11. Alex
Elijah isn’t like any man I’ve met. After we had sex, I expected him to be like my other partners and quickly clean then leave the shower. But I should’ve known he’d be different, especially after we had such intense sex together. More intense than I ever thought possible. Sex that embarrassingly made me tear up at the end.
Once we’d both come down from our orgasms, he’d taken his time washing me, massaging my scalp with shampoo before conditioning it. He even let it sit while he gently washed every nook and cranny of my body in meticulous strokes, taking time to clean away the evidence of his release between my legs. Even if I secretly didn’t want him to.
I flush. He hasn’t said anything about the toy I used. After we finished showering, he’d picked it up off the ground but didn’t say a word. I didn’t miss the genuine curiosity on his face as he cleaned it like he washed my body, with care and attention. I know I’ll have to explain it to him eventually. Or maybe I won’t. But it was awkward for me, nonetheless.
I lay back naked against the pillows of the bed and take a slow breath, my thoughts turning nicer as Elijah walks out of the bathroom in all his naked glory. My eyes find the gift between his legs, and a smile tugs at the corner of my lips. My sore inner walls clench at the memory of it moving within me.
Immediately, I want him inside me again, to feel that fullness I’ve never felt before today. But I’m trying to be patient. Even if watching him dry off his lean body isn’t helping to calm my raging desire for him again.
He makes eye contact with me as he runs the towel over his short silver hair. The backdrop of the lake behind him and his relaxed features pull at my chest. It’s really nice to see this version of him, the carefree one that’s been hiding under Mr. Serious.
He folds his towel neatly then puts it over the back of a chair before joining me on the bed. For a brief moment, I wonder how I should react. Is this going to be the type of arrangement where we act cordial after we fuck? Or is he a cuddler?
I don’t have to wonder long, because as soon as he’s settled on the bed, he pulls my body into his. Warmth and contentment fill me as I lay my head on his chest, his arms wrapping around me in a safe cocoon.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
I hum as I run my fingers through his chest hair. “Like I just had the best sex of my life.”
“Really?” he asks, genuine surprise in his tone.
I shift and tilt my chin up to look at his face, his warm palm now resting in the dip of my waist. The little furrow has returned to his brow, and I laugh softly. “Yes, really. You know how to use this body of yours. And this,” I say, gently cupping his cock. “You really know how to use this.”
Elijah’s eyes darken, and he reaches down to grab my hand. I pout playfully as he moves it away, but I like the fact he’s now holding my hand, so I don’t pout long.
He laces our fingers together and places them on his hip. “I need a little time to recover.”
I eye his already half-hard erection. “You look fine to me.”
He shakes his head and lifts the hand he’s holding to kiss my knuckles. “Later, my dirty impatient girl.” He half grins.
Between the sweet action and the new nicknames, my thighs squeeze together, and I have to try very hard to keep myself from pouncing on him again, from being exactly what he called me. So I decide I need to change the subject.
“I’m glad you decided to stay.”
He rubs his hand down my back. “Me, too.”
I lift my head so I can see him again. His eyes are closed now, his body at ease as he strokes my skin and smiles at whatever he’s thinking. “What made you take my offer?”
Elijah opens his eyes, his hand squeezing mine. “Because I wanted to.”
“That’s all?”
He sits up against the pillows, tugging me with him. “What other reason would I need?”
I shrug. “To taste the forbidden fruit.”
His hand on my back stills, and I regret what I said. I didn’t mean it as more than teasing. But I think a part of me is curious, especially given he wasn’t sure he should stay last night. He was so dead set on leaving from the beginning.
“Alex,” he says quietly. “Please don’t think this was some challenge for me. I’ll admit, there’s an exciting element to us being together. But I didn’t stay for the risk.”
I raise my eyebrow at him and hold his hand tighter. “For the reward, then?” My tone is unserious as I try to convey to him that I’m not upset, no matter the reason he stayed. Because I wanted the reward, too. I wanted the release, too. That’s how this all started, anyway.
He shoots me a playful yet chiding look. “As I said, I stayed because I wanted to. If it wasn’t clear at dinner last night or in the hot tub or the shower…” He smiles now. “I like you, Alex. I want to spend the weekend with you. Even if we don’t have sex again, I’d stay to get to know you better, to spend the time relaxing with you. The only reason I didn’t come seek you out earlier this morning is because I wanted to let you rest. Not because I didn’t want you.”
My cheeks tinge pink at his sincerity and the fact that I had doubts he wasn’t going to take me up on my offer. Though if he hadn’t, I would’ve understood.
“To be clear, I want that, too, to get to know you better.” I brush my hand up his chest, his muscles trembling under my touch. “But, we’ll definitely be having sex again.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asks, a lift in his voice.
I prop myself up enough that my bare breasts brush against him. “So much sex.” I skim my lips over his. “I also seem to remember something about you taking my ass for the first time?”
His gaze intensifies, blue eyes dilating as his hand trails down my back, stopping at the swell of my butt. “I’d really be your first?” he asks.
“You would.”
“Hmm, such a sweet thing to give me. Are you sure?”
“More than sure,” I say, already getting wet at the prospect of him taking me there, of experiencing something totally new with him.
His hand slips further down and squeezes one of my cheeks. “Do you have a butt plug?”
My eyes widen. “You know what a butt plug is?”
He barks a laugh. “I’m not that ancient, Alex. Nor a prude, like some may believe.”
I shake my head, “I didn’t mean—”
He cuts me off with a kiss. “I’m just teasing you. But yes, I know what a butt plug is. Do you have one?” He eyes my suitcase on the floor.
“No, I don’t.”
“Hmm, well, I’ll improvise,” he says, running a finger down the crease of my ass. “Maybe we can use that fake cock of yours.”
My nostrils flare. “That’s almost as big as yours!” The shine in his eye tells me that he’s joking. I tug on his well-trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and push out my bottom lip. “You’re right. You can be very unserious, Mr. Serious.”
He rumbles with laughter. “Speaking of toys—and you don’t have to answer this, so please tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.”
I try to stay relaxed, knowing what’s coming. I do feel like I owe him an explanation, even if I really don’t. I exhale. “You can ask me anything.”
He brushes the pad of his thumb over the apple of my cheek. “That toy, it had lube in it, right?”
I flush. “Yes, it did.”
He continues to brush his thumb over my cheek. “Don’t be embarrassed. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, no. It’s okay. Please, ask me.”
His hand on my ass grips me tighter, pulling me closer to him. “What’s the purpose of it?”
I play with the hairs of his beard, focusing on the way the colors mix together. “Um, well, the reason I said I wanted you to fill me up…” I flush harder. “I like the way it feels when...”
“…when a man comes inside you?” he finishes for me.
“Yes,” I breathe out. “The thought of being filled, of being bred. It turns me on.”
Elijah lifts my chin. His eyes are even darker now, and I don’t miss the way his cock twitches. “Bred?”
I nod. “Getting pregnant. The idea of it. It—gosh, this is so embarrassing.”
“Like I said, you have no reason to be embarrassed. It’s incredibly sexy, Alex.”
“Really?”
His gaze darts to his erection, a half smile on his lips. “I think I’m turned on by that as well, it would seem. I liked seeing my cum dripping out of you. It was…”
“…hot?” I finish for him this time.
“More than hot. Beautiful. Sensual.”
“I know I don’t have to say this, but I want you to know since we’re having unprotected sex: This doesn’t mean I want you to get me pregnant. I wasn’t lying when I said I have an IUD. I can show you my records online if you want.”
His mouth drops open, and his features turn hard with anger. “Why in the world would I ever think that or ask that of you?”
My stomach flips, and I shrug. “When I expressed to my ex what I liked, he said it was because I was so desperate for babies. He was worried I would do something rash, and he wasn’t ready for children. I tried to explain to him that while I wanted to start a family, it’s a kink. A pretty popular one.”
Elijah’s brow pinches, and his eyes narrow. “Your ex is an asshole. Oliver was right for not liking him. I would never think so terribly of you, Alex. Never. But with that said, I know the risks of unprotected sex. But I trust you. I’ve known your dad for a long time now—” He stops himself, realizing he brought up my dad and sex in practically the same sentence.
I smile weakly. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. And I’m sorry if this is weird for you.”
He shakes his head. “I’m fine, Alex. Thank you for sharing that with me. You don’t have to be embarrassed to say or do anything around me. You’re an adult. You aren’t hurting anyone. And like I said, I want to be here. I’m choosing to be here. Like you are.”
I kiss his chest and exhale a quiet sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
He brushes his fingers up my side. “No thanks needed.”
We lay there for a while, his touch easing my mind as I wonder if somehow the universe brought Elijah to me, a man who doesn’t judge me. Who wants to have no-strings-attached fun. Who even seems to like what I like.
It’s almost too perfect, like a complete and utter dream. I smile, thinking about how Allie is going to lose her mind when I share what happened this weekend.
“Tell me something about yourself,” I say, propping myself up so I can see him better.
“Anything in particular?”
I run the pad of my pointer finger over his nipple, watching it come alive under my touch. “What do you like to do for fun?
He tucks a half-dry piece of hair behind my ear. “To be honest, I haven’t done much on the side of fun in recent years.”
“Why is that?”
“Without going into it too much, I went through a divorce last year that was messy. After that, I threw myself into work. I golf with the guys here and there, but mostly, my days are pretty much the same.”
I frown. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
He traces my lower lip with his thumb. “Don’t be. Much like your situation, Deb and I weren’t compatible. I only wish we would’ve figured it out earlier.”
I kiss the pad of his thumb. “How long were you married?”
“Ten years.” My mouth drops open, and he chuckles. “Please don’t feel sorry for me. It was good at first, and I don’t have regrets. But we didn’t have children, and she developed new interests and started her own business. We naturally drifted apart. It happens.”
“But the divorce was messy?” I ask curiously.
“We co-owned a lot of assets together, and she got a little petty, though I think it was her way to try to save the marriage. But in the end, I knew it was time for us both to move on. I wanted to see who or what else life had to offer me.”
I sit up on the bed, Elijah’s eyes drifting down toward my still-naked breasts. When his eyes meet mine, he’s smiling like a dog. I smack his arm. “Besides my amazing breasts.”
He huffs a laugh. “They are amazing.”
“Be serious!”
He sits up off the pillows and reaches out to fondle one. My breath catches in my throat as he does it. But then as quickly as his touch is there, it’s gone, leaving me wanting more.
“I was being serious,” he teases. “But if you really want to know what I had in mind, it’s another similarity to you.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really? You want to enter your hot-girl badass-bitch era, too?” He looks at me funny, and I snort. “It’s nothing. I’ll tell you later. Go on.”
“Well, just so I don’t forget to say it, you’re already both of those things—minus the bitch part. At least from what I see and what you told me.” He tugs me into him so our backs are now both up against the wall of pillows. “And if I understand what you mean, I think I had one of those phases in college.”
That makes me blush and laugh all at the same time. “You were a ladies’ man, weren’t you?”
He develops a look that says I’m right. It isn’t hard to picture since Elijah is so insanely gorgeous now—I can only imagine a younger version of him surrounded by college girls. I bet he was beating them off with a stick.
“But to answer your question…” He pauses for a moment, his brow settling into his default pinch. “I’ve always wanted to have a family. Kids. Maybe even a dog. A legacy to leave behind.”
My heart thuds in my chest at his words, and I swear a spark lights in my stomach. One that feels an awful lot like…hope. I try to swallow the feeling and keep any sign of my thoughts off my face. The last thing I want to do is scare this man off after I said we were going to have a weekend of no-strings-attached fun.
Catching feelings and thinking about marriage and babies is not no strings attached. Those are in fact, a lot of strings. And none of those strings can happen between us. At least not in Elijah’s mind. If I’m being realistic, I know they shouldn’t happen, either. If Elijah and I were together in real life, we’d run into a lot of complications. The biggest one being my dad.
“The good news is, you can still find someone to have that with,” I say, even though my stomach sours when I speak the words. “And you should get a dog.”
Elijah stares at me thoughtfully. I have no idea what he’s thinking, but I like the way he’s looking at me, like maybe he’s having the same thoughts. That maybe he’s picturing me pregnant with his child, a German shepherd named Dolly at my feet.
I force a small smile and try to pretend I’m not acting like the teenage version of myself that used to write Mrs. insert-the-last-name-of-the-cute-boy-I-just-met-here all over my notebook.
“Do you like dogs?” he asks.
I clear my throat. “Yes. I love dogs. German shepherds are my favorite.”
His eyes widen. “You’re joking?”
“Don’t tell me that’s your favorite breed?”
He nods. “I had one when I was a child,” he says almost sadly. But then he’s smiling again. “His name was Fred.”
I huff a laugh. “Fred?”
“I liked the Flintstones.”
My belly warms thinking of Elijah as a little boy watching his favorite cartoon with his dog. Then my unhinged brain starts to wonder what our kids would look like, what our life would be on a weekend morning together. I would cook him and the kids breakfast before we took Dolly—or Fred—for a walk in the park. I’d grade papers on a Sunday night while he caught up on work or helped the kids with their homework.
His thumb on my cheek brings me back to reality, a reality where that isn’t possible. Or is it? An interesting idea pops into my mind and begins to run wild.
“What are you thinking about, Alex?” Elijah asks curiously.
I stare into his blue eyes. They’re so sweet, so caring. I’ve never had a man look at me like this before. Like I’m…treasured.
“It’s silly,” I say, though the words are on the tip of my tongue.
Elijah traces a cluster of freckles on my cheek. The motion causes a tickling sensation in my gut. “Nothing you could say would be silly to me, Alex.” He brushes his knuckle over my cheekbone and down the round curve of my shoulder, stopping only when he gets to my hand. Then he links them together and squeezes. “But only tell me if you want to.”
He doesn’t break eye contact with me, and I believe every word he says. He didn’t judge me for my toys or my kink. He didn’t judge me about Sean or anything I’ve told him so far. I decide I should just say what I’m thinking. If he truly thinks I’m banana bonkers, I’ll leave and go back to LA. No hard feelings.
“I, um…” I try to collect my thoughts, mulling on the best way to say this. “I was thinking that since we both want the same things that, um…maybe you’d want to play house with me this weekend?”
I think Elijah stops breathing when I finish my ask. The words I allowed to come out of my mouth seem to echo in the room. Gosh, why did I say that out loud? Who asks someone that? Apparently me.
“You know what?” I retract my hand from his. “Forget I said anything. That was silly, and I shouldn’t have said it. I’ll get dressed and let you do what you want to do for the day.” My movement on the bed snaps him out of his trance, and before I can get away from him, I’m being pinned to the bed by a very naked Elijah. A very naked and aroused Elijah.
His hard length presses into the fat of my belly, and I bite my lip as I gaze into his heated blue eyes. “You want to pretend to be my wife?”
The wetness from my mouth goes straight to my vagina at his words. My wife. Holy hell, I love the sound of that. I lick my lips and nod slowly. “We could pretend we were married, do a little role play, and see how it feels.” His cock twitches against my belly, and I smile. “I know you’ve been married before, but it sounds like it wasn’t how you pictured it?”
He shakes his head.
“I want to give you what you want, Elijah,” I almost whisper. “Will you let me?”
His lips are closer to mine now, his grip on my wrists he’s got pinned at my sides tightening. “You’ve already given me what I want, Alex. I want to give you everything you want.”
My gaze softens. How is this man even real? “Trust me. You’ll be giving me what I want,” I assure him. But what I really want to say is: You’ll be giving me a fantasy I’ve always wanted to live out, Elijah. Having a man who cares for me, who adores and appreciates me, who likes the food I cook and doesn’t judge me. Who lets me be a badass independent woman but also lets me serve and appreciate him. And he does the same for me in return. But of course, I don’t. Instead, I try to convey it all through my gaze.
Elijah releases one of my wrists and brushes his pointer finger down the side of my face adoringly before grasping my chin. “You’re an amazing woman, Alex.”
I flush from his attention. “I’m honestly surprised you’re not running away. I know it’s a weird idea.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t put yourself down for voicing what you want. You’re brave; I admire that.”
I think I turn redder. “You really don’t think it’s weird?”
Elijah’s gaze intensifies as he increases the pressure of his cock on my belly, a bit of pre-cum wetting my skin. A small moan leaves my lips, and he nips at my mouth with his.
“Does it seem like I think it’s weird?”
“Is that a yes, then?”
He kisses up my chin as he grinds against me. When he traces the shell of my ear with his nose, my breath hitches in my throat.
“It’s a yes…wife.”
Then his lips are on mine in a consuming kiss, and his cock is sheathed deep inside me.