Wanted (Addicted Trilogy Book 3) (20 page)

Sara

I think my face was still red, but I never had any time to dwell
on my reaction before Alek worked me into such a frenzy, I didn’t think I would
ever recover.

Pulling me from the room, he rushed me up the stairs then down
the hallway to our bedroom. Once inside, he wrapped his arm around my waist and
pulled me into his hungry embrace. “I’ve missed you more than you could
possibly know. Finally,” he exhaled, “I’ve been given the green light to make
you scream.” He toyed with my lips, running his warm tongue over the top of them,
stopping once in a while to nibble on me as if I was his afternoon snack.

When I tried to deepen the kiss, he suddenly backed away.

“What are you doing?” I panted. I was already squirming where I
stood, an intense ache spreading all over my body as he continued to stare at
me.

“I’m only doing to you what you’ve done to me for weeks.”

“You’re purposely teasing me?” I pouted. “What I did was because
of your health.” I retreated, his eyes intently following me.

“Are you upset, sweetheart?” he asked, still confused as to why I
was putting distance between us.

“No,” I said, a little too blasé. “I can always take care of
myself.” Fiddling with the hem of my dress, I said, “Do you want to watch?” Knowing
Alek loved to watch me touch myself, I heard him gasp at my brazen tone. Surely,
he thought he’d had the upper hand. Clearly, he was wrong. Pulling up the
bottom of my dress, I first exposed my white lace panties. His eyes widened. Drawing
the material up further, I flashed my taut stomach then my matching bra. A
garbled sound erupted from his throat, his satisfaction clear in the way he
admired me. Finally, I hoisted the damn thing over my head and tossed it to the
side, standing in front of him and waiting to see what would happen next.

“What now?” he groaned, adjusting himself through his workout
shorts.

Never taking my eyes off him, I slipped my fingers under the lace
material and slowly rubbed myself. “Are you going to make me finish myself
off?” My hips bucked forward as a small gasp fell from my lips.

Knowing it wouldn’t be long until he gave in, he removed his
shirt and shorts until he was standing in front of me with nothing but his
boxer briefs on. The outline of his steel cock made my mouth water. All of my
attention was fixated on him as I continued to stroke myself into oblivion.

“Goddamn it!” he shouted. “You’re so fucking sexy.” He licked his
lips as he rid himself of his last piece of clothing. Stepping toward me, he
fisted his arousal and began stroking himself. Slowly. He knew what he was
doing to me, as I knew what I was doing to him.

Our little dance only continued for another thirty seconds before
he was on me. Tearing my hand from my panties, he drew my fingers into his
mouth. “You taste like heaven,” he moaned, sucking my essence from me. “I don’t
want to play anymore,” he confessed. “You win.”

I smiled in victory as I took his hand and led him toward the
bed.

Gently pushing him onto his back, he fought me until I shook my
head. We were going to have sex my way or no way at all. A mere glance into my
eyes told him so.

“We’re not going to fuck tonight, Alek. We’re going to make love.
Slow and gentle.” Straddling his waist, I leaned down until my lips took his in
a sensual kiss. His tongue swirled with mine as I moaned into his mouth. “Can
you do that for me?” I asked.

“Not if you keep bouncing on top of my dick.” I hadn’t even
realized I was squirming around until he called me out on it.

His hands grasped my waist as he tried to raise me up enough to
hover over the tip of him.

 
“Alek,” I warned. “Let me
do all the work.”

“I’m not going to fucking break, Sara.” Irritation flashed across
his face but was quickly erased when I freed my breasts from my lacy bra. I
tossed it aside as he pulled me lower. He latched onto a nipple as his hand
tweaked the other. The sucking sensation shot a bolt of pleasure straight
through me.

Everything was going exactly the way I’d planned until he pushed
me back upright, ripped off my panties in one swipe, clutched my hips and tried
once more to position me over him.

 
I slapped his hands away
immediately and tried to move off him.
 
“What
the hell?” he asked, feigning injury. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“You have to agree to let me take charge, Alek. Agree, or this
doesn’t happen tonight.”
 

“Fine,” he huffed. “I’ll let you do the work this time. But I’m
going to sample my dessert before you serve me the main course.” A sly smile
graced his mouth as he said, “Since you don’t want me to exert myself, you’re
going to have move forward so I can taste you.” Pulling me up his body, he
helped to position me directly over his hungry mouth.

Placing my hands on the headboard to keep me steady, I rocked
back and forth over his face. His hands gripped my ass as he drove his tongue
inside me. My hand fell and tangled up in his hair, forcing his mouth even
closer. “Please, don’t stop,” I cried.

The pressure was building, so intense I almost pulled away from
his sweet torture. As my breathing changed, I felt him smile, his lips latching
onto my clit.
 

“Come on my tongue, baby. Let me taste you.”
 

And I did. I came so hard my legs shook while my vision blurred. As
my orgasm racked through me, I held my breath, simply forgetting to breathe.

As I moved back down his body, I captured his lips with mine,
tasting remnants of my release on his tongue.

“Now it’s my turn to bring you pleasure.”

“You bring me pleasure every second you agree to be mine, Sara.”

He was being so sweet, but I didn’t want sweet right then. I
wanted him to bury himself inside me, pushing me to ride him until he screamed
out
my
name.

Leaning over, I grabbed a condom from the nightstand, ripped off
the wrapper and sheathed him in three seconds flat.
 

Taking hold, I whispered, “I love you,” as I took in every inch
of him.
 

There was a brief moment of discomfort because we hadn’t had sex
in what seemed like forever. Plus, it always took me some time to adjust to the
sheer girth of him.

Finally, I was able to move. “Do you like that?” I asked, rising slowly
until he was almost all the way out, then slamming back down as I swiveled my
hips around.

“I fucking love it. But I fear I’m going to explode sooner than I
want to if you keep doing that.” He was so caught up in the moment, he tried to
raise himself to take my nipple into his mouth.
 

Of course, I scolded him.

“Alek, don’t.”

“Why? You love it when I do that.” He looked confused, until I
explained why I’d reprimanded him.

“I do. But let me come to you.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Are you serious?” He laughed, but I could
tell he was annoyed I was treating him as if he would shatter.

“Yes, and if you don’t listen to me, I’ll leave you to finish
yourself off.” We were involved in one heated staring contest. “Do you
understand me?”

There was no way he wanted to give in, but I could tell he knew
it was the lesser of two evils. “Fine,” he relented.
 

“Good.” My hands covered my breasts, playing with my nipples until
they pebbled from my touch. “Are these what you want?”

“You know I do. Now, stop torturing me before I flip you on your
back and overexert myself by fucking you senseless.”

As he teased me, I made love to my man.

Nice and slow.

Only once since my final warning did he try and switch up the
pace, but he quickly slowed, giving me back the control I demanded. I nibbled
his lips as I continued to ride him, swallowing his grunts as he toed the fine
line of destruction.

“Come with me, Sara. Come with me now.”

I sat up straighter, placed his hands on my breasts and brought
it home.

For the both of us.

Sara

My body was perfectly molded to his, his strong arms wrapping
around me as he snuggled in close behind me.

“Sara,” he whispered, his breath cascading over the shell of my
ear. He was already starting to harden, his excitement pressing into the small
of my back.

“Yes,” I mumbled, tired from hours of slow and torturous
lovemaking.

“Let’s get married.” As soon as the words were spoken, he placed
his hand on my waist and turned me over, giving me no choice but to look at
him.

Is he serious?

“Are you serious?” I asked, stricken dumb with shock.

He smirked. Typical Alek fashion. “Not the response I was looking
for, but I’ll go with it.” He placed a sweet kiss on my lips before pulling
back. “Yes, I’m serious.”

I sat up in bed, needing to prepare for the conversation we were
going to have. “But we haven’t even lived together that long.”

“So?”

“So, don’t you think we’re rushing?” I fiddled with the sheets which
covered my lap. My bare breasts were in full view for him to enjoy, but they
did nothing to distract him from continuing his sudden topic of conversation.

“Not at all. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with
you.” He pulled me back down on the bed, positioning me so I was lying on top
of him. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?” Why did he look
so worried I was going to say no? Running my hand along his jaw, his stubble
tickled my palm. I looked into his beautiful green eyes and told him the
absolute truth.

“I do,” I confirmed.
Funny
choice of words.

“Then what’s the problem?” He held his breath, waiting for me to
answer. I think he assumed I was going to argue with him, or stubbornly point
out the reasons we shouldn’t charge head-on into such a big commitment. But I
had nothing. He was totally right. Why were we waiting?

“There is no problem,” I said, tangling my fingers in his hair. My
tongue pushed against his luscious lips, asking for permission to taste him. It
was granted immediately. His need for me intensified the longer our mouths
dueled for ownership. When I thought he was going to push inside me, he pulled
back and hopped off the bed. Reaching for me, he grabbed my hand and tugged for
me to stand in front of him.

“Stay here,” he demanded, giving me another quick kiss before he
disappeared into his closet. He reappeared, stalking toward me as if I was his
very lifeline and he needed to touch me in order to stay alive.
 
In his hand was a small, black jewelry box. “I’m
going to do this officially.” He laughed, suddenly becoming nervous.

Slowly, he lowered himself until he was on one knee. Taking my
left hand in his, he professed his undying love for me. “Sara, baby. I’ve loved
you for what seems like forever. The day I walked into your shop was the first
day of the rest of my life. I know it may sound cliché, but it’s absolutely
true. Your love has made me a better man. Every day, I try and show you how
much you mean to me, and I’ll keep trying until I take my last breath.” Blowing
out an anxious breath, he asked, “Sara Nicole Hawthorne, will you do me the
honor of becoming my wife?”

As he looked up at me, a pensive look in his eye with each second
that slipped by in silence, I fell even more in love with him. I’d waited my
entire life for him, and I wasn’t going to go another day without letting
everyone know how much we were destined to be together.

A tear fell down my cheek as I answered him. “Yes. Yes, I’ll
marry you.” He shot to his feet and crushed me against his body, raining kisses
all over my face. Finally, he stepped back, removed the ring from its box and
placed it on my finger.

The sheer size of it made me nervous. How the hell did he expect
me to wear something so large on my hand and be confident someone wasn’t going
to bop me over the head and steal it?

“I know it’s overwhelming, but do you like it?” He was still
nervous, and I found it rather endearing. Alek Devera wasn’t a man who showed
his vulnerable side too often, but when he did, my heart ached to love him that
much more.
  

“I love it,” I answered honestly. “But you’re going to have to
insure this bad boy,” I teased. “It’s huge.”

“Already taken care of, sweetheart.”

As we laid in bed, limbs gloriously tangled together, I couldn’t
help but feel truly blessed. I’d found the man of my dreams, and although we’d
definitely had our ups and downs, I wouldn’t trade a second of it.

Falling asleep that night was different. A peace settled over me
I hadn’t even realized was missing. My entire life had been leading up to that
moment, and the many more to come for us.

He and I.

Lovers and friends.

Soon to be husband and wife.

As I stood hovering over the bathroom sink, I was reminded of the
time I’d anxiously waited to see if my future was going to change or not.

I’d been feeling off the past couple of weeks, exhaustion and
nausea being the two main differences. I chalked it up to the long hours
working at the shop, mixed with the stress of an ever-expanding business. I’d
finally purchased the space next to Full Bloom, growing into a much more
prosperous flower shop.

My cell rang, pulling me from my nervous thoughts. I didn’t want
to move until the results showed on the pregnancy test, but the persistent
ringing gave me no choice.

Slowly moving toward my bed, I snatched up the phone and
answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, honey. I’m calling to tell you I’m on my way home now. My
meeting ended earlier than planned. Did you want me to pick you up anything on
the way?”

I wasn’t expecting him for another hour. A sudden wave of nausea
washed over me as he waited for me to answer him. Breathing deeply through my
nose, I calmed my stomach enough to speak. “No, I’m okay. But thank you.”

Sensing there might be something wrong, he prodded me for more
information. “Are you all right, Sara? You sound as if something is bothering
you.”

He was so attuned to me it was scary. A simple change in my voice
or the slightest look gave away all my secrets, but only to the man who knew me
best.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “I’ll see you soon.”

After ending the call, I headed back toward the bathroom. I stood
on the threshold, not sure if I was ready to check the results yet. Last time,
Alexa happened to come home and discovered my panic. She stayed with me the
whole time, offering me her strength as I found out if I was pregnant or not.

Thankfully, I wasn’t.

Standing there all alone, I didn’t know what to make of what I
was feeling. I wasn’t panicked like I was last time. Not even close. But I
wasn’t sure if I was hopeful, either.

A lot had changed in my life to cause me to reflect on what was
really important. Family and friends were at the top of my list.

Alek had officially become my family a year before. The question
was did I want to expand our circle of two? We’d talked about it on a few
occasions. He never pushed, except when he groaned about still having to wear a
condom while having sex with his wife. A simple look from me and he would cover
up with no more complaints.

Finally taking a step into the bathroom, I picked up the test and
stared at it. Re-reading the directions for the hundredth time, there was no
doubt what the results were.

“Sara?” Alek called out. “Where are you?”

“Up here,” I yelled back. I quickly stashed the test in the
vanity drawer. I would tell him about it later, when we had time to really
talk.

Alek strode in the room and took my breath away, as usual. Dressed
in one of his designer suits, he looked beyond handsome. His hair was perfectly
styled in his typical, purposely unruly way. A light stubble caressed his jaw,
the look instantly reminding me of how it felt between my thighs earlier that
morning.

As he stepped closer, I noticed one arm was resting behind his
back. “Hi, beautiful.” He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss.

“Hi, yourself.” Trying to peer around him, he moved every time I
did. “What do you have behind your back?”

“Your anniversary present.”

“Alek, we said we weren’t going to exchange presents. That our
love was—” He cut me off before I could finish.

“Our love is enough, but there was no way I wasn’t buying my wife
a gift on our first wedding anniversary.” I walked away and disappeared into
the closet. “Sara, come back here. Don’t be mad.”

Reappearing in front of him, I held my gift behind my back. “I
knew you were going to ignore the rule. So, I did as well.”

“You know you didn’t have to do that, baby. Your love really
is
enough for me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I teased. “Who wants to go first?” I asked,
suddenly becoming nervous.

“Ladies first.”

I brought my hand around to the front of me and handed him my
gift. Watching his face as he opened it was nerve-racking. It wasn’t anything
worth monetary value. Would he like it? Would he understand the significance of
it?

Before I could succumb to my frantic nerves, he ripped the paper
off, turned it over and stared at his present. He was silent. I scanned his
face to see his reaction but he was expressionless. Until I noticed his eyes
suddenly became glassy. I knew he recognized the sentimental value of what I’d
given him.

“Do you remember it?” I asked, my own emotions almost becoming
too much.

He looked up and smiled. “Yes. It was the picture your
grandmother had of you in her room. This,” he said, holding the frame in the
air, “
was
the first time I ever saw you.” He’d become
overwhelmed at my simple but meaningful present, and it made my heart soar.

So there
was
something
I could give the man who had everything.

“Did you have it the whole time?” He continued to stare at it in
disbelief.

“I did, but I didn’t know it. I was going through some of my
gram’s things a while back and came across it. As soon as I found it, I knew I
was going to give it to you for our anniversary. I hoped you’d like it.” I
smiled as he pulled me close.

“I love it. It’s the best present I’ve ever received. Ever,” he
repeated.

Before he made me cry, his eyes still overcome with emotion, I
asked, “Is it my turn now?”

“Yes, of course. Please, let me know if you don’t like it. I can
return it and pick something else.”

“Hand it over, Mr. Devera,” I demanded. He brought the gift
around and placed it in my hand.

“Do you think you could call me that later tonight? In bed?” He
laughed.

“Call you what? Mr. Devera?” When he only laughed harder, I
couldn’t distinguish if he was serious or not.

Pulling my attention back to the surprise in my hand, I slowly
opened the box until my eyes feasted on a gorgeous diamond pendant, in the
shape of a heart. “Alek, it’s so beautiful,” I gushed. The stone was large, but
not so much it detracted from the flawless beauty of the necklace. When I
turned it over, I saw he had something engraved into the back of it.

To my heart, my love and my soulmate. I’ll love you
 
 
forever
.

“It’s nothing compared to what you just gave me, but I thought
you would like it.”

Cupping his cheek, I assured him his gift to me was as touching. He
thought of me as he shopped for my present, knowing me so well, he’d been able
to pick the perfect gift. “This is the best present anyone has ever given me. Ever,”
I said, squeezing his hand in mine.

“Even better than the Audi?” He was teasing me and I knew it.

“Even better than the Audi,” I answered, giving him a quick kiss
before placing the necklace on my dresser. I was going to wear it that evening,
and I wanted it out in the open to gaze at while I dressed.
 

~~~~

After a fantastic dinner out, we made our way to Throttle for a
quick drink before returning home, no doubt to engage in a night of ecstasy.

We were heading through the crowd when we spotted Matt, sitting
at the bar. He looked to be alone, but there were so many people around him, it
was hard to tell. As the crowd shifted, I took notice of a beautiful woman
walking toward my dear friend. She smiled brightly as she drew near. Who was
she? When I looked back to Matt, I noticed he was just as happy to see her.

Then they kissed.

And it wasn’t platonic. Even from where I was standing, I picked
up on the sexual heat passing between them.
What
the hell?

“Sara? Did you hear me?”

I was too wrapped up in the scene unfolding in front of me to
even answer. Looking to see what drew my attention, he saw Matt, but their embrace
had already ended.

“Matt’s here. Can we say hi really quick before we sit down?” My
curiosity was getting the better of me.

“Sure.” Alek entwined his fingers with mine as we walked toward
him and his mystery woman.

He saw us approaching and smiled. Big. Whoever she was had
certainly put my dear friend in a great mood.
I think I like her.

“Sara,” he greeted, standing from his seat and giving me a kiss
on the cheek. He then turned toward Alek and they shook hands. Thankfully, they
had become friendly with one another, even grabbing the occasional beer now and
again.

Matt glanced to the woman on his right, then back to us, before
saying, “Sara. Alek. This is Isabelle.” We exchanged greetings. Okay, so I knew
her name, but who was she to Matt?

Alek handed me a drink as I decided to find out what was going
on. “So, tell me, Isabelle. How do you know Matt?”

There was no hesitation when she answered. “I’m his fiancée.”

The words hadn’t even registered in my brain as Alek choked on
his drink. Looking to me to see if it was a joke, I told him I knew as much as
he did with a simple shrug.

“I KNEW it!” Alek shouted, pointing a finger in Matt’s direction.
“I knew you weren’t gay!”

“What?” Matt exclaimed. Looking back and forth between the two of
us, he was thoroughly confused himself. “You thought I was gay?” Before I could
even answer him, he blurted out, “I’m not gay. I’ll show you right now I’m not
gay.”

“Hey,” Alek grunted. “Watch it.” He was smirking, but there was a
serious tone to his words.

How could I have been so
off the mark?
“Can I talk to you for a second?” I asked, grabbing his hand
and pulling him through the crowd before he even had a chance to answer me.

Placing my untouched drink on a nearby table, I dove right in. “What’s
going on? Who is Isabelle? How long have you known her, Matt? And why didn’t I
know you had a freaking fiancée?” I fired off question after question, fully
expecting an answer for each one of them.

“It’s complicated, Sara,” was all he said as he ran his fingers through
his hair.

“Really? Can you give me a little more than
it’s complicated
?”

“Not before you tell me why you thought I was gay!”

Sudden embarrassment crept over me as I fumbled to find the right
words. “Well, for starters, women hit on you all the time, yet I’ve never known
you to show any interest. Then there’s the way I would catch you looking at
other men.”

“And what way was that, pray tell?”

“I don’t know exactly. It was the way you huddled close while
talking to them, or the way you watched them.” His inquisitive stare made me
nervous for some reason.

“Sara,” he started, “I never showed any interest in other women
because my heart belonged to someone else. Isabelle. She was the only one for
me, and even though we hadn’t been together in years, I still couldn’t bring
myself to be with somebody else. And as for
the
way I
watched other guys,
you obviously
read into something which wasn’t there.” Huffing out a quick breath, he
finished what he had to say. “I miss my friends back home. I was simply looking
for someone to hang out with, you know, someone to do some male-bonding with. With
our clothes on, of course.” He was making fun of me and I didn’t blame him.

“So…what’s the story with Isabelle then?” I wanted to know more
about the woman who had my friend all twisted-up.

“That’s a story better told another day. When we have more time.”
When he saw how disappointed I was, he threw me a bone. “We dated all
throughout high school, but some stuff happened, we broke up and I moved here,
to Seattle, to escape everything.”

I knew no matter how much I pushed, he wasn’t going to reveal his
whole life story in the middle of a crowded club.

So I left it alone.

After saying our goodbyes, we headed back home. It was definitely
going to be a long night because there was something else I needed to talk to
my husband about.

~~~~

Moving toward the bed, I held the pregnancy test behind my back
as I approached. Alek was already lying down, watching me, the desire he held for
me written all over his face.

Crawling on top of the covers, I moved as close to him as I could
while still maintaining some necessary distance. “Alek, I have something I need
to talk to you about.” The look on my face told him I was serious.

Instant worry stole his previous expression. “What is it? What’s
wrong?” He noticed I was hiding something behind me and he moved to pull me
close, his impatience heightening my worry. “Show me what you have in your
hand, Sara.”

I never said a word as I handed him the test. I nervously bit my
lip, not quite sure what to say to him.

“Is this what I think it is?” he asked, a hopeful look in his
eye. “Does this plus sign mean you’re pregnant?”

I nodded.

I didn’t know what else to do.

I’d been trying to come to grips with what those results meant
all night.

“But how?” he questioned.
 
“We’ve been using protection this whole time.

“Well…not the time in the shower last month.
 
Remember?
 
When you pulled out?”
 
I smiled as
the memory dawned on him.
 
“Apparently,
that method of birth control is not so effective.”

“I guess not,” he smiled. Quickly taking on a more serious look,
he asked, “How do you feel about it?” I hated he hampered his excitement at the
news of me being pregnant. But being the wonderful man he was, he was more
worried about my well-being than his own enthusiasm.

“I’ve been thinking about it all evening, and I think I’m…happy.”
A small smile tipped my lips as I voiced my thoughts again. “Yeah, I’m happy
about it.”