Addicted (Addicted Trilogy Book 1) (17 page)

 
“I can feel you throbbing around
me,” I groaned. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m
gonna
come!” I shouted. A few more thrusts and I was releasing myself inside her, her
walls coaxing every last bit of pleasure from me.

~~~~

After we both had our breathing under control, we
laid there for a few minutes, not moving or saying anything. My heavy limbs were
surely squishing the life from her. I withdrew and rolled beside her, wrapping
the condom in a tissue and disposing of it in a nearby waste basket.

“Are you okay? Was I too rough?” I was genuinely
concerned I’d lost control and had hurt her.

“Not at all. It was more wonderful than I could
have ever imagined. Truly, it was.”

Needless to say, I was both relieved and pleased
with her response. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me you chose me to be
your first, Sara. And hopefully your last, if I have anything to say about it.”
I couldn’t help myself; it had to be said.

From the look on her face, she was clearly shocked.

 
“I’m
serious. The thought of any other man touching you drives me insane. I don’t
even want to think about what I would do. Jealousy is a very new feeling to me.
But then again, I’ve never felt about any other woman the way I feel about you.
I hope it doesn’t scare you.” I was secretly hoping I’d not said too much. Or
the wrong thing.

“No, it doesn’t scare me, Alek.”

A few moments of silence passed before we spoke
again, and it was pure torment.

“What’s going on in that mind of yours, woman? You
look like you’re deep in thought.” I trailed my fingertips over her firm belly,
loving the feel of her naked skin. “I hope you’re not regretting what just
happened.” She didn’t answer right away and it made me more than nervous,
although she couldn’t tell because my face was expressionless.

Thankfully, she put me out of my misery quickly. “No,
I don’t regret it for one second. How could you think such a thing?” She was
staring straight ahead, avoiding eye contact with me for some reason.

“Well, I know how some women get after sex. Confusion
sets in as to whether or not they should leave. Or stay.”

She whipped her head in my directions so fast, it
was almost inhuman. “What the hell? I don’t want to listen to how other women
react after you’ve had sex with them.” Her eyes lit up in hurt. “Are you trying
to piss me off right now?” Folding her arms over her breasts, she turned over
on her side, blocking me out completely.

I loved her feistiness. Lightly chuckling, I
reached over to pull her closer but she wasn’t budging. Moving further away
from me, she tried to scoot over toward the other side of the bed.

I caught her hand before she fled.

“Sara, come on. Come here. That’s not what I meant
at all. I was merely trying to say I’ve heard sometimes, some women, out there
in the universe, feel a certain way after having sex. That’s all. You can tell
me how you’re feeling without having to worry I’ll be upset, or put off, or
whatever way you think I’m going to be. Fuck, now I’m just rambling.”

She took a deep breath before joining me again. Resting
her head on my chest did wonders in calming my erratic breathing. I’d thought
I’d really fucked up for a second, her reaction a little over-the-top from what
I was going for. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into me, my free
hand playing with the strands of her dark hair.

I felt her smile against my skin, causing me to
close my eyes in triumph. We both seemed to exhale at the same time and before
we knew it, we’d drifted off into a deep slumber.

Sara

The next two months passed by in a blur. Alek and I
enjoyed each other’s company, going out to dinner, even taking in the
occasional movie. I’d spent time at his house, and in turn he’d stayed over at
my apartment, a feat I was sure made him a bit uncomfortable although he never
said a word. His place was much nicer than mine, every amenity under the sun there.
Still, he never complained.

Everything was progressing perfectly.

It was the happiest I’d been in a really long time.

One particular evening, we’d made plans to have a
late dinner. Alek had recently arrived back into town, and instead of him going
home and getting a decent night’s sleep, he wanted nothing more than to see me.
I was thrilled, anticipating seeing his gorgeous face again. I felt like it’d
been forever since I’d been near him, let alone touched him. In reality, it had
only been four days.

Four very long, lonely days.

“Are we still on for tonight, babe?” he asked, his
sexy voice penetrating my phone. It had been a busy day, and I was really
looking forward to having a nice, quiet dinner with my man. Then afterwards, we
both knew what was going to happen.

What’s the
saying? Fuck like bunnies?
Well, although the saying
wasn’t too appealing, it was exactly what we’d been doing. We simply couldn’t
keep our hands off one another.

“Of course. I’ll be closing up in an hour or so. Are
you picking me up, or did you want me to meet you there?” I wiped the sweat
from my brow. I would have liked to say it was because I was running around like
crazy, my body overheating from the exertion, but the simple truth was I had no
idea why I was getting hot all of a sudden.

And it wasn’t the horny kind of hot, either.

No matter. In
a couple short hours, I’ll be spending some time with Alek.

“I’ll pick you up. You know I don’t like you
driving by yourself at night.”

“I’m not eighty. I can see in the dark.” I laughed
because he was being irrational. As usual.

“Sara,” he warned.

“Fine. I’m only trying to help you out.”

“Well, there’s no need. I don’t mind. Not at all.”

After we hung up, I tried my best to finish
straightening up so everything would be ready come the morning. But the more
time passed, the worse I felt.

Finally, when the day was done and the shop had
been closed, I made my way home, feeling as if I was going to pass out during
the drive to my apartment.

My hands were clammy and I was finding it difficult
to breathe, my stomach flipping around so much I thought I’d have to pull over
just so I could rid myself of whatever was inside my belly. My temples started
to throb, no doubt indicative of one hell of a headache coming my way.

I’d barely put my key in the door when my cell
rang.

“Hello,” I whispered. I didn’t even have the energy
for a more audible response.

“Sara? What’s wrong?” Alek asked, panic rising in
his voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Well…no. I don’t think I can go out tonight,”
I said, trying my best to breathe through the nausea ripping through me yet
again.

“Are you sick?”

Ding. Ding.
Ding. He hit the nail on the head. Shit! I haven’t felt like this in so long. I
forgot how crappy being sick is.

I couldn’t even muster enough strength to answer
him, my mouth watering the sicker I felt. It was a sure sign I’d be visiting
the porcelain God very soon.

I took a few steady breaths to calm myself. It
didn’t work.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll be there as soon as
I can,” he offered.

“No, Alek. I don’t know what this is yet, and I
don’t want to get you sick.”

There was a pregnant pause before he blurted, “I’ll
be there in an hour.”

Before I could even gather any strength to argue, he
hung up.

Sara

I was trying to envision a healthier me, but I
couldn’t remember what it was like to
not
feel like this. I knew I was being a baby, but it was specific times like this which
made me
miss
Gram even more than usual. She was always
there to take care of me when I didn’t feel well, which thankfully wasn’t
often. She would feed me the necessary medication and then make me her special
chicken noodle soup. When I wasn’t up for the noodles, she would feed me the
broth instead.

My one saving grace was that the following day was
Sunday, which meant I didn’t have to bother Matt with taking care of the shop.
Lots of rest and fluids was definitely what the doctor ordered.

As I made my way toward my bed, not even bothering
undressing, I was thankful I had given Alek a key two weeks prior.
 
Because there was no way I would have been
able to make it to the door to let him in.
 
The living room wasn’t far, but it felt like a hundred miles away.

Staring at the ceiling, I tried to focus on
anything but being sick. But it was impossible. The more I tried to convince
myself I was okay, the more my body revolted against me.

I barely made it to the bathroom before my stomach
turned on me. I hadn’t eaten since seven the night before, so I was surprised
there was anything even left in my system to get rid of. I thought I would have
felt better afterward, but I didn’t. All I could do was lie on the bathroom
floor, welcoming its coolness on my damp skin. Thankfully, I’d cleaned the
entire room two days ago. But then again, the way I was feeling, I couldn’t
care less if it wasn’t up to par.

I must have passed out, because the next thing I
knew I was being lifted and carried back to my room, or at least I thought it
was my room. I opened my eyes enough to see Alek tucking me into bed. I curled
up once he was finished and drifted off again.

“Sara. Sara, wake up. Come on. You have to drink
something or you’ll get dehydrated. Come on, baby. Open your eyes for a couple
minutes then you can go back to sleep.” I tried my best to obey, but it sapped the
rest of my energy. I was simply too weak. When I didn’t budge, he lightly shook
my arm. Groaning from the intrusion, I attempted to turn over, my eyes quickly
taking in my surroundings.

“Alek,” I whispered. “Where am I?” It wasn’t my
bedroom, the tan walls giving it away. My room was a pale yellow, the color
always lifting my spirits.

“I brought you home with me,” he stated simply. “I
can’t take care of you properly at your place.” He was still trying to get me
to sit up, a feat easier said than done. “Come on, sweetheart. You have to
drink this.” Once I was propped up against the pillows he’d arranged for me, I
very carefully took the drink from his hands, bringing it to my lips and taking
the smallest of sips. It was only water, but I knew I had to be careful; the
smallest drop could have my stomach flipping.

After I’d managed to swallow four whole sips, I
pushed the cup toward him and scooted down the bed again. I wasn’t halfway back
into my sleeping position before he jostled me again. “Don’t lie back down just
yet. Here,” he said, placing something in my hand. “Take these.”

When I glanced down, I saw he’d put two small pills
in my hand. Pushing the glass of water back at me, I didn’t even question what
he’d given me. I knew it was something to help me feel better, and that was all
I cared about.

Not saying a single word, I carefully swallowed the
medicine before finally settling back under the covers.

 
He leaned over and placed a kiss on my
forehead before tucking me in. He lingered above me and when I opened my eyes,
I saw he was simply looking at me. When his gaze met mine, he smiled serenely
before taking a step back. “I’ll be back shortly to check on you.”

I barely heard his last word before I fell into a
blissful sleep.

For once, my dreams were pleasant. Actually, they
were more than pleasant. They filled my subconscious with hope, a yearning for
a happiness I thought would never exist for me. I knew if he’d been watching me,
he would have witnessed a smile on my face as I tossed and turned in his big,
comfy bed. I would have also gifted him the sight of my back arching off the
bed as the alternate world took hold and thrust me into the most erotic dreams
I’d ever had.

Alek being the main attraction.

I was filled with hope and the promise of something
wonderful happening between me and the one man who’d flipped my damn world on
its ass. I knew it sounded corny, but I’d thought such happiness only existed
in movies or in Hallmark cards. Hell, I would have been the first to give
someone like me the crooked face, skepticism bleeding forth like a river of
disbelief.

Instead of jolting awake like I was used to, I
peacefully slipped back into the land of the living. I quietly laid there,
listening intently to the sounds around me. A soft
tick tock
from the clock beside me on the nightstand. A faint
muffled sound from somewhere else in the house. A TV maybe?

But the greatest sound of all?

Peace.

The room was cloaked in darkness, so I wasn’t
exactly sure what time it was. The only thing I knew for sure was that my
stomach rumbled, desperate for some much needed nourishment. What I’d eaten
earlier had only been refunded later on.

Feeling a little better, I mustered enough strength
to actually make it to the bathroom to pee, the full glass of water I’d had earlier
knocking on my tiny bladder.

As I walked back toward the bed, fatigue taking
hold rather quickly, Alek strolled into the room. He looked a little irritated,
no doubt because I was up and moving around.
I’m sure he didn’t want me ruining his nice comfy sheets, now did he?

“What are you doing up?”

“I had to use the bathroom,” I said, amusement
counteracting his annoyance.

“Oh.”

“Is that okay? Or are you going to tie me to the
bed?”

“If I tie you to the bed, it won’t be while you’re
sick.” He advanced a step before stopping himself, a devious look playing on
his face. I knew exactly what he’d been thinking, and it made me smile. Gathering
his wits again, he stepped closer. “Now, let’s get you back into bed.”

Pulling back the edge of the blanket, he held it up
as I scrambled underneath. I watched as he walked toward the other side of the
room, admiring his fine ass as he moved.

Sauntering back toward me, I took notice he had
something in his hands. It was a bowl, the billowing steam drawing me right in.
The closer he came the more the delicious aroma took hold of me, my stomach
making some crazy noises.

He’d made me chicken noodle soup, and although it
didn’t seem like much it was very touching. A man taking care of his woman,
bringing her soup when she was sick…was there anything more sweet?

“You didn’t have to go through all that trouble,
Alek,” I said, all the while grateful he’d made the effort.

“No trouble at all. I’ll always take care of you.” He
sat on the bed next to me, careful not to spill the hot liquid. “Always,” he
repeated as he brought the spoon to my lips.

I reached out to take it from his hands but he
pulled back, knitting his brow in quick confusion.
Oh, Lord, he wants to feed me, too?

All right. I’ll
give in.
Besides, I honestly didn’t think I even had
enough strength to do it myself, my body shaking a bit in my still-weakened
state.

After I devoured the entire bowl of soup, I
situated myself further down the bed, snuggling in for a good night’s rest. Feeling
guilty I couldn’t take care of myself right then, it was quickly abated when I
saw the way he looked at me.

A look of pride came over him as I allowed him to
take the lead. To be the caretaker. To be the man capable of making his woman
feel better.

I fell for him even more that night.