Cherry Stem (7 page)

Argh
! He moved on to the backs of my knees, which nearly buckled, and then to my calves. I was wet, and not just from the shower. His touch was setting my skin on fire, and I squeezed my thighs together, trying to create some friction, to ease my need. It wasn’t enough. It felt like nothing but Alex would be enough ever again.

Just when I was sure I couldn’t take more teasing, he stood and ordered me to face him. His voice sounded husky and strained. Thinking I would finally get what I wanted, I complied eagerly.

Alex had something else in mind.

He prepared more lather and rubbed my throat. The pressure from his hand combined with the silkiness of the foam to make me light-headed. He was so close his breath warmed my skin. I tried to lower my arms and grab him, wanted to smash my lips against his, climb him and impale myself on him, but a shake of his head told me not to.

“Trust me,” he said.

“Why should I?” Despite my flippant answer, I knew that frighteningly, inexplicably, I already did. I would angst over that later, once I was satisfied and had the luxury to worry about my budding feelings for a mere mortal.

“Because I know how to make your body sing.” Cocky but a proven fact. “Now no more talking.”

Nodding seemed to sap all my strength. My entire being felt tense, not from the strain he’d chased away with his magic touch, but with anticipation of what would happen next. Where would his hands go after my collarbone? I couldn’t believe I just stood there while he made my body react any way he pleased. It had been a long time since I’d granted anyone control over me, and I found it hard to let him do so now. Then again it’d been so long since anyone had evoked such lust in me, since I had enjoyed anyone’s attentions like I now did Alex’s, that I couldn’t find it in me to be anything except passive. That would of course change—if he took much longer.

The heels of his palms feathered over my nipples, making them rise in hardened peaks.

I arched my back, pressing my breasts against his palms, and reveled when I realized his hands were trembling. His heart thundered, and his jaw was clenched. I could tell it took as much effort on his side as it did on mine to maintain the slow pace he’d imposed.

Gaze on mine, he cupped my breasts and kneaded them. He rolled the nipples between his fingers. His breathing sounded labored, but his movements weren’t rushed at all. He lowered his hands to my stomach and got on his knees once more, this time in front of me, to soap my belly, then my thighs.

I pushed my hips forward, craving his touch on my pussy. This time he didn’t disappoint. He snaked his hand between my legs and began gliding it back and forth. His touch didn’t linger, but it didn’t have to. Each of his strokes raised my temperature and made me rub against him. My legs trembled. My pussy felt too empty. I needed him to fill me and soothe the ache in me.

His thumb massaged my clit and even slid inside me, but not deep enough. I let go of my hair and placed both hands on his head, trying to stay upright, as well as hoping he’d use more than his fingers on me. He didn’t. Instead he withdrew and finished lathering the front of my legs. Then he rose and reached behind me for the shampoo.

“You shouldn’t have let go of your hair,” he said. “Now it needs washing too.”

He’d kept his lower body away from mine until then, not letting me feel him. Now his hard cock brushed my stomach, and I hissed. He seemed unaffected, fully focused on making lather of the jasmine-scented liquid.

He proceeded to work the shampoo into my hair, and I couldn’t help but look down at him. Our bodies touched, his length rubbing against me at the same time his arms moved so he could massage my scalp. I wanted to drop down onto my knees and take him in my mouth.

Too suddenly he stopped and took a step back. “My turn.”

I thought he meant I should treat him to the same pampering he’d treated me to. I was wrong.
Again
. When he held me at arm’s length and poured shower gel down his body, frustration made me see red.

He washed himself fast, with not even half of the care with which he’d washed me, yet his hands caressing all of him was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen. The tanned skin gleaming against the white foam made me lick my lips.

His fist closed around his shaft. In a circular motion, it coiled from the tip to the base of his cock once, twice, before returning to his abdomen. A groan escaped me.

I think my groan was what finally made him break. Or maybe it had been his plan from the start to do things the way he did next. He turned the water on, folded one arm around my waist, and cupped my neck with his other hand to bring me to him. I stumbled and clung to his biceps to keep my balance. They were
made of steel
! Once I was flush against him under the jet, he lowered his face to mine for a kiss.

His whole posture held such urgency, I expected him to devour my mouth, yet his kiss was gentle, almost timid. His lips brushed mine with tenderness before his tongue traced their seam. I opened for him, meaning to deepen the kiss, but he wouldn’t be hurried. Suds and water cascaded down my face, getting in my eyes and mouth, but I couldn’t have cared less. Alex gasped for breath, but he wouldn’t stop kissing me. He leisurely explored my mouth until I felt like my feet didn’t touch the ground.

And then they no longer did.

Alex lifted me into his arms and turned the water off with a nudge of his elbow. I don’t know what he was planning to do next, but I didn’t wait to find out. As he was trying to maneuver me in his arms, I lifted my legs, wrapped them around his hips, and let myself sink on his dick.

“Cherry—” He momentarily lost his footing but regained his balance and turned so I was pressed between him and the glass wall. “You really shouldn’t have done that.” His eyes glinted with mischief.

“Um, if it’s about the condom thing…can’t get pregnant and not carrying any nasty germs.” I moved against him.

He chuckled and grabbed my ass with both hands, stilling me. “I was just thinking we could use a bed this time.”

I contracted around his cock, tightening my inner muscles’ grip on his shaft. “Beds are overrated.”

His whole body tensed, his grip on my ass becoming punishing. I must have made some sound, because he relaxed his hands and whispered an apology before claiming my lips. This time his kiss was hungry, demanding. He bit my lips like he was trying to devour me and began to drive his cock in and out of me.

Water didn’t make for the best lubricant, but I liked the friction. I liked the feeling of being sandwiched between a hot man and a cool glass pane and being thoroughly fucked.

Only it didn’t feel like mere fucking.

Alex was rambling. I’m not sure he knew exactly what came out of his mouth, but I heard it all. I was beautiful, perfect to him. He never wanted to hurt me. The openness and honesty of his face, the awe in his eyes as he sank and withdrew from my body was overwhelming. For the second time in as many days, he offered me so much more than just sex. He offered me companionship, comfort. He promised me a tomorrow.

I wasn’t sure I deserved it. That moment I knew I couldn’t handle it.

I leaned my head back and cried.

There were no sobs, only tears falling down my cheeks, pooling at my neck. Tears that seemed to cleanse me somehow of all the bad that had accumulated inside through the years.

He noticed, despite my already wet skin, and instantly ceased his movements. He caressed my cheek and began asking if something was wrong. I wanted to ease the worry I could hear in his voice but could do nothing other than shake my head and rock my pelvis, urging him on. I couldn’t tell him he’d touched me deeper than anyone else. I didn’t know why I was crying. I only knew I was happy and terrified at the same time.

He took my hint and started fucking—no,
making love
to—me again. He lifted one of my legs higher and began plunging inside me faster. His mouth found mine, and he swallowed the choked mewls that escaped my lips.

I could feel him deeper than before, but that wasn’t enough. “More.”

My wet back made funny sounds against the glass, but the only sound I cared about was Alex’s heartbeat.

He panted into my mouth, his hips slamming hard against mine. He hit all the right places with every move of his pelvis. That was all that mattered.

“Come for me, baby,” he whispered. His breath quickened.

I was close; all I needed was…

Not losing a beat, he slid his hand down the length of my body, all the way to where we were joined. “Come for me,” he said again, pressing down on my clit with his thumb. “
Now
, Cherry.”

The earth-shattering pleasure seemed to short-circuit my brain, white fire bursting through my veins. I locked him in place with arms and legs while I rode out my orgasm. I’d never felt that way before. My legs shook and my hands trembled while my body convulsed against him. Stars blossomed behind my closed eyelids as rapture washed over me.

His thrusts, rhythmic until then, became erratic, jerky, when he gave in and let go. He came inside me, the heat of his cum making me shudder one last time, but didn’t stop moving until his cock was half erect and his heartbeat had gone back to normal.

I have no clue where he found the strength to remain standing, but he toed the stall’s door open and carried me out of the bathroom and into the next room, where a large double bed took up most of the space. The rest held a desk and a bookshelf in one corner, the latter decorated with pictures of a young boy.
Alex
. “Your old room.”

He nodded and laid me gently on the bed before collapsing next to me. “Gimme twenty minutes and we’ll show this room things it never saw before.”

My lips felt too numb to form a coherent reply. I giggled.

Swallowing a gulp of air, he looked at me, head tilted to one side. “Something funny?”

I shrugged, still laughing. His eyes glinted.

He shook his head. “As soon as I regain feeling in my legs, I’ll show you it’s not nice to laugh at people.”

I silenced him with kisses. Tried to, at least.

Before dawn, he carried me to the basement, where we spent more time exploring each other’s bodies. I fed, but only after he reminded me I hadn’t in more than twenty-four hours. He insisted he’d had something to eat while he’d been out.

When I drifted off this time, I knew I was safe in Alex’s arms, the rise and fall of his chest soothing against my back.

I also knew another thing: I was falling hard. For a human.

I wished I wouldn’t come to regret it.

Chapter Five

I was just done relooping the laces through my bustier’s tiny eyelets when the bedside light was switched on.

“What’s with the leather again?” Alex lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, his cheek cradled in his palm. “I brought you clothes. You can wear those around the house.”

I pursed my lips, thinking of the contents of the bag he’d brought. Not the most flattering fit. A dazzling smile blossomed on his lips, and I had to smile back. “Or you could wear nothing.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I looked away. If I spent a couple more seconds looking at the curve of his hip, his white teeth nibbling at his lower lip, or the way he was invitingly caressing the sheet in front of him, I’d forget what I had to do and jump back under the covers with him. “I have to go.” My traitorous gaze returned to him.

He turned on his back and pulled the sheet up all the way to his chest in a gesture so prudish it’d be funny if I didn’t want to rip the covers off him. “To the council?”

I shook my head. “No. Someone else first. I want to see if he can arrange a meeting.” I’d showered again but hadn’t paid enough attention to towel drying, and it was a bitch pulling my boots back on, which worked out fine since fighting to pull them up meant I didn’t have to look at him.

“
He
?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him run a hand through his hair. “Should I be jealous?”

My worry that maybe he
should
be, that maybe my meeting Constantine was a horrible idea, was what made me snap at him. “You have no right to be jealous.” I shouldn’t feel bad for saying that; he wasn’t my boyfriend.

Ha
! The boots were finally in place. I trained my gaze on him.

He just nodded.

Right, so I felt bad. And I’d pop by my place to change into something less sexy before visiting my ex. “Will you be okay?” I fully expected him to say I had no right to ask that.

He surprised me. “It depends. Will you be back?” He was not facing me, but I could make out the muscle ticking in his jaw. I liked knowing it took effort for him to be so calm and civil—and God, did that make me a horrible person.

I should keep my distance. Especially after the way I’d felt the previous night. I should go see Constantine, have a quickie for old times’ sake, and only contact Alex when I knew something about the case. “Don’t you plan on going home at some point? Oversee the repairmen?”

Why did he have to have that boyish grin? “Nope. No need to. Gas company guys know what they’re doing.” He shrugged. “And I have everything I need here.” The look he threw me indicated he was referring to much more than groceries. “So will you be back?”

“Yeah. It won’t take long.” Not if my brain still worked after seeing Constantine for the first time since I’d broken up with him.

Without a word, Alex held a hand out to me. Closing the distance to the bed, I took it and leaned over so I could kiss him good-bye.

* * * *

Constantine’s human butler, Wesley, opened the heavy mahogany door. There was no sign of recognition on his ancient face even after I gave him my name. It stung that he didn’t remember me—not like he’d been seeing me almost daily for two years.

He let me in and told me Constantine was waiting for me in his
boudoir
. His smile when I groaned at the thought of meeting my ex in his bedroom took at least twenty years off his wrinkled face. “I suggested the parlor, but when Master Constantine is set on something, there is no talking him out of it.”

Tell me about it. I’d been yelling at the stubborn ass to leave me alone for four years now. He hadn’t relented one bit in his pursuit and still called me at least twice a week to see how I was doing and ask if I’d reconsidered.