UP IN FLAMES

He stared at her, and Vanessa averted her eyes. She couldn’t look at him. He looked so hurt and she almost flung herself at him, but they didn’t belong together and there was no point letting things go on longer than it should. They’d just be postponing the inevitable.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“You don’t have to stay in a hotel, Vanessa. You can stay with me…. And…. And then maybe we can get the chance to say goodbye to each other… Properly. Not standing here like strangers. We don’t have to end it this way,”

That made sense, Vanessa told herself, or maybe it did because she wanted it to. She turned to look at his handsome face, “Alright,” she said, “Let’s go,”

————

It didn’t matter how many times Alaric tasted her or slid deep inside her, it was never enough. He was addicted to her-to the way she moved against him, how her mouth brought him pleasure and then riled him up seconds later when she mouthed off, or the way she cried out his name as she came. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, not when he was awake or asleep.

The days blurred together in a way that didn’t concern Alaric. In the mornings, he woke up beside her, amazed by how right that felt. It was nothing short of amazing for him to roll over, run his palm down the soft curves of the warm body beside him, and feel her push that tantalizing ass of hers back against his groin.

Every morning, he took her before he said his first word, and she was always, deliciously ready. He’d slide into her from behind, hooking her leg over his. He took her in the mornings in a slow, languid pace that always quickly spiraled out of control, leaving both of them panting for breath and their hearts racing.

Then they would shower. Each time, Vanessa would argue that it would probably be more beneficial if they’d shower separately, but after one kiss, she’d relent. Water conservation aside, sex in the shower was never an easy feat, especially not with her shoulder, although it was healing nicely. He’d take her from behind or get down on his knees, bringing her to release with his mouth and fingers. Or they both would end up on the floor of the wide shower, her seated firmly in his lap, riding him and taking him in a way only Vanessa was capable of.

At some point, they’d eat breakfast. Sometimes in bed. Sometimes in the kitchen. Each time, it ended with him getting his favorite kind of dessert. And every night they went to bed, he couldn’t stay out of her. Normally his sexual appetite ran on the kinky side of things, but with her and for the first time in many years, he didn’t have a problem with vanilla sex. As long as he was wrapped in her slick hotness, he was in heaven, and the sex was more than enough to satisfy him. Until it was over and then he wanted her again. He always wanted her.

But it was more than the sex. For the first time, Alaric found himself wanting her to talk to him, to tell him her thoughts, to share her memories, and to involve him in her life. Typically this would be the point in a relationship where he’d shut down or hightail his ass out of there, but like with the sex, he just couldn’t get enough of her. It was the same with him. He shared things with her over the course of the week that only his brothers and Paul knew. What was between them had rapidly grown beyond a physical attraction and into something a hell of a lot stronger than “like” or casual.

Alaric fully accepted that he’d fallen-and fallen like a fucking tree-for Vanessa. What he was feeling in his chest and what he wanted from her? It was love. The most dangerous four-letter word. Crazy thing was, his balls didn’t shrivel up with the realization that he was in love with the stubborn, commitment-phobic woman. He was pretty confident that she felt the same way, but getting her to admit it wasn’t something he was going to be able to force. All he could do was show her how he felt and prove to her that she felt the same thing without causing her to run. So he kept how he felt, verbally, to himself.

During the time with him, the woman had finally begun to relax. Hell, her apartment was getting fixed and she didn’t bring up the topic of leaving more often, except when she spoke of the progress. She seemed more relaxed and happy and he didn’t want to take that away from her.

Two weeks later, her place was finally ready. He took it upon himself to get an alarm ordered, and it had been installed, but he still didn’t want her to go because she belonged here…With him. His home had become her home too. How the hell could she not see that? In two days, she would be leaving and that realization made him more desperate for her.

He found Vanessa in his kitchen, cleaning up after a dinner of Chinese takeout. He really didn’t remember going to his room and grabbing one of the ties he never wore and putting it in his pocket, but as he walked up behind her as she stood at the sink, he was damn glad his perverted side liked to plan ahead.

Placing his hands on her hips, he tugged her bottom back against him as he bent his head, nuzzling the side of her neck. He smiled when she shivered and tipped her throat back, giving him more access. “Guess what?”

Her hands landed on his arm and her little nails dug into his flesh. “You want dessert now?”

Alaric chuckled. “Kind of.”

Tilting her head to the side, she pouted. “I think I’m disappointed.”

He caught that succulent bottom lip between his teeth and nipped. “I don’t think you will be in a few moments.”

Vanessa shuddered as his fingers slipped to the button on her jeans. Unhooking them, he nearly groaned at the tinny sound of the zipper and then tugged them down her shapely legs, along with her panties. Next, her shirt came off. No bra. Fucking A.