“Are you okay?” I asked Miranda, despite my deep need to take her hard. “You’re not getting scraped on the tile, are you?”

“No. All I feel is you.” Her head had fallen back, her breasts deliciously close to my mouth.

“Let me know if we need to move to the furniture.” I drew her nipple between my lips. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Why, is it going to get rough?”

“You tell me. You’re the one steering this ship right now.” She was moving slowly, rolling her hips, giving me the ultimate lap dance. “You seem to know what you’re doing.”

“I have good thigh strength,” she murmured. “I am willing to put it to good use.”

Her skin was soft, yet toned. The water rolled from her body down over my thighs, my arms, where she gripped my biceps. The goose bumps on her shoulders had me reaching and flicking my tongue over the cool skin. “I’m very appreciative of that fact.”

There was no way she had any idea how gorgeous she was. I was having a sense that I was in a dream, one of blue lights, shimmering pool water, her creamy naked flesh, and me, yet at the same time nothing had ever felt more real. I could taste and touch and smell every inch of her, and I let her leisurely ride my cock while I absorbed every sensation that I could. I was going to hold on to this, to the feel of her. I gripped her ass, wanting to explore every single one of her delicious curves.

“Alejandro?” she asked, rising way up so that only the tip of my cock was still inside her.

I gritted my teeth, wanting to just grab her hips and slam her back down. “Yeah, baby?”

“I can’t get it deep enough,” she breathed, before dropping back down onto me.

That was it. There was nothing sexier than that and if she wanted it deep, I was going to give her just that. Even when she squeezed down onto me, it was like we weren’t close enough. Even with her body in my lap, both of us gripping the other, it wasn’t enough skin on skin, the slap of pleasure that I was craving and clearly she was too. “Hold on, we’re going to stand up.”

“What? How?”

My feet were still in the water and I drew them out. “Just wrap your hands around my neck and hold on.” This was why I sweated in the gym day after day. So I could look like a badass fucking my girl. I held on to her and stood up with barely a grunt while she gave a cry of surprise.

“Oh my,” she said. “Be careful.”

“I got it.” I had her and damn, I did not want to let her go. All I wanted to do was keep a tight grip on Miranda forever. I lifted her leg up high on my waist and carried her to the outdoor kitchen and settled her on the countertop.

She jumped. “Damn, that’s cold.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll warm you up.” I drew her knees up and her feet rested on the front of my thighs.

Instinctively she tried to close her legs a bit but I paused her action. “Uh-uh. No hiding from me.”

She tossed her hair back and pushed her chest forward. “I’m not hiding. It’s just awkward. I’m on a concrete slab.”

For some reason that pissed me off. It was like she didn’t think I was good enough. It brought to mind the reason she was here with me—not because she was my girlfriend but because she wanted my damn sperm. Sure, I could make her come but she still had an ulterior motive.

It had been a long day and she might have her own reasons but she wanted this just as much as I did.

“Should I take you to a bed? Is that what you want? You want it pretty and sweet and full of rose petals?” My voice was soft, a smile fixed on my face.

She stilled. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I almost spoke again, ruining it further. But I stopped myself. I was making too much out of it. The countertop was cold and hard, what the fuck did I expect? It was only hours from the first time we’d had sex. The shift in our relationship was intimate but startling. The last thing she needed was me being a dick.

Instead of saying anything I just leaned in and kissed her, hard, my fingers finding their way between her thighs into her damp pussy.

Miranda gave a cry of pleasure.

Feeling impatient and on edge, I went straight for two fingers, enjoying the way her body arched toward my touch, her little gasp of shock and delight ringing in my ears. I was in dangerous territory and I knew it. I had wanted this woman for a decade and now I had her and I felt possessive, eager, almost angry. I wanted to imprint on her, make it so she could never forget this. I wanted to be tender and loving and demanding and greedy all at once.

“You like that?” I asked, drinking in the sight of her spread out for me, skin still damp in places from the pool, her hair starting to dry in frizzy little ringlets. It was wild and wanton and I loved everything about what I saw. She was the ultimate Venus goddess to me, the epitome of feminine sexuality and beauty.

“Yes.” She didn’t embellish any further, though her eyes drifted shut.

I concentrated on massaging her in to a deep, boneless pleasure, listening to her body, to her reaction to each stroke of my fingers, each tease and slide. The moisture from her pussy soaked me as I sank inside her over and over, wanting to draw it out, and drive her insane.

She looked so beautiful, so delicious, that I couldn’t resist. I bent over and stroked my tongue over her sweetness. “Baby, you taste so good.”

“Oh, I can’t, you need to stop.” She was arching her back and yanking on my hair. “I’m going to come.”

“So come.” I didn’t break my rhythm at all.

But Miranda shoved me away. “Take me to the couch, the bed, somewhere.”

I really wanted to put her on her feet, turn her around and take her from behind, but even more than that I wanted to stare into her eyes as I took her over the edge. I didn’t want to waste one second of my time with Miranda. “You got it, baby.”

Scooping her off the countertop into my arms I took her across the patio and through the open glass doors. The house was hushed, cool compared to poolside. The music was still faintly audible, but it was more that I could feel the pulse of the R&B music than actual notes or lyrics. The air conditioning was set to a cooler temperature than I would have preferred so after I laid Miranda down on the sofa, I pulled a soft fuzzy blanket off the arm and draped it over her skin. “You look cold,” I explained.

There were goose bumps on her arms still.

“I forgot to towel off after swimming.”

After sucking my cock. The memory made me hard all over again. She was amazing. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have put you on that cold countertop.”

“You can get under here with me and warm me up.” Miranda reached out for me.

It still felt unreal that she would be reaching for me. I needed to get over the feeling that it was a fucking dream that would disappear if I closed my eyes for more than a split second. “I’ve never wanted anything more than to warm you up.”

Sliding under the blanket, I took a minute to pull Miranda to me, to hold her. To feel the length of her curvaceous body pressed up against mine.

“Mm,” she said. “You’re warm.”

Snuggling in along side of me, she wrapped her hands around my waist. Her head fit into the crook of my arm. Damn, this felt good. The tenderness almost overtook my desire. Almost. Having her skin against mine caused my erection to grow harder against her thigh. But I wanted a minute to just hold her, enjoy the closeness. The intimacy.

This way I could almost imagine that we had fast-forwarded into the future and this was real. Miranda as my wife.

Then I shoved the thought away. That was stupid, allowing myself a fantasy. It didn’t matter what happened tomorrow, six months from now, a year down the line. What mattered was right here, right now. So I shifted so that I rose overtop of her and I kissed her soft lips. I allowed my eyes to drift closed and I committed this to memory. The feel of her lithe fingers on my back, her breasts brushing my chest. Her feet sliding along the backs of my calves. The smell of her skin, like chlorine and flowers, the musk of her arousal. The view of her raspberry lips, her amber eyes shining with desire, and something else. A tenderness. She cared about me. That was never in question.

I felt as in the moment as it was possible and as I kissed her, I drank in all those sensations and appreciated each and every second of her. Her tongue tangled with mine hotly and she grew restless, shifting her legs, arching her hips so that she repeatedly bumped against my cock. Still I did nothing more. I just kissed and kissed, like we were sixteen and there was no other end game besides making out. My body started to burn and I tossed the blanket on the floor, our passion heating up between us.

When I pushed inside her, I never wanted to leave.

She was going to have to kick me out.

 

 

When I came staring up at Alejandro, moving over me slowly and with amazing skill and strength, I felt something inside me shatter. He had taken me rough, fast, hard, and now tenderly. I couldn’t protect myself from any of it. I couldn’t protect myself from him.

I was being dragged under by the current and even while I knew I could drown, I didn’t even try to escape. I wanted Alejandro to pull me under and make me forget everything that ever was and ever would be. I wanted to let go of the past and embrace the here and now.

His eyes were dark as night and his expression was fierce, yet sweet. That was Alejandro. Sweet but fierce. Which to me, was the perfect man.

My back arched as I gave in and let him milk the deepest shattering pleasure from me.

His hand slid under my ass and he raised me up so that he could take me deeper, until I wasn’t sure where he ended and I began. Until I was on the verge of losing myself entirely in his overwhelming passion.

Until I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I don’t know why. Or where it came from. I only knew that an earthquake had shifted the ground beneath my feet.

“Oh my God, don’t cry,” he murmured, bending down to kiss the droplet away. “Should I stop?”

“No. Never.” I shook my head and gripped him tighter, wanting to keep him inside me.

“Never,” he agreed.

He exploded inside me, and then he stared down at me, breathing hard.

We fell asleep in each other’s arms, bodies still connected in the most primal way possible.

The next night I hummed in the kitchen of my rental as I unpacked, making serious headway on the boxes. Because I wanted to start cooking, exploring new recipes, and working on my knife skills before school started, it was important to me to get this room together first. Alejandro was installing a security system and I paused when I saw him move past my sight line. It brought a smile to my face.

He was very sweet and very, very sexy. He noticed me watching him and he gave me a wink. Damn it, I blushed. Like a teen girl. But I couldn’t prevent the heat from blooming across my cheeks. The night before had been so damn hot. The things he had done to me… I had the sore body to prove it. But I was sore in the best, most satisfied way possible.

The house felt hopeful again to me in daylight. I felt like maybe I had been paranoid the night before, too quick to be concerned. Max the cat was lying on an unopened box, grooming himself with supreme nonchalance.

Maybe the man next door was just weird. There were plenty of odd characters in Miami. It didn’t mean he was malicious in any way. And plenty of cats were named Max. That was just pure coincidence.

Once I was done unpacking my kitchen I was going to run to Publix and stock up on food. I was feeling the very instinctive and feminine need to feed Alejandro. I also needed to get cat food.

Alejandro had some sort of electronic equipment in his hand but he took the few steps toward me and gave me a soft kiss. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I had a saucepan in my hand so I couldn’t wrap my arms around his neck the way I wanted to. “Everything going okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Max jumped from the box to the counter and meowed, rubbing against my arm. “I think he’s jealous of you.”

“He should be.” Even as he said it though Alejandro reached out and scratched the cat’s head and ears. “Shouldn’t you try to figure out who this guy belongs to? We can’t just keep him.”

The use of the term “we” both terrified and thrilled me. I didn’t think he had even realized he’d used it, or that he actually meant anything by it. But all I knew that eighteen hours ago I hadn’t known what I knew now—that there could be a we if I allowed it. I knew the second my eyes had opened that morning, Alejandro warm and rock solid and sexy beside me, that thirty days was his way of making his case. That he wanted to be with me. And that it was my decision. One word and this could be real life.

Me and Alejandro, a home, a cat, a baby.

It made me feel almost faint.

I wasn’t even sure why it scared me so much.

Maybe it was because I had unfinished business with his brother and I didn’t know how to fix that.

I also had secrets Alejandro wouldn’t like.

So I had to stay strong. I couldn’t tumble into a relationship. In to love.

“We did try to find his owner. We called the number on his collar. What else are we supposed to do?”

“Call the APL or something.”

I shrugged. “I guess, but I mean, it’s not my fault the information on his tag is wrong.”

“Don’t you care that someone might be looking for him, and is worried?”

“Sure. I have sympathy for anyone missing someone.” There was a hell of a lot of truth to that.

Alejandro realized the undertone and snorted, rolling his eyes. It shattered the mood.

“But like I said, what am I supposed to do?” I asked. I felt defensive about the cat. The way I did about Max.

Damn it, I hated the low-level tension that raced along the edges of everything we did and said. Max was the white elephant in the room and trying to have an intimate relationship with that ominous shadow over us was putting me on edge, even in the best moments. This was why I hadn’t wanted to have sex with Alejandro. This was why I had wanted him to go to the fertility clinic and keep it clinical, efficient.

This was messy.

But would I give it back now if I could? I seriously doubted it. There was something too electric between us. Too amazing.

There was a giant unspoken question between us but neither of us broke the silence with the words that would destroy everything. I knew what he was thinking, even though his expression was enigmatic. Would I be with Max if he reappeared?

It wasn’t a fair question to ask though and that’s why I was relieved he didn’t. I couldn’t answer that. Not when I didn’t know if it would ever be reality or not.

“What do you want for dinner?” I asked. “I’m going to go to the store.”

“You,” he said gruffly, running his hand down my cheek. “That’s all I want.”

“You’re going to get awfully hungry then,” I said lightly, trying to ease the tension thick between us.

Alejandro shook his head. “I’m already hungry. I’ve been starving for a decade.”

When he looked at me like that… arousal surged inside me, volcanic, urgent and hot and unexpected. “I want you to fuck me,” I said, the words bursting out before I even fully knew I was thinking them.

Sex made everything else go away. It was just him and me.

He didn’t answer me. He just took my shoulders and turned me quickly, shoving me against the wall. The movement spun my head and robbed me of breath. He had my sundress up around my stomach in a heartbeat and he tore off my panties by simply ripping the waistband so that they started a slow slide down my hips. Settling my calf on his hip he surged into me without a second wasted.

There against the ancient aqua tile of my retro kitchen he gave me what I wanted, over and over, a hard, fast pounding that overpowered all our wary side-stepping of unspoken truths. It was easier to focus on the ecstasy of the slick passage he took relentlessly. Our language was lust. We spoke with sex.

What was he telling me? I forced myself to keep my eyes open, to study his expression, his shuttered eyes.

His eyes spoke the words we never could—that I was his. That to him, I had always been his. And that by submitting to him, by taking the pleasure and the love he gave me, I owned that. Admitted I was his.

It was that thought that had me crying out, paired as it was with the deep thrust of his cock, lifting me up onto my toes with each push. I came hard, digging my nails into his shoulders, needing a grip. An anchor.

That was how it was with Alejandro. He destroyed me. But he was the one person in my life who would always be there to hold me up.

I could fall in love with him.

I wondered if I half had already.

He exploded inside me, his jaw clenched, expression fierce.

When he had slowed, he cupped my cheeks and kissed me. “What else do you need me to do for you today?” he asked softly, gently, like he hadn’t just taken me hard against the wall. As if he wasn’t even now still buried inside me, his warm seed tangling with my own moisture.

I shook my head, laughing breathlessly. “You’ve done plenty.”

“Give you a baby?”

My breath caught. “Not today.”

Alejandro seemed less than pleased with my answer. He pulled back, giving a sigh when our sticky bodies disengaged. “Let me know when you want it again. I’m here.”

His words seemed mocking, but his tone was easy, casual. Like he was offering me a taste of his dessert. You want another one? No? Are you sure?

He always had a way of throwing me off kilter.

“You sound like a waiter.”

Alejandro took another step back, adjusting his jeans. “I’m not a server. Or an employee. I’m your lover. I’m the man who loves you. You can do what you want with that, but don’t joke about it.”

My panties were around my ankles and my skirt was still bunched up around my hips. But I froze, shocked. “You’re the one blackmailing me.”

“You don’t want this?” he asked.

I shook my head, feeling defiant. He was blackmailing me. He’d given me an ultimatum.

“Liar.”

“Don’t call me a liar!” I couldn’t get those words out of my head. He was my lover. He was the man who loved me.

I wanted to just run and jump into his arms and throw caution to the wind and take that love and hold it close forever. But I was afraid.

Oh my God. I was afraid he would leave me. Just like Max had.

The thought made me catch my breath.

That was why I was holding back. That was why I was refusing to accept that the foundation of feelings for Alejandro could grow if I let them.

All these damn years of clinging to my relationship with Max was because I was afraid everyone was right. That he had left me.

“Maybe liar is the wrong way to put it. You’re just not honest with yourself,” he added.

Despite my revelation that still pissed me off. “What do you think my truth is?”

For some reason that made him grin. “That you want me.”

“That’s not something I’ve been dishonest about.” I simultaneously wanted to end this conversation and resolve it. We were circling something, only I didn’t know what. I shoved my skirt back down and stepped out of my ruined panties. I bent over and retrieved them to toss in the trash.

“You just shook your head a minute ago.”

I scooped Max the cat off the counter. I really needed to change his name to something less emotionally charged. I held him against my chest and raked my fingers through his soft orange fur. Feeling the cat purr grounded me. “Alejandro. Are we making a mistake?”

“About what?”

Raising my gaze, I met his head on. “Us. Because we are creating an us, aren’t we?”

His nostrils flared. “I’m trying to. But you have to tell me what you want. I’m going to ask you today and I’m going to ask you again in twenty-eight days. Other than that, I swear I won’t bring it up.”

The cat clawed at me to get down. I set him on the floor. I looked at Alejandro and I tried to listen to my heart. Not to my fear. Not to my ambitions to be a mother. But to my heart.

“What I want is you. And me. And a chance at a life together.”

It was out and I couldn’t take it back.

But he took me into his arms and murmured in my ear, “I love you.”

And everything made sense with his strong shoulders there for me to lean on.