Chapter Twelve
LEONA
Iwake up to the sun streaming in through the window. Why the hell didn’t I close the curtains last night before I went to bed? Oh, that’s right, I think with a smile as last night comes back to me.
I don’t know whether I should be smiling about it though.
The other night with Christian, Zander showed me exactly who he was, and I still couldn’t help jumping into bed with him the second he showed up here.
I ought to be ashamed of myself, but the truth is, I’m not.
I didn’t choose to fall for Zander, but I have, and that means taking the bad with the good.
After our conversation last night, I hope there is going to be a lot more of the good to come and a lot less of the bad.
I push my thoughts aside. It doesn’t matter about the past now.
What matters is the here and now. It’s time to stop pretending that the biggest part of me doesn’t love Zander’s dark side.
I love the way he says I’m his like he means it with every part of him.
I stretch and wince at the soreness between my legs.
It’s a good kind of sore, though. The kind of sore that comes with being sated.
“Morning,” Zander mumbles from beside me.
“Morning,” I say.
I sit up and yawn before reaching for my phone and checking the time. I have just over an hour before I have to be in class. I push the duvet off and stand up.
“Where are you going?” Zander asks.
“To get a shower,” I say. “I have class soon.”
Zander gets up. “Let’s go,” he says.
“You’re coming with me to the shower?” I ask.
“Yup,” he says. “Ever the environmentalist, saving water and all that.”
“Yeah, right,” I laugh. “At least let me pee first.”
“Okay, you’ve got thirty seconds,” Zander says. “One… two… three.”
I run for the bathroom and use the toilet as quickly as I can.
I’m halfway through brushing my teeth when Zander comes in.
I finish up with him watching me before handing him my toothbrush.
He takes it and puts some toothpaste on it, as I step into the bathtub and pull the curtain across.
I turn the shower on and get the water warm, waiting for Zander to join.
When he steps in, I have to tear my gaze away fast. Because he’s, well, just so gorgeous. Broad shoulders, defined pecs, and a stomach carved from stone. That sculpted body and that cock that I already love way too much.
“You waited.” He smiles. “Good girl.”
I manage to smile up at him, although I feel shy for some reason. “Yeah? You like Good Leona?”
In a flash, his hand presses my face into the wall and he breathes into my ear. “You know it.”
Just as quickly, he releases me, and as I practically groan with arousal, he casually picks up my shampoo, puts some on his palm, then turns me around so I’m facing away from him.
He puts his hands on my head and massages the shampoo into my scalp and hair.
He rinses it and repeats the process with my conditioner and then he picks up the shower gel.
I expect him to squirt some on my sponge, but he doesn’t.
He squirts it on his hands and then he lathers me up, running his hands all over my body.
He starts on my chest, bringing my nipples to life.
“Beautiful, perfect tits,” he growls affectionately before moving his hands down over my sides and stomach.
He comes back up and runs his hands over my shoulders and down my arms and then over my back.
“Fucking love your tight body,” he murmurs into my ear.
But as he continues stroking me, he skips the part I most want him to touch and crouches down instead.
He runs his hands over my calves and then up my legs to my thighs, rubbing my inner thighs until I’m groaning.
“Yeah?” He’s smirking, the asshole. “You like that?”
“Please,” is all I say.
Still smirking, he stands and massages my ass before finally sliding his hand to the front and slipping his fingers between my folds, rubbing my clit.
“Oh, fuck,” I groan.
“Fucking right,” he growls, pumping his fingers in and out of me.
In and out. In and out. God, he’s so fast and adept, I’m already close to coming.
“Zander,” I moan.
“Yeah?”
“I wanna come.”
He goes even faster, pressing his thumb against my clit too. His voice is pure command: “Then come. Come for me.”
And, just like that, I do. Pleasure crashes through me so hard I can barely breathe.
He keeps rubbing me through it, his name on my lips and then I turn around and kiss him.
I deepen the kiss and then pull away, leaving him wanting more, I hope. I sit down on the side of the bath, ignoring the cold of the porcelain against my skin. I reach out for Zander and pull him towards me. I take his cock into my mouth and put his hands on my shoulders, pulling him closer.
“Oh baby,” he says appreciatively.
I almost grin, though it isn’t easy with his cock in my mouth.
I suck him hard, and he begins to thrust slowly.
Then he grabs my hair, wraps it around his fist and starts face fucking me with more and more violent thrusts, feeding me his impossibly large cock.
It’s not long before the now-familiar feeling that I might gag, but I force myself to breathe through my nose and ignore it.
Just as Zander is about to come, he reaches down and pulls me back to my feet, his cock popping out of my mouth.
Before I can protest, he spins me around and kisses my neck, then he roughly bends me forward.
“Zander?” I say.
“Shh,” he says, hand covering my mouth.
I brace my hands on the tiles, enjoying the sensation of the hot water drumming on my lower back and running down my sides and between my ass cheeks.
Zander slips inside of me, and he holds my hips in his hands.
He savagely hammers a series of balls-deep thrusts into me, and at the same time, he drags me back against him by the hips so every thrust feels twice as deep.
I’m still tender from last night, and pain and pleasure blur together, sending me hurtling toward another orgasm.
He keeps thrusting after my orgasm has tailed off, keeping hold of my hips when my knees buckle. He brings one hand around to the front of me and pushes me up against him. I can feel his breath on my neck as he pants, his thrusts getting harder and faster.
“Yes kitten, milk my cock with your tiny, pretty pussy.”
As he lets go with a roar, he sucks some of my skin into his mouth, pulling it gently between his teeth. I know it will leave a mark and I think that was his plan — to mark what is his.
When his cock slips out of me, we stand under the water for another couple of minutes and then I turn around in his arms. I kiss Zander hard on the lips and then I reach back and turn off the water.
We get out of the tub and Zander wraps me in a big fluffy towel.
He wraps another towel around his waist.
We go back to my bedroom where we get dressed and I dry my hair. Zander sits on the bed watching me apply my makeup.
“You know I have to go to class, right?” I say.
“I know,” he says. “I’ll take you on my way home.”
“Thanks,” I say.
I finish getting ready and check the time.
“Ready when you are,” I say.
Zander slides down the bed, so he’s lying down. He beckons to me. I laugh and shake my head.
“I really have to go,” I say.
“So, you’re saying no to me,” Zander says.
“Well yeah, I guess so,” I say.
Zander grins. “Perfect. That’s something you’ll pay for tonight.”
“Aren’t we going out with Erin and her boyfriend tonight?” I’m sure that’s tonight.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t planning on bringing them into the bedroom with us after the meal,” Zander grins.
I laugh and feel my cheeks heat. “OK, fair point,” I concede. “Let’s go.”
I hear the rustling of the duvet as Zander gets up.
He comes up behind me as I open the bedroom door.
He leans over me and pushes it shut again and then he slams me against it, his body trapping me between him and the door.
He runs his tongue over my ear and then bites my ear lobe.
He reaches between my legs and roughly rubs my clit through my clothes, instantly making me want him again.
He rubs me a second longer and then he stands back.
“That will give you something to think about today,” he grins. “And maybe next time, you won’t say no to me.”
I open the bedroom door and step out.
“Or maybe I’ll like it so much I’ll say no to you more often,” I say over my shoulder.
“Oh, you wouldn’t dare,” Zander says.
“Try me,” I say and dodge away from him laughing as he makes a grab for me.
We go out to the car and Zander drops me off at the main building as he promised. We arrange for him to come and collect me tonight and then I kiss him and get out of the car.
I’m halfway to my class when I spot Tilly. She gives me a half wave, and when I return it, she heads over.
“Hi,” I say when she reaches me.
“Hey,” she replies. “Looks like someone had fun last night.”
She nods towards my neck as she says it and I remember that I most likely have a hickey there.
“Zander and I got back together,” I say.
“Oh God, girl, I hope you made him double bag it,” Tilly says. I frown and she moves in closer, lowering her voice. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but he’s not exactly known for sticking to one girl. Do you really think he wasn’t fucking about while you two were at war?”
I shrug. “I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest,” I say.
“You should,” Tilly says. “Because you need to know that Zan isn’t like most guys. He will hurt you.”
“Like he hurt you?” I challenge her.
It’s Tilly’s turn to shrug. “I’m just biding my time. I mean don’t get me wrong, it did hurt a bit being cast aside, but I get it. Zan needs to get all of that aggression out of his system before he can settle down with a girl. When he’s ready, he’ll come find me,” she says.
“You keep on telling yourself that,” I say, shaking my head and laughing.
But I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t a little bit of truth in what she’s saying.
Tilly belongs in the same world as Zander, a world of money and big business where I don’t really fit.
I duck into class before Tilly can say anything else, but her words are bugging me and they keep bugging me all day.
By the time Zander arrives, I’ve completely worked myself up over it. I get into Zander’s car, and he instantly sees something is wrong.
“What’s happened?” he asks.
I start to tell him nothing happened, and that I’m okay. Then I remember the talk that we had about being honest with each other, and I decide to just say what’s on my mind.
“Did you hook up with Tilly while we were split up?” I ask. I hurry on before he can answer. “I know I have no right to ask that, and if you did, I can hardly complain, I just need to know.”
“I didn’t hook up with anyone, Leona. Especially not Tilly,” Zander says. “What did she say to get under your skin?”
“Well, she implied that you have always slept around,” I say.
“Okay, until I met you, that was true,” Zander says.
“I figured as much, but that was before we met so I’m not worried about that,” I say. “But you know, she all but said that you were sleeping around while we were broken up. I know we weren’t together, but I don’t really like the thought of it.”
“You’re jealous,” Zander says, grinning over at me.
“I guess,” I admit.
“You don’t have to be. I didn’t sleep with anyone while we were broken up, I swear,” he says.
“OK,” I say.
We fall quiet and after a few minutes, Zander touches my knee.
“Come on, what else did she say?”
I sigh. I might as well just say it. “She said that you’re using me to get rid of all of this aggression you have. That you’ll use me until you feel like you could have a normal relationship and then you’ll be with her.”
“Is that what you think?” he asks.
“No. Yes. No,” I say. He looks at me and the corner of his mouth lifts with amusement, and I can’t help but smile, too.
“No. I mean I don’t think you’ve sat down and planned that.
But then I can’t help thinking that Tilly is more from your world and she’s more likely to be someone you could actually take home to your parents. ”
“I wouldn’t introduce Tilly to the stray cat that wanders down the alleyway behind our house, let alone my parents,” Zander says.
“I told you I wouldn’t lie to you. I did fuck Tilly once.
It was before we got together and it was a one-time thing as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t want to be with her. I don’t even want to have sex with her again.
Saying sleeping with her was a mistake is probably a bit harsh, but if I had known she was going to get all weird like this, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near her. ”
“Okay,” I say. I smile then, my first real smile since talking to Tilly. “Sorry, but I had to ask.”
“I know. That’s what we said, right? Open communication instead of bottling shit up until we’re both pissed off.”
Now it’s my turn to put my hand on his knee. I don’t stop at his knee, though. I run my fingers up his thigh.
“I like this new thing,” I say.