Pandora's Box (5 page)

Sophia writhed. All she could feel was his caresses, the branding he was imprinting everywhere on her body and her moans got louder as she wanted more. “Please.”

“Come to the edge of the bed and put your heels on it,” he murmured, his hand running over her body to stop just over her clitoris, fingers pressed together slightly rubbing it, the other hand poised over her entrance. “Open your eyes. I like to see them as I make you come.”

She slowly obeyed him and the ready look in her yellow-diamond eyes made Alistair’s hand move, but his eyes never left hers.

A long finger pushed into her. “Good?”

Sophia trembled and moaned, “I like this.”

He smiled, devilishly handsome and proud of the pleasure he was giving her. “More?”

“More,” she whispered, waiting for the hot feelings to climb up to a burning fever. Her arms, still stretched over her head, turned so her hands could grip the sheets and her torso arched on the bed as desire built in her body. The sensations radiated to the edge and she said, lifting her hips, “You.”

“Tell me,” he ordered, stopping suddenly, denying her the pleasure she needed until she described what she wanted.

“I want you inside me. Now, Alistair Connor,” she finished in a needy moan.

He thrust in a long plunge. She was tight to receive him all the way. His eyes moved from hers down to see where they joined, as he withdrew and firmly drove into her again as far as he could go. “Look, Sophia.”

She suspended herself on her elbows to see their bodies, moving, glistening with sweat and pleasure. His, hers. Theirs.

“Come with me. I’m close.” Her hands moved to touch herself.

Alistair’s desire ran rampant and he picked up her heels.

She immediately wound her legs around his sweaty, tapered hips and crossed her ankles over his firm buttocks.

He supported her lower back with his hands, firmly holding her as he thrust faster, fueling the fire in them, wanting the sensations to linger, but knowing he was going to come as soon as she did.

A heated pressure made its way down Sophia’s body. Alistair’s name left her mouth in a low, husky cry, and an intense, hot feeling that stole her breath away.

His climax followed after a few more thrusts. He threw his head back, with a loud groan, enjoying the burn that traveled down his spine and concentrated in his loins.

He lowered her legs and dropped sideways on the bed, rolling onto his back and bringing her to his chest in a tight embrace. He grunted, “Mine.”

“Yours,” she slurred, kissing his shoulder.

They stayed silent for a long time just listening to their breathing.

Sophia raised her head to look into his eyes. “I
am
yours. I trust you and I love you. Don’t forget this.”

He didn’t answer but snaked his broad hand around her nape to bring her down to a tender, long kiss.

Her hand pushed his bangs back from his sweating forehead as she broke the kiss. “Promise me.”

“What?” he asked, sated and spent, enjoying the way their bodies rubbed together.

“That you know that I trust you. That you believe that I’m yours. Only yours. That I love you. Only you.”
Say it, please.

Trust. Love.
He closed his eyes for a long moment. The thought swirled in Alistair’s mind and his heart tightened with fear.
Mine. Only mine.

Sophia waited, her fingers softly combing his hair. She knew how difficult it was for him to surrender himself to all she was saying. No matter how many times they had talked about it, there was still a long way to go. Betrayal, as he had experienced, was a difficult thing to forgive. Or forget.

Sophia’s smooth touch soothed away the fear and when he opened his eyes there was certainty in them. With a firm voice, he answered her, “I promise.”

Good. I’ll keep reminding you when you doubt it.
She laid her head on his shoulder and running a fingertip on his chest, said in an amused tone, “Do you know that this is the first time we have sweated making love?”

“Was it?”

“Mmm-hmm. We’ve always had the house cooled or something,” she explained. “You forgot to turn on the air-conditioning.”

“I was in a hurry.” He turned her onto her back and licked the sweat from between her breasts and her neck, his fingers running over her wet body.

His licks and touches stirred her pleasure anew.

He stretched his arm backward and with a touch, turned on the air-conditioner. The soft hum struck him with a thought.
Wait! Why— Didn’t she like it?
Uncertain, his fingers hovered over her navel to where a drop of sweat was making its way. His ink-black brows raised in doubt. “Was it bad? Sweating, I mean?”
What the fuck, Alistair Connor? You never doubted your own skills.

“It depends,” she answered him seriously.

His brows rose even more.
“On what?”

She gave him a mischievous smile and her elegant hand pushed him back on the bed and stretched his arms up over his head the same way he had done with her. “On what you are going to let me do to
you
.”

Fucking hell, Sophia!
He felt the desire sparkle inside him again.
His eyes flashed with mirth. “As punishment?”

She tsked twice at him, kneeling on the bed between his legs, her tongue snaking around the tip of his penis, enjoying their mingled tastes and her hand softly squeezing his balls. “As payment, Lord In-a-hurry. As payment.”

“What are the taxes due?” he asked in a hoarse voice, pushing onto his elbows to watch her as she engulfed his half-erection into her mouth and sucked, making him as hard as he was before.

She let him go as her hand took the place of her mouth and she bit his inner thigh. “Trust me, you’ll like it.”

Fuck, yes!
He groaned when she licked his balls. When she grazed the underside, her hand working him tight and fast as he liked, he hissed between clenched teeth.

She pushed him back on the bed and crawled over him. She kissed him, letting him taste both of them on her mouth. Rising on her knees, she placed her sprawled hands on his chest. Pinning him on the bed, she ordered, “Grab the edge of the bed and don’t move.”

She knew he was letting her play. He was much stronger and could switch their positions with a single movement if he so wanted. However, she wished to show him that she possessed a strong desire to conquer too. She could surrender to his whims sometimes, under the rules drawn by herself and agreed by him, but she needed him to surrender to her too. “You’re mine to do as I wish.”

His eyes widened for a moment. He didn’t quite know what to do or to say because in spite of her words, of her superior position over him, she was not acting as a dominatrix.
Of course. She doesn’t know how to do it properly.
He would go along with her naïve, sexy play and let her do whatever she wanted. He suppressed his smile. Her name left his mouth in a playful grunt as if a warning, “Sophia.”

“Surrender.” Her smile was mischievous, grabbing him firmly in her hand. She informed him, “I’m going to ride you.”

That’s all? You can do better.
His rumbled laughter died in a low moan.

Sophia had lowered herself and squeezed his erection with her inner muscles and raked her nails gently on his chest and dug them in his waist, steadying herself.

She is Sophia. My Sophia.
He closed his eyes and surrendered his control to her. “So, do your worst, Beauty. Do your worst.” 

Chapter 3

Wednesday, August 25
^th
, 2010.

6.39 p.m.

During the day until just before sunset, the Maldivian seas had an incredible visibility; the water so clear that Sophia could see the passing fishes. They had booked a diving trip for the next day to see the marvelous formation of coral reefs and thousands of fish, and other water creatures such as the tiny shrimp that lived near a wreck, and the incredible enormous mantas and sharks.

Sophia watched as the sun began to inch down, the water still clear blue. She had experienced a special kind of mysticism and spirituality in the Asian countries they had visited. Especially in Vietnam, where she found the contrasts to be so flagrant. From the busy and hectic Hanoi, they traveled less than four hours to reach HaLong Bay.

Sophia still could not find words to describe it properly as it seemed a miracle of nature. They had slept there on board of Alistair’s ship, The Sun Ray, and witnessed the pink and purple sunrises and sunsets and let the magic of the place enter their souls forever, just as it was happening with her in that moment.

From there, they headed to the western part of the country where they spent three days trekking through the mountains and sleeping with the Aborigine tribes, the Hmong people. Dressed very extravagantly, these people gave them everything: food, shelter, and company. They had so little but asked for nothing in return. It was a most humbling experience for Sophia and Alistair. Not to offend their hosts by offering payment, they left behind their sleeping bags and other useful things.

It felt as if she had traveled to another world where the priorities were different. People there lived in much more difficult conditions, but still, they seemed to be at peace with themselves and to be contented with so little. It made her rethink and revisit many of her so-called needs.

She closed her eyes experiencing an overwhelming sense of calm and tranquility. The silence and quiet opened her mind and heart to Gabriela. Sophia soundly missed her, especially at this time of the day.

Even when Ethan demanded her company to sleepover on weekends, she always made certain she stayed with Gabriela either in the mornings or in the evenings, except for when they had gone to Venice for two long days.

The breeze toyed with her long raven hair, and she remained stuck to the setting sun and the tightness in her heart.

Alistair paused at the threshold of the smaller bedroom from where she couldn’t see him. For a long moment, he studied a statuesque Sophia on the edge of the wooden deck. The sky’s colors framing her had enhanced the magical and sexy aura that the flimsy, loose clothes had created.

There’s a disconcerting intensity to her. Sometimes she seems too good to last; too good to be true. To be mine. As if an angel who is about to go back to Heaven.
He shook his head at the thought as he moved to join Sophia, his arms enveloping her. He bent his head to kiss her cheek.

“Why, hello there,” she murmured, turning in his arms to kiss him open-mouthed, running her fingers in his still wet hair.

I love you so much, Sophia.
He stood facing her, his feelings showing in his eyes.

“This is perfect,
meu amor
.” She circled his waist and leaned on his chest, sighing happily. “The perfect end to a perfect honeymoon. Like the hotel name, it was a waking dream.”

A grin appeared on his face and he tsked, shaking his head. “This was neither a dream, nor is it the end. This is just the beginning of our lives. I’m going to show you every single day, how dreamy reality can be.”

If you say so…
“I can’t wait,” she whispered as she squeezed him in her arms. The steady beat of his heart calmed her.

Maybe this is a dream.
He put his chin on her head and watched as the night chased away the light, drawing her purple spangled veil over the light blue sea.
But I won’t let us wake up from it. Ever.

“I love your scent,” she said quietly. 

“That’s good,” he mocked, sensing something different in her.

She said nothing more, nor did she move, well ensconced by his large body and his strong arms.

They stood there for a while, rocked by the dying sounds of the twilight.

Alistair broke their silence to see if she would tell him what was happening. He encircled her naked waist with his large hands as he added, “You look incredibly sexy wearing that, that… Hmm, what do you call that? A stylish bra? An incredibly short top?”

“A halter top,” she murmured.  

He softly gripped her chin and lifted her face to his, brushing a stray lock of hair back from her face. “What’s wrong?”

How can he know?
“Nothing. Everything’s fine. I’m just enjoying you. The silence. This beautiful moment.”

Sophia. You and your half-truths.
He brushed his lips against hers. “You know you can tell me everything,
mo chridhe.
You look troubled. What is it?”

She bit her lip, chewing it. She didn’t want to be a bore, but he was right. She was troubled.

His thumb pulled on her bottom lip and he watched her intently. “All I ever want you to be is honest.”

“I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea. This is all fabulous and wonderful.” Sophia paused, searching for the right words to say what she was feeling.

“But?” Alistair’s hands squeezed her waist and came to rest on her shoulders. His next words were punctuated and there was an underlined command. “Beauty. You can say anything you want. Just say it.”

She looked up at him under her lashes, as he intently stared down at her. The painful feeling that was trapped inside her throat lessened. After carefully assessing Alistair’s face, she whispered, “I miss Gabriela. I know she’s okay and happy with Alice and the twins, but I miss her very much. I’ve never been apart from her for so long. I feel guilty about leaving her alone for so many days.”

He peered closer. “Do you want to go back?”

“I— I don’t know. Maybe if I talk to her again, the… the
saudades
will ease.”

“
Saudade
?” he asked puzzled, pronouncing the word strangely.

She smiled softly at him. “
Sao-dah-de.
It’s Portuguese. It’s the feeling that grips you when you miss someone so much it makes you sick.”

He shook his head at her, his long black hair shining under the lasting light. “I don’t want to see you sick with
saodade
or anything else.”