She doesn’t answer me, and her body is stiff, but I continue to pet her hair and then run my fingers down her shoulder to the dip of her waist and back up.
“I don’t want you to.”
Her cheek rubs against my leg as she nods her head, but she still doesn’t answer me.
She has no idea what I feel for her. She may think she’s still just a pawn and a bargaining chip.
But I’ll be damned if she ever sees that asshole again.
I’m never letting her go.
Chapter 20
Arianna
“You should really let me take a look at your eye,” I say to Zander once we step inside his estate and make our way to his bedroom. I’m following behind him, not even taking in his house as he leads me up the stairs.
My heart is still reeling, twisting in my chest with a mix of emotions, my mind running with a million questions.
I don’t know what Danny did to him, but I feel caught in the middle. I feel like I’m the one to blame. He was there because of me. Had to be. Now Zander is paying for it.
Zander doesn’t answer me as he pushes open his bedroom door and walks over to the mirror to peer at his face. Even roughed up, he looks sexy as fuck, his bloodstained dress shirt torn open at the front, his hard, tanned flesh on display.
“I’m fine,” he mutters. But it’s not reflected in his voice.
“Well let me-,” I start to say, coming up behind him.
“I’m good,” Zander cuts in. My forehead’s pinched and I’m silent for a moment as he takes off his suit jacket, tossing it to the side, and then removes his ruined dress shirt, tugging it over his head. He takes it off and lets it drop to the floor, seemingly ignoring my presence.
I can't help my frown and need to back away from him, feeling slightly dejected. He’s blowing me off when I want to know what happened. I let out a heavy but silent breath of frustration as my gaze drops to the floor and I chew on my bottom lip. I wish he’d just talk to me. I need to know what’s going on. I feel guilty, like Zander’s bruised face is all my fault. And this is only making me feel worse.
“Hey,” Zander says, getting my attention before he lifts my chin up so my eyes meet his. “It’s okay.” He says the words with conviction, and I almost believe it. “I promise you.”
I nod my head slightly and my voice cracks as I answer him, “Okay.”
“I’m still pissed. At Danny, and at myself.” He drops his hand as he adds, “But I promise you that everything is alright.” His eyes search mine and I finally let his words sink in. I believe him. I trust him.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I say quietly.
“I’ll always be okay,” Zander replies with confidence, his hand cupping my cheek again. “It’s you I’m worried about.”
“Me?” I ask.
Zander nods, gently stroking the side of my face. My skin warms with his gentle strokes, my pulse quickening.
“I'm fine,” I answer him. “Really, I'm fine.” His eyes search mine for a long moment.
“You’ve been denied so much. I want to give you... more.”
His words leave me with a pain in my heart that I don't quite understand and I feel as if I’m in a trance staring into his eyes. I wish I had words, but I don't. I step closer to him, just wanting to feel him. All I know is that I need his touch.
“You looked so beautiful tonight,” he says softly.
A flush comes to my cheeks as I breathe, “Thank you.”
“And I’ve been waiting all night for this.” He kisses me, pressing his lips softly against mine. It’s sweet and short, but it leaves me wanting more when he pulls away.
“I need you,” he says, his voice low and heavy.
I don't even think about the words as they leave me. “Take me,” I moan, my heart pounding in my chest, hungry for more.
Zander spears his fingers through my hair, cradling the back of my head, and gives me a deeper kiss, this one filled with swirling tongue and unbridled passion. I melt into his hard body, feeling weak in the knees, but he holds me up with his powerful arms.
I moan into his mouth, fire heating my core, my skin blazing from the heat of his hard body. He sucks on my tongue in response, pulling me closer to him. Down below, I can feel his hardening cock against my stomach.
He breaks away from our kiss, his lips finding my neck, his hands sliding down my back to cup my ass. I moan, throwing my head back, his lips burning into my flesh.
“Fuck,” he groans, his lips near my ears as he smothers my neck with passionate kisses. “I want that sweet tight pussy on my cock.” I go limp in his arms, weak from his passion, and he picks me up, carrying me to the bed.
He lays me down gently, his breathing ragged, his eyes on my face and shining with lust as he climbs into the bed, making it creak as he places his hands to either side of my head.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he tells me, his voice low and hoarse, his breath hot on my face.
“I want you, too,” I answer him quickly. I do. I've never wanted something so much.
Zander’s lips find my neck again, pecking, kissing, licking, causing me to throw my head back, my nipples pebbling and my body burning up in flames.
He makes way down my neck, pausing briefly to pull my gown above my shoulders, and then tossing it carelessly onto the bedroom floor. Next off comes my bra, Zander practically tearing it off and slinging it across the room. His eyes immediately feast on my hard nipples, his chest heaving as he moves in and takes a nipple into his mouth. He swirls his tongue around it at first, teasing, tweaking it, before sucking on it with great force as my back arches in response.
I buck slightly at the sensation, biting down on my lip as I grab onto the bedding. He gives both nipples equal attention, alternating from one to another before moving down my stomach, his lips kissing every inch of my sensitive skin along the way.
When he reaches my hips, he grabs my panties and pulls them off, baring my glistening sex to him. Below, I hear him inhale deeply and bury his face between my legs before taking a languid lick of my pussy.
“Oh,” I moan as his tongue flicks against my clit back and forth.
I try to keep still as he tastes me and sucks my clit, pleasure stirring in my belly. But before I reach my peak, he moves in closer, causing the bed to creak as he hoists both of my legs around his shoulders, burying his face into my pussy, clamping his mouth down on my clit as hard as he can.
“Oh God!” I yell as he has his way with me, savagely tasting me and sucking on my clit until the pleasure is too much.
A fire builds in my core as he goes to town on me, and I grip the bedding with both hands, digging my nails into the plush comforter. His keen blue eyes look up at me but it's so hard to look back, my neck wanting to arch away, my body begging me for both an escape but also for more.
Keeping his eyes locked with mine, Zander plunges two thick fingers into my pussy while keeping his mouth clamped down on my clit with great force.
His forceful touch, his relentless sucking, and intense gaze are all I can handle, the fiery storm exploding with fury from my core, ripping through my body like a level six tornado.
“Fuck!” I scream as my body is rocked by explosions of insane pleasure. All the while, Zander keeps me in place, his eyes locked on my face, his mouth clamped on my pussy as my limbs convulse violently from orgasm after orgasm. “Zander!”