.”
She had to stifle a laugh. “I’m on birth control. And I’m clean.”
He seemed to shudder in relief. “Me too.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
He pushed into her with one long thrust, like he was made for her and she for him.
They shared breath for a moment, adjusting to each other, feeling each other. She felt like he was staring into her soul.
He began to thrust slowly, experimentally, his hand tracing her face. Sex hadn’t felt like this before. It had always been quick, and focused on the man’s pleasure, with her being lucky if they paid her any attention at all, let alone try and figure out what she liked, what brought her pleasure.
“Okay?” he whispered.
“I’m perfect ... you feel amazing.”
She thrusted her hips upward, to take him deeper, a silent asking.
He understood. God, he understood, he hooked her legs up higher and thrusted deeper, harder, pulling nearly all the way out and pushing back in.
His movements were so strong that he pushed them all the way back up to the top of the bed.
Her release was moving up her spine, begging to be let out.
He was close too, she could tell. His thrusts had lost any kind of rhythm, and he was murmuring incoherent things like “I can’t believe” and “best ever,” in between saying her name.
“Drew, I’m going to...”
“Me too, me too, me too.”
He moaned as she cried out, as she clenched around him, and he spilled himself into her.
It didn’t matter that it had been the best sex of her life, that they were both panting and tired, she needed him again.
After a few minutes she began to kiss his body, delighting in his woodsy scent, the one that she could pick out of a lineup.
Heavenly and just Drew. He hardened again almost instantly, and she grinned, locking eyes with him before taking him in her mouth.
She coated him with her tongue, running up and down, until he was trembling, murmuring her name.
Then, before he could climax, she lowered herself onto him and began to ride.
This time it was gentle, slow, and he was looking at her with something akin to reverence. The words hung there, in the air.
She could feel it in her heart, her blood, her bones. See it in his eyes.
Say it, Alana. Just say it. Be brave.
But she wasn’t brave. The frustration stole the breath from her, and she rode him faster, harder.
“I can feel you everywhere, so deep,” she murmured.
His hands held her hips tightly, bringing the slightest bit of pain.
“You’re so good, so beautiful, I don’t deserve this.”
Fine, if she couldn’t say the three little words, she’d settle for the next best two.
“I’m yours,” she burst out.
Those words were his undoing, as he spasmed inside her, pulling her down even tighter over him.
The deepness of him, no one had ever been that deep, brought a scream from her lips as she shook with her own pleasure, until she fell over him, draped over his chest as they shared breath until his evened out.
She smiled against him, falling into a sleep quicker and easier than she had in years.