ROMAN (Lane Brothers Book 5) (103 page)

              Even from the other side of the globe, Crystal was still messing things up. Thomas’s conversation with her lasted an excruciatingly long time. The whole while Sasha was desperate to have her needs satisfied. Her arousal was only maintained by the sight of him through the glass windows pacing up and down and gesticulating wildly.

              As the time drew on, she’d decided to go inside. She didn’t want to disturb Thomas but she couldn’t exactly stand in his garden dripping wet forever. Sheepishly, she retrieved her clothes from the pool bottom of the pool and climbed out.

              As she entered the house, she found Pippa sitting on the plush leather sofa listening intently to the conversation taking place in the background. When she saw Sasha, she handed her a towel.

“Darling, you look like a drowned rat.”

              “Thanks,” Sasha said, towelling off her hair. “So, how’s it going?”

              Pippa crossed her slim legs. “Well, she heard about the lawyers coming tomorrow and decided to negotiate some kind of deal before it gets to that stage. I think she’s convincing him to drop the charges on the condition she goes into rehab.”

              “Oh,” Sasha said. She didn’t know how to feel about that. Crystal’s actions had turned her life upside down. She’d humiliated her and cost her her career. Shouldn’t she pay for it?

              “How’s it going with you two?” Pippa said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I saw your naughty escapades in the pool.”

              Sasha bit her lip. “I don’t know. Things are progressing…”

              Progressing into a weird power-play. But they were two consenting adults. If that’s what did it for them, that’s what did it for them. Teasing, tantalizing, taking command. Fighting and fucking. It was just how things worked between them.

              “Good. Keep at it.” Pippa grinned. “No pun intended.” Then her eyes flashed with mischief. “Shall I tell him you’ve gone to bed?”

              Sasha knew what she was suggesting. But Sasha knew Thomas wouldn’t want to sleep with her after his conversation with Crystal. He’d be too stressed. And anyway, she’d satisfied him already, there was no reason for him to come to her now, was there? He’d proven his point.

              “Actually,” Sasha said. “I think I will go to bed. To sleep. I’m exhausted.”

              “I bet you are,” Pippa said with a smirk. Then she smiled kindly, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

              In her room, Sasha looked at the sexy Amore outfits she’d modelled that day. Black leather, lace, and see-through fabric. This was who she was now. Her old fashion sense didn’t factor into Thomas Lloyd’s world. Was she little more than walking advert? Or did she like this new version of herself? The one that was exploring her kinky side, the was experimenting with sexy new looks, that was learning how to fuck when she wanted to for the pure pleasure of it rather than some vague desire for companionship.

Maybe should care more about the changes she was going through, but the truth was, she didn’t. Nothing felt like a sacrifice when the payoff was steamy sex sessions with Thomas. She still had the taste of him in her mouth and the yearning for him in her groin. But thanks to Crystal, she hadn’t got to enjoy a climax. And thanks to Crystal, Thomas was unlikely to be in the mood to give her one.

              She knew she should be more sympathetic. The fire that had scarred Thomas was the reason why Crystal had spiralled into drug use. If she could feel sympathy for Thomas, then surely she could feel it for Crystal too.

              Sasha went into the en suite bathroom and stripped down. She looked at her body in the full length mirror. She
was
hot. How had she never noticed before? She’d tried wearing mature, professional clothes for work. Though they’d shown of her body, they’d never eluded to her sexual prowess, a prowess she was now only beginning to understand.

She got into the shower and began washing the chlorine and Thomas’s spunk off her skin. As she lathered her body she thought about Thomas, about his cock, about the sex they had that took her to places she never knew she could go. She slid her hand down to her clitoris and began pleasuring herself.

Even masturbation had been reinvented by Thomas. She felt no shame anymore. She didn’t even feel the need to be quiet. She had every right to do with her body as she desired.

“Well that’s hot,” a voice came from the door. Sasha turned. Thomas was standing there, lounging against the door frame. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Sasha turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She was naked and dripping wet, a state that she knew Thomas found irresistible.

              “Did you want something?” Sasha purred.

              Though his eyes burned with arousal, Sasha could tell he wasn’t here for sex. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

              “I wanted to talk to you,” Thomas said.

              Sasha narrowed her eyes with bemusement. Talking seemed like the sort of thing a couple would do, the sort of thing people who were attached to each other enjoyed. Talking wasn’t something two casual sex partners should be getting involved in.

              “Okay…” she said warily. “What do you want to talk about?”

              “My sister.”

              “Oh.”

Sasha wrapped a towel around herself then went into the bedroom. She sat on the bed and began towelling off her hair. Thomas took the armchair opposite.

“Hard conversation?” Sasha said.

              He shook his head. “You have no idea.”

              Seeing Thomas sad and vulnerable made Sasha’s heart ache for him. But that wasn’t something she was supposed to feel. It was an emotion she couldn’t reconcile with the sexually liberated woman she was attempting to be. Sex, not affection, that was the new Sasha, wasn’t it?

              “She’s agreed to go to rehab,” he said. “As long as we don’t press charges.”

              Sasha nodded. “That’s okay.”

              “It is?”

              She shrugged. “She’s your sister. You love her and have to do what’s best for her.”

              Thomas shook his head. “You haven’t been online yet today, have you?”

              “No, I haven’t,” Sasha said. “And I don’t intend to. Thomas, I don’t care what people are saying about me. About us. None of it matters.”

              “She ruined your life.”

              Sasha smiled and picked her towel between her fingers. “My life doesn’t feel that ruined to be honest with you. I get to be here, in this beautiful house, on this beautiful island. I get to fly in private jets and model for magazines and eat lobster and drink mojitos. And I get to fuck you.”

              Thomas’s eyebrows drew together. “Is that all that matters to you now? What about your job?”

              “What about it?”

              “When I met you all you cared about was working.”

              “That was before I realized what it felt like to orgasm three times in a row,” Sasha quipped.

              But Thomas wasn’t smiling. A moment passed as he looked at her stony face. “I shouldn’t have brought you here,” he said finally.

              The abrupt change in the course of the conversation made Sasha’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

              “You’re changing. You’ve lost sight of who you are.”

              “No,” Sasha contested. “I’m becoming who I was all along. The person I denied myself.”

              “You really think that?”

              Sasha couldn’t believe how condescending he was being. “I
know
that, Thomas.”

              Thomas sighed and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have done this to you.”

              Anger rose through Sasha. “Then why the fuck did you? Because you want sex on tap? Because you knew I just can’t say no?”

              Thomas narrowed his eyes with disdain. “Wow. You really don’t think much of me.”

“You haven’t give me much reason to feel differently.”

Thomas ran his hands through his hair. “Sasha, I brought you here because I want you...”

“...For sex,” she interrupted, crying out.

“For more than just sex!” he shouted back.

Silence fell around them. Thomas’s face was red with passion. Sasha panted.

“I want to forgive you,” Thomas said. “Because I want to be with you. Actually with you. For companionship. Friendship. A relationship. Not just for a PR stunt.”

Sasha exhaled her anger. “You can have me,” she whispered. “You always could. The only person holding you back is you.”

Thomas gazed into her eyes. “I know that. It’s just… with what happened with Crystal, with all the women in my life, I’m finding it hard to trust people. My own sister showed my scars to the world.” His face screwed up with anguish. “That’s why I immediately thought the worst when I saw you with that man. Crystal, the media, the way people use you up and spit you out, it’s made me paranoid.”

Sasha felt a twinge of guilt. He wasn’t paranoid to think there was tension between her and Chris. There had been a kiss. But it was meaningless, hardly even reciprocated. Thomas was opening up to her, the last thing she needed to do was confirm all his fears.

“You need to take a leap of faith,” Sasha said. “Or you’ll be stuck in that place forever.”

Thomas stood and paced over to the bed. “You’re beautiful, you know.” Then he kissed her, softly, tenderly.

“What are you doing, Thomas?” she gasped.

“Taking a leap of faith.”

He kept his gaze fixed on her as he reached across and slid his hand through her towel. Her skin was still moist from the shower and she could tell Thomas was turned on by the sensation of her wet breast in his hand. He peeled back the towel like he was opening a gift and swallowed as his eyes took in the sight of her body.

He moved away from the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. He pulled it down over his shoulders, exposing the scarred flesh beneath. Sasha knew not to react to his scars but to keep her eyes locked on his.

He unfastened his belt and slid his pants down to the ground. Sasha watched on, feeling her anticipation increase as Thomas removed each item of his clothes. When he removed his pants, he was already fully erect.

Sasha looked at the gorgeous man before her. Thomas Lloyd really was a fine specimen. Muscles bulged in his arms. A thin layer of hair lay across his chest. This was only the second time he’d ever been fully naked, and she’d been privileged to be there both times. She knew what a responsibility this was.

When they slept together in the past, Sasha would have ordered him into her bed, or he would have ordered her to undress for him. But this time it felt different. There was no need for commands for them to feel aroused. They’d passed through an unspoken barrier, across an unknown threshold. Sasha knew that just the smell and touch and taste of one another was going to be enough for them this time.

She licked her lips with excitement as Thomas rolled a condom down his rock hard cock. Then he slithered into the bed beside Sasha and wrapped her in his arms. His skin was searing hot against hers.

They stayed like that, side by side, holding one another, breathing together, stroking each other gently. Then Thomas pressed his mouth against Sasha’s, moving his tongue softly against hers.

She pulled one of her legs up and over, resting it in the curve of his waste. She wanted to be as close to him as possible. In this position, the tip of his penis pressed against her clit. She shuffled a little further up the bed so that she felt him at her entrance instead.

The sensation was good for both of them. Thomas pulled out of the kiss and made a humming noise. Sasha smiled in reciprocation.

She felt Thomas’s hand slide down to his cock. He guided it gently into her. At first, he pressed it lightly just inside the opening. His touch was gentle. Sasha had no idea something so gentle could send such huge waves of enjoyment crashing through her.

She clasped onto his shoulders, feel his warm, soft skin beneath her fingertips, breathing in his scent.

He slid in deeper and Sasha’s pleasure grew even more intense. Thomas stayed at that depth, rotating his penis inside her so that she could feel the pressure on every single part. He was exploring, searching for the sweet spot.

She was so hot and wet, Thomas had no choice but to slide in deeper still. This time a groan escaped from her throat.

“There?” he said.

She nodded and bit her lip as he applied pressure with his hard erection.

“Yes,” she whispered. “There.”

Thomas held her tightly and rocked gently, rhythmically, so that each inward movement made her breath catch. The sex was slow and precise. Less of a fevered moment of lust and more a moment of union. There was no need for dirty talk.

Thomas rolled Sasha onto her back and lay above her. He ran his fingers through her wet hair, splayed out on the pillow beneath her. He ran his fingers down her cheek, along her lips, parting them.