About Forever Read online

  “Careful, big guy,” she murmured around the laughter that threatened.

  Laughter. When an hour ago I was crying.

  There was wonder in her eyes as she drew back and looked at him, really looked at him. Only Sasha could take her through such a range of emotions in such a short time.

  He playfully turned things around. “Careful like this?” he asked, and his fingers found her center. Just enough to tease, he stroked her heat through her clothing, the friction a sweet torment against her swollen clit.

  She went limp in his arms, throwing her head back and staring without seeing as his fingertips discovered her all over again.

  “Like that?” he asked.

  “Yeah, just like that,” she replied, pressing her eyelids tightly shut, savoring the sweetness.

  Takeout forgotten, they found their way to the stairs, and then having to collapse into a long embrace that left them in a rather intense discussion of what was and was not possible in a stairwell. After some experimentation that almost sent them both tumbling to the first floor, they retired to the master bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. By then he had her breasts out of her bra, and was fishing around under her shirt to cup her gently.

  His fingers were rough. His hands were the hands of someone who worked hard, callused and strong. Their heat both soothing and erotic. She was so aware of how delicate her body was next to his. He pushed the shirt up till her breasts were exposed, and inhaled sharply like he’d never seen him before. Kallie’s heart stuttered, adding in an extra beat when he looked at her like that, like she was magical, something wondrous he’d never seen before.

  Like he was something wondrous to her.

  He touched his tongue to her nipple, soft as a butterfly lands on a flower, until it became a stone between his teeth. Taking hold of the delicate mound and lifting it with his fingers, he paused to lick the sensitive underside with the point of his tongue.

  Kallie drummed her feet on the bed, wild and oversensitive from the attention, dying from how ticklish his beard felt against her skin, how delicately his tongue traced the swell of her breast.

  She’d never been so wet in her life. When he stripped away her underwear, he had to see it, had to feel how much she desired him. His hand squelched between her thighs as he inserted one finger then two, and pumped as he lifted her legs up and over his shoulders. She made soft mewling sounds as he pulled away then bent his head to taste her.

  She could have wept it was so beautiful. How he knew just where to touch, she had no idea. His hot tongue found her most aching places. If he’d landed on any one of them for too long, she would have come completely undone against his lips. But he drew away just when she thought she was going to slip over that precipice. Letting the cool air of the room cool the heat between her thighs before diving in again. He lifted his chin up and down, pressing as he supped. He worked her hips in counter rhythm against his mouth.

  She was blissfully helpless. She felt her climax just hovering there, not quite beyond reach. She strained against it, holding it off desperately, wanting to prolong the sweetness for an even greater intensity.

  Her chest grew tight as she fought the pleasure coming to her, moving so Sasha was slightly off his mark. But then he landed it again, and everything realigned for the ultimate rapture. Kallie could no longer deny herself or him. She let go, allowing the sweet spasms to roll through her body, building from little tiny ripples to a full-blown tumbling that tore through her with the intensity of an earthquake.

  She again was consumed. She felt it from head to toe, muscles clutching and releasing from the deepest places within her in a powerful, pleasurable rhythm.

  Sasha rose from her.

  She watched him through lowered lids.

  He looked very pleased with himself as he reared back. Her eyes opened wide as she realized how rock-hard his cock was—gasping at his utter perfection.

  He slipped into her, gliding against her electrified flesh, setting off sweet new pleasures, taking her orgasm-riddled body to new heights. Her cries filled the room as Sasha pounded into her.

  A new climax began to build.

  With a somewhat detached awe, she beheld her magnificent man as he made love to her. She studied his expressions, the joy that filled his face. How could there be thoughts of drama and doubt in such a moment as this? Their world consisted of only the two of them, rising and falling together in an age-old rhythm that left her body singing and sore.

  For such an enormous man, Sasha had a great deal of grace. He swung his body with barely- restrained power and easily drove into her. Kallie lifted her feet straight up into the air and let them fall apart with legs extended and flexed, giving him all of her, without holding back. Enjoying the way his gaze fell upon her, loving the lascivious way he took her with only his eyes.

  Callused fingers traced the tender inside of her thigh, making her shiver all the way down into her core. She drew up tighter around him, sending pulses of pleasure through them both. He was tortured in the best possible way; she knew the signs. Still, he reached between them and pressed on her climax-sensitized flesh, and with that touch brought her orgasm fully back to life.

  Not that she needed it. She was already there. Kallie convulsed helplessly around Sasha, more powerfully than before, as he drove into her again and again. He was a beast of a lover, giant and almost inhuman in his intensity. But he had amazing willpower, and just as she thought he would drive them both over the edge again he held back, slowing his pace to prolong their sweet agony.

  She watched as his eyelids fluttered. He drew air in through his nostrils and bit his lip, trying to withstand the pleasure that their union brought to them both. Kallie had already achieved climax once, but was frantic with the need for the next. She knew the torment he was enduring because she felt it, too. He pulled out and flipped her over until she was on all fours, then slammed into her again until she just about came undone. She arched her back, jutting her ass out, wriggling a little against him to drive him crazy.

  Sasha responded with grunts of delight. He gripped her hips and slammed into her, slapping her against his massive thighs so her flesh shook. Their bodies colliding made a smacking noise as he stroked her. He was in a zone.

  Kallie touched herself. She drew herself up tight around his steely hardness to rekindle the sweet orgasm that had electrified her so. It was so easy to do in this position. So tantalizing to feed into the already-building orgasm until she knew she could hold back no longer.

  She slid on the bed, trying to stay upright against such urgent pounding. “I’m going to come again...” she gasped, letting him know she was there.

  He was, too. She felt him tensing against her. He muttered a sound that was a mixture of a curse and praise before he roared his delight. He glided into her with a seamless rhythm, holding onto her until he could move no more, until he canted over her, shaking and spasming, crying out as she, too, convulsed on him.

  It was the sweetest, loveliest moment that she’d ever known. She couldn’t be more content. When they were together like this, everything was perfect. They were perfect. There was no weird history or questions. Right here, in this moment, she felt sure of them as a couple. Thinking that together they could work through everything.

  They collapsed onto the bed, staring upward at the ceiling, sweetly dazed, like they were gazing at the stars. Their feet and hands gently touched one another so they never lost connection as their moment washed through them both.

  Here, in his arms, she could believe that they’d never been at odds with each other at all. The smile that pulled at her face should have lasted forever.

  But eventually the desolation and sadness found her again, as the magic wore off, as their bodies became cold. He moved, and she shifted until they were each lying there in the dark... alone.

  It would take more than smoking-hot sex to fix what had derailed them.

  Chapter Six

  It was amazing what an intense, sweaty session d
id for her appetite.

  Sasha rolled over and dozed but Kallie stared at the ceiling, thinking. She kept wanting to smile, but wasn’t entirely sure if she should yet. It was hard to dare to believe that everything was just fine, but when Sasha looked for all the world like he was settling in for the night, everything began to seem more and more possible.

  So, okay, maybe there were still things to work through. But right now, here in this place, everything was okay. So, she took a deep cleansing breath, and fought a sudden attack of the giggles when her stomach rumbled. A quick glance at Sasha showed him snoring away, sated and content. Kallie sighed in contentment, and reached for her robe. He might be ready to call it a night. She needed something to eat.

  She shuffled to the kitchen barefoot to search the refrigerator. There, still in the bags, was the food she had had delivered. The one takeout container still sat on the counter. She poked at it somewhat dubiously, then figured they hadn’t been upstairs quite that long and set it with the rest, trying to remember what she’d ordered.

  Thankfully the restaurant had sent over quite large portions. Munching hummus on pita bread, she shifted the rest of the food onto to two plates for reheating.

  An iron forearm snaked around her tiny waist, lifting her off her feet. As soon as her feet hit linoleum again, she twisted in his arms, laughing. Sasha hovered over her, an absolute giant, still and breathtaking. She smacked him hard on the chest. “Quit sneaking up on me like that.”

  “I’m too big to sneak.”

  Kallie snorted. She’d never met a quieter man in her life. Somehow, he could move without making a sound at all. “I was heating us up some food. I thought you might be hungry.”

  He nuzzled the base of her neck with his lips.

  The thrill of his contact nearly lifted her off the floor, this time without his help.

  “I’ve got to go,” he said, and for the first time it registered with her that he was fully dressed.

  Kallie’s heart sank. It hurt. She had broken up with him and he’d made up with her, but to have plans after a moment like they’d just shared, it didn’t seem right. “I thought you wanted to talk,” she remarked, wondering just how much had really changed after all. “We really didn’t have a chance to talk. I mean, you cut straight to the good part.”

  Sasha didn’t say anything but rather just looked at her, his eyes inscrutable.

  “Are we good?” she prodded, already knowing the answer.

  When he didn’t answer a second time she searched his face, in a quiet panic. She’d been a fool to hope after all.

  She stepped back in horror. “We aren’t, are we?” Her voice rose on a half-hysterical note.

  “We will be,” he promised, stroking the hair from her face. “I just need to think. I came over with every intention of talking, but the good part got in the way. Now, I need to think.”

  “I see,” she said, incredulous and hurt. “You just wanted to give me a once around the block to see if it was worth conversation? Okay. What’s the deal with the papers, the lawyer, and the reason I’m here and not in Ocean City? I can set an appointment to talk from there, too, you know.”

  “Kallie...” He rolled his eyes and stared at her, arms crossed.

  “And the reason why I’m acting so bitchy right now,” she said, trying to keep her voice from quivering, “is I know I can’t ask you where you’re going and if I can go with you.”

  His jaw worked as he gritted his teeth.

  “Fine. Go.” She threw up her hands and started shoving takeout back into the containers. “Please go. I’m leaving and I’m not coming back, and you are not to come and get me, do you understand? I didn’t tell you what I was thinking or feeling before, so I’ll just leave you with it. I wanted a real relationship with you. But I couldn’t be with you while you’ve compartmentalized sections of your life I can’t be a part of. I could even have lived with mild law-breaking, but not if you do it at my expense, which is what I believed you were doing at the bakery like you did with my first business—something you’ve never even denied, I might note.”

  She placed the container into the fridge and turned to face him, arms crossed like his, her heart a rock that wouldn’t be softened again. “And I certainly don’t want to have a guy who has friends he won’t even introduce me to.”

  There was more, but she couldn’t even finish. In a minute she’d retrieve the takeout from the fridge just to have the pleasure of throwing it at his head, but she wanted to take it back to the beach apartment with her. She could jolly well eat it there.

  “Goodbye, Sasha” she said, pointing at the door. “Thanks for coming by to get your rocks off before it became business as usual.”

  “You love me,” he said, his voice calm. His tone measured. “I know you do. I do want to talk with you. I just can’t do it right now. You’re turning this into something it’s not.”

  “Love? Hardly. Addiction maybe. It just feels like love. You’re a charismatic guy, and I believe most anyone who meets you has strong feelings about you. I don’t think you love me.”

  He raised his eyes to the ceiling, exasperated. “Okay, yeah, you got it. Whatever you want. Maybe time apart is for the best. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s addiction on both our parts, because if I’m near you I’ve got to have you. And before you ask if that’s the way it’s with everyone, no it’s not. I’ve never had this before.”

  There’s got to be a support group for this somewhere. Kallie sighed and shook her head. “Look, can I borrow a car?”

  “You want to break up with me, but you want ties?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’ll buy one of my own as soon as I get to where I’m going. I’ve got my own money. But you know as well as I do I can’t buy a car this time of night, and I definitely want to hit the road now. I’m not staying around here another second.”

  “So, let me give you a car,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air. “Maybe you’d like a driver to go with it?”

  “Oh, for shit’s sake... No. I just want to borrow a car until tomorrow. Yes or no?”

  “I owe you that much,” he admitted after a long pause, during which they just stared at each other. “I fucked up your business, you said it yourself. If that dork you called a boyfriend—”

  “Fiancé,” she corrected.

  “Even worse,” he said, shaking his head. “Had half a spine... never mind. You’re getting a car. Sell it when you want, but at least you’ll have it.”

  “I kind of wanted to take off ASAP,” she pointed out, already halfway packed in her mind.

  “I’ll have one delivered in a little bit. Pack up. Get your appetite back. Eat,” he said, and sighed. He pulled her to his lips, lingering at her forehead.

  “Don’t.” She put her palms flat against his chest and pushed hard enough to give him the message.

  Sasha didn’t shower or anything. He just left.

  Chapter Seven

  Sasha’s definition of ‘a little bit’ was the wee hours of the morning. Well before dawn, Kallie was roused by the commotion of a couple cars pulling up front, which caused the dogs to bark and wake her. She then heard the drop of keys in her mailbox.

  As soon as the fog cleared her brain, she remembered. Sasha was leaving her a car as promised. Seriously. He had somehow gotten her a car in the middle of the night.

  But then she’d suspected he could pretty much do anything when she asked. A part of her wondered if the car was stolen. How did one get a car in the freaking middle of the night? She lay for a while, staring at the ceiling while she thought about it. I’m sure there’s some legitimate thing here I’m not seeing...

  But she couldn’t find it. And finally, despite how comfortable the bed was, despite how exhausted she was, she recognized that there would be no going back to sleep. Her mind raced in too many directions. Cars, sex, the argument. She kept going around and around until there was nothing to do but admit defeat and get up. Besides, it was a long drive. She might as w
ell get started.

  She didn’t need coffee. Once she was awake and fixated on a plan, the fatigue left her body. The crappy little beach apartment called. She could finish out her sleep there as well as anywhere, and the drive might wear her out.

  AS SHE GOT TO OCEAN City, the sun was just coming up. Kallie parked the gargantuan car that Sasha gave her in the garage, wishing that he’d gotten her something a little more fuel-efficient. But then, Sasha was never one to think practically. She’d stopped at a big box store outside of town and found a bathing suit, towel, and ice chest easy enough. Her plan from this point out was sun and sand. An hour spent baking in the sun might be what she needed to detox her grief and confusion.

  And even if it didn’t work, she’d still have the morning on the beach. The soothing crash of waves on the shore would at the very least calm some of the turmoil within her. Or so she hoped.

  She’d bought some delicious-smelling coconut-scented sunscreen and coated her body with it. It felt like forever since she’d worked out and eaten right. The takeout she’d finally eaten last night after Sasha had left had tasted good, but still wasn’t a replacement for the kinds of meals she used to make for herself. She sipped water, idly planning a trip to the store for salad fixings, maybe some fish. Her apartment had a small balcony, just large enough for a tiny grill. She drifted off into a heavy sleep, wondering how much a grill cost, and whether it would be worth the expense. An hour later she was awakened by the buzzing of her cell phone. “What?” she answered groggily, confused for a minute until she realized she was still on the beach, and that if she didn’t get out of the sun soon she was going to become the lobster she’d been dreaming about.

  She assumed it would be Sasha. Who else did she have to call her anymore? Her old friends had drifted away after the whole fiasco with her fiancé and her business.

  That needs to change, too, she thought idly as she waited for the person on the other end to respond.