Page 21 of The Ties That Bind

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong.”

“Look Arabella,” I said, my tone resolute. “I don’t know what you think you know about Aleksei, but I’ve seen that man in action, up close and personal, and I’m telling you he’s terrifying. He is legitimately the only man I am afraid of.”

She snickered and with a sing-song voice replied, “Look Xander. I don’t know what you think you know about Aleksei, but I’ve seen that man in action, up close and personal, and I’m telling you … he’s a changed man.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I didn’t even try to hide my skepticism. If she thought Aleksei was some sort of saint, she’d lost her damn mind.

She glared at me for a handful of seconds, then asked, “Do you really think I’d joke about something as important as your life?”

“Honestly?” I asked. “I don’t really know. Up until yesterday I thought you hated me, so …” I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I’ve hated you, yes …” She looked away, “… but I never wanted you dead.” She sucked in a breath, held it, let it out in a long gust, and her eyes found mine. “Which is why you need Aleksei.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “It’s obvious you know something you’re not telling me.”

She shrugged impishly. “Aleksei is a man in love and let’s just say he’s changed his ways.”

“Bullshit,” I challenged. “A leopard doesn’t change its spots. And even if it did, Aleksei wouldn’t. Trust me, he’s fucked in the head.”

“Oh, I’m not saying he’s not the craziest motherfucker you’ll ever meet, but he wants to marry CeeCee and he’s said he’ll do anything to get her to say yes. Protecting you is probably the easiest thing she’ll make him do before she’ll agree.”

Shit. It was tempting. I didn’t think there was a man alive who would try to go through Aleksei to get to me. If word got out he was leading up my security detail, I could focus on getting things sorted as the head of SJE and not be constantly worried about keeping one eye over my shoulder. Although as Arabella had pointed out before, I’d been doing a shit job of that for some time now.

I didn’t have the first idea how Aleksei and Ben would get along, but I was confident my best friend would welcome having that scary ass motherfucker by his side when it came to protecting me. That was the great thing about Ben. It didn’t matter who you were or what you’d done—if you were on the same side, that was good enough for him.

“Okay,” I said nodding. “Set up the meeting. And in the meantime, I’m going to need you to get that sweet little ass over here so we can finish up what we started.”

She smiled and hummed as she straddled my thighs. “That sounds like an excellent idea Mr. St. John.”

Snaking my hand between us, I was surprised to find she was still dripping for me.

“I can’t believe you’re so fucking wet just from sucking me off before.” I dipped a finger between her folds and zeroed in on her clit. “I’d forgotten that about you,” I admitted. When she shivered and pushed her hips forward, I applied more pressure. “Sweet little Arabella Wilson, so prim and proper for the rest of the world, but such a dirty little slut for me.” Her breath hitched and she panted and rolled her hips. I slipped a second finger inside to tangle with the first. “You want me to make you come?”

“Yes,” she moaned, undulating against me with each steady stroke of my fingers.

“You want me right here?” I asked as I used my thumb to rub a tight circle over her clit.

“Please,” she begged. “Please make me come Zan.”

I secretly loved it when she used the old nickname. “Will you come if I just do this?” I asked, angling toward her g-spot.

She whimpered and bit her lip until the pink skin went white. “Please.”

“Not yet,” I told her, devilry in my voice. “I have a lot of lost time to make up for and I want to take my time. Take things nice and slow.”

“I don’t … want … nice and … slow,” she breathed out between moans. “I want it fast and hard.”

My cock was in complete agreement, but this first time, I wanted to draw her orgasm out. I didn’t know when we’d get to do this again and I didn’t want it to be over already. Slowly and methodically, I sank my fingers in and out of her, the wet sounds of her pussy mixing with Arabella’s cries of “more” and “harder” and “please.” Her breathing came in fast, agonized gasps and as her whole body trembled, I took her to the precipice of orgasm and then retreated, leaving her empty and sobbing and begging me to fuck her.

I would—soon—and when I did she was going to have the orgasm to end all orgasms. Our fucking had always been good, but I’d been a boy back then. I was a man now, with a few new tricks under my belt. She’d thank me later, even as she cursed my name now.

With her legs locked around me, I stood and laid her flat, my big hulking body looming over her small, feminine one. She reached for me, trying to pull me in for another kiss, but I had a different sort of kiss in mind. She’d gone down on me like a goddamn pro, and it was only fair I return the favor.

Sliding down her body, I propped her legs over my shoulders and settled my head between her thighs, parted her slick pussy, and dragged the broad side of my tongue from her ass to her clit.

“Fuck, I’ve missed the taste of you,” I growled, taking her clit between my lips and sucking.

Tapping a quick rhythm against that bundle of nerves with the tip of my tongue, I smiled against her when she convulsed and squirmed and then began uttering incoherent words and phrases while holding my head tight against her cunt. It would be so easy to make her come like this—just a few more seconds, if her moans were any indication—but when she shattered, I wanted her pussy clenching my cock.

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