Mad for the Billionaire (8 page)

“Not everyone was raised like you, Alexander,” I teased. “The rest of us are peasants in comparison who still don’t know the difference between the salad fork and the dinner one.”

“Hardly,” he scoffed with a raised eyebrow. “I was living in what is commonly referred to as genteel poverty. Not that much money to be had.”

“Maybe compared to your ancestors. Still, most of us aren’t living on the same land and plantation since the 17
^th
century, you know. We also didn’t have all the nice stuff you had growing up.”

“So you’re saying I’m still a stuck-up little brat, huh?”

I shook my head, gaze soft with memory. “No, you were never stuck-up, Alexander. Not that—just blessed.”

“Not as blessed as you think.” His mouth tightened and sadness swept across his handsome face.

“I know.” I wanted to reach out and hold his hand, much as I used to do when memories about his family darkened his mood. Instead, I patted him on the knee.

Alexander’s hand immediately engulfed mine, tightening when I tried to draw it back. “No need for pity, Sophia. We all have crazy families.”

“Ours might be a little bit crazier than most.”

“Just a bit.”

I couldn’t hide my concern for him, knowing what I knew about his parents and my mother’s specific involvement in ending their marriage. Guilt settled onto its familiar perch. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s not one thing for you to be sorry about. I mean that.”

“Still—”

Alexander cut in softly, “I’m fine, little chick. Honestly, I am.”

“Okay.” I wondered if he had developed a habit of denying and lying his weaknesses away too. I knew how much it tore him apart to witness his mother’s pain at having her husband walk out on her, especially with a woman like Belinda Carter. My mother.

The years had done little to soothe the humiliation. I still couldn’t visit Oak Grove without suffering the measuring stares of those sympathetic to Augusta Russell Draven.

Apparently it was bad enough my mother stole Miss Augusta’s husband, but what made it worse is that I drove a wedge between her and her only child.

“So where’s your retinue?”

“Gone for the weekend. They more than earned leaving early today.”

“You’ve been working him that hard, huh?”

Alexander shrugged. He cleared his throat and then turned the full force of his magnetic gaze on me. “Do you know why I asked you here today?”

“I guess you still want us to reacquaint ourselves?”

He smiled, single dimple showing in his cheek from the deepness of his grin. “That as well.”

“More?” My belly fluttered. “What else?”

“I’ve missed you all these years, little chick.” Alexander’s thumb rubbed against my wrist. The caress sent pulses scattering all across my body. “I mean it.”

I wanted to slide off the chair and climb onto his lap. I wanted to kiss him, to confess all my sins of not being able to let go of him, of hoarding any and every bit of information I could find on him. I’d pay penance by using my body however he wanted.

However, missing me wasn’t the same as wanting to make love to me or even wanting to begin anew.

We weren’t the same people we once were. We had each lived more than a third of our lives away from the other. I couldn’t make the mistake of reading something that wasn’t ready to be there.

Not and keep what we seemed to be developing.

I held back the burgeoning feelings rushing forward to overwhelm me. I masked my thoughts and kept my hand passive in his.

“I’m glad that you think fondly of me and those times.”

Alexander exhaled loudly. The air around us vibrated with his disappointment. “That’s not exactly the reaction I was expecting, Sophia.”

“I’m sorry.” Guilt nettled and dug deep. I lied by silence because I was so damned afraid of being wrong. Of getting hurt. Of hurting him.

“Don’t apologize.” Alexander let go of me. The sudden absence was raw. He turned away and sat with his hands linked across his taut stomach. “I’m happy we were able to spend time together today, Sophia. I mean it.”

Panic fired off warning signals. He was saying goodbye. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, or more truthfully I didn’t know what I could
allow
myself to want, but I knew I didn’t want this.

“Alexander—”

“Hush now. It’s okay.” He stood up and ran a hand through this hair. “It’s been a long day for us both. I’ll walk you down.”

I surged to my feet. “Wait…please!”

He tilted his head, face inscrutable beyond the polite and friendly smile he wore. “Yes? What is it?”

My blood pulsed heavy and thick. My heartbeat competed for volume over my voice. “No.”

“No? You don’t want me to walk you down?” His voice remained soft, reminding me of all the times he adopted the same tone when he wanted to mask his emotions.

Always the gentleman, no matter the cost.

“If not me, then I’ll call for security. It’s dark now and I’m not letting you walk down into the garage by yourself.”

“That’s not…Alexander…”

“Stop mumbling, Sophia!” he snapped suddenly. “What do you have to say?”

His anger pulled me closer. I erased the space between us. “I don’t want to end things like this.”

“You don’t.” The planes of his face sharpened, making him look like a beautiful predator. “Then how would it please you this time?”

“I don’t want it to end. I mean, I don’t want…” I peered into his gaze, begging without words for him to understand what I wasn’t brave enough to say out loud.

If he saw my message, he gave no acknowledgment to its existence. Ruthless, he pushed me harder. Alexander’s words shot out rapidly. “Then what
do
you want, Sophia?”

You! I want you!

“I want…I want…” I whispered, terrified to say it out loud.

Alexander stalked forward. Each step drove me back. “What do you want, Sophia? Do you want to walk out of here and pretend that what we had never meant anything? Do you want me to pretend along with you?”

I knocked into a chair. He didn’t pause in his methodical pursuit. He tumbled it over on its side.

“I’m not going to do that, Sophia. I’m not going to pretend but I will offer this—one minute.”

“One minute for what?” My voice trembled, a pitiful soft excuse of sound for a grown woman. Alexander’s leashed aggression aroused more of the same. I had the insane urge to drop to my knees and kiss his feet.

I should’ve been scared of him, but I wasn’t. I didn’t know exactly what I was feeling but I knew I’d felt this way before when our fights went too far and his cultured manners disappeared in a wash of rage.

I’d always been remorseful and ashamed of those times, thinking something was very wrong with me to be so excited.

Once he backed me halfway between the desk and the door, Alexander stopped. “One minute to decide.”

A heartbeat passed. Then another. “I’m listening.”

“If you stay, you’re agreeing to open the door to whatever may happen between us. If you leave, you’re closing the door. That’s it.”

I swallowed hard. My palms dampened. Nervous, excited, and afraid, I still didn’t know whether to run towards or away from Alexander. I opened my mouth but no words came out. I was mute with longing and frustrated desire. I didn’t want a minute. I wanted a lifetime.

Alexander then stated with terrible finality, “Just so we’re clear, you can walk out that door and we’ll never speak of this again. The past will stay in the past and I’ll be out of your life, permanently, in three months.”

No!

“Alexander, I…I…” Curses fell from my lips in frustration. Why couldn’t I get the words out?

“Forty-two seconds.”

“What
exactly
will happen between us?” I needed to know what to control, how to parse out my emotions.

“Whatever is natural and right. Thirty-six seconds.”

“I can’t just…I mean…what if it we can’t get over the past and it just blows up in our face?”

“Then it happens. But at least we tried. Twenty-four seconds.”

I quickly thought of my life with and without him. The obsession rose up, tainting me with memories too disgraceful to stomach at the moment. And Alexander was here, wanting me to take the plunge again.

Later doesn’t have to matter, does it? I don’t think so. I have him now
.

“Nine. Eight. Seven.”

“Stop!” I threw my arms around his neck and pulled his head down towards mine.

Right before our lips met, Alexander commanded, “Say it out loud. Closed or open?”

“Open.”

Alexander tunneled his long fingers through the hair at my nape. “I won’t let you close the door on this, Sophia, so be very sure that you mean what you say.”

“I mean it.” I hungered for his lips, wanting them on my mouth and body more than I wanted anything else.

Alexander’s mouth crashed against mine. His tongue plunged into my hot, open mouth. I moaned loudly that I wanted more. My thighs parted and Alexander’s thigh slid between them. Skirt riding up high, I rubbed my core against the hard muscles. I mewled with pleasure when he pressed his leg against me harder. My open folds quickly dampened with each decadent hip swivel.

“You like that, don’t you?”

My thighs tightened around his. “Oh, yes. It feels so good.”

Alexander slid his warm hands down to my backside. He pulled me against him, rocking me rhythmically against him. “That’s right—open those legs wider, baby. I want to feel your juices on me.”

I loved his dirty talk and always had. Soon my panties were soaked.

Alexander explored my mouth leisurely. The aggression had been contained again, but it simmered there beneath the surface with each gentle nip of my lips.

I pushed his jacket off his body before yanking his tie loose. My fingers tore through the shirt buttons, impatient to get to his naked skin. Alexander’s shirt parted. My greedy hands pressed against his warm, hard chest.

We tumbled onto the ground. Alexander took my mouth, dominating me with the skillful, drugging pull of his lips. My hands roamed across his wide back, clutching him to me and not wanting there to be so much an inch of free space between us.

“Sophia, you taste so sweet. I could kiss you forever, girl.” I sighed with adoration. Alexander smiled. “You’re the sweetest girl I’ve ever known.”

I cupped his face and kissed him before asking, “Can you raise up a bit?”

“Am I too heavy for you?”

“No, just can you do it? Please?”

He obliged me. I suddenly pushed Alexander onto his back before sliding along his body, confident he would keep me from going too far.

“Where you going, naughty girl?” Alexander sat up and hauled me against him until I straddled his hips. He encircled his fingers about my slim wrists, tethering me to him. Alexander licked my bottom lip before snagging it between strong, white teeth. “Where you going to go that I can’t catch you?” His gaze taunted me, daring me to bring out the beautiful devil in him.

I smiled from my kneeling position. “I want you in my mouth.”

“Oh, you do?” His hands clenched about my wrists hard. The pain made everything all the more delicious.

I moaned a wanton, needy breath. “I want to taste you. I want to feel you fill me until I can barely breathe.”

Alexander released me with hiss, reaching up to free my long hair from its severe topknot. He ran his fingers through my silken tresses, mouth parting in a sensual murmur of pleasure. “Baby, I would like nothing more but we’re going to do things differently this time.”

“Different how?”

“It’s my way and you’ll obey. No guilt, no fighting—just obedience. Understand?” He waited until I nodded my head. His hand reached beneath my pushed-up skirt and ripped my panties. I cried out in shock.

Alexander smirked while tugging the ruined fabric off my body. “Much better. Now kiss me.”

I rushed into delightful temptation and captured his lips with mine. Desire pulsed, leading me to worship him with my ravenous kisses. Alexander took my offerings by moaning deep in my open mouth. He dug his fingers into my jaw, coaxing my tongue to leave off its teasing and tangle with his.

We murmured love words, telling each other how much we missed this, how wonderful it was to feel our bodies touching this close again. Sexy sighs couldn’t satisfy for long though. Soon I was begging for his cock, swearing I never, ever forgot how good it felt inside my aching core.

Alexander fumbled with his belt, refusing to part from my mouth. He wrapped one arm around my waist, lifting me up so he could yank his sleek, ebony dress pants down with his free hand.

Lightheaded with excitement, I crooned his name and nibbled his lush bottom lip. He tasted like heaven and his heavy breathing promised me a personal tour. A thousand memories, similar and different, imprinted upon my fevered soul.

I’d been blessed, an acolyte in love for this man. I’d been to hell and back because of this man. If I had any shred of common sense I’d stand up, run out, and never look back.

But I couldn’t. Not again. Not now.

I loved this beautiful, haunted, glorious man and always had. Later I’m sure regret might take me far down a dangerous road, but for now the only person that mattered in my universe was Alexander Monroe Draven II.

“Where’d you go, Sophia?” His gaze burned away the wisps, leaving me open and raw for him.

“Nowhere. I’m right here with you, Alexander. Just you…” I kissed the corner of his mouth. My naked thighs cradled Alexander’s lean hips. His glorious erection teased my damp slit, promising salvation if I just lifted myself over him. And I wanted it badly. I tunneled my fingers through his soft hair, loving the way it felt against them.

Too much time had passed but the familiarity still buffeted me, reminding me of how many times I’d run my fingers through Alexander’s hair, whether in comfort, love, or furious passion.

The fury had been our undoing but it was once so, so sweet…

We broke our kiss long enough to look at the other. My eyes filled with tears, liquid with longing and disbelief that somehow, someway we had found our way back to each other again.

“I want you. Now,” Alexander panted against my tender, reddened lips as if swept up in the same wonder.