She picks it up and just holds it. “Jasmine and Bones showed up at the bar tonight after I spoke to you.”
I frown. “Together?”
“Yeah. She … well, they had a business opportunity for me.”
“What kind?” I’m not really all that surprised. Bones owns multiple businesses. He tries to keep them under wraps, but we all pretend we don’t know.
She sets the drink down and pulls out some papers, placing them on the bar. I pick them up and read over them. “So, she’s doing it.”
“You knew she wanted to do this?” she asks, arching a dark brow.
“Well, I’ve heard talk. Titan and Bones went to New York a while back with the girls. Jasmine was upset when she didn’t get to go to Kink with them. What’s so bad about this?”
“I’ve always wanted something more, but I feel like now is the worst time.” She sighs.
“Why is that?”
She drops her eyes to the bar top. “April.”
I let out a breath.
“She’s going through so much right now. I shouldn’t be going to New York and starting up a new business. I should be here for her.”
I place the papers down and walk around the bar. Touching her face, I force her to look up at me. Her pretty green eyes look tired. “You can’t make someone open up to you, Alexa. All you can do is tell them that you’re there for them. It’s up to them when they choose to do so.”
“I know.” She pulls away. “But what if she doesn’t know I’m here for her?”
“She does.” Just like Grave knows we’re here for him as well. He’s just choosing to push us all away. That’s Grave. I’m not going to force him to talk to me, but he knows we’re here when he’s ready.
“I just hate it.” She picks up the papers, and her eyes look them over. “The timing sucks, you know?”
“It usually does,” I agree with her. “But what if this is your chance and you miss it? April wouldn’t want you to pass on it because of her.”
“I guess.” She sets the papers back down and picks up the drink, taking a sip. Setting it back down on the bar, she keeps a hold of it, staring off into the kitchen.
I remove it from her hand, and her eyes meet mine. “Come on.” I say, pulling her off the barstool and toward my bedroom. We enter, and I don’t even bother turning the light on. I’ve got the curtains pulled shut like usual. I like my room pitch-black when I sleep. I see the lights of Sin City every day. When I’m here, I like to shut the world out.
I find her face and cup either side of it. My lips touch hers gently, and I kiss her, just feeling her out. I didn’t call her to come over just to fuck her. If that was the case, I’d kick her out afterward. Every time she’s come over, she’s stayed until the next day. I like falling asleep with her next to me. If she’s here with me, she’s not somewhere else with Mitch.
Her hands grip my shirt, and she kisses me back, more aggressively than I had planned, but I take the invitation.
My hands drop to her shirt, and I rip it up and over her head, only parting our lips to do so. Then they’re back on hers. I bend down, grab her thighs and lift her off her feet before both of us go falling onto my bed. She’s moaning underneath me, and I continue to devour her mouth with mine. Lifting my hips, I slide my hand down her stomach and into her jeans. She spreads her legs for me the best she can while I find her pussy. I slide a finger in, immediately finger-fucking her wet cunt.
She pulls away and gasps for breath. I trail kisses down her chest to her breast, yanking her damn bra out of the way. I should have ripped her clothes off the moment she walked into the suite. Taking a nipple into my mouth, it hardens as I suck on it. My teeth gently nibble on it, and she cries out, arching her back. Removing my hand from her pants, I sit up and quickly undo them. She helps me get them off, then I’m undoing mine. I pull out my already hard dick and slide into her. No foreplay. No condom.
Fuck those. I’ve used them before, but I’m not going to with her. We haven’t yet, so why start now?
I have the urge to go slow with her tonight and make love to her, which is fucking ridiculous. I don’t do that shit. But I understand the situation. She’s exhausted, and I’m just a needy motherfucker.
Pulling out of her, I slowly enter her, and she tightens around my cock. I groan, “Fuck, baby.”
“Cross.” She sighs, her arms coming around my neck.
I grab her hands, intertwining our fingers together, and pin them down next to her head and start moving a little faster, but still going slow enough just to tease her.
Her heels dig into my ass, trying to get me to speed up, but I’m not going to budge. I know what I want and how I want it.
“Please …”
I cover her mouth with mine and swallow her words as I continue teasing her while wondering if she did this with Mitch. Did he love her? Did he just fuck her? What happened between them that made them break up? If I’m being honest with myself, I’d say I’m sorry for the son of a bitch. Because I don’t want to fuck this up.
ALEXA
SLIDING OUT OF Cross’s bed, I grab my cell off the nightstand and tiptoe to his adjoining bathroom so I don’t wake him. He just fell asleep a few minutes ago. Turning on the soft light, I look down at my cell. It’s a little after five in the morning. He’ll only get about a two-hour nap at this point.
I open my messages and go to April’s.
Me: If you need anything, just let me know. Even if it’s just to talk. Or you need someone to listen. Please, know I’m here. Love you.
I send the message and close my eyes. I hate it for my best friend, for Grave, and for all the Kings. I know they all feel a loss.
My phone vibrates, signaling I have a message, and I open it up.
April: I do need a favor. Can you cover Roses for me Friday morning for a few hours?
Me: Yes. Everything okay?
After I send it, I roll my eyes and wish I could delete it. Of course, she’s not okay, Alexa!
April: Yes.
She’s lying, but why? Why won’t she just come out and talk to me? I don’t know how to respond to that, so I take the fact that she even messaged me back as a good sign and leave it at that. At least she is asking for help, even if it’s for something small.
Turning the light off, I make my way back through his pitch-black bedroom, hoping not to trip over the trail of clothes on the floor. I manage to get onto the bed and crawl in next to him.
He moves, and I stiffen, hoping I didn’t wake him. I feel his body shift, and then he’s pressed up against my back, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into him. I relax and close my eyes.
_______________
I WAKE TO darkness and stretch out, blinking a few times for my eyes to adjust but still nothing.
Reaching over, I run my hand over the nightstand and feel for my cell. I grab it and light up the screen, making me blink rapidly at the bright light. “Shit.” I sigh, seeing that it’s almost eleven o’clock. Rolling over onto my side, I pull up Cross’s number and call him.
“There she is,” he answers, sounding cheerful. “Good morning, gorgeous.”
I groan but hate that I smile at the way he calls me gorgeous. “Why didn’t you wake me when you left?”