Nightfall (9 page)

Before he could speak, she lifted off of Alexander and lay down on the bed. She held her hand out to him. She thought he’d take her right then, but he surprised her.

Alexander slid down the bed until he was between her thighs. Heat surged into her, as she realized what he intended. She bent her knees, her feet planted on the bed.

For the next few moments she fell into the experience as he tasted her with long, slow licks. He slipped one finger inside her and she groaned at the delicious pleasure. Everything inside her tightened as excitement rose higher and hotter. He plunged with gentle movements that rose in intensity. She lifted her hips, writhing a little as sensation piled upon sensation. His relentless touches brought her higher, each plateau a new beginning, a sweet torture. At the apex she stifled a loud groan, shuddering and quaking through an intense orgasm that left her panting and filled with bliss.

He moved on top of her. As he lowered his hips between her thighs, and his cock touched her softness again, he hesitated.

“Please, don’t hold back,” she said softly, wanting his power, his passion. “Give me everything.”

With a low moan he kissed her, and his cock slid home. She gasped against his lips. She was so wet he moved within her easily, thrusting slowly. Slipping her arms around his back, she held on and drew her legs up to ease his way. Tortured by the teasing, exploring thrusts, she moaned softly. Propped on his powerful forearms, he quickened the pace. He tore away from the kiss, burying his face in her neck. She shivered, filling with new excitement as he rocked her. She was aware of everything. Every breath. Each brush of his hair-roughed chest against her nipples, the incredible strength of his thighs as he spread her open.

She clutched at him as the feelings rose higher. “Alexander.”

It was a plea, a gasp of tortured pleasure against his mouth. She couldn’t believe she had this within her again, rising and rising.

With a growl he powered into her, his pounding thrusts driving her toward a new high as she came apart. A scream caught in her throat, drowned out by his mouth as he took it within him. When she lay limp, he continued with a few more powerful strokes before he buried his face in the pillow and growled. She felt him spurt inside her, his muscles drawing tight and hard as a long, drawn-out shiver wracked his body. When he lay still, she hugged him close and felt tears slip from her eyes.

He brushed back her hair, worry in his eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

She smiled and sniffed as she dried her tears. “No, no. I’m just so damned happy.”

And she pulled him down for a kiss.

Alexander awakened sometime in the morning with Patty’s warm body pressed against him. His cock was already hard, his hips moving slightly against hers. His left arm was slung around her, and he cupped her breast. The weight of her warm, round flesh filled his hand. He released her breast and smoothed one hand over her hip and down her thigh. When she shifted back against him and moaned softly, he froze. He wanted to lie there, buried in her softness.

Patty had about fuckin’ killed him. With pleasure that is. His eyes eased open as he realized he’d lost time in the dazzling haze that clouded his mind. His cock hardened and lengthened. Really? He couldn’t remember this happening before and certainly not lately. He was ready to fuck her again.

His ex-wife had never been this welcoming in the morning—the few times he’d tried to make love to her with a morning hard on she’d spurned his advances.

So he hesitated, not sure how Patty would respond. When she lifted her leg over his and made room, he took the invitation. He tested her readiness with the tip of his cock, sucking in a breath at her hot wetness. He gritted his teeth with the pleasure of her warm body accepting him as he eased inside her. She opened to him, but she was tight. When he bottomed out he moaned in enjoyment. He reached round to find her clit, gently brushing and teasing. She wriggled and groaned softly.

“Alexander, oh
God
. That feels amazing.”

“Mmm.” He moved a little faster.

She began to pant and he gentled his strokes on her clit. Ah, so she liked that. When he teased, backed off, and then came at her again. He thrust inside her silky wet heat, the sensation of her gripped around him like a glove sending his hips into quicker motion. He toyed with her clit and decided to give her something else. Her gentle pants increased as he played, wanting to give her the greatest satisfaction he could.

“Come,” he said against her ear. “Fly.”

She shivered and bucked back against him. “Alexander.”

“Come, sweetheart.”

He shoved hard into her. Once. Twice.

She went off like a firecracker, writhing, gasping. She squeezed around his cock, and he pushed harder, wild with a savage need to brand her as his. He thrust one more time and couldn’t withstand the sensation of her pussy contracting in waves of release. He came apart, quivering as he flooded her with his climax. They lay against each other, panting for breath.

He rolled away from her, and she turned so that she half lay on his chest. Her arm slung over his waist and her thigh slid between his. He held her head against his shoulder and kissed her forehead. Her sigh brushed over his chest.

It was all damned cozy, and he wondered if he’d had the longest dream in his life. It had to be. He’d never felt this way before, this torn apart with lust, with driving need to have her with him. Hell, he wasn’t even afraid to admit love was a component of it. While they had a lot to learn about each other, he knew in his gut what he felt for Patty went way beyond simple affection. Without a doubt he’d lay his life down for her. Sharing his crazy world, however, may not be something
she
wanted. Confidence drained from Alexander as he thought of the rejection she could hand him.
Cowboy up. As long as she’s safe it doesn’t matter.

“What are you thinking?” she asked quietly.

“Mmm. Now that sounds like one of those tricky questions women use to trip up unsuspecting men.” She laughed and pinched his left nipple. The sweet shock went through him, hot like a wire that went straight to his cock. “Jesus, woman. Do that again and I’ll have to kiss you. Maybe do something nasty.”

“Oh please.” Her voice was teasing. “Do something nasty.” She laughed. “When I’m with you I feel like I’m twenty-five.”

“That bad, eh?” She pinched the other nipple and he grunted. “Woman, what are you doing to me?”

“Showing my appreciation for your body. Which, by the way, is amazing.”

“For a forty-nine going on over-the-hill guy.”

She made a skeptical snort. “Let’s just say it’s an incredible body.”

“Okay, I’ll keep you around. I need the flattery for my fragile male ego.”

Her half smile told him she didn’t take it seriously. “Give me a break.”

He plunged one hand into her long tangle of hair. “There’s one thing I’m sure of. The months since I met you have been some of the best of my life.”

Her eyes widened, her lips parted in surprise and maybe wonder. “Even with Long Valley?”

“Yeah, even with that. I’ve learned a hell of a lot, and I’m getting my personal life together. Being with you, that’s way more than the icing on the cake.”

Her silence made him hold his breath. Then she brought him down into a carnal kiss, her tongue teasing him in ways that made him want to slide deep into her heat again. Instead he drew back with a groan.

He craned his neck to see the bedside clock. “It’s eight in the morning and I’m not out of bed. If I don’t get a move on it the team will send out a search party. Plus, if you don’t sneak back to your room they’ll probably know you stayed the night with me.”

She propped up on her left forearm to look down at him. “Is that a bad thing?”

He brushed back her long tousled hair and smoothed his hand over her slim back. God, damn but she was beautiful like this. His mouth opened and his brain refused to operate.

One of her eyebrows went up. “Alexander?”

“I’m not embarrassed if they find out. Besides I think they know we’re into each other.” He cupped her cheek and felt the sweet softness. “At least I’m into you.”

She sat up slowly, her expression caught between curious and amused. “Alexander Graham. If you don’t know by now that I’m completely into you, you’re a dork and a half. I don’t sleep with men just because. A man has to be special to me.”

He laughed, the sound more like choking. “Yeah, you caught me. I’m General Dork. I’m surprised it took you that long to figure it out.” His cell phone went off. “Shit.”

She slipped out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom while he took the call. It was the office of the new government contract which started Monday. As per usual, the government had regulations and other sticky situations which made his work challenging, and often there were people who didn’t do their job. It reminded him that he needed to get his ass in gear. As much as he’d like to lie around with Patty all day and have sex he just couldn’t. But man, if that idea didn’t sound nice.

The call was quick. Yep, time to head into the downstairs office.

When she came out of the bathroom she started picking up her clothes and dressing. “Important call?”

“Government contract with a small snafu. I need to go downstairs and see what the problem is.”

“Lovely.” She looked sympathetic. “I should have brought my car last night.”

He took a moment to lay back and watch her dress. “Why?”

Her gaze snagged on his body, and he smiled. Oh yeah, she liked what she saw and he couldn’t deny that was a damned ego boost.

She pulled her attention away and wandered into the living room. “Because I need to go to the shop today.”

“The weather is still crap. I thought you weren’t opening today.”

“I’m not.” She reentered the bedroom, dressed accept for her shoes and socks. “But I’d like to check on it. I remember that before you arrived and I went outside and ran into Dominic, that the back door wasn’t latching right.”

“Okay. Can you give me an hour and I’ll take you over? I’ll also make some calls about the security system. Mark could install it for you as soon as possible.”

“Even in this weather?”

“Yep.”

She agreed and returned to her room.

After she left he realized she hadn’t kissed him, and he wondered if she was having second thoughts about their night together.

* * * *

After eating a quick breakfast in her apartment that morning, Alexander and Patty left Sentry Security. They’d let Adam know they intended to head to her bakery and then to her place to get more clothes. Alexander had convinced Patty she should live at Sentry at least until after the security system was installed in her home. Mark promised to check on security systems available in the area and if he couldn’t find what he needed he’d rig something that would do the trick in the short run.

As Alexander tinkered with the back door to the bakery, Patty rubbed her hands together and slid her gloves back over her fingers. Temperatures had dropped to twenty degrees above zero and it had stopped snowing. Yet they’d accumulated somewhere between six and twelve inches in different parts of town. Fortunately, not many people were out on the road. Few businesses remained open. Some law enforcement and military vehicles moved around the area. People were spending time huddled at home; gas and electricity prices had soared in the last year and made it more difficult this winter than last to keep warm.

Alexander finished work on the back door. “This looks sturdy enough for now. Mark will need to look at this, too. Maybe he can get over here this afternoon.”

“Thank you.” She brushed her gloved hand over his shoulder. “You’re handy to have around. And poor Mark is going to miss his time off if you keep volunteering him to do things for me.”

“When I told him what you needed, he volunteered. It’s not company business, so I’d never order him to do it.”

“That’s great. I’ll definitely pay him for the work.”

He shook his head. “I doubt he’ll take money for it.”

“But the parts and labor…I mean doesn’t that cost him?”

“Sometimes, but a lot of the time he’s good at building things himself, and if he doesn’t he’s excellent at finding people who owe him. So he gets things for free sometimes.”

She grinned as they left through the back door. “Like day-old donuts.”

He returned her smile. “Yep.”

They piled into the SUV and made their way toward her house. Again they crept along at a slow pace in consideration of slick roads.

Just outside of town, on the road that entered her neighborhood and then segued onto her road, he said, “Son of a bitch.”

“What?”

“Someone is tailing us.”

Fear jolted her, and it felt like every muscle in her body tightened. Her breath shortened. She swung around in the seat and peered through the window. “That black SUV? It looks a lot like this one. He’s not really that close. How can you tell it’s a tail?”

“Part intuition and he’s been following us for a hell of a long way.”

She didn’t doubt Alexander’s ability to gauge a threat. “What do we do?”

“Get outta this neighborhood and back to Sentry. Do you recognize that SUV? Is it Dominic’s?”

“I don’t know what he drives. I didn’t see it when he was here at the bakery or when he went to my house. Damn.”

A little muscle in his jaw twitched. “It’s okay.” He turned on the radio and the hands free system awakened. “My cell phone…take it and look up Sentry Security and dial Adam’s number.”

She quickly found Adam’s number and hoped the cell service worked well right now; she could guarantee it was spotty on occasion and now wasn’t the time for that to happen.

When Adam answered his voice came over the radio, and Alexander gave him the situation. Before he could tell them exactly where they were at, the cell phone died.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, snatching the phone and trying to redial.

“It’s okay, the vehicle has backed off a bit. Maybe I overreacted. Try Adam again, though. It’s better to be safe.”

This time when they connected Adam couldn’t hear them.