Page 65 of Tempting Frankie
ZERO DAYS LEFT
Istride up to the apartment, my heart pounding. One fucking week of torture, of missing my pretty girl, is finally over. I'm done waiting.
Kat opens the door before I can knock. “About damn time,” she mutters, stepping aside. “She's all yours. Don't fuck this up.”
I nod, barely registering Kat's departure as I enter, but I can hear her briefly before she rounds the corner. “Yes, Vivian. I’ll take the job, but I swear the gloryhole better be sanitized and brand new.”
I’m absolutely not asking any questions. Not my fucking business.
There she is—my Francesca. She's curled up on the couch, wrapped in an oversized sweater. Her eyes go wide when she sees me.
“Alexander? What are you?—”
I cut her off, closing the distance between us in two long strides. “Enough,” I growl. “I've given you space. I've waited. But I'm done pretending I can live without you.”
Francesca's lips part in surprise, but I'm not finished. I drop to my knees in front of her, taking her hands in mine.
“Listen to me, little one. You are everything to me. Every goddamn thing. I don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks or says. You're smart, you're beautiful, and you drive me absolutely fucking wild. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you never feel like a fucking commodity again. You’re priceless, and you’re mine.”
I can see the doubt in her eyes, and it breaks my heart. I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs stroking her cheeks.
“I love the way your eyes light up when you laugh. I love how your nose scrunches when you're confused. I love the little sounds you make when I'm buried deep inside you, claiming every inch of your body.”
Francesca's breath hitches, a blush spreading across her cheeks. “Alexander...”
“No, let me finish,” I insist. “All the bullshit Cameron spewed, all the doubts he planted—they're lies. You're not just enough, Francesca. You're more than I ever dared to hope for.”
I trail my hands down her arms, relishing the shiver that runs through her. “Do you have any idea what you do to me? How hard it is to keep my hands off you in public? How many times I've had to adjust myself in meetings because I can't stop thinking about bending you over my desk and fucking you senseless?”
Her eyes darken with desire, and I feel a surge of triumph.
I lean in, my lips brushing against her ear. “I love you, Francesca. I want to make you come so hard you forget your own name. I want to fill you up and mark you as mine over and over again until there's no doubt in your mind that you belong with me.”
Francesca whimpers, her fingers digging into my shoulders. “God, Alexander...”
“Tell me you want this,” I growl, nipping at her earlobe. “Tell me you want us. Not because I paid for your time. Not for any other reason, but because this is right. This is us.”
She pulls back, meeting my gaze.
Her lips tremble as she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Fuck, Alexander. I was going to come see you tomorrow. Once my time was up.”
My heart pounds against my ribcage, hope and desire coursing through my veins. I tighten my grip on her, afraid she might slip away if I let go.
She takes a shaky breath. “I'm sorry I left for a week. I have these…these fucked up coping mechanisms. When things get intense, I run. But I realized something.”
I lean in closer, hanging on her every word. Her scent envelops me, driving me mad with want.
“What did you realize, little one?”
Francesca's hands slide up my chest, fisting in my shirt. “That space doesn't mean a fucking week. It means a few hours to clear my head, not…not this.”
“And?” I press, needing to hear it all.
Her eyes flash with determination. “And that I fucking love you too, you stubborn bastard.”
Surging forward, I claim her mouth in a searing kiss. My tongue plunges between her lips, tasting her, devouring her. She moans into my mouth, and I swallow the sound greedily.
