Chapter Sixteen

It was the early hours of morning when Alex navigated into the underground parking garage of the hotel BeBe booked for them. Olivia was quiet and pale, but she was hanging in, keeping it together. She was one of the strongest women he knew. He wished he could take the pain away. It killed him to see her hurting. He really wished she hadn’t seen the bodies. It was something that could never be unseen.

He found an open spot close to the entrance and he helped her from the SUV. “I’ll come back for the bags after we get settled into the room.” Once the bodies had been removed and the scene processed, Detective Kramer had packed a suitcase for Olivia. His clothes were still in the shopping bags, so that served as his luggage.

They took the elevator to the lobby and approached the desk. BeBe had already taken care of signing them in, so they just needed to pick up keys. The room was registered under a COBRA Securities account, so it would be impossible to trace it to them. Seeing as how his name was plastered all over the news with the release of the shooting video, that was a necessity. The elevator took them to their floor. Alex slid the key card into the slot and pushed open the door.

Olivia inhaled sharply. “Wow, this is incredible.” Floor to ceiling windows overlooked the glowing lights of Manhattan. There were two bedrooms located on either side of the main living room. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but BeBe did a wonderful job as always.

“Wait here and keep the door locked. I’ll get the luggage.” Because he couldn’t help himself, he brushed a kiss across her lips before he headed down to gather their belongings. He stopped at the front desk and asked for a map of the hotel layout. He needed to know all of the entries and exits just in case. He sent a quick text to BeBe, thanking her for the arrangements and letting her know they arrived, then he grabbed a cart to load the bags. He placed Olivia’s suitcase on first, then all of the shopping bags and he wheeled it back to the elevator. When he entered the suite, Olivia was standing in front of the windows with her arms wrapped around her middle, gazing at the twinkling multi-colored lights of the city. He didn’t even realize he was moving until he came up behind her and gathered her in his arms. She sighed and turned, lifting her arms around his neck.

“Alex, I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

She pulled his head down for a kiss that rocked his world. All of his blood fled south but he called on the one functioning brain cell left to do the right thing and break the kiss. He would feel like a first-class jerk for taking advantage of her after all she’d been through today. He touched his forehead to hers. “Olivia—”

She stuck a finger against his lips. “No, shh. Please, Alex. I came close to dying today. So did you.” Her voice broke. “Darla did die.”

“But—”

She ignored his protest, weak as it was. “I’m sad but I’m not broken. You aren’t taking advantage of me. If anything, I’m taking advantage of you. Life is short and anything can happen. Tomorrow isn’t a guarantee. I don’t want to live another moment without feeling you inside me again.”

Alex groaned. How could he say no to that? His willpower crumbled and he crushed his lips to hers. She moaned and he reached down to slide an arm under her legs and lift her up. He had Olivia in his arms again and this time, he was going slow. He wanted to learn every nook and cranny on her beautiful body. Last time, they hadn’t even managed to get undressed. He planned on rectifying that now.

He gently placed her on the bed and gazed into her eyes. “You are so damn beautiful.” His voice was a low rumble as he kissed a path from her lips to her neck. Her skin was creamy and smooth and tasted divine. Sliding his hands up her stomach, he lifted her shirt to reveal a peach bra that cupped her lovingly. He ran his fingers across the lace edge and she gasped. The clasp was in the front so he unhooked it and slowly peeled the fabric apart. Her pink nipples were tight and puckered and absolutely perfect. He could come from just looking at her. He ran the back of his fingers across one breast and her spine arched off the bed.

“Alex.”

He lowered his head and feasted, her moans urging him on. He alternated from one breast to the other, ignoring the needs of his own body to pleasure her. Her hands gripped his head, her nails digging into his scalp. He was so hard he could easily pound a few hundred nails and he needed to be in her right now but he forced himself to go slow. The last time, he fell on her like a horny teenager. He wasn’t doing that again. Although, he wanted her more than his next breath, he was afraid it would be over embarrassingly quick. He’d been dreaming of this for months.

“Alex, please, I can’t take any more. I need you now.”

#

Olivia was drowning in sensations, the pleasure almost too intense to bear. And Alex was only playing with her breasts. At her plea, he moved back to her lips. He was an amazing kisser and she could almost climax from that alone. His hand coasted down her stomach to slide beneath the band of her yoga pants. When he touched her through her panties, her back bowed off the bed again. Then he slid a finger beneath the band and she gasped.

“You’re ready for me, baby.”

“Yes. Please, Alex, now.”

He sat back on his heels and peeled his shirt off. The muscles of his eight-pack were clearly defined and her fingers reached out and traced the hard ridges. She reveled in his ripped body. There wasn’t an extra ounce of fat on him. When her gaze landed on the round hole in the middle of his chest, her heart squeezed painfully. He could have died that day. A life without Alex in it wasn’t something she wanted to think about. Her gaze travelled to the bandage around his bicep. Another gunshot. Another brush with death.

“My turn.” She lunged up and forced him to his back. He went without protest. She leaned down and pressed her lips to the bullet wound and felt his entire body shudder. He gripped the back of her head and urged her up to meet his lips. When she reached for his zipper, he stilled her hands.

“Babe, I wanted to go slow, but I need you too much.”

Fine with her. She didn’t need foreplay…she just needed Alex. He made quick work of the rest of their clothes. Then he leaned over the bed to dig in his pocket and produced a foil packet. His smile was sheepish. “I was hopeful,” he admitted as he sheathed himself. Once he was covered, he came down over her again. He clasped their fingers together and trapped her hands beside her head. Looking into her eyes, he slowly slid inside and they both groaned. She bit her lip at the exquisite pressure. It was too much. Not enough. When he was completely embedded in her, he held still.

“Olivia, look at me.”

She didn’t realize her lids had drifted shut. She blinked up at him and the emotion in his eyes almost brought her to tears. She came so close to blurting out that she loved him. She skimmed her heels against the back of his legs and then locked them together behind his back, wanting, needing to be as close to him as possible.

“I’m going to have to apologize ahead of time,” he growled at her.

“What for? This feels incredible.”

“It’s going to be over pretty damn quick.” Then his lips crushed hers and he started moving. Slow at first but he soon picked up speed. The pleasure was too intense, too overwhelming. She didn’t think her body could withstand it. Someone was screaming and she thought it might be her. Lights exploded behind her eyes in a kaleidoscope of color and she dug her heels in his back to lock him against her as she came. The sensations went on and on and when she felt him go over the edge, it set her off again. When her body finally relaxed, she wasn’t sure she was breathing. Alex’s weight was a comfort and he was still deep inside her. She knew he’d found his release, but he was still hard.

“I need to pull out so the condom doesn’t leak, but I can’t get my body to move. It wants to stay locked inside you.” Her inner muscles contracted at his words and he groaned. “Babe, you’re killing me.” He levered himself up, looked into her eyes and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was sweet and beautiful and tears did pop into her eyes this time.

“Be right back.” He gradually slid out of her and her muscles contracted again, trying to keep him in place. They both groaned. He dropped his forehead to hers, kissed her again and then levered himself off the bed. She felt cold and empty without him filling her.

When he returned, he carefully lifted her up and placed her under the covers before climbing in behind her and urging her against him. Comforted by the warmth of his body and the security of his arms, she fell into a deep sleep.