Chapter 16
Alessandro
I have lost my fucking mind. Trying to calm the storm inside me that wants to destroy everything until all that’s left standing is the woman in my office, I down two fingers of bourbon.
Breathe. You’re going to scare her.
When I have myself under control, I walk back to stand in front of my desk and finally let myself look at her.
Christ, she’s a vision. Her hair is messy from dancing, her face flushed, her green eyes bright like Christmas lights.
I can’t help but run my gaze up her shapely legs, over the curves hidden beneath the short dress, and the creamy, exposed flesh of her cleavage, back up to her beautiful face.
I need her closer. I need to smell her, touch her.
“Come here.”
She hesitates only for a moment. My cock twitches behind my zipper at her obedience as she comes to stand in front of me. Her perfume intoxicates me. A rich vanilla bourbon scent. Lust and need and anger are at war within me. I decide the anger is the easiest to deal with.
“You fucking left without the courtesy of even a goodbye. Just fucking left, Lennon. Why? I understand why you left Tampa. But why did you leave me?”
A tiny furrow appears between her brows. Her gaze is flicking back and forth between my eyes like she’s trying to figure out why I care. Interesting.
Finally, her expression softens. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. Something like shame flitters across her expression. “Can you forgive me?”
What she doesn’t know is she could rip out my heart with her bare hands, and I would use my dying breath to forgive her.
Just the fact that she cares enough to want my forgiveness is enough.
Her words are a balm to my anger. The flames die, leaving only embers.
And those embers are being stoked by a different kind of fire as I let my gaze wander from her eyes over her face, over the familiar planes of her cheekbones, the dusting of freckles on her flushed skin, the new crinkles around her eyes.
The perfect bow of her mouth, her plush bottom lip.
Her tongue flicks out and licks those lips and a jolt of lust hits me right in the cock.
I lose it.
Grabbing her hips, I pull her into me. A sexy little gasp leaves her lips. Her hot palms are pressing against my chest, burning through my shirt. Her body’s stiff. Her eyes are wide, a deeper blush blooming on her face and chest.
Reaching up, I run my knuckles over her cheek, slowly down to the soft, warm swell of her cleavage. The girl is gone and in her place is this beautiful, sweet, incredibly soft, curvy creature. I smile inwardly as goosebumps break out on her skin.
She may have been able to walk away from me, to tell herself she doesn’t want me. But her body says differently. It says she’s still mine.
Sliding my hand into the silky bulk of her hair, I grip it tight, holding her still. Her eyes are mesmerizing, glittering with both desire and fight. Her exhale is warm and sweet with alcohol against my mouth.
“Are you happy?” I whisper against her lips.
A flicker of pain in her eyes tells me everything I need to know.
I pause, savoring the moment I’ve dreamed about for a decade and giving her a chance to stop me. When she doesn’t, I press my mouth to her plush, warm lips.
Her body surrenders, leaning into me, and I wrap my arm tighter around her.
As my tongue sweeps against hers, an electric current shoots right to my cock.
I deepen the kiss, unable to hold back the moan in my throat, unable to stop devouring this woman in my arms. Right where she should be.
Because I have the strangest sense of coming home.
I’m completely lost in the pleasure of having her back in my arms when she suddenly pulls back and looks into my eyes. And I see the panic behind the lust.
Fuck.
I close my eyes and lean my forehead against hers, getting my breathing under control. I want to comfort her, but I don’t know how. “Lennon.”
“What do you want from me, Sandro?”
Her question makes my eyes snap open.
What do I want from her?
Every-fucking-thing. I want her mouth and her cunt, her heart, her soul. I want to mark her, to own her, to let the world know she’s mine. I want her trust, her devotion, her future. I want to devour her.
I want everything I have no fucking right to ask for or deserve.
I grab her and spin her around, plopping her ass on the edge of the desk.
Running my hands up her bare calves and over her knees, I watch her eyes hood, her breaths rise and fall quicker.
Her thighs are silky soft skin over taught muscle.
I dig my fingers in and spread them, seating my hard cock against her core.
A whimper escapes her lips.
“What do I want?” I slide one hand up to grip her jaw and make sure she sees the absolute fucking need in my eyes. “I want to finish what I started ten years ago.”
I pull away enough to slip my hand between us and cup her hot pussy.
And just like I thought, she’s soaking wet.
Rubbing a finger over the thin piece of silk between us, I whisper, “Fuck. You’re so wet.
Is this for me, Angel?” It better not be from that fucker grinding against her on the dance floor.
“Yes,” she whispers.
Satisfaction roars through me as I press my thumb into her clit. Before she can get back in her head and stop me, I lean forward and begin to suck and bite at her jaw as my thumb circles faster and harder.
She’s whimpering and clutching my arms.
I need to feel her again. With a growl, I grab the thin material and rip it off her. When my fingers slide over her swollen clit and slick folds, precum leaks from my dick as it pulses. A white-hot need obliterates all thought.
I push two fingers inside her, feeling her walls instantly contract around them. Fucking heaven. I bite down on her earlobe and moan, “You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about having my fingers in this pussy again.”
She spreads her thighs in answer, and I grin with satisfaction. I can feel her walls fluttering around my fingers as I push deeper. She’s so close. This time, she will come.
“Eyes on me.” I say in her ear. “You’re going to come for me, Angel.” I add another finger, and she cries out. “That a girl,” I growl. Then I push deeper and curl my fingertips to hit her G-spot, while I press my thumb on her clit.
Her cry fills the room as her orgasm hits.
Her walls clench around my fingers in wave after wave.
I’ve held eye contact with her through it, watching in awe as her eyes darken with pleasure.
Then I lean forward and crush my mouth to hers, swallowing her whimpers, pumping my fingers slowly, letting her ride out the contractions on my hand. This beautiful, responsive woman.
Christ, she’s going to be the death of me.
We’re holding eye contact again as I slip my fingers out and bring them to my mouth.
I suck her arousal from them and then press my mouth against hers, slipping my tongue inside so she tastes her own pleasure.
Pressing my erection against her bare pussy, the damp heat soaks through my slacks.
I roll my hips, grinding into her, devouring her mouth.
When she moves her hands into my hair, pulling my mouth deeper, I know she’s surrendered completely.
Suddenly there’s a knock on the door.
We both freeze.
“Fuck off,” I yell at whoever just interrupted us… again. The deja vu is hitting hard.
Lennon is now stiff in my arms, a faraway look in her eyes. I sigh and brush the hair from her flushed cheek.
“Where did you go?” I ask, though I already know.
Her eyes are suddenly bright with tears. “This can’t happen again. You’re getting married.” Something like nausea flits over her face and then she pushes off the desk, adjusts her dress back over her hips.
It takes everything in me to step back and give her space, when I just want to crush her to me and never let her go. This is the hardest war I’ve ever fought. The war against what I want, and what I know I have no right to take.
She steps around me. “I guess we can call this our goodbye then.”
Her words hit me like a gut punch. I take a deep breath and scrub a hand over my face to hide the frustration. I cannot fucking lose her again. I won’t.
Yes, you will. For her sake, you will let her go.
Before she reaches the door, she looks over her shoulder. “The name of your club… The Eclipse. Why?”
All I can do is give her a small smile and hope that the realization helps her understand what I can’t say.
By the sadness in her eyes, she gets it. She turns away, unlocks the door and pulls it open.
Gunnar is standing there, hands on his hips. He gives her a nod in greeting, and then his jaw clenches as his gaze finds mine.
“Lennon… wait,” I call. I need to know she makes it home safely at least. “Gunnar will give you and your friend a ride home.”
Gunnar raises a brow at me then turns to Lennon.
“Give me one sec, then we’ll go find your friend.
” He strides into the office and stands in front of me, leaning in so Lennon doesn’t hear.
“Giada is here. Someone sent her a photo of you hand in hand with Lennon walking through the casino. She’s upstairs demanding you come now. ”
I close my eyes and sigh. Not what I want to deal with right now. I don’t know if I have the strength to give a shit about duty and loyalty. Not with the taste of Lennon still on my tongue, the incredible high of her body in my arms still fresh. “All right. Take the girls home. I’ll deal with it.”