Page 130 of Heart of Stone

“You’re making a mess,” I scolded, hoping to distract him from whatever it was that he had planned.

“You really are a terrible submissive,” he murmured into my ear. Moving his hand back down to my waist, his finger circled my belly button before traveling farther south to find my sweet spot.

“Or maybe…” I began, trying one last time to divert him from the inevitable. “Maybe I just have a bad teacher.”

“Hmm,” he growled. “Don’t remind me.”

Without warning, he pressed down on my clitoris. I could feel the nub instantly begin to pulse beneath his finger and I cried out. I arched my back, trying to squirm out of his reach, but my efforts were in vain. He still had my legs trapped and one arm secured tightly around my waist. There was nowhere for me to go.

“Alex…” I tried to plead. However, my attempt to stop him was halfhearted. Despite my reservations, I craved his touch with every fiber of my being.

“Trust me for a minute and just let yourself feel, Krystina.”

Ever so gently, he began to flick back and forth, teasing my pressure point. I was amazed at how quickly Alexander had learned my body. He knew all the places that brought me the greatest pleasure, and he used that knowledge to make me crazy with need time and time again.

Angling my head up, I looked at him. His blue eyes were blazing with so much heat that I had little choice but to surrender. I reached to pull his head down to meet mine, and gave myself over with abandon.

****

I lay curled up against Alexander’s side, listening to his even breathing while he slept. However, sleep was evading me, as the past few hours had been playing like a tiresome broken record over and over again in my head.

Overall, our evening had been amazing in ways that were indescribable. Alexander had unselfishly satisfied me without taking anything for himself. From the erotic pleasures he rewarded me with in the bath, to the way he carried me to bed for the night – he was true to his word and made our night together all about me. I couldn’t have asked for anything to be more perfect.

But despite the seamless end to the evening, I couldn’t help but to remember how it started out. Alexander was slowly tipping the scales in his favor, and it was terrifying.

I was apprehensive about the slew of woman’s clothing that hung in his closet, clothes that I could not bring myself to think of as mine. I had concerns over accepting the necklace, which I was sure cost a small fortune. And while the clothes and the necklace may simply be material things, it was hard not to think of them as something more.

I glanced down at the emblem that was still hanging around my neck. The sapphires sparkled, reflecting the moonlight that was streaming in through the windows. It was a beautiful piece, but I knew it would probably be best if I gave it back to him. It may be a symbol of the BDSM world, but to me it was more like Alexander was putting his stamp on me, serving as another reminder of how fast we were taking things. We were moving at a breakneck speed, and it was more that just a little bit troubling.

Just that very morning, I promised Allyson that I wouldn’t get in too deep. In fact, it wasn’t just an assurance that I gave to Allyson, but it was personal vow that I had made to myself. Yet here I was, ready to blindly fall. I couldn’t shake the nagging worry that I still may be subconsciously clinging to the hope of someday finding that white picket fence.

The idea made me feel edgy. Restless.

I rolled over, facing myself away from Alexander. He stirred but didn’t wake. I punched at the pillow, but my efforts to get comfortable were not working.

Happily ever after will never happen, Cole.

After all, I was the one to set the rules. I had been blatantly clear about no strings attached. The time that I was spending with Alexander was supposed to be a small step to putting the past behind me, not some massive leap that would leave me fumbling to find my footing again.

I flipped over onto my back and stared at the ceiling.

There was still too much that Alexander didn’t know about me, and I barely knew a thing about him. He lived in a clandestine world of kink and sex clubs, where everything was one giant secret that I couldn’t be privy to. He spoke of domination, and that it was my duty to submit to his every need. But what he said that he wanted was confusing to me, as his actions showed differently. He catered to my every whim, striving to please me at every step, while I gave him nothing but push back out of fear that he would eventually change me.

However, I was able to see the shift in Alexander during the short time that we were together, and I was very conscious of the fact that it was me who was unintentionally changing him. Whether he was aware of what was happening or not, no good could come from it either way.

What had begun on shaky ground was shaping up to be something more – something that I didn’t want. And I was fairly certain that Alexander didn’t want it either. I felt like I was being pushed, lost in a colossal storm of emotions that I wasn’t ready to feel. I knew it was time to take a giant step back. If I didn’t, I sensed that it wouldn’t be long before I slipped and fell from the ledge.

CHAPTER 36

It had been a stimulating morning, making the let down for the next two days that much worse. Before dawn, I awoke to the feel of Krystina’s warm body spooned tightly against mine. Never one to miss an opportunity, I seized the moment and made sure to leave her with a farewell that neither of us would forget about during my absence. Unfortunately, there was no sex, for obvious reasons. Instead, we kissed and caressed in ways that were surprisingly fulfilling. It was another first for me, and a completely unique experience in itself.

The early morning hours that I had spent with her almost seemed surreal as I climbed aboard the Airbus ACJ318. Hale was already on the private jet when I arrived, neatly stowing our travel bags into an overhead compartment.

“Morning, Hale.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“If my speech is in with those bags, take it out for me. I want to review it one more time before we get to Boston.”

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