“What is going on?” Alecia asks as Jules pushes her in the room, then Nat and Jules each grab a doorknob on the French doors and pull them shut.
“There!” Jules yells through the door. “Now you have to talk! So talk!”
Chapter Twenty Two
~Alecia~
“Alecia!” Jules calls out and hurries over to where I’m talking with Jax and Logan in Steven’s garden.
“Hey, Jules.”
“You guys are so damn hot,” Jules says as she approaches us, then hugs each of them. “Like, super hot. I love your suits.”
Jax and Logan opted for grey suits, minus the jackets, with a three button vest and white button up shirts rolled on the forearms. Jax is wearing a green tie and Logan is wearing a soft pink one, in honor of his mother, who is currently battling breast cancer. They look hip and fresh and completely handsome.
“Thanks, gorgeous,” Jax replies and kisses her cheek.
“Are you happy?” Jules asks them.
“Couldn’t be happier,” Logan says with a grin, then kisses his groom on the cheek. “This was perfect, and your family is awesome for hosting.”
“Well, we were happy to do it.” She sighs happily. “It’s so romantic. Alecia,” she turns to me. “Can I steal you for a minute? I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks again, Alecia,” Logan says and hugs me tight. “You did an awesome job.”
“My pleasure.” I collect my hug from the incredibly sexy Jax, then follow Jules toward the house. “What’s up?”
“Oh, let’s go inside and get out of the sun,” she says and takes my hand in hers. “It’s so hot today.”
I frown over at her. “It’s not that hot.”
“You’re not hot? Oh, I’m roasting.” She fans her face and rolls her eyes. “Maybe my hormones are still out of whack from having Stella.”
“She’s five months old,” I remind her.
“Well, either way, I’d like to go inside. Too much sun causes wrinkles.” She winks at me and leads me through the kitchen. “Let’s go to my dad’s study. It’s quiet in there.”
She’s up to something. One thing Jules is not is a good liar. Before I know it, she’s planted her hand in my back and shoved me not so gently into the study, and she and Natalie pull the doors closed behind me, leaving me with an equally surprised Dominic.
“There!” Jules yells. “Now you have to talk! So talk!”
I close my eyes and sigh in defeat. Damn them.
“We love you!” Natalie calls in a sing song voice.
Dominic leans his hips back on Steven’s desk and crosses his arms, watching me quietly. Resigned, I cross to the couch, it’s back facing the desk, and lean my hips against it, facing him, mirroring his stance.
“Why aren’t they talking?” Jules mutters.
Dom’s lips twitch with humor.
“So, how was Italy?” I ask, breaking the silence.
He frowns and blinks. “It was fine.”
I nod thoughtfully. “Good.”
“How’s Blake?” he asks out of the blue.
I scowl. “Fine, I guess. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“Are you fucking him?” he asks quietly, and I’m struck dumb.
Am I fucking Blake?
“What did he ask?” Natalie whispers loudly.
“I don’t know, they’re not talking loud enough,” Jules replies.
“Am I fucking Blake?” I repeat.
He just raises a brow and waits, but his eyes have softened as he watches me.
“You think I’m fucking Blake?” I hate the quiver in my voice. Hate it. How could he possibly think that?
“Let me get this straight.” I push away from the couch and pace before him. “You come to my condo and walk in on something you didn’t even fully understand, get angry, make accusations, and then you leave the damn country. I haven’t seen you in weeks, haven’t heard from you, and the first thing you ask me is if I’m fucking my best friend?”
“I saw it,” he replies.
“What, exactly, do you think you saw?”
“I came to your condo to ask you to go to Italy with me, and I walked in to find Blake half naked, you coming out of the shower, and your clothes thrown all over the living room.”
“You came to take me to Italy?”
My heart stops. He wanted me to go with him?
“I did.”
“I was in the shower,” I reply, the blood leaving my face. “Getting ready to come see you.”
He tilts his head. “Excuse me?”
“Blake and I went for a run, and then he talked me into going to your place.”
He swallows hard, processing my words, and I’m still stuck like stupid on I came to take you to Italy with me.
“And then you pissed me off so bad with your insane accusation that the reason I was going to come to your place completely left my brain.”
“Why were you coming to see me?” he asks quietly.
I can’t tell him this!
“I guess there’s nothing left to say.” I turn to walk away, but he stops me, his hand on my arm.
“Oh, there’s plenty to say.”
“You thought I was unfaithful to you!” I round on him, furious. “You jumped to conclusions without talking to me!”
“I’ve tried to call you,” he replies, his voice hard and cold. “You never answered. I had to go to Italy. I had a family emergency.”
“You left without me! I thought you’d just left because the going got rough! That I didn’t mean enough for you to fight for me. Just like everyone else in my life.”
“Alecia, no.” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“I think it’s obvious that this isn’t going to work.” I school my features and swallow hard, determined to get through this without letting him see me cry. “You obviously don’t trust me, and what I need, you can’t give me.”
“Just tell me what you want! Tell me how you fucking feel!”
“I fell in love with you!” I yell back angrily. “I was so in love with you my heart ached. And then I find out that just like everyone else in my life, you rank me last on your priority list!”
“This is bullshit!” he exclaims. “You are my priority. You’re my only priority, damn it!”
He takes my shoulders in his hands and holds me in front of him. “I was coming to you to take you with me.”
“I was coming to you to tell you I love you,” I reply before I can stop the words, and feel my eyes fill with tears. “And when I got there, I was told you’d left for Italy. And you didn’t even call me to tell me your were leaving.”
“Oh, baby, no.” He pulls me against him, and hugs me tightly, in the special way he does. “I’m so sorry for this. For all of it. We’ve been hurting for weeks for no reason.”
“I didn’t fuck Blake,” I say, the anger surging through me again as I push away from him. “I would never do that. How could you think that?”
“It looked really bad,” he replies with a sigh. “And I’ve lived that before.”
“The ex.” I cover my mouth with my hand.
“After my mother died, I was engaged to a woman, and I walked in on her having an affair with my cousin the night before our wedding.”
“Oh, my God,” I whisper and glance away, covering my mouth with my hand, but then I get pissed again. “And you immediately assumed that I’d do the same?”
“I was worried about Gianna back in Italy. I was excited to see you and whisk you away on a romantic trip to my home, and when I walked unannounced into your condo, I felt like I was reliving that scene in Italy all over again.”
“But nothing happened,” I insist. “Nor would it ever happen. Blake is in love with Emily.”
He simply nods, his eyes sad, mouth grim.
“It’s been a shitty few weeks,” he says quietly.
I simply nod. “One good thing came of it, though.”
“What’s that???
?
“I went home too. To San Francisco. I confronted my parents and Jonathan.”
His eyes warm. “What happened?”
I lean against the couch again and cross my arms, wanting to touch him. Aching for him to hold me again.
“My parents are my parents. They don’t get it, and honestly, I don’t know if they ever will, but I told them how they made me feel and I felt really proud of myself when I left.”
“You should be proud of yourself. You’re so fucking strong. And Jonathan?”
“That was a surprise.” I frown. “He apologized to me.”
“Really.”
“He was actually…sweet. And it felt good to put some closure on it.”
He nods and smiles softly. “I’m so happy for you, Alecia.”
“So, what now?” I ask, waiting for him to make a move.
“Well, I can’t unlove you, cara. Trust me. I’ve tried. The past few weeks have been a hell that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”
“You love me?” I ask with a whisper. Finally, finally, he reaches for me, crushes me to him and holds on tight.
“Loving you is like breathing, Alecia. Being apart from you, thinking that I’d never hold you like this again, was agony. I love you so much, and I’m so sorry that I didn’t say it before.”
“I’m so afraid that you’ll hurt me,” I whisper against his chest. “I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t help it.”
“Love doesn’t hurt you, tesoro. People who don’t know how to love hurt you. You have so much love to give, and trust me when I say, I’m never going to stop loving you. I’d never walk away from you and you can damn well know that I’m going to fight for you. Remember what I told you that night in your condo? It’s you and me.”
“I missed you,” I murmur with a nod. “I missed us.”
“That’s the last time you’ll miss me.” He tips my chin up and smiles down at me softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Here!” Jules calls from the other side of the door. “You’re gonna need this!”
She slides a condom under the door, and Natalie giggles.
“Wait!” Natalie slips another with it. “Take two. You’ve earned it.”
“They’re still out there,” I mutter with a laugh.
“We’re not having sex in here!” Dom calls out. “And you both need to go away!”
“Killjoy!” Jules yells. “You should be thanking us!”
“Thank you!” I say. “Now go away!”
“We’re not appreciated,” Natalie says. “Let’s go eat cupcakes.”
“Will’s probably already claimed them all.”
***
“I think it went well,” I say, as Dominic escorts me up to my condo after the reception.
“I’m here with you, so yes, I’d say Jules and Nat’s plan went well.”
“The wedding, silly.” I nudge him with my elbow and then laugh and wrap my arms around his waist, lean my cheek on his chest and breathe him in as we wait for the elevator. “Okay, that went well too.”
“Are you tired?” he asks quietly, his lips in my hair.
“I’m fine,” I reply and lead him to my door. “Are you tired?”
He shakes his head slowly, his eyes pinned to mine as he slowly stalks me through my apartment.
“Are you hungry?” I ask.
He smiles slowly, that dimple winking at me, as he shakes his head again and reaches for my hand, pulls me to him and lowers his lips to mine and kisses me gently, lightly, his mouth dancing with mine in the dark silence of my condo. My fingers find each of the buttons on his shirt and then I push it over his shoulders to the floor. He reaches for the zipper on my dress, but I quickly sink down, squatting before him, and make quick work of his belt, unfasten his pants, plant a kiss on his stomach, right between his navel and his cock as I stroke his already semi-hardness, kissing my way down to it.
“Alecia,” he whispers, as I lick around the rim of the head, and grin when he sucks in a breath and his abs contract. “Fuck.”
“I haven’t even done anything yet,” I say and grin up at him.
“You breathe and I’m hard, cara.”
He’s such a charmer.
Let’s see if I can make him lose his English.
I fucking love it when he speaks Italian to me.
I plant a sweet kiss on the tip, right over the slit and then smile innocently, watching him, as I open my mouth and sink over him, pulling him all the way into my mouth.
“Gesù hai intenzione di uccidermi,” he whispers, and I mentally high-five myself, clench my mouth around him and pull up, swirl my tongue around the tip and repeat the motion, over and over again.
He rips the pins out of my hair impatiently, tossing them on the floor, then sinks his hands in the strands, pulling slightly, making my panties flood. I love making him crazy.
Suddenly, he’s pulled me to my feet, kisses me hard, and lifts me in his arms and carries me to my bedroom. He sets me on my feet, and before I know it I’m stark ass naked and he’s lain me on my back in the middle of the bed, crawling over me with blue eyes bright with pure male lust.
“I love being intimate with you,” he whispers against my lips as he settles his pelvis against mine. “And I don’t just mean this, although, this is fucking amazing. I mean intimate.” He kisses me deeply, his tongue tangling with mine, then nibbles his way down my jawline to my ear.
“Explain, please,” I whisper, and then gasp when his hand journeys up my side to my breast and his thumb finds my nipple.
“Intimacy is who you wake up thinking about at three in the morning,” he says, then licks up my ear lobe. “It’s talking about your hopes and fears in the dark.” He tweaks my nipple again, then that hand travels down my side, headed south. “It’s the one person you give your undivided attention to when ten other people are fighting for it.”
I gasp when his fingers find my clit and press lightly, then slip down into my folds and simply slide back and forth through the wetness.
“It’s that person, always in the back of your mind, no matter how distracted you are.”
“God you’re good with both your mouth and your hands,” I say, and bite my lip as he leans up on his elbow to stare down at me. “You say such pretty things.”
“You like my mouth, mi amore?” he asks, making me grin.
“I know that word,” I say softly.
“Which one?”
“Amore.”
“Do you?” he says and nuzzles my nose with his before kissing down my neck, sending electricity zinging down my limbs. Dear God, his mouth is incredible.
“I love you too,” I whisper, making his head come up and his blue eyes widen.
“Say it again.”
I cup his face in my hands. “I love you.”
He sighs and drags his knuckles down my cheek. “One more time.”
I love you I mouth silently.
He closes his eyes for a heartbeat, then opens them and smiles that naughty, you’re about to have the time of your life, smile. He kisses my lips firmly, bites my lower lip, and then bites my chin softly.
“I love you, Alecia,” he says and buries his face in my neck, sucking and biting the tender flesh there. “And I’m going to spend the rest of the night showing you just how much.”
“This has possibilities,” I reply dryly, but my breath catches in my throat when he nips at my nipple, then sucks it into his mouth, pulling back with a loud pop.
“Possibilities?”
“Mm.” I circle my hips in invitation, but he just moves lazily to the other breast, circles it with his nose, nips at it, and watches it get hard.
“Your body is so responsive,” he whispers, and blows on my wet nub, making me moan.
“Dom,” I whisper.
“Yes, amore.”
“You sure know where my buttons are.”
He grins. “And yet, I find new ones all the time.”
He moves down th
e bed, spreads me wide, and before I know it, his mouth is latched onto my clit and he’s sending me over into a mind-numbing climax.
I grip onto his hair and cry out, riding the wave of the orgasm, then sigh when he moves lower, kissing me intimately. His tongue is inside me, and then he nibbles on my lips.
“You’re so damn beautiful down here,” he says, watching his own fingers tickle through my folds. “So pink.” The tip of his finger nudges my clit, and I tense up again, my hips surge, and he chuckles “Sensitive.”
“Maybe a little,” I agree.
He cocks a brow and tips his head down to press a kiss to my clit, making me sigh with pleasure.
“Okay, a lot.”
“I’m forever craving you,” he whispers and slips two fingers inside me, slowly moving them in and out.
“Oh, my.” I tip my head back, close my eyes, and grip onto the sheets. Jesus, the sensations he sends through my body should be illegal.
“Watch me,” he demands. I’m a panting, quivering mess as I lift my head and watch him press his lips to me, gently at first as his fingers are still moving lightly, but then he gets rougher, more forceful, more urgent.
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” I moan, unable to look away from him. “You’re so damn good at that.”
“It’s you,” he mumbles around me. “It’s you.”
I cry out as I come again, my hips jerking, rocking shamelessly against his face, and finally he’s climbing up me and slipping inside me in one fluid motion. He braces himself over me, not moving, brushes my hair off my cheek, and lays his lips on mine.
“It’s all for you.”
He kisses me deeply, and I can taste myself, and him, and it’s the best kiss we’ve ever had. It starts slow and lazy, but my hips won’t stay still. I start to pulse under him, clenching, rolling, until he tears his lips from mine on a long groan and begins to fuck me in earnest, moving fast and sure, staring into my eyes.
He braces one arm on the headboard, and the sight of his toned, sexy body takes my breath away.
“You’re unbelievably hot,” I tell him honestly. “Seriously, your body is incredible.”
He smiles arrogantly, but when I tip my hips up and clench down on him, he closes his eyes and swears under his breath in Italian, turning me on even more.