Alek

 

My heart rammed against my ribs. I was fearful it would never slow back down—not as long as she was in my life, at least. That woman was going to be the death of me. I just knew it. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since the very first time I’d laid eyes on her, I knew she was destined to be mine and I would do everything in my power to protect her, even from herself. I’d never experienced any of those feelings before, and I’d had my share of women. There was something about Sara which called to me, beckoning me from afar…and up close. I knew I came off as intense and overbearing, but I wasn’t about to apologize for trying to keep her safe.

After she was done speaking with the cops, they went into the bar to escort the guy out so he could tell his side of the story. They found him back in action, drinking, and hitting on some poor unsuspecting woman.

Asshole.

His version of the story was he was going to the men’s room and Sara had approached and started kissing him. Then when I showed up and saw them, I lost it.

Sara had to hold me back from pouncing on the bastard right in front of the officers. Both of her hands were on my arm, trying her best to pull me back toward the edge of the curb. I could have easily broken free and tackled the fucker, but I refrained, even though I struggled with my decision. Well, until she rose up on her tippy toes and whispered in my ear, “Don’t do it, Alek. I need you here with me.”

Her words calmed my struggle, both inside and out.

The police escorted the creep down to the station for more questioning and to let him sober up. They informed us they would get in touch with her if they needed any more information. I had to remind her to tell them she wished to press charges, something I was sure she didn’t want to do, but I all but forced her hand.

“Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.” I laced my fingers with hers and started toward my car, which was parked two spaces down from where we were standing. The ride I’d chosen to bring that night was my black Aston Martin. It was a luxurious vehicle, and once I’d noticed the way Sara looked at it, I knew I’d made the right choice. Even though she tried to seem unaffected by me, I loved the fact I could impress her, even if it was with a hunk of steel.

“I can’t leave Alexa here by herself,” she mumbled as she suddenly stopped walking.

I blew out a breath of frustration but knew she was right. We couldn’t leave her friend there all alone. “Wait here, Sara. Don’t go anywhere.” My eyes bore into hers, waiting for compliance.

“All right, I won’t go anywhere.”

Once I knew she wouldn’t move, I stalked back inside and quickly located her friend. She was in the corner, busy chatting up some tattooed guy. I should have taken her with us, but I had no right. I hardly knew Alexa, and it certainly wasn’t my place to intervene. But I would make sure she had a safe ride home when and if she needed it. After I was finished, I walked back outside, locking eyes with my woman. That’s right. Sara is my woman, even if she doesn’t know it yet.

When I was within a few feet of her, I reached out and latched onto her hand again, pulling her with me as we walked toward the car. She gave some resistance at first and it confused me. Then it dawned on me I was still manhandling her a little bit. I loosened my grip and waited patiently for her to follow me.

She was coming with me. I just hoped she made up her mind before I had to throw her over my shoulder again.

When she still didn’t move, I leaned in closer, questioning her with the furrow of my brow. “What are you waiting for?” I asked, impatience rolling off every word.

“What did you say to Alexa?”

I wanted to go, so I blurted out our quick conversation. “I gave her the number to my car service, if and when she needs to use it. Other than kidnapping her, Sara, there is nothing else I can do.”

I didn’t know if she was trying to compute what I’d said, but I wasn’t giving her another second of hesitation. Gently placing my hand on the small of her back, I ushered her toward the passenger side of my vehicle.

When I sensed she was still struggling with her decision to leave, I blurted out, “You’re not going back in there tonight, Sara. Let it go.” She instantly stood taller, resolve and stubbornness propping her up for a fight. Before she started to argue, I spoke again. “Please, get in the car. It’s chilly and I’d like to take you home.”

She finally relented and allowed me to open the door for her. Sliding inside, I couldn’t miss the look of awe which overtook her. Her head whipped around, taking in every little facet of the car. It was a simple thing, but I’d take it. A big smile broke out on my face as I closed her door and made my way around toward the driver’s side.

As soon as I was nestled in, I turned the engine over, the interior lighting up and encasing us both. Pulling out into the street, I breathed a sigh of relief she’d allowed me to drive her home.

“This is a beautiful car, Alek,” she said, more on a whisper.

“Thanks. I was thinking about buying a different one, though; I’m kind of bored.” Truth be told, even though the car impressed me, which was hard to do, I was getting tired of it. I liked to switch up my rides every so often, a luxury I could more than afford.

Glancing over in her direction, I saw a disapproving look on her face. “What’s that look for?” I asked as I found myself shifting in my seat. Why am I uncomfortable all of a sudden?

Without looking at me, she muttered, “Rich people.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew she was impressed with me even though she wouldn’t admit it. And let’s face it; it’s good for my ego.

There were a few moments of silence before I broke the building tension. “Why were you ladies out tonight? Anything in particular?” Thankfully, all of my anger from before had finally disappeared.

She answered immediately. “I found out today I was approved for a loan, so we were out celebrating.”

“Because of getting a loan?” I chuckled. What a weird cause for rejoicing.

My response was obviously the wrong one, instantly putting her on guard again.

“You wouldn’t understand because apparently, it’s beneath you, not understanding how important this is to someone like me.”

She spoke of herself as if she was the lowest of the low, something which I would not tolerate, in any fashion.

Trying to diffuse the situation, I retorted with, “I didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t take what I said the wrong way.” I reached over and touched her leg and surprisingly, she didn’t tell me to remove it. “Explain it to me. Please. What was the loan for?”

Silence.

Unbearable silence.

Finally, after a few very long minutes of her staring out the window again, watching the world go by, she spoke up. “I’m not telling you. Just drop it.”

My grip on her thigh tightened a little, letting her know I wanted her to talk to me. Whipping her head toward me, I saw the faintest smile grace her mouth. Even in the darkness of the car, I knew I affected her. She tried to better situate herself, even though I knew she was as comfortable as could be.

I tried to persuade her to answer my question. “Please, tell me about the loan. What’s it for?”

“If you must know,” she started off sarcastically, “it was to purchase Full Bloom, the flower shop you came into. My boss, Katherine, is selling it to me because she’s finally decided to retire. I’m very excited about the transition.” Surprisingly, she kept her eyes locked on me. “That’s why we were out celebrating. Happy?”

“Actually, yes. I’m very happy for you, Sara. It’s a big step owning your own business. I own several of my own, so if you ever need any help, please don’t hesitate to pick my brain.”

“Why am I not surprised you own many businesses?” Her question was more of a rhetorical one, so I didn’t even bother responding.

A few more minutes passed. I was still holding on to her leg, my fingers massaging her thigh. At some point, I guess when she’d had enough, she placed her hand on mine and tried to remove it. I didn’t allow her to succeed, though. Not yet.

She stopped fidgeting, but I sensed her breathing had increased.

“Can you please turn the heat down?”

“Sorry, but I don’t have it on,” I replied, a smirk lifting the corners of my mouth.

“Then can you please remove your hand from my leg?”

What I really wanted to do was move my hand higher up her thigh. Maybe even sneaking it in between. If she’d been wearing a skirt, I might not have been able to hold back, her desire permeating off her, calling for me to claim her in some way.

“Are you sure you want me to? You look like you want me to do other things with my hand.”

 “I’m quite sure you need to put both hands on the wheel. Right now, please.”

I would give her that one, mainly because it was better for both of our safety if I did what she asked. Gripping the steering wheel with both hands did relieve me of some of the torture I had been inflicting on myself.

~~~~

As soon as I pulled up in front of her building, I wasted no time shutting off the engine and hurrying from the car. I could tell she expected me to just drop her off and drive away, but there was no way in hell I wasn’t going to walk her inside and make sure she was okay. Especially after what she’d been through earlier.

I’d been to her place before but I’d never gotten the chance to inspect her surroundings and give it my stamp of approval. Glancing around quickly, I gauged the building was one of the nicer ones. But I still wasn’t convinced it was safe enough for her. What are you going to do? Invade her privacy? Hell yeah, I was. Whenever I was around that woman, all of my sensibility flew right out the window.

She opened her door before I made it over to her side, an action which irked me a little. But I tried not to show it, knowing I was overreacting.

“What are you doing?” she asked as I moved closer. “You don’t have to walk me up.”

“Yes, I do. After everything that happened tonight, I need to make sure you get inside safe and sound.” I wasn’t wavering on this. She could fight me as much as she wanted to.

“Fine,” was all she said. As we were walking up the sidewalk, I noticed one of the side lights which lined the walkway was out, making it pretty damn dark. I think she knew I was going to comment on it because she tensed up all of a sudden.

“You should really live somewhere well-lit. This isn’t safe.” I hadn’t noticed if she had an alarm system when I was there before but there better at least have a deadbolt.

“It’s usually lit up very well. That light must have just burnt out.”

“Uh-huh,” I grunted.

Once inside, we rode the elevator to the fourth floor. The time spent in silence was a gift since I was trying to calm the rising urge to whisk her away from there.

When we finally arrived, I stepped out after her, the look of disbelief on her face not stopping me. I followed her down the hall and waited patiently behind her as she put her key in the lock.

Once she pushed the door wide open, she turned around and stood there staring at me. “What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving now?”

“Absolutely not,” I answered as I slowly pushed past her, not waiting for an invitation to enter her residence. “I’m coming in to check and make sure everything is good.”

“That’s not necessary,” she said as she tried to pull me back toward her. “I’ll be fine.”

Once she realized there was no getting rid of me, she let me go, stepped further inside and closed the door behind us. Thankfully, she was smart enough to leave a light on, so as not to walk in blind. But as quickly as I saw the light, I noticed there was no alarm. My irritation rose, but I tried my best to tamp it back down. I had to approach this with some kind of finesse or I was going to put her off altogether. While I was going to make my demands, they were needed for her security. Even if she didn’t agree.

No sense in beating around the bush. “Where’s your alarm?” I asked, knowing full well she didn’t have one.

“Not everyone has a security system, Alek. We regular folk can’t afford stuff like that.” Her sarcastic tone told me everything. My wealth bothered her, or at the very least unnerved her.

Ignoring her comment, I turned and started making my way around her small apartment. “That’s just careless and asinine.”

“We have a secure deadbolt, which is all we need. Plus, this building is one of the safer ones in the neighborhood, so there is no need for extra security.”

Ignoring her lame excuses, I proceeded to check the kitchen first before heading down the hall to the bathroom, then each of the bedrooms. Hers was the last one I checked, moving quicker than I knew she could keep up with.

“Why are you checking through this whole place? What are you expecting to find?” she cried out as I disappeared into her closet.

I heard her blow out a frustrated breath and when I finally looked over at her, she was standing tall with her hands on her tiny waist. Her long, chestnut hair was flowing loosely, making her appear even more enticing then she normally was.

She really was quite the beauty, her stubbornness doing nothing to detract from that. In fact, it was making me want her even more. I loved the fact she was a feisty woman, although she was probably less apt to listen to me.

The next few seconds passed as the sexual tension grew between us. Gone was her irritation with me. Instead, she was blatantly checking me out, roaming her eyes up and down my body without shame. It was then I realized I was still standing in the middle of her private space. There were only a few feet separating us and her bed. Before my mind could wander to the many ways I wanted to take her, I moved a few steps in her direction, holding her gaze with every stride.

A sudden look overcame her, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was. Panic? Confusion? “Are you all right?” I asked, leaning in closer to check. Hooking a finger under her chin, I lifted her head so she could meet my eyes.

“I’m fine. A little dizziness. No big deal.” She looked as if she was going to pass out, her face suddenly very flustered, her breathing faster than was certainly normal. “Are you done with your inspection of my apartment now?”

Taking a step back to give her some room, I answered her question. Although, I was sure she didn’t like what came out of my mouth. “I guess so. Everything looks okay, but I’m sending someone by on Monday to install an alarm system.”

“What?” she exclaimed, her voice raising an octave. “I don’t want you to do that. We’re totally fine here; we’re safe.”

“I won’t take no for an answer, Sara. That’s final.” I knew I was coming across harsh, but I also knew she wasn’t going to listen to me if I tried to reason with her. “I don’t want to hear one more word about it.”

 “Yeah? Well, I have four words for you, Alek. Get. The. Hell. Out!” she yelled, emphasizing each word.

Who would have thought behind her sweet persona lay a spitfire of a woman? Not me. To look at Sara, a person didn’t always get what they’d bargained for. Not in a bad way, though.

Something told me the more I unraveled, the more intrigued I’d become.

She tried to appear strong, and no doubt she was, but she was also vulnerable.

I saw it.

There’s a story hidden behind her eyes.

A dark story.

She tried to hide it with smiles and sass, but it was lurking, struggling to break free given the right, or wrong, circumstance.

I started toward her as if I was intent on changing her mind. “Why do you have to be so difficult? Why can’t you do as I ask, without giving me such a hard time?” Standing directly in front of her, my chest lightly grazing her breasts, my whole demeanor changed. She was messing with me, her heavenly scent captivating me and making me a bit dizzy. All I could think about was the way her lips tasted and how much I wanted to bury myself inside her. “You feel it, don’t you? This electricity between us?” I didn’t give her a chance to respond before I grabbed her face and pulled it upward toward mine.

“Yes, I feel it. So what?” She was trying to seem unaffected but was doing a shit job. I could see it written all over her beautiful face.

Without further delay, simply because she was driving me insane, I covered her mouth with my own. Her soft, warm lips were too inviting and when she gasped, opening her mouth to me, I almost lost it. There was an urgency to our kiss, like we both wanted to devour the other.

Her tongue stroked mine, teasing me as if she couldn’t get enough. Her warmth enveloped me, drawing me in closer, tempting my sanity with every lick and taste. Ours was a lovely dance, rapidly becoming something more if I didn’t stop it soon. But I didn’t want it to end, not yet.

“You taste so good, just like I remembered,” I whispered. She groaned, entangling her fingers in my hair, pulling me closer.

I placed my hands underneath her backside, raising her up my body. “Wrap your legs around my waist.” I bit her lower lip before plunging my tongue back inside her mouth. For once, she actually did as she was told, wrapping her thighs tightly around me, pushing her core against me.

“Alek,” she panted. “Oh…my…God.”

I knew I shouldn’t have lost control with her but I couldn’t help myself. She drew me in and I was powerless to stop it.

Pushing her against the nearest wall, I pressed my body closer to hers, if it was even possible at that point.

Breaking our kiss for the briefest of moments, I encouraged her to put a stop to it. “If you don’t tell me to stop, Sara, I fear I’m going to lose all control, throw you down and fuck you so hard, we’ll be tangled up in each other for days.” I was finding it hard to breathe as my lips cascaded over her throat, feeling her pulse against my lips.

When her response was silence, I broke. Pulling her sweater over her head, I quickly tossed it to the ground, making quick work of removing her bra. Once the clasp was undone, I all but ripped the material from her body, throwing it to the floor, as well. “I can’t stand having anything in the way,” I groaned as my mouth descended to take her breast, my fingers working on the other, pinching her nipple, working them both until they were pebbled from her excitement. We continued to torture each other, teasing and tasting as if we would never be sated.

As my tongue flicked over her sensitive skin, she cried out, “Don’t stop, Alek. Please…I want this.” She rotated her hips against me, causing such a friction I almost came in my pants. Fuck that would be embarrassing.

I didn’t know if it was her words or the fact my reason came rushing back to me, but I instantly broke our fevered connection and placed her on the ground. The look of hurt and confusion on her face almost had me attacking her again. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I knew she desired me. I knew she wanted me to fuck her, but she was still a virgin and I wouldn’t take advantage of her, no matter how hot and heavy we’d just been.

When she reached for me, I backed away, trying my best to hold strong. “No, we can’t. I’m sorry, Sara.”

“Why?” One simple question, yet I couldn’t answer her.

I bent down and retrieved her clothes, handing them to her but avoiding her eyes. I knew the look which was going to be there if I dared to take notice. I couldn’t bear to see it so I acted like a coward, avoiding it altogether.

Hearing her inhale a ragged breath killed me. I knew all sorts of crazy thoughts were running through her head and I should have put them to rest, but even I didn’t know the right words to help soothe her wounded ego.

Once she was dressed, I grabbed her hand, as I liked to do, and pulled her from the room, walking briskly toward her front door.

 “I have to go now, but I’ll call you tomorrow. Make sure you lock the door behind me when I leave.” Leaning in, I placed a quick kiss on her swollen lips. Before she could even respond, I was gone, the door closing slowly behind me.