Page 44 of Wanted

With each stroke, he managed to tear down another piece of myfortress, an invisible structure I’d built to protect my heart.

During the height of our joining, I’d absently closed my eyes. Restinghis hands on my throat, he whispered in my ear, “Look how beautiful you are,baby.” Once I’d locked eyes on him again, on us, I willfully dove off thecliff, free-falling into the pleasurable abyss he was raining all over my body.

“Fuck!” he panted. “I can’t hold out anymore.” With a few morepunishing drives, he shouted out his own release. His forehead rested betweenmy shoulders. Clearly he was spent, but I never stopped moving. I wanted to slowlymilk every last bit of his pleasure. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to be readyto go again in two minutes.”

“Two minutes? Really? That long?” I teased.

“That’s not long, considering I’m still not done coming insideyou.”Wow!

Once he’d finally slipped from my body, something changed.I hadn’t regretted what we’d done, but a waveof unexpected emotions washed over me. I needed time. Time by myself to sortthrough everything and make sure I was making the right decision by giving hima second chance.Or should I say thirdchance?

Fixing my dress, I disappeared into the nearest stall to cleanmyself up before going back out into the restaurant. Surely, Alexa waswondering what had happened to me. Although I’d only been gone twenty minutes,it was enough of an absence to garner questioning.

As I washed my hands, I made sure to avoid looking at him. If Imade eye contact or touched him in any way, I would throw all caution to thewind and take him back without question. Although it was a path I was almostcertain I was going to take, I needed some time to be certain.

“I have to go, Alek.”

He moved closer, reaching out to try and pull me into him. When Imoved back, the look on his face almost killed me. He thought I was slippingaway again, and it almost crushed him.

“Why are you pulling away from me, Sara? I told you how sorry Iwas. I meant it,” he pleaded. “I’ll do anything you need. Just tell me. Please.”

I was going to release his worry right then but I decided to lethim wallow in a little bit of doubt. For a while. He deserved it after what heput me through.

“Give me the night to sort through everything.” They were my partingwords to him. As I brushed past him on my way to the door, our hands touched,sending a bolt of electricity through both of us.

There was no way I’d ever be able to break the hold which lockedus together. I knew it, and so did he. A slight smile graced his mouth as Idisappeared from his sight.

Rushing toward our table, all eyes were locked on me as Iapproached, and guilt swirled up inside me. “Are you okay, Sara?” James askedas he stood to pull out my chair. But I wasn’t staying.

“I’m not feeling too well.” I looked first at my date, giving hima slight smile before locking eyes with Alexa. “Can you give me a ride home,please?”

“Of course.” There was no hesitation on her part as she leanedover and whispered something in Braden’s ear before grabbing her things andushering me out the door.

I filled her in on everything, from my little talk with Kael tohaving sex with Alek in the ladies room. To say she was shocked was anunderstatement, but as she made her way to our apartment, she smiled, knowingher best friend was coming back to her.

As I laid my head on my pillow and drifted off to sleep, Icouldn’t help but wonder what the following day would bring.

~27~

Alek

What the hell happened?One second, I was buried in her sweet body and the next, she ran from me. Ithought we were making progress, yet she said she needed the night to thinkthings over.

Sara liked to overthink, and it could mean the difference betweenme living again or wasting away without the love of my life next to me. Iwouldn’t push her, though. As hard as it was, I was going to give her the timeshe needed. But rest assured, I’d be on her doorstep come early-morning light.

I cleaned myself up and gathered whatever was left of mycomposure before exiting the bathroom. As soon as I walked out, Kael wasstanding directly in front of me, blocking my path to the bar.

Maybe I should give thealcohol a rest.

“What did you do to her?” he hissed, clutching my shirt in hisfists. “She rushed out of here so fast, as if someone had done something toher,” he repeated slowly.

I shoved him away from me, straightening myself before answering.“I didn’t do anything to her. Well…” I smirked, but apparently it was the wrongmove.

“So help me, God, Alek.” My dear friend was more worried aboutSara than he was about me. I liked it. He knew how to keep me in check, and Iappreciated him even more for it. “Don’t hurt her again.”

“I’m not going to. I promise. Things happened between us,” Isaid, subconsciously rubbing my palm over the front of my pants, “and I thinkshe’s coming around.” My eyes lit up for the first time in months, and nothingKael could say would diminish it.

Settling in at the bar, I ordered a club soda. I knew we stillhad hours to go before closing up and I needed to give our restaurant’s openingsome much needed attention. Leaving everything to my friend and partner was ashitty move, but I was there and I was finally ready to deal with whatever heneeded from me.

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