Wanted (Addicted Trilogy Book 3) (16 page)

“The more I move, the more your muscles will accept me and loosen
up, giving you the pleasure I promised.”
God,
I hope he’s right.
The burning had lessened the longer he was deep inside
me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t imagine it actually being enjoyable.
 

As he moved again, a tickle of pleasure soon shot through me. “That
feels…” I couldn’t even find the right words.

“What does it feel like?” he asked, rocking back and forth behind
me. Suddenly, my head was pulled back as he captured my hair in his hand. “Fuck
me, Sara,” he moaned.

Before long, I shouted out something I never thought I would have
five minutes earlier. “Harder,” I panted. “Alek…please…fuck me a little
harder.” Intense pressure was building, and I wanted to ride the wave all the
way to the end.

“Like that?” he asked, slamming into me with a little more force.
“Does that feel good?” He thrust in two more times.
 
Animalistic sounds tore from his throat as he
fought not to lose control.

“Yes,” I whimpered. My words escaped me. Hell, I could barely
breathe from all of the different sensations firing off inside me. I was so
close, so near the precipice of release, the only thing I could do was lean
down and bite the pillow, pushing my ass higher in the air for him.

Each stroke of his touch, both inside and outside of my body,
sent me on a rollercoaster ride of desire, threatening to careen off the rails
at any second. It was by far the most erotic thing we had ever done.

“I’m gonna come, Sara.” He pushed himself in and out with two
long strokes. “Come with me.” He caressed me with such precision I had no
choice but to allow my orgasm to rip through me.
 

I screamed out my release as he let go of my hair, grasped my
hips and chased after his own pleasure.

A short while later, he’d withdrawn from me and immediately
asked, “Are you all right? How do you feel?” After his initial desire had
lessened, a look of worry shadowed over him.

“I’m fine, Alek,” I assured him. “We just won’t be doing
that
again for a while.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

Following his normal after-sex clean-up ritual, he crawled into
bed behind me, pulling me into his body so he could hold me tight. Inhaling my
scent always relaxed him. I wasn’t sure why, but it did.

“Love you, baby,” he whispered, quickly fading into sleep.

“Love you, too,” I answered, squeezing his hand in mine as I
followed him into dreamland.
 
 

Sara

I finally decided to take Megan up on her offer to grab a drink
after work. She’d been asking me for months, but I’d been too depressed to even
entertain the thought. Normally, I wouldn’t go for drinks with an employee, other
than Matt, of course, but I liked her. I was her boss above all else, and she
knew it, but she was someone I could see having a long-term friendship with.

 
Alek was already aware I
had plans for the evening. He’d tried to persuade me to go to Throttle or even Verdana,
but I didn’t think it was a good idea. We wanted to go somewhere low-key,
somewhere we could sit down and actually hear ourselves think.

 
He never forced the issue,
which was quite an improvement. Curbing his overbearing ways was doing wonders
for our relationship. Even though he was impossible sometimes, he was trying. Plus,
he realized the one person who had been the biggest threat to me was dead. He
would never harm me again.

Megan was shaping up to be a great new addition to the shop,
proving she took her job seriously, coming up with new ideas all the time. She
asked if I ever considered expanding, maybe adding on to the existing building.
Coincidently, there was an empty lot next door, but I didn’t have the money in
the budget to do anything so grand yet. I refrained from mentioning her idea to
Alek because I knew he would buy it before I even had the chance to dispute it.
Full Bloom was my baby, and I needed to nurture it my way. I wanted to do it on
my own.

We decided to meet at Laverty’s, a nice, quaint Irish pub. I’d
only been there once, but the finger food certainly left an impression.

The evening was shaping up to be a fun time out, the conversation
flowing between us as the hours ticked by.

“So, Megan, did you like living in North Carolina? I’ve always
wanted to visit but never had the opportunity.”

She hesitated for a brief moment, looking away as if she didn’t
know how to answer. Being someone who had skeletons in her own closet, I
recognized the fleeting look on her face. Maybe she moved to Seattle because
she was trying to escape something, or someone. Much like I had.
 

Taking a sip of my drink, I allowed her the time she needed to
answer me. “I did, although I didn’t live there for too long.” She avoided my
eyes once again, staring instead at the glass of wine in front of her. Deciding
best not to push her, I changed the topic.

“Do you have any siblings? Are both of your parents still living?”
My questions were innocent enough, but again she looked uneasy. Something about
her reactions piqued my curiosity. I’d told Alek I’d done the background check
on her, but I didn’t. It was on my to-do list. I had, however, called all of
her references, and they had nothing but nice things to say about her. I didn’t
lie about that part, at least.

“Both of my parents are still alive. They’re actually still
married, if you can believe it.” A faint smile spread across her face.

“That’s sweet.”

Squirming in her chair, she turned the questions on me, “So, what
about you, Sara? Does your family live close by?” she asked, bringing her drink
to her lips. Her study of me was quite intent, more so than usual.

Maybe I was reading too much into her behavior, Alek’s insistence
about her background check playing over and over in my head.
 

Before I could answer, my phone vibrated on top of the table. Taking
a quick peek, I saw it was Alek. “Sorry, one sec, Megan.” Turning my head to
the side, I answered. “Hello. Hey, babe. Yeah, we’re having a great time,” I said,
glancing back at Megan as I spoke. A pissed-off look washed over her face as
she realized who I was talking to.

 
When she saw my questioning
look, her scowl quickly switched to a strained smile. I turned
my
body to the right as I answered him, doing my best not to witness any more
of Megan’s facial expressions. “Yeah, I have. One. Don’t start,” I huffed. “Fine.
Okay, I’ll call you when we’re done. Love you, too.” I turned to face her again
as I disconnected the call. “Sorry. Alek was just checking in.”

“You mean checking up, don’t you?” she argued. “Why do you let
him get away with that type of behavior?” Draining the rest of my drink, she
held my stare and waited for an answer.

“He’s not doing anything but looking out for me. I’ve been
through a lot and he’s concerned.” I didn’t particularly care for her tone when
she was prying into my business.

“Oh?” she probed. “What happened to you, Sara? Do tell.” There
was an air of cockiness surrounding her. Or was I reading her wrong? We were having
a great time until she started with her interrogation.

“I’m not comfortable talking about it, so let’s change the
subject. Okay?” Once she realized I wasn’t going to divulge something so
personal, her demeanor changed a little.
 

“Sure. Sorry, I don’t mean to be so pushy. I think I’ve had a bit
too much to drink.” She genuinely smiled that time.

After another half-hour of chatting about clothes and movies, we
decided to call it a night. I texted Alek the name of the restaurant, but told
Megan if she was ready to go, I would be fine waiting by myself until he got
there.

“Actually, Megan, if you want, we can drop you off at home. I
don’t really think you should be driving.”

“Oh, please, this is nothing, girl. I’m completely fine.” When I
quirked my brow, she said, “Really. I’m fine. I wouldn’t drive if I didn’t
think I could.” Knowing she had two glasses of wine was concerning but not
overly so. She was a grown woman and I couldn’t force her to do anything. Besides,
if she was in the same car with Alek, something bad might happen. Her dislike
for him continued to baffle me.

“Okay, but only if you’re sure.”

“I’m positive. I’m actually going to
stay
for a bit
longer anyway. There is a handsome man at the bar who has been checking me out
all night.” She subtly pointed toward the guy she was referring to. He
was
quite the looker. I didn’t blame
her. “He looks like Mr. Right Now.” She laughed. Gathering her things, she
winked at me as she wrangled herself out of our booth.

As we said our goodbyes, Alek called to tell me he was waiting
outside. “Okay, well, I had fun, Megan. We’ll have to do this again sometime
soon.”

“You bet we will,” she agreed before pulling me in for a quick
hug.

Touching her arm, I pleaded, “Please, be careful.”
 

“I will. Don’t worry about me. I control my life and everything
in it, Sara. Remember that.” Before I could dissect her words, she smiled and
made her way toward the man who’d caught her attention.

Heading outside, my thoughts were suddenly bombarded with images
of my man. I was already excited and I hadn’t even laid eyes on him yet.

When he saw me coming, he immediately opened the passenger door
for me. Always the gentleman.

“I’ve missed you, babe,” he groaned before gathering me in his
arms for a heart-stopping kiss. His hands lowered to grip my ass, pressing me
firmly against his body.
 

“I missed you, too, but if you don’t stop it, all these people
are going to watch a show.” Giving him a quick kiss, I backed up because what I
had planned for him should only be done in private.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get you home then.”

Alek

It’d been a couple of weeks since Sara and I had officially
rekindled our relationship and I couldn’t be happier. We were even better than
before because we didn’t take anything for granted. Mainly because we both knew
what it was like to lose the other.

Running from meeting to meeting did nothing to calm the incessant
need I had to check on something. Or should I say someone? I tried to ask Sara
nicely for Megan’s information but she refused to give it to me, trying to play
the ‘It’s insulting you don’t trust I’ll do my homework’ bit. Yeah, I wasn’t
buying it. I vowed the day she took me back I would never let anyone or
anything harm her again.

I couldn’t pinpoint what it was about Megan that bothered me. Yes,
I found it odd she disliked me so much, especially since I didn’t even know
her, but it was more than that. There was an uneasiness, trying to tell me there
might be trouble ahead.

Call it paranoia.

Call it my innate need to protect my woman.

So, Sara could be upset with me, but I was going to get my hands
on that information somehow. And if it wasn’t going to be from her, then I was
going to approach someone who was as concerned about her safety as I was.

Matt.

I arrived at Full Bloom when I knew Sara was going to be out
running some errands. She made sure to keep in touch with me, especially when
she wasn’t at the shop. Controlling her wasn’t my objective. Not at all. I made
sure to answer my phone each time she called me, in case she needed me, for
whatever might come up.
 

Walking inside the shop was kind of weird at first, knowing I
wasn’t there to see Sara. There were only two other customers inside, both of
whom were men. I didn’t even dwell on the fact my woman was sometimes
surrounded by other guys, most of whom came in because they fucked up with
their own women. Pushing my crazy thoughts aside, I approached the one person I
was curious about.

Megan.

She didn’t see me at first because her eyes were glued to one
guy’s ass as he bent over to select an arrangement from the bottom shelf of the
cooler.

To look at her, one would think she was attractive. She was
taller than Sara with a little heavier build, blonde curls lying above her
collarbone. She was plain, but pretty. Nothing compared to Sara, of course, but
I was sure she didn’t have an issue garnering a man’s attention.

There was a big smile on her face as she continued to watch the
man standing to my left. Only when I cleared my throat did she swing her eyes
to me, an instant look of disgust contorting her face.

In turn, I chose not to hide my annoyance with her rudeness. “Megan,
is it?” I asked, striding toward the counter. Admittedly, I wasn’t used to
women not fawning all over me. Not that I wanted her to act in such a manner,
but it was always easier to obtain information when people were tripping over
themselves merely because I paid attention to them.
 

“Sara’s not here,” she sneered, focusing her attention back on
the computer and completely ignoring me.
 

 
She obviously thinks she’s done talking to me.
 

“Have I done something to offend you?” I asked in the most
sincere tone I could muster, making a real effort to find out what her problem
with me was. My instinct was to be rude and condescending, but I knew it
wouldn’t work to my advantage.

“Nothing to
me
,” she scoffed.
She finally lifted her gaze from the screen and glared at me. She literally
glared at me. “I don’t like you, and you’ll reap what you sow.”

What the fuck does that
mean?

Her unnerving statement solidified she was certainly a little
unstable. She may have been able to hide it well from Sara, but she’d shown me
her true colors.

Not wanting to entertain her any longer, I walked toward the back
of the shop.

“Hey, you can’t go back there!” she yelled, rushing to catch up
with me.
 
She was close on my heels as I
rounded the corner to the prep room. “I said you can’t come back here.” I
whipped around so quickly she had to take a step back.
 

“I can come and go as I please. Just ask your
boss
.” Thankfully, Matt was coming out
of the restroom, saving me from telling her to go to hell. He looked quickly
between the two of us, clearly confused why we were shouting at each other.

Matt and I hadn’t always gotten along. Actually, that was an
understatement. We almost came to blows a couple of times, mostly because I
overreacted to certain situations. My feelings for Sara were so new and
confusing, they twisted me up inside.

Matt still looked confused as he started to speak. “Sara’s not
here right now, but she’ll be back soon. I can tell her you stopped by,
though.” He glanced down at the sheet in his hand, figuring our conversation
was done.

“Actually, I came to see you.” I didn’t even have to look behind
me to know Megan was still shooting daggers at me. “I was going to head over to
Verdana later tonight and wanted to know if
you
could meet me
there? I thought we could grab a beer and chat.”

Yes, my request was out of left field, and it wasn’t lost on
Matt.

“Uhhhhh,” he stammered. “Yeah…I suppose.” His brow furrowed as he
asked me, “What time?”

“Meet me there at seven. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes.”

No other words were necessary.

The plan was set.

~~~~

I was sitting at the bar drinking a beer when Matt walked up
behind me. He was nothing if not punctual. Even though I was going to pump him
for information, essentially asking him to go behind Sara’s back, I was going
to make a real attempt to try and get to know him.
 

After ordering a draft, Matt took a seat next to me, still trying
to figure out why I’d asked him to join me. Sara was shocked as hell when I
told her, so I could only imagine what was running through Matt’s head.

I wasn’t one to beat around the bush, so I got right to it. “Matt,
I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me tonight.”

“I
was
wondering…yes,” he
replied, taking another drink as he waited for my reason.

“Well, as you know, I’ll go to extremes to make sure Sara is
safe, even when they’re things she objects to. We clash heads a lot because of
it.” I laughed, picturing the many times Sara and I bickered over my antics and
her stubbornness.

Matt smirked, because he knew I spoke the truth.
 
He’d been privy to a few of those disagreements.

“What do you need from me?” He sure got right to the point. I
liked it. Placing his drink back on the bar, he swiveled around until he was
fully facing me. As I attempted to answer his question, his mouth fell open and
he rushed to ask, “She’s not in any more danger is she?” His voice took on a
panicked tremor, and I knew right then how much Sara meant to him. He’d become
so worried about his friend, it physically shook him.
 

“I’m not sure yet.” Shaking my head, I tried to clarify. “What I
mean is I don’t know anything about this new employee of hers. This Megan
Smith.” I tried to hold back my contempt but it spewed forth, out of my
control. “I’d like to do a thorough background check, but of course, Sara
refuses to give me her information.” Taking another tug off my bottle, I
grasped his shoulder. “This is where you come in.”

It took him a second to figure out what I was asking him. “Wait,
you want me to go behind her back and give you Megan’s information?” He blew
out a breath and grabbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, man. I don’t want
her to think she can’t trust me. What if she finds out?”

“
If
she finds out, I’ll
deal with it. I’ll make it so you’re not to blame at all.”

We sat in silence for what seemed like forever. Begging wasn’t my
style and he knew it.
 
My hope was that
he would see the importance of doing the check and agree without any further
argument.
 

“I don’t think you’re going to find anything more than Sara did. Megan
seems harmless to me.” He downed the rest of his beer and motioned to the
bartender for another. Our conversation was going better than I thought it
would. Matt was a pretty good guy after all. “The only issue I had with Megan,”
he continued, “was convincing her I wasn’t interested.” He laughed as he took a
big swig of his beer.

A couple of minutes passed as we sat in a somewhat-awkward
silence. I was giving him time to think on it while I enjoyed the new foreign
beer we were trying out. “So…what do you say, Matt? Will you help me?

Thankfully, he didn’t make me wait long for an answer. “Yeah,
okay. I’ll text it to you tomorrow.” After exchanging information, I sat back
and breathed a sigh of relief.

Leaning over, I bumped his shoulder with mine and asked, “So,
Megan was really barking up the wrong tree, wasn’t she?” My laughter caused
Matt to relax even more.

“Yeah, she was.” Then all of a sudden, his brow furrowed in
confusion. “Wait. What?”

“You’re not interested in Megan, correct?”
Shit!
I didn’t mean to call him out. Obviously, he wasn’t ready to
make it known he wasn’t attracted to women.
 

“No, I’m not,” he answered flatly.

“Well then, she’s barking up the wrong tree, right?” I asked him
again, hopefully that time a little less obvious.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He gulped down the last of his drink and stood
up. “Well, I have to be going. I’ll send you her info tomorrow.”

“Great. Thanks, Matt,” I said, shaking his hand.

My fears were soon going to be laid to rest.