Blush (24 page)

He wanted her relaxed, limp when he pushed himself inside of her.

“Don’t move.” Undoing the buckle of his belt, Alex freed his cock from the confines of his jeans. Though he normally preferred to dress as a businessman for his visits to the club, he’d had no time when Elijah had texted him. Not caring at all for the idea of his little doe in the club without his protection, he’d asked his friend to stay with her and had left without bothering to change back into a suit.

Denim wasn’t as forgiving as wool, and he sighed with relief when his throbbing erection was free.

“I’ve never seen such a gorgeous ass.” He couldn’t wait to be inside of her. Sheathing himself in a condom, he applied a liberal amount of lubricant to his length and rubbed his hand up and down the shaft, closing his eyes at the sensation of his own hand.

“Brace yourself, babe. This is going to be uncomfortable for a minute.” She clenched and moaned invitingly as he spoke and then again grabbed the base of the plug, wincing as he pulled it out, her body pushing back against him as he entered her, making him see stars when her heated flesh pressed against his erection.

Their groans mingled together in the air, his with pure pleasure, Maddy’s with desperation. He knew how she felt—she wanted more, wanted to reach that same place he occupied, where the mind ceased to function and all that was left was sensation.

Rubbing her clit with one hand and grasping her hip with the other, Alex slowly worked his way into her body, which resisted him all the way.

“What a good girl.” His words were a murmur when, after she drew in a deep, shuddering breath, Maddy’s muscles finally gave way, and he slid in to the hilt, his balls coming to rest against the curves of her ass. His breath was ragged as he tried to keep himself in check.

He’d never felt anything so good, so right, as the insanely tight heat of her ass locked around his impossibly hard cock. The stockings she had worn, wrapped just below her ass cheeks, added an extra layer of snugness that felt like a little bit of heaven.

“Okay?” He listened to make sure she was still breathing regularly, waited for her nod. “Hold on.”

Sliding back, he again worked his way inside of her. Fuck, but he wasn’t going to last long. She felt too good, too right.

Slide out, work in. Again and then again. He tried to be gentle, knowing she’d never done this before. His hand gripped her hip harder as he tried to keep his strokes even.

“Fuck.” He wasn’t going to last much longer. He began to again work his fingers over her clit, determined to pull one last orgasm from her before he lost himself in her body.

When he felt her muscles again start to flutter, he slid two of his fingers inside her dripping cunt. He hilted himself inside of her, jerking in and out in tiny strokes as his fingers worked inside, pressing against the thin membrane that separated her cunt from her ass.

He could feel his cock moving with those fingers and knew how intense it must have felt for Maddy.

This time she came with an excited scream, making the flesh that held his cock impossibly tighter. One more thrust and he was lost, his orgasm starting at the base of his spine and shooting through his entire groin so hard that he shouted.

It was a long moment before he again became aware of his surroundings. In his peripheral vision, he saw that several club goers had gathered to watch the scene. He didn’t deny them the pleasure, but as always, he felt exposed as he pulled from Maddy’s body and drew the condom up and off of his cock.

She winced as he pulled free from her body. He knew that she would be sore for days, and he liked knowing that she would remember him, remember this every time she moved.

“Here.” Elijah moved forward, holding out a soft, warm blanket.

Alex shook his head. “I’ll need to ask that one more favor of you, my friend.”

Elijah eyed him, his expression unreadable, before nodding.

Standing to the side, Elijah watched as Alex knelt and released Maddy’s chains, then pulled her stockings back up over her tender flesh. Scooping her limp, exhausted form into his arms, he carried her to Elijah, who wrapped her in a blanket and held her close.

“Alex?” Those big doe eyes blinked at him sleepily, and Alex felt her tugging at his heart strings. He wanted to gather her close, to hold her in
his
arms.

But he had a point to make. He’d decided to trust her, but she hadn’t done the same for him, not yet.

“Elijah is going to take care of you until you’re ready to go home.” The betrayal in her eyes made him feel like a first-class shit, but he just didn’t know how else to get through to the stubborn woman.

Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, then tapped a finger on her locket. She looked up at him warily, and he knew he’d made his point.

Even knowing that, it killed him to turn around, to walk away, leaving her in the arms of another man, even if that man was one of his closest friends.

She needed to learn to trust him, because without trust, what they had was worth nothing.

M
addy winced as she bent to gather dishes from a table. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she and Alex had been at the club, and if anything, her bottom was more sore today than it had been the day before.

Carrying the dishes back to the kitchen, Maddy ground her teeth together with frustration. She still couldn’t quite believe that Alex had left her in the care of another man, even if that man was someone he trusted. And she chastised herself for wanting more of Alex’s ministrations with a kind of desperate longing she’d never known before.

When he’d tapped his finger on her locket, she’d gotten his meaning loud and clear. She needed to open up to him—no more secrets.

Damn it, why couldn’t he just understand? She was ashamed. No matter what Dr. Gill said, no matter what Nathan said, she would always feel guilty for the accident that had killed her sister. She would always be ashamed that, somehow, she was the one who had cheated death.

She would rather die herself than see the disgust she knew she deserved on Alex’s face.

And yet . . . unless she was very much mistaken, he had decided to trust her. Tit for tat.

Could she be brave enough? Or had all of her courage died in the car wreck with Erin?

“Just seated someone who asked for a table in your section.” Susannah’s statement caused Maddy’s heart to thump heavily inside her chest.

Was Alex here?

“Not bad-looking, but I like the other one better.” Susannah grabbed plates for her table from beneath the warmer, then scurried back off across the diner to her section, leaving Maddy with a sense of dread.

The other one?

Smoothing her hand over her ponytail, she made her feet carry her back out to her section. The man had his back to her, but when she saw the long dark hair, the dark suit worn stubbornly despite the heat outside, the arrogant posture, she knew.

Anger flooded her as she crossed over to him, confronting the man with her glare.

“Miss Stone.” Massimo Santorini smiled up at her, his expression pleasant, though she saw that he watched her with those shark eyes. “I had hoped you’d be here.”

Maddy swallowed down the distaste. Maybe if she just served him a meal, if she didn’t antagonize him, he’d go away.

“What can I do for you?” Her voice was sharp, clipped, and she knew that her meaning was clear. Do what you came to do; then go the hell away.

“I’m actually here to do something for you, Miss Stone, though I will accept some coffee while I’m here.” The look he gave her made Maddy feel dirty, and she longed for a shower to scrub away the greasy sensation of his eyes on her. “I assume it’s fresh?”

“Of course it is,” she snapped, turning his cup over with a slam. How dare he come here, to her place of work, insinuating that the venue was beneath him.

From what she’d seen of him, he was in no position to judge anyone.

“I’ll take two sugars. I like it sweet.” Massimo sat back as if he expected her to sweeten his coffee for him. She slid the bowl containing the packets of sugar and Splenda across the table, raising her eyebrows as she did.

This man was nothing but a bully. She wasn’t going to let him push her around.

“Sit, Miss Stone.” Irritation flickered over the man’s features, though he quickly smoothed it away. Massimo gestured widely with his arm, as if Maddy were a guest in his home rather than his waitress in a diner.

“I’m working.” She could smell his aftershave, the scent spicy and strong enough to make her gag. She wanted to take several deliberate steps back, to put space between them, but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’d intimidated her.

“Don’t make this difficult. I’m here for your own good.”

Maddy felt a sinking sensation in her stomach, knowing that whatever brought this man to her place of employment, it wasn’t going to be good. “Say what you have to say; then go.”

Massimo chuckled, and the sound lacked all mirth. “Do you know, Miss Stone, that Alex Fraser phoned me this morning and told me that he was no longer interested in purchasing my casino?” The man watched her with an expression as intense as that of a hawk as Maddy blinked, stunned.

Why would Alex have done that? He’d wanted that property.

“As you can imagine, I am most displeased with this turn of events. I chose Mr. Fraser because he had done me a great disservice in the past, and he owed me.”

Maddy furrowed her brow. As far as she knew, Alex and Massimo hadn’t known each other before the one man had approached the other with the casino deal.

Massimo, watching her so intently that she felt naked, laughed at her confusion, the sound laced with bitterness. “Yes, your lover has secrets, as I’m sure you’re aware. This one, though . . . this one was not a secret that he tried to keep. Instead it was the result of sheer arrogance.” Massimo reached out and encircled Maddy’s wrist with his fingers. She tugged against his grasp to no avail.

“Sit down.” Massimo spoke as if he were commanding her. This was a man who was trying his hardest to be dominant—a man who wanted to dominate
her.
She understood now
that the trait had to come from deep within—she had no compulsion to do as this man said, no urge to please him as she did with Elijah, with Julien, and especially with Alex.

“Take your hand off of me.” Sexually submissive or not, she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to, not for this man, not for anyone. “I could scream and get help, but I’d much rather pour this pot of scalding coffee on your face. It’s your choice.” She waved the pot in the air, grimly satisfied when Massimo removed his hand, though his expression became openly nasty.

“Your
lover
couldn’t have told you that he cuckolded me with my wife, because until two days ago, he had no idea.”

Maddy tried to hide her shock, but then she remembered Alex’s face when he’d caught sight of something that startled him at Massimo’s house—the shelf holding the single photo of a beautiful woman. It was only after that that his manner had changed so drastically.

“He didn’t care enough about her to find out that she had a husband. I’d assumed he would know and that when I went to him asking for help, he would make it right. He considers himself an honest man.” Massimo’s bitterness made his words sour. “Even then, he didn’t think me important enough to dig very far into me. He didn’t look hard enough to find out that the woman who used to be my wife was once his submissive. That’s the term for all of you little sluts, isn’t it?”

Maddy’s mind whirled. Massimo’s anger came across like he was a child having a temper tantrum. And yet she was certain that none of it was her business. Not anymore.

“I would like you to leave now.” She’d had enough emotional highs and lows in the last few days to last her a lifetime. Planting her feet, she pointed at the door. “Coffee’s on the house. Just go.”

Massimo stood, and Maddy had long enough only to think that it had been too easy when the man spoke again.

“I’m not done. Alex Fraser drove my woman away from me, and I came here to return the favor. I know his secrets, and I’m going to tell you.” He grinned, and Maddy shook her head, trying to stop him before he could tell her what he seemed so desperate to reveal.

“No.” She wanted to know, but she wanted to hear it from Alex.

He leaned forward, close enough to get in her space, but not enough to touch her.

She grimaced at the sensation and sought desperately for a way to escape him.

“Alex Fraser has a daughter. He fucked his shrink and knocked her up.” He grinned maliciously, seeming to savor the expression of shock on Maddy’s face.

“Didn’t know that, did you? You might think you’re special to him, but in his eyes, you’re just like Alessandria.

“You’re nothing to him, and you never will be.”

•   •   •

A
fter work, Maddy found herself driving to El Diablo. She didn’t believe that she was nothing to Alex—she knew better than that. She had seen how much she mattered to him. But the fact remained that she now knew that Alex had a daughter, a child he hadn’t told her about.

She hadn’t been completely open with him herself, but this—well, if he truly cared, this was something he should have told her about.

Why had he kept such a secret from her?

As she parked in the large lot, she thought back to the night at the club. He had said that if she shared her demons with him, he would do the same. Had he been telling the truth?

Maddy felt sick. The situation had been made all the worse for the fact that Massimo had been the one to impart the news. He considered things even now. Maddy hated him for telling her something she hadn’t wanted to hear from him.

“Miss Stone.” As she’d expected, Declan was waiting in the lobby for her. She’d texted to tell Alex that she was coming over, that they needed to talk.

She’d planned to ignore him if he’d told her not to come. He hadn’t.

Silently, Maddy followed Declan into the elevator.

The big man kept glancing at her, something he normally did his best to avoid.

When Maddy could ignore it no longer, she sighed and looked him in the eyes. “What is it, Declan?” Though she’d never have believed it if she weren’t seeing it, he shifted uncomfortably and then actually blushed.

“The boss, he’s been hell on wheels since the other night.” Declan pinned her with a look that told her he thought it was her fault for his master’s bad attitude. “Just go easy on him, would you? He might come across as indestructible, but he’s human, too.”

•   •   •

A
lex waited with anticipation for the elevator to arrive at the penthouse.

He’d been startled to get the text from Maddy. He’d hoped, waiting with bated breath, that she’d decide to take that step, to share everything with him.

He’d never dreamed it would happen so soon.

The elevator door
ping
ed and then there she was. She was dressed in torn jeans and a plain blue T-shirt, but to him she always looked lovely.

“I’m glad you’re here.” The words were simple, but a true expression of how he was feeling. “Why don’t you come in and sit down. We’ll have some wine and talk.”

Before he could turn, he saw in her body language that something was wrong.

“What is it?” He stepped toward her, wanting to wrap her in his arms, but the expression on her face told him that would be a bad idea. “Maddy, what’s going on?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your daughter?”

It wasn’t often that Alex found himself taken aback, at a loss for words, but in that moment he felt as if Maddy had hit him in the head with a brick.

His first thought was of Rae.

“How did you find out?” He wasn’t ashamed of his little girl—the farthest thing from it. But the way in which she’d been conceived had made him all kinds of wary about women trying to trap him into commitments. He’d die before letting anyone use his daughter to get to him. There was also the issue that he was a very wealthy man and that Rae could be a target to those without scruples because of it.

He found it best to keep her existence close to his chest.

“So it is true? He didn’t make it up?” Maddy looked suddenly weary, as she raked her hand through her hair. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

Alex felt a flash of anger streak through him. This misunderstanding between them took two. “I was going to tell you, as soon as you’d decided to share your mysterious past with me.”

Maddy’s expression froze, her eyes wide. As always when he brought it up, her expression became tinged with guilt.

Frustrated, he realized that she hadn’t been coming here with a mind to share, not at all. “How did you find out?” He repeated the question. For the sake of Rae’s safety, he had to know.

Maddy tucked a strand of hair behind one ear, looking up at him with an expression that was both tired and sad. “Massimo Santorini came to the diner specifically to tell me. I’m not sure why he’s so focused on me. But he was looking to get revenge on you for pulling out of the casino deal.”

At her words, Alex felt his temper rise. No matter how upset he was with her, the thought of that scum Santorini near Maddy made his blood boil.

Though Alex had had no idea about Alessandria’s personal life—he’d honored her wishes in that respect—it didn’t make the other man less of a cuckold, at Alex’s hands. He couldn’t completely blame the man for wanting revenge for his loss.

And the man knew about Alex’s daughter. The idea made Alex shudder, though if he had judged him correctly, the Italian would now consider them even.

Fisting his hands in his hair, he tugged in an attempt to release some frustration. This sense of maladroitness didn’t happen to him often.

“In my early twenties, I was worried about my interest in a certain lifestyle. I decided to seek help. I began to see a therapist named Dr. Lydia Tanner.” He ground his teeth together, just thinking about what an easy target he’d been. “I’d just made my first million. I felt alone. She had more power over me than I knew.”

Maddy regarded him warily. He wondered if she knew that she was holding her locket, protecting her secret.

“She decided that I would make a better husband than patient. She seduced me, lied about birth control. She wanted a ring.” And though he hadn’t given her that, because of the daughter they shared, she would be in his life forever.

Alex eyed Maddy. She looked stunned. “That night in the club, I decided that I would tell you, that I could trust you. But I wanted your trust in return.” He eyed her locket, making sure that she saw what he was looking at. “The deal still holds.”

She looked as if he’d struck her.

Anger and frustration washed through him, and he tamped down the urge to kick the wall. Why wouldn’t she just let go? He wouldn’t let her fall. But until she did, they had nothing.

“I see.” More hurt than he cared to admit, Alex deliberately walled himself off behind a mask of indifference. “In that case, I don’t think we have anything more to say to each other.”

“You don’t understand!” Her voice was slightly frantic. “You’d be disgusted with me. You’d hate me. I couldn’t stand for you to see me that way.”