Heart's a Mess

  He nodded, still trying to cover the grin. "I am sorry about this. Duncan has a stupid sense of humor at times. I don't think he was spanked enough as a child."

  "It's not your fault."

  He gave her a smile and shrug combo.

  "And at least you got the furniture moved."

  "True," he said with a sigh. "I didn't want it there reminding me of you. See, you're the only woman I've been interested in, in a very long time. And it's hard enough with you working in the restaurant. Didn't need the reminder right in front of me in the office. I hope you don't mind me being honest."

  "Not at all." She flinched.

  Alex rose to his feet and wandered over to the rows of dusty bottles. "My old man went through a stage of making his own liqueurs." He leaned in, checking out the labels. Then he selected one. With a quick smile over his shoulder at her, he unscrewed the lid. "This is going to be potent."

  The bottle was tipped back, sending a rush of reddish-amber liquid down his throat. Her eyes watered in empathy.

  Alex closed his lips and righted the bottle. "Wow. Damson gin, my grandmother's recipe. Your turn."

  "What?" She inched back in her seat.

  "You're drinking with me this time, Vi."

  "Don't you want to save them to drink with your brothers?"

  "There's plenty more. This one's for us." He leaned one knee on the couch and loomed over her. Like a sex God. No, shit no. Like her boss. How did her thoughts derail so fast around him?

  "I don't think that's a good idea," she said, inching away in the opposite direction.

  "I know."

  "But thank you anyway."

  He leaned closer. "Indulge me, Vi."

  "Alex--"

  "Please." Damn it, the look in his eyes undid her. She knew better but his beautiful eyes scattered her wits to the four winds. She couldn't think of a good enough reason to fight this insane attraction when he looked at her that way. As if being locked with her in a storage room made his day. Her backbone was jelly. Her resolutions were flimsy, feeble things.

  "Open," he ordered.

  The glass touched her lips and the gin burned a fiery sweet trail down her throat. Holy shit, it was heart-starting stuff. Her eyes watered for real this time.

  Alex smiled and took another gulp of the brew. "Man, that's nice. Now, Jane, my ex-wife, said I had communication issues. That I wouldn't talk to her. So, I've decided honesty is the best policy. And since we're stuck here for the foreseeable future or until my idiot brother lets us out. Why don't we talk?"

  "You want to talk again? Crap. I'm going to need more of that." Vi held her hand out for the bottle and he gave it up, resuming his seat beside her on the lounge once more. Her eyes didn't water so much this time. The fire in her throat didn't scorch so much, possibly since the sensitive top layer had been stripped clear off.

  "Yes, we should talk," he said. "I mean...I can't stay away from you, because we work together."

  She nodded and passed back the bottle. "Sure. That and your brother locked us in a storage room."

  "Don't worry. I'll get him back for that." He took a giant swig from the gin, the motion of his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat far more interesting than it should have been. She couldn't look away.

  Thick necks had never done it for her before so this infatuation made no sense. She had control of herself and her life. But the need to sink her teeth into him filled her head. His skin tasted of salt and something special. She remembered it perfectly, something unique and delicious and male. Her mouth watered. His cock would taste every bit as good sliding against her tongue. They hadn't gotten around to that. It had been fast and furious, rough and hard. It had been the most exciting sex of her life.

  And he didn't even remember.

  "You're staring," he said and passed back the bottle.

  "Sorry." She gulped the liqueur down, trying to pull her mind out of his pants. That's what his grandmother's damson gin tasted of, sweet ruination. Been there, done that, learned from it and moved on. Or she thought she had.

  "Don't be," he said, staring straight back at her with lust blazing in his eyes. It might have been a trick of the light, but damned if she'd check out his crotch for reassurance. "I like you watching me. Probably too much. Like I said, it's been a long time since anyone got to me like you do."

  "Alex." Man, did they really have to talk about it? She shoved the bottle at him. "Your turn."

  "I'm serious. You're the first woman I've had sex with in over a year."

  "That doesn't necessarily mean a thing. We all go through dry patches."

  He scoffed. "It means something, Vi. It means there's something between us that was missing with all the other women I tried dating."

  "Oh please."

  He just looked at her. Fuck he was gorgeous. Alex Stuart made every other male she'd slept with fade to insignificance. She could barely remember names, let alone faces.

  "It's the truth. My libido had been on a hell of a long vacation until you came along. Now, God, just the thought of you gets me hard. Just you."

  "I don't have a magic pussy, Alex."

  "I disagree."

  She huffed out a laugh. "You're crazy."

  The side of his mouth curled up and whoa. Her stomach dropped and her sex throbbed. She was doomed. She needed to get a handle on this situation before it took complete control of her. God, this couldn't happen again. Time to remember her job, her life, her something or other of utmost importance preventing her from jumping him. But it seemed impossible to remember it all exactly when he looked at her like that. The good girl needed to prevail. This had to happen.

  So she opened her mouth and said the worst first thing to come to mind. "So what's your ex-wife like? Let me guess, like the cute little thing who tried to deck you the other day?"

  His gaze narrowed on her. The fire appeared to subside some, but not entirely. "Vi, I'm sorry about calling you Jane. I really am. But let's not lie to each other. She has nothing to do with what's between us here and now."

  "There's nothing between us, Alex. I work under you."

  Suddenly, the light in his eyes roared anew and she realized just how her words could be taken by a dirty mind.

  She backpedaled fast. "Not, well, not under you, exactly--"

  "Because you were on top, right?"

  The bottle of gin trembled in her hand. "I didn't mean--"

  "To bring sex back into it?"

  "Yes. No. I..."

  The bastard grinned at her.

  "Stop it."

  "You started it."

  "Fine. Well, I'm stopping it."

  Alex licked his lips. "You started it by bringing up my ex-wife to take a dig at me. As I said, I'm sorry I said her name when we were in bed together. And I'll apologize to you as often as you like because I feel like a complete asshole about it. But if I'm making you feel cornered, Vi, then keep the hits above the belt. Don't throw my ex in my face. I'm not perfect. I never claimed to be. That was a shitty situation but it's over. It has no impact on now or on whatever is going on between us."

  Her mind reeled. As if she could believe him. The anger in his voice at the mention of what's-her-face was clear. The far wall held her enthralled for the longest time. She couldn't face him. The nastiest feeling crept through her. Shame, perhaps. Or worse, fear.

  "Look at me," he said.

  Not a chance. She stared at her hands, clasped in her lap. "If what you say is true then I'm the first person you've slept with since your wife. I'm the rebound girl. The fling. It's probably quite normal to get a bit overexcited. Doesn't mean you're ready to move on necessarily."

  "You're a therapist now?"

  "No," she said. "But maybe you should see one. I'm sure they'd tell you the same thing. You probably have lots of issues to work through before you should go trying to be in a relationship again. And I can't afford to just be a passing phase for you, Alex. I know I can't. Not job wise and not heart wise. So please, let this go."

&nb
sp; Above their heads the music thudded on, the bass line booming through the floor and walls.

  "Look at me," he said again. "Vi."

  "Let it go."

  "Please."

  She was shit at refusing him. Absolutely hopeless.

  His beautiful face was sombre, lips edging down. He reached out and trailed a path across her jawline, caressing her. The touch light, tempting. "I can't let it go."

  "Alex."

  His fingertips continued down her neck, the pace slow and sensual. His touch lit a fire inside her. Took every worry and turned it to ash. Her skin felt damp, feverish. Her nipples were so hard they hurt. He traced the neckline of her dress, moving closer all the while. She was pretty sure she was breathing but there didn't seem to be any oxygen getting in. Her lungs felt on the verge of collapse. If he didn't do something soon, she'd hyperventilate or maybe even die.

  Then he cocked his head and pressed his lips against hers, breathing life back into her. Kissing her as sweetly as she could wish for.

  If she'd been wishing for sweet.

  She hadn't.

  The feel of Violet's tongue in his mouth had Alex moaning. Fuck she was hot. Fiery hot, with her hands fisting his shirt, dragging him closer, pulling him in for the kill. He'd meant to take it slow. He'd meant to take her to dinner, to talk her around gradually. Then get her back into bed, of course. Ignoring her sure as hell hadn't worked for either of them.

  Kissing her blew his mind. She'd been right. They were a bit of a mess together. Hot, wet and unending. Coming up for air never crossed his mind.

  The stroke of her tongue was perfection. He filled one hand with her hip, fingers rubbing at the fabric of her silky dress and the soft flesh beneath. Thank fuck she'd worn this dress and not one of those tight skirts. It meant getting closer wasn't so hard. Vi pulled him down on top of her and he kind of maneuvered her to get her underneath him. Together they made a wonderful team. Their mouths remained sealed all the while. His shirt would never be the same, the way she tugged on it. Her knee bumped his belly in passing, but never mind, all good. He'd gotten between her thighs where he belonged.

  "Vi." The feel of her smooth, bare skin beneath the palm of his hand had his balls aching. His dick pushed against the zip of his jeans. Her lips slipped over his chin and sharp little teeth stung his neck. It felt amazing, having her come at him with such hunger despite all the declarations. "Fuck."

  "Touch me." Her hand grabbed his and pressed it against her panty-covered pussy. The material was gratifyingly damp and warm. Also, it felt silky, like her dress.

  "Wait." Alex eased back, pushing her dress up around her waist. His eyes popped out of his head. He felt it. At the very least, his tongue definitely rolled out like a carpet. "Oh my God, Violet."

  The panties were black like her dress. A simple black band of lace encircled her hips with a panel of silk between her legs and garters to hold up her stockings. He didn't know where to touch first but his hand remained, cupping her pussy, with hers firmly atop. His heart was beating so hard, ribs would be broken. His dick was definitely trying to dig through his pants.

  "I think you just blew my mind," he muttered.

  She said nothing, just lay there looking stupendous.

  Alex leaned back on his knees, tugging at the tie on the silk dress. He had to know if the bra matched. Nothing else had ever been quite this integral to his future survival. The belt fell loose and a button was all that separated him from nirvana. He fumbled it through its hole and pushed her clothes aside. Soft skin. Black lace. Big breasts. Really big.

  "Oh damn."

  Vi shifted nervously beneath him, her teeth biting at her lush bottom lip. "Alex?"

  "Stay still." He wrapped one hand around a breast, squeezed just a little.

  The lace remained in his way. Pretty as it was, it had to go. The panties though, they could stay. He slipped his hand into the cup of her bra and lifted a breast free. A perfect, large pink nipple was revealed. He bent over her and lapped at the tight peak with his tongue. Her breath caught, audibly. Excellent. Without delay he took as much into his mouth as possible and sucked, hard. Vi's back bowed in response, pushing her against him. The noise that left her leveled him. A groan crossed with a moan mixed with heaven ripped wide open. It traveled straight through him, making his blood surge, what little of it remained outside of his cock.

  Why didn't he have his phone? If he'd had his phone on him, he could have recorded that noise and listened to it over and over.

  Never mind, next time.

  He sucked again, not stopping until she sobbed out his name. First one breast and then the other, he loved them both equally. Missed the left bad while he played with the right. Longed for the right while he tongued the left. Indecision could have torn him in two. He could happily spend the rest of his life with his face buried in her cleavage. But her fingernails were digging into the back of his hand, the one still cupping her mound. The crotch of those perfect panties were wet against the palm of his hand.

  "Easy, Vi." He tucked his fingers beneath the damp panel of silk. She felt soft, hot and bare to the touch. And wet. Very, very wet. Just like he was very, very hard. "Shit. I don't have a condom on me."

  "I'm clean. On the Pill." Her wide, wild eyes searched his face and her hand dragged at his stretched t-shirt. As if he could refuse her a damn thing.

  "Are you sure?" he asked.

  She gave a quick nod.

  "I'm clean too," he said.

  Another hasty nod from the girl beneath him. "You're sure?"

  He pushed his fingers into her, stroked the hard little pearl of her clit with the pad of his thumb. "Honestly, I can't think to save myself. But we're both clean. You're on the Pill. And we need to fuck. Now."

  "Yes," she seconded without hesitation.

  "Right. The panties stay on." He tugged at the button on his jeans. Between his one free hand and the two of hers, they got the zip undone and his jeans and underwear down. His cock sprung loose, the hard length standing proud, as if it'd been made just for this moment, for this one woman. If nothing else, that thought alone could prove there was nothing left functioning in his brain. She owned him.

  He slipped his fingers from her pussy and sucked them clean. Nothing could compare to the salty-sweet taste of a woman. The musky scent of her. He'd missed a million things about sex during his dry patch, but Vi lying willing beneath him made up for everything. She wriggled, spreading her legs wide.

  Alex set an arm beside her head and tugged aside the satin, lining up the head of his cock with her entrance. He pressed in.

  Oh yeah. The heat of her, the feel of her soft, wet pussy surrounding him. His hand cupped her thigh, holding her wide open. Never had there been anything as hot as his dick sinking into her, past the barrier of those black silk-and-lace panties. There was a lot to like about a woman in lingerie. But something about her took it to the next level.

  He felt hypersensitive, aware of every last everything. The scrape of her hard nipples against his chest as he drew out and then pushed back in. The little hitch in her breath each time he filled her. He took his time, setting an easy rhythm. Her hands slid beneath his shirt, fingers stroking his pecs, her thumbs rubbing over his nipples, the pleasure insane. That dreamy gaze remained but her hands moved over him restlessly. And her mouth.

  Christ, how had he forgotten her mouth?

  Her lips were swollen from their earlier kisses and she breathed heavily. He rubbed his mouth over the curve of her cheek, the edge of her sweet lips. She turned her face, seeking him out. Impossible not to fuck her harder, faster, when she stroked her tongue against his. Electricity seemed to be coursing through him, running up his spine. He'd gotten way too overexcited to last as long as he wanted, which was forever. Staying inside her body for the foreseeable future would have been great.

  To keep on kissing her.

  To make her come as many times as he could.

  They were wrong about men and multitasking. You just had
to be driven, focused. He was.

  But she'd said it wasn't as easy to come if she wasn't on top. He palmed one of her big breasts, teasing her nipple with a light pinch. The way her sex squeezed him in response almost broke him in two. Quickly, he reached down her body, searching out her clit. He tucked a finger beneath the edge of her panties, feeling where they were joined. Her hips kicked up at the first touch of his finger. The little bead was slick, hard and ready.

  Her mouth broke away from his and she gasped.

  "That's it," he groaned.

  Vi craned her neck, reaching for his mouth again. They really were such a mess. A juicy, hot mess spread out all over the couch. He met her blindly, feeding her hard kisses as his finger clumsily circled her clit. As his cock surged into her. Fingernails dug into his sides. His other hand had fisted in her dark hair, a fucking chopstick sliding between his fingers.

  She started coming with a cry, knees and hands gripping him, her pussy clamped down on his cock. He saw stars, streaks of light, and the roaring in his ears...it was deafening.

  He came and came, making them even wetter and hotter and messier than ever.

  Skin-to-skin he lay atop her, unmoving, panting. His cock jerked one last time inside her, reluctant to give up the fight. She stroked his back, cupped his ass. He just wanted to hide his face in her neck, to stay perfectly still right there crushing her. But fuck she felt good.

  Which was when the door was thrown open.

  There was nothing he could do.

  "Oh for fuck's sake!" his brother John hollered.

  The noise reverberated around the confined space, bouncing off brick walls and the concrete floor. Alex could hear it all perfectly because at some stage the music above had been silenced. Vi stopped breathing beneath him.

  "You have a bed upstairs," said John. "What the hell are you doing fucking in here? Is that a staff member beneath you?"

  "Leave," he said.

  "Because I'm pretty damn sure we have rules about that."

  "John! Get out."

  "With pleasure," his brother said. "You think I want to see your white ass in all its glory? I only came to get a chair because there's none left in the office. Shall I lock the door again on my way out?"

  "No. Please. Duncan locked us in."

  His brother snorted. "Yeah, I can tell you're really upset about that."

  "John."

  "I'm leaving."