Eternal: A Seaside/Ruin Crossover Novella (Seaside #6) (3 page)

“I’ve always...” His breathing was ragged. “…heard that good things come to those who wait. Besides, I figured you’d reward all that good behavior with a little bit of bad behavior…”

Demetri pulled his finger from my mouth and replaced it with his lips, hot and heavy. He kissed me deep, letting me lose myself, my fear, everything in the taste of him.

When he pulled away, his voice cracked. “Are you still nervous?”

Our foreheads touched. “That depends…”

“On?”

“How bad you want that reward.” I offered a playful wink and tried to jump off the bed but was caught from behind. Demetri swung me back against him. I tried to wiggle away, but it just seemed to encourage him.

“Naughty girl.” He growled in my ear. “Teasing the guy who’s hanging on by a freaking thread. Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to run with scissors?”

“Did I cut your thread?”

“Sweetheart…” His teeth tugged at my right ear. “…the thread’s been missing for quite some time.”

“Oh.” I grinned, feeling better than I had in days.

“Rehearsal tomorrow,” he whispered. “And the next day we’re married. Then after that, we’ll have a little… lesson on why you shouldn’t tease.”

“Hmm, you gonna spank me too?” I tried to get away again, but he jerked me against him so hard I let out a rough exhale.

“I’ll think of nothing else when I close my eyes…” He released me, but not before actually spanking me on the butt and shoving me toward the door. “Now, leave before I decide to throw my self-control out the window.”

“Dem...” I paused at the door. He got up and made his way over to me, his long muscled body lit by the moon. “…I love you.”

“You…” Demetri kissed my forehead. “…are my life. You’re my heart. Now please go to bed so I can go have fitful dreams about you naked.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re such an ass sometimes. One minute you’re romantic, the next… naked talk.”

He shrugged. “Part of my charm.”

“Right.” I licked my lips and kissed him on the shoulder and walked out. When I turned around to wave, he was still watching me, his eyes heated. I half-expected him to run after me; he looked so predatory. Instead, with a curse he softly smacked his head against the door and then shut it behind him.

How did I get so lucky to have that type of guy in my life? I fell into a peaceful sleep the rest of the night, dreaming of Demetri’s kisses and, funny enough, his promised punishment.

A bit of spanking.

CHAPTER FOUR

Demetri

T
O SAY
I
GOT
no sleep would be the understatement of the year. The minute Alyssa left my room I went and took a cold shower; when that didn’t work, I decided to do pushups. Yeah. Pushups, like someone stuck in freaking prison. But what else was I supposed to do? I figured pain and pleasure were basically on the same threshold, right? So when the pushups worked, I decided to do some more and then added in some crunches until I was so wiped that I collapsed into my bed with dreams of a naked Alyssa lulling me to sleep.

The only problem? By the time I’d worked everything out of my system, it was close to six A.M., and I had to be up early to make breakfast for her.

Not that I was complaining. In fact, she had no idea that I’d planned it, which was also why I’d hit the sack so early the night before. I’d wanted to be able to plan breakfast in bed and not look like a zombie.

I groaned as I made my way downstairs and started firing up the stove. One breakfast in bed for my seriously hot fiancée coming right up. Just as soon as I drink my body weight in coffee. Damn. I’d need an IV of the stuff before the day was up.

I was suddenly super grateful that I’d bought a townhouse right on the beach that Lyss and I could share. It gave us more privacy; meaning, I didn’t have to worry about seeing a naked Jaymeson greet me in the morning.

Not that it still didn’t happen, on account that he’d bought the giant-ass beach house next door, and, more often than not, thought it was totally appropriate to knock on my door clad in nothing but his boxers, holding out an empty coffee cup while he read my newspaper and walked by me.

He only did it when he was lonely, which wasn’t often, but still. Not. Okay.

I started the coffee and cracked the eggs into a bowl. A half-hour later I had scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a cup of coffee for Lyss. I put everything on a tray and quietly walked to her room.

“Lyss?” I whispered.

She groaned and moved from her stomach to her back. I nearly choked on my tongue when I noticed that her shirt had ridden up way past what was deemed appropriate. Swear, I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. The damn tray started clattering. Right. Self-control? Hell no. I was seriously ready to drop the tray to the floor and just jump on her, slamming her against the mattress and taking her in any way I could. Then again, there was nothing even remotely romantic about that.

Romance, romance, romance. Stupid Ashton Hyde would romance… not that I was thinking of him and romance in the same stupid sentence. Hell, I needed to get a few good punches in on that guy.

“Lyss,” I repeated, setting the tray on the nightstand and lightly touching her shoulder. With a sigh, she reached for me and pulled me on top of her.

“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath. Skin-on-skin contact: not good, not good at all. I needed like a whistle or something. Not a rape whistle but something to alert her to the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to help myself. Lying next to Alyssa like that was like starving for a year and then having someone drop you off at a Vegas buffet.

You would run.

You would eat your fill.

You’d get sick.

And you’d repeat the process until you passed out.

“Lyss…” I clenched my teeth, grinding them together. “…I made you breakfast.”

She squirmed beneath me. Sweet death.

“Lyss.”

Her eyes flashed open.

“Ah, there she is.” I tried to keep my voice light when really I was struggling so bad actual spots were clouding my vision. Huh. Maybe I was about to have a stroke from not having sex for so long.

“Demetri?” She tilted her head. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, you know, just attacking you in your sleep. Ha ha.”

She didn’t laugh. Right. Not a morning person.

“I made you breakfast?” I offered.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. Try again.”

“No, really.” With great courage and trepidation, I moved my hand and pointed to the tray. My damn hand shook, demanding it return to her body.

“Dem!” Alyssa threw me off of her.

I nearly collided with the floor but caught myself just in time as she grabbed the food and sighed happily. “You did this all on your own?”

“No, I hired someone to scramble eggs.” I rolled my eyes. “Of course I did this. I thought it would be—”

“Romantic.” She looked back at me. Tears filled her eyes. “Thank you so much.”

I crossed my arms and smirked. “Does that mean I get an early wedding present?”

“Sure.” She crawled across the bed toward me.

Time stood still.

My damn heart slammed against my chest in anticipation.

Alyssa licked her lips and then kissed me on the cheek. “Is that good enough?”

Yeah, my body was tighter than a drum. “Yup.” I almost choked on the word. “Swell.”

I was given an incredible view of her ass as she crawled back to the food and started chomping down. Swear, I felt every bite and moan across my body as if she was feeding on me.

“Hey…” Alyssa clapped in front of my face. “…you okay?”

“Um, yeah, just hungry.” For her.

“Want some of my bacon?”

I groaned. Hell yeah, I wanted her bacon and her eggs and her feet and her…

Sleep. I needed more sleep before I started envisioning Alyssa as a walking chicken or something. “Sure.” I snatched a piece of bacon.

“So today...” Alyssa grabbed the coffee and leaned against the headboard.

“Today.” I agreed, joining her and grabbing my own cup from the tray.

“…and tomorrow…” She sighed.

“Tomorrow.” I linked my hand with hers and kissed it. “I make you mine.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Alec

“
S
O,
YOU MEETING UP
with the girls at the spa?” I asked, while Nat grabbed her keys and sunglasses.

“Yup.” She blew me a kiss. “But I promise I’ll be—” Her face froze.

“Baby?” My eyebrows drew together in concern. She was so pale. “Are you okay?”

“I think…” Nat worried her lower lip. “I mean I’m not sure but I think… I just felt a contraction.”

Okay, and officially terrified.

I was going to be a dad.

“Nat, we should go to the hospital just in case—”

“Ouch!” She punched me in the arm.

“What did I do?” I held up my hands in innocence.

Her eyes narrowed as she pointed down to her round belly. “This. You’re responsible for this.”

“You’re welcome?”

“Ouch!” She stomped her foot and smacked me again.

“Shit, you’re going to beat me today, aren’t you?” I groaned as she gripped my hand and continued to stare into space. “Nat, what do you wanna do? If you still want to try and go to the spa, I can take you and…”

Nat’s eyebrows shot up. “And what? Get a pedicure?”

“I was going to say wait in the car.” I grimaced.

“I’m fine.” She inhaled. “I just need… to stop stressing. I mean, it’s not like I’m already going into labor or anything.”

She clenched my hand.

“Right.” I pulled out my cell.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Calling the guys.”

“Why?” She let go of my hand and tried to snatch my phone.

I held the phone high enough away from her so she couldn’t reach. “No chance in hell am I going golfing while you’re having contractions.”

Her lower lip pouted.

“Nat,” I warned. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Her damn lip quivered.

“God help us when we have a girl,” I grumbled as the phone rang in my ear.

“I’m dying,” Demetri announced on the other end.

“Um, hello to you too?”

“No, seriously dying, as in I did pushups last night. I even contemplated running this morning. If I can’t have sex soon… well, we may be having a funeral instead of a wedding, man.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Guys can’t die that way. Stop being a pansy and deal with it.”

Nat punched me again in the shoulder.

“I don’t know, man,” Demetri groaned. “She offered me bacon, and I seriously almost wept. Wept — because she’d bitten into part of it, and I swear I could taste part of her—”

“And I’m gonna stop you right there,” I interrupted. “Nat’s having contractions.”

“Holy shit!” Demetri shouted, making it so I had to pull the phone from my ear. “How far apart?”

I stared at the phone and shook my head then barked into the receiver. “What are you? A doctor now?”

“I know females” was his simple answer. Only Demetri.

“I’m ignoring that answer,” I grumbled, receiving another punch from Nat and a chuckle from Demetri. “I’m not sure I can go golfing…”

“Noted.” Demetri let out a heavy sigh then whispered, “We’ll just go with the girls to the spa.”

“We will?” I chuckled. “And do what?”

“Drink beer,” Demetri snapped. “Shit, I don’t drink. We need man magazines or something so we don’t get judged, but Nat’s insane if she thinks we’re letting her go out with the girls while she’s having contractions.”

“Thank you. I said the same thing.”

“Isn’t it cool?”

“Huh? What?”

“That our minds are like one.”

“I’m hanging up now. Call Jaymeson for me?”

Demetri laughed. “Right. Nothing would make me happier than to call Jaymeson and again inform him that we can’t do a real bachelor party. Seriously, last time he was pissed we hiked up a mountain. Now he’s going to shit his pants.”

“Him we’ll give beer to,” I mumbled.

“Or shots…” I could practically hear Demetri’s grimace through the phone. “Right. I’ll see you at the spa— Shit, words no man should ever utter. Hell, in about fifteen?”

“Yup.”

I hung up and shoved the phone in my back pocket just as Nat punched me again in the shoulder. If she kept that up, it was going to look like she beat me.

“So?” She leaned against the counter and fanned her face. “See totally fine?” Right. If her grimace was any indication...

“Nat…” I licked my lips and tucked her blond hair behind her ears. “…you know I love you, right? And that I think you’re one of bravest women I’ve ever met?”

She melted against me, nodding her head against my chest.

“That also goes for the fact that you are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. The guys are going to meet us at the spa, and we’re going to...” Yeah, I had no idea. Sit?

“Pamper?”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “I mean, we could get massages or something.”

She sighed heavily.

Meaning, I win.

“Come on.” I wrapped my arm around her. “Let’s get you and our little girl buckled all safely in the car. If she’s anything like her mother, patience isn’t something she practices, meaning, she’s going to be here sooner rather than later, and I think a nice pedicure is just what you need when you’re punching me later this week for getting you pregnant.”

“Such sweet, sweet words.” Nat giggled.

“What can I say? Husband of the year award and all that.” I kissed her head again and opened the door. “Now, let me take care of you.”

CHAPTER SIX

Demetri

J
AYMESON WALKED INTO THE
spa, took one look around, and damn-near shouted. “You have got to be shitting me.”

Two elderly ladies scowled in his direction.

Then he flashed them a smile straight from Hollywood, and I was pretty sure one of them developed a sudden twitch in her eye while the other looked like she’d stopped breathing.

“Dude.” I smacked him on the chest. “Married. Pregnant wife. Don’t be weird.”

“Please.” Jaymeson shrugged. “It’s not like I can actually turn off the British charm. It’s like its own entity. Oh, and by the way, I’m killing you in your sleep tonight. Just thought you should be prepared for when you don’t wake up.”