Alex

 

Present Day

 

“Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk to you,” Theo said, but that was far from comforting.

“Don’t people pay you for good advice?”

I was impatiently waiting for some words of guidance. We were talking about his sister, for fuck’s sake. My thoughts were scattered, with memories of our one night together replaying over and over, ending in my eventual rejection and defeat.

“They pay me to listen…mostly. Or to give them a script. Are you asking for drugs?”

“Laugh it up, asshole.”

I barged ahead, toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view from his penthouse showcased the city, and the perfect weather that graced us daily. Unfortunately, it just didn’t match my mood.

“I can’t stop thinking about her.”

I pressed my forehead against the heated glass. If only I could gain some control over my emotions…

“I’m sorry, Alex.” With a deeper understanding and empathy, he continued. “It’s just… Well, look at you. I’ve never seen you so caught up over anyone before. What can I do to help?”

“Do you talk to her? I mean, does she call you?”

“To be honest, not often.” He rubbed his hand over his dark stubble. “She talks to Eden all the time, though.” 

I couldn’t help but admire the man in front of me. He went after what he wanted, regardless of the consequences.

“I have everything and nothing, at the same time. A reoccurring theme in my life,” I confessed.

“But

“Not too shabby, doctor.”

I left with his still words rattling around in my brain, feeding off the excitement of having hope again. Needless to say, I had an uphill battle on my hands.

 

***

 

New York, the city that never sleeps.

Neither did we, that one night we’d shared. Our connection had been so instantaneous. At least, it had been for me.

 

***

 

The waitress began to approach us.

“Another?”

Much to my surprise, I saw Madison hold two fingers up.

How could a little harmless fun hurt? We were the last two to leave, and I couldn’t deny the thrill of having her all to myself.

“Tell me everything about you.”

I looked over the flickering candle between us. The corners of her lips raised into a flirtatious smile, and I felt my heart skip a beat as our eyes locked.

With her glossy hair the color of honey, her bright blue eyes, and a drop-dead smile that brought me to my knees, Madison was lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I had trouble focusing on anything but her physical attributes.

But it was more than that. So much more.

“I just spent the last three hours doing that.”

She laughed, and her eyes crinkled adorably. I couldn’t help but notice how her face lit up. I wanted to know every detail, every inch, every curve of her.

“Okay. Um, I’ll be traveling to California, close to where you and Theo live, for the next month or so, negotiating a deal with a manufacturer. If it closes, I may relocate. It’s the biggest opportunity I’ve ever had in my career.”

“It would be nice to have you closer,” I said, engulfed in a cloud of her luxurious perfume. “I mean, for Theo and you to reconnect.”

She was simply hypnotizing me with her beauty, her intelligence, and her sense of humor.

“So, tell me something, Alex.”

I watched her take a sip of her vodka-seven.

“Why is a guy like you still single?”

I could hardly contain myself. Her words stirring something deep within me.

“I was waiting until I could be a better man.”

My gut twisted with the truth exposed so easily. She held me captive, and I was ready to spill all my secrets willingly. I was ready to rid myself of who I’d been in the past and finally become who I wanted to be, right before her very eyes.

“What would it be like to be with this better man?”

The question was so blunt, I didn’t answer right away. She seemed to tense, even though it was her words that had caused the reaction, and when she turned away, I wondered if she regretted it.

But I had to act on pure instinct. This felt right. It almost felt too right.

“Look me in the eyes and say that,” I challenged.

She raised one eyebrow, looking less certain, less brave. Her eyes searched mine, begging for something I couldn’t decipher.

“Say it.”

We locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

“Let’s not overthink this,” she whispered.

Reason tumbled into oblivion, and her sudden naughty smile had me imagining all sorts of wild things I had only dreamed about.

“Lead the way.”

She rose seductively out of her chair.

Christ.

Wondering if I looked as nervous as I felt, we walked side by side in a comfortable pace. I placed my hand lightly on the small of her back, and once in the elevator, we stood in silence.

My heart was beating wildly.

“Can’t wait to get upstairs, huh?” I asked playfully, next to her ear.

When she laughed, I stared back at her. Her taunting blue eyes were asking for it. I gently brushed my tongue over her pillowlike lips, and then let them crash against one another. She tasted so sweet. We didn’t break apart until we heard the doors open. I reached for her hand and pulled her down the hall.

“Here we are.”

One swipe, and we were in. She made her way to the window, where the soft glow of the moon shone down on her face. She looked at me with an indescribable expression, the moon reflected in her eyes.

Fuck, I was a Hallmark card.

She undressed slowly, methodically, throwing each piece of clothing on the chair. Her eyes never wavered.

“Tampering with my sanity, I see.”

I stood frozen in place, unwilling to miss a single moment of her show.

“Do you need some assistance?”

Her one finger dragged over my chest, working its magic down to my belt and lower. She was urging me on, and the blood suddenly rushed downward where he was waiting. I felt the thick and heavy weight, just begging for release. I undressed slowly as I watched her final garment fall, her nakedness on display as her golden hair draped over her luscious curves.

I sampled her sensual lips as I lowered my mouth to meet hers. Her warm tongue pushed against mine. We moved as one toward the bed. Once the back of her legs pressed against the bed, she tumbled back, her silken blonde hair fanned out across the sheets.

My hand slowly grazed over her bare leg, up her thigh. She whimpered as I stroked between her legs. Then I found her wet and ready. I gripped her knees and eased them apart and hovered over her exposed beauty. I eagerly buried my face between her thighs.

“Jesus, woman.”

I tasted her heat, the flavor all hers, and my tongue knew no bounds. Wildness brewed beneath her exterior of gentleness, and her moans grew stronger. Her fingers glided through my hair, tugging and guiding me as her hips found her pace. I knew I couldn’t hold back the force of passion she ignited in me for much longer, but then she came as my mouth sucked hard on her bud. I drew out her climax for as long as I could as her body shook with tremors.

She cradled my face in her hands, urging me up to meet her lips as she pulled me in for a kiss. I kneaded her heavy breast, finding her nipples beaded and excited as our mouths consumed each other, our tongues doing a mating dance of their own.

Her hand reached down between us, circling my hard length with vigor. My stamina now at risk, I slowed her pace, not ready to cut the night short, but she took that as a beckoning to bury my cock in her warm, wet mouth.

Who was I to argue?

“You’re driving too fast, Madison.”

I watched her worship on her knees as if she was exploring the deepest, most private part of me. It was an attack on my senses, and I was unprepared for her frenzied fever. I wanted more. I needed more.

I had to have a deeper connection.

“I need to be inside you.”

Her knowing smile said it all.

After gloving up, I hovered over her entrance, slowly filling her and stretching her. I was eager to sample every inch of her.

Then I stilled, throbbing inside her.

“You’re so sexy, and so fucking tight.”

As her body closed tightly around me, she squeezed her inner muscles as if she was caressing my cock from within.

That was new.

Our eyes met in what only could be described as a spiritual connection. The passionate kiss we shared spoke of things unsaid.

Then her knees clamped on my naked hips as my thrusts became increasingly long, slowly pulling her tighter against my body.

“Deeper!” She begged.

I lifted her legs and begun to fuck her, hard.

“Yes, just like that!”

I was on my knees now. She matched my rhythm thrust for thrust. The onslaught of her raw physical desire was something only I could satisfy. She liked it hard, I was more than happy to oblige. I circled her swollen clit, and the potency was suddenly too much.

“Alex, yes! Fuck me!”

Wave after wave of euphoric release slammed down on us both. With ragged breathing, pounding heartbeats, and sweat-slicked bodies, we tumbled into sensual oblivion.

God, when my name flew from her lips, it was as if she became mine. Every possessive bone in my body just claimed her.

We slept entangled in each other’s arms.

I woke later, very aware of the night we had just shared. I was hoping that perhaps this time would be different. Maybe this woman—who had basically appeared out of thin air—would actually be mine.

I reached for her, carefully turning her to face me. Her eyes remained closed, but a slow smile appeared when I found her feminine folds wet and wanting. I dipped under the covers, kissing and licking my way down to paradise. When she came, she cried out, “Alexander!”

My Christian name was usually only reserved for my parents, yet it felt right—and so erotic—falling from her lips.

I hadn’t come prepared for this with only the one condom, so I balanced on my knees between her thighs and took my cock in my own hand.

“Raise your hands above your head, beautiful.”

Emphasizing the peaks and valleys on full display, I circled my hard length until my climax came in dragging massive waves of pleasure and spilling my seed on her belly.

Afterward, I grabbed a clean towel and wiped her porcelain skin, erasing a part of me from her body. It didn’t take long to drift off once again, wrapped in each other’s arms.

 

***

 

The knocking was impossible to miss. I squinted to see the time, and realized I was late. Wrapped in only a towel, I headed for the door. I glanced over my shoulder. Her body was bathed in the warm sunshine that was streaming in. Then she stirred and her beautiful eyes met mine.

I opened the door to find Theo and Eden.

“Have you seen Madison? We can’t find her.”

“Who?”

“What do you mean, who?” he snorted, glancing at Eden.

“Madison. My sister. Her fiancé is here.”

“Her what?”

I immediately began to replay last night’s events in my head. Nope, there had been no fucking mention of a fiancé.

“I got a wake-up call this morning from a Graham somebody, and he’s looking for her,” Theo explained.

I look over my shoulder at her, but Madison’s reaction was empty.

Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach.

“Fiancé?” I repeat, staring blankly at the floor. My world was now spinning out of control.

Is she in there, Alex?”

I nodded a somber yes, and I felt my heart snap.

“Well, hell, Alex, go tell her and straighten out this mess.”

I saw a fleeting look of disapproval on Theo’s face as he turned and walked away. I closed the door, not quite ready to close the book on this woman.

“Stay,” I begged, as I watched her dress. “Don’t I deserve an explanation?”

“I can’t.”

I watched as she gathered her long blonde hair and wove it into a messy side braid.

“You want to. I know you do.”

I watched her finish dressing, never once allowing our eyes to meet. When I attempted to decode her response, I came up empty.

“You hardly know me, Alex.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“What I want is for you to stop this, right now. I have to go.” Then she simply brushed past me. “I’m sorry, Alex. I really am.”

And with that, she walked out of the room and out of my life without so much as a backward glance.

But the question remained: could I close the door to my heart?