Addicted (Addicted Trilogy Book 1) (9 page)

“So, as I was saying, I received an inheritance
from my grandfather when he passed away. I used some of the money to buy a
hotel, which I later turned into two, and so on and so forth. In less than a
decade, I was able to turn them into the largest chain of hotels on the West Coast.”
He took a bite of his toast before blurting out, “Oh, and I also own a few
nightclubs, Throttle being one of them.”

I almost choked on my food, what with all the information
being spewed at me in the matter of thirty seconds.

“Anything else?” I was merely being sarcastic at that
point.

“Nope.” He smiled. “I think that’s it.” He
continued eating as if what he’d revealed to me was no big deal. And to him, I
was sure it wasn’t. But to me…it was a little overwhelming.

He was in mid-chew when he glanced at me. I must
have looked a certain way because after he swallowed his food, he put his fork
down and interlocked his fingers, resting them casually on top of the table.

“Are you okay? Does any of that bother you?” His
question was genuine.

“No, it doesn’t bother me, per se. I’m a little
surprised is
all.
” My face reddened after a simple
thought crossed my mind. “There I was going on about my excitement over a
little flower shop and here you own
everything
.”

I was intimidated. I could admit it.

“You had a goal of owning the shop, Sara, and you
saw it come to fruition. It’s a great accomplishment; don’t ever forget that. And
hey, at one time, I only owned
one
hotel.” He winked as he polished off the last of his meal.

After a few more intense, quiet moments, he
shuffled around in his chair, settling in and getting more comfortable. Taking
a sip of his water, I could do nothing but watch the way his throat worked at swallowing
the cold liquid, his tongue tempting me as it slid over his lips.

“Sara? Did you hear me?” he asked as I finally
raised my eyes from his delicious mouth to his dark green eyes.

Oh, shit! I
totally didn’t hear a word he said.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” A low groan of
embarrassment erupted, spurred on further by his faint laughter.

“I asked you about your family. Are you close with
them? Do you have any siblings?” He raised the glass to his mouth once more,
and I had to restrain myself from getting lost in the pure sight of him again.

“Sorry. Um…I…don’t have any family,” I stuttered. Blowing
out a quick breath of air, I continued divulging my story. I was going to do it
quickly, however, because just as he didn’t want to talk about his sister, I
really didn’t want to talk about my family, or lack thereof.

“My father died when I was very young, still a
baby. My mother called it ‘an unfortunate accident.’ He was an abusive drunk
who came home one night, starting up with my mom about something insignificant
and stupid as usual, and tripped over his feet, hitting his head on the edge of
the coffee table. He died instantly.”
I
can’t believe I just blurted all of that out.
I was usually very protective
about my past, but with him it was as if I had no worries.

I kept going. “I only have a few memories of my mom
growing up, but the one which really sticks out is my fifth birthday party. It
wasn’t anything fancy, only my mom and a few of my friends, but I remember
being so happy that day, my mother’s smile etched forever in my brain.” Looking
away to regain some of my fleeting strength, I turned toward him again. “I only
have a few memories because she passed away when I was eight years old. She was
coming home from work one night and was involved in a head-on collision with a
man who had suffered a heart attack, killing them both instantly.”

Hearing him suck in a breath almost undid me. Tears
had been building and threatened to spill over if he did or said anything
overly sentimental.

“Who did you live with afterwards?”

Relieved he didn’t delve into anything too deep, my
emotions started to retreat enough for me to finish. “I lived with my
grandmother, Rose. She became like my second mother. I think we helped to heal each
other to get through the tragedy. After all, I’d lost my mother and she’d lost
her daughter.” I vanished in my own thoughts for a minute, tearing my eyes away
from him and staring at my trembling hands. Finding one more ounce of strength,
I pushed through, wanting to finish this and move on. “She passed away a little
over a year ago, and I still miss her like crazy every single day.” My
retreating tears were back in full force, ready to make an appearance any
second. “Can we talk about something else, please?” I begged, hoping he would
change the topic as I’d done for him earlier.

 
“Sure thing,
and thank you for sharing with me, Sara.” He didn’t say much more, smiling as I
gazed over at him. I weirdly felt closer to him, as if my story was building a
stronger bond between us. I always felt physically safe when I was around Alek
and at that point, I was starting to feel emotionally safe, as well.

As we were preparing to leave, I picked up the
check to see what my half came to. Withdrawing money from my wallet proved to
be the wrong thing to do, a disgruntled look appearing on his face as he ripped
the bill out of my hand.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he
asked, a semi-scowl still set in place.

“I was seeing how much I owed for my breakfast. Why?
What’s the problem?”

I didn’t think he knew the proper reaction one
should have had to my simple gesture. Was he accustomed to people using him for
his money, always expecting him to pay for everything? Because that wasn’t me. I
always paid my own way.
Always
.

“Put your money away.”
Is he insulted
? “I think I can cover breakfast, for Christ’s sake.”

“Are you angry I offered to pay for my half of the
bill?” I was going to make him explain his outburst.

“No, of course I’m not angry. Sorry, I just don’t
want your money, ever. I’ll always take care of things when we’re out together,
even when we’re not. If I feel you need or want something, I’ll make sure you
have it.”

Wow, where
the hell is this coming from?
I loved the fact he
envisioned us out together in the future, but I didn’t want him to feel as if
he had to take care of me.

“I won’t give you a hard time about buying me
breakfast, but that’s it, Alek. You are not buying me anything else or paying
for me when or if we go out anywhere else. I can pay my own way, thank you very
much. Plus, it’s insulting if you think I can’t take care of myself. I’ve been
doing it for quite some time.”

I
was the one who was becoming miffed by the second.

“I didn’t mean to insult you, Sara. It wasn’t my
intention.” He reached across the table and touched my hand. “But I won’t waver
on this.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him anymore. It wasn’t
the time or place. “Can I at least leave the tip?”
Wrong question
. He gave me an even more annoyed look, furrowing his
brows and huffing out an aggravated breath.

Holding up my hands in submission, I said, “Okay,
okay. Sorry I asked.”

He paid the bill and we left the diner, his hand
resting low on the small of my back. It never failed; every time he touched me,
even in the most innocent of ways, I started to feel all woozy and warm, even
in the early Sunday morning hours.

As we walked toward his car, I blurted out my
approval again over his mode of transportation. “I really love this car. It’s so
beautiful.”

He gave me a look as if he was the cat who ate the
canary.
Oh, no, what is he thinking?
Wait, I
know
what he’s thinking.
“Don’t even think about it, mister!”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Grinning,
he opened my car door for me, not elaborating or continuing our short
conversation.

Alek

The drive back to her place was excruciating. I
wanted to spend more time with her, but I also didn’t want to rush anything. Although,
at the same time, I did. I’d never been so conflicted before in my entire life.
Feeling like I’d known her forever was simply the tip of the iceberg. The more
she chose to share with me, the more she drew me in, even if I’d shut her out
earlier by not talking about my sister.

I just couldn’t.

It’d been years, but it was still too soon.

I heard her breaths, coming short and quick beside
me. Confused as to what had caused the change, I turned my head slowly to face
her. What I saw almost made me swerve off the goddamn road. Her eyes locked on
me, her tongue darting out every now and again to moisten her lower lip.
Oh, how I want to bite that lip.
When
she saw I was looking, she quickly turned away, flustered she had been caught
leering at me.

“Did you want to ask me something, Sara?” I
inquired, knowing full well words had indeed escaped her.

“What…uh…no…no,” she stammered. I couldn’t help the
laugh which erupted, knowing exactly how she felt. My own heart was hammering
away inside me, but I was much better at controlling my emotions. Although, I
was finding it difficult the more time I spent around her.

I was going to tease her, but we arrived at her
place faster than anticipated. Turning off the engine and exiting the vehicle, I
made my way to her, opening her car door before she could do it for herself. Knowing
she was annoyingly independent, I thoroughly appreciated she allowed me the simple
gesture. It meant something to me. I was a firm believer in men opening doors
for women, carrying their things for them and catering to them, within reason. I
wanted a woman who could take care of herself but chose to let me do it
instead.

Sara was one such woman. She was strong in her own
right; I knew that much about her. And I knew it was going to be difficult for
her to let me take charge, the small incident with the bill an indication. I
didn’t want to boss her around or control her. I only wanted her to listen to
me, to allow me to take care of her.

It was hard to explain, but in my head it all made
sense.
Now I have to find a way to make
her understand.

Slowly but
surely, she will come around.

I reached for her hand to help her from her seat. Closing
the door, we slowly walked to the front of her building, her palm still clasped
in my own.

She stopped by the front door, fiddling with her
scarf. “Well…” she trailed off, never finishing her thought.

“Well, what?” I pushed, knowing she was a bit
flustered once again. I loved the affect I had on her; my ego stroked with
every whimsical glance she cast my way.

“Thank you for breakfast, Alek. I’ll talk to you
later?” She was asking me, as if she didn’t already know the answer.

“I’m not going anywhere until I make sure you get
inside, safe and sound.”

“Alexa is still home. Do you honestly think there
is someone hiding in our apartment? With her in there? Because I can tell you
this much: she would do some serious damage if anyone tried to break in while
she was there.” A small smile played on her lips as she tried to remain
serious.

Placing my hand over my heart, I tried pleading,
something to which I certainly wasn’t accustomed. “I don’t doubt that, but for
my sanity, can you please allow me to walk you inside? I promise I won’t search
the whole place like last time.” I winked as I finished my sentence, hoping she
would relax a little and give in.

After a few very long seconds, she relented. “Fine.”

“Fine,” I mimicked as I followed her inside. Once
we stepped into her place, I had to remind myself of my promise not to go
searching through every room looking for intruders. I took one step too many
into the living room when I heard a loud rush of air behind me.

It was her.

Her sigh none too quiet.

Clearly, she was frustrated.

Clearly, I was the one trying her patience.

“Alek,” she said in warning.

“Sara,” I replied, my brows knitted close together.
My faux seriousness was enough to pacify her, her facial features relaxing
almost immediately.

“Well,” she mumbled, shifting her weight from one
foot to the other. “Thanks again for the omelet.”

I couldn’t help myself, forever wanting to garner a
reaction from her. Taking a step closer, I circled my hand around her waist and
pulled her into me. She stumbled before placing her hands on my chest. “There
was coffee, as well,” I joked, leaning down until my lips were dangerously
hovering over hers.

Her breath fanned my face, warm and sweet. So
enticing.

“Thank you for the coffee,” she panted, our
closeness causing her quick breathing.

My hand tightened, bunching her shirt in my
fingers. “And there was toast.” My tongue licked at her bottom lip, teasing the
hell out of both of us. If I wasn’t careful, I would be the one walking away
tortured and bruised.

Her gasp almost undid me, inhaling a piece of my
soul as she swallowed her breath.

Her words were soft, like a whisper in the wind. “Thank
you for the toast.”

Since I couldn’t think of anything else we had
eaten, I closed the remaining distance between us, pulling her so close her
breasts touched my chest. I tangled my hand in her long hair, gripping it so
she couldn’t move. When my lips finally descended onto hers, the mixture of our
breaths fueled our rush of desire.

I knew I should have just walked her inside, said
my goodbyes then left. But something about her always messed with my reason,
and I was treading dangerous territory lately. Her small moans, her need to
devour me, and her willingness to give herself over to me in that moment were winning
out over any amount of sensibility I should have possessed. Her tongue stroked mine,
dancing and playing, until all of my thoughts were of getting her naked and
fucking her senseless.

We were so caught up in our rapture, neither one of
us heard when Alexa came into the room. I wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing
there, but once she made a small coughing noise, we broke apart.

Instantly.

Regretfully.

Sara seemed to be somewhat embarrassed, but me? I
couldn’t give a shit. I didn’t care who saw what the woman reduced me to. Nothing
more than an overactive hormone.

“Sorry to interrupt. I just need to get a drink,”
Alexa whispered as she brushed past us and walked toward the kitchen. I looked
down to see Sara’s reaction but she was watching her roommate, waiting for her
to get whatever she needed and leave us. Alone. To continue torturing one
another.

“Continue.” Her best friend laughed as she walked
back down the hall, disappearing into her bedroom.

Sara locked her fingers behind my neck, caressing
the back of my head. Pulling me toward her again, I knew exactly what she
wanted. But I was done. Her friend interrupting us was exactly what needed to
happen; otherwise, we would’ve been there all goddamn day. As much as I didn’t
want to leave her, I actually had some shit I had to take care of.

Unlocking her fingers and taking a few steps back,
I reached for the door handle behind me. “What time will you be home from work
tomorrow?”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because someone has to be here when the alarm
company installs the system.”

She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips, clearly
not happy with my answer.

“Alek, I told you—” she started to say, but I cut
her off immediately.

“Don’t even try it. You’re not going to give me a
hard time about this. Your safety is my number one priority. Plus, it’ll ease
my mind tremendously.” I reached out and grabbed her hand, softly running my
thumb over the top of it. “You don’t want me to worry every second of the day,
do you? And you want your friend to be safe, as well?” I knew I wasn’t playing
fair, but whatever it took. Right?

I could see the struggle happening within her. She
didn’t want me to purchase something she surely thought was unnecessary and
elaborate. But she was also contemplating the safety issue, knowing full well
the alarm would put her own mind at ease. Just when I thought she was going to
argue with me again, she huffed out a pent-up breath and simply replied, “Fine.
I’ll make sure someone is here so they can install it. Happy?”

“Very. Thank you.” I took one more look around her
living room/kitchen before locking eyes on her once more. “Okay, I’ll give you
a call tomorrow to see how everything went.” Leaning in, I gave her a quick
kiss before opening her door and disappearing down the hall.

I fought every urge I had not to run back in there
and throw her down on the couch and take what was mine. My hand shot right to
my pants, trying to calm the raging effect she had on me.

Soon.

I would finish what we’d started very soon.