ALAYNAAfter gathering my composure and making sure all the kitchen chores were done, I shower in my room, change into my casual nightgown, and then hurry to Brandon’s room. Inside, I find him sitting on the couch by his bed, looking freshly bathed and scrolling on his tablet.
I sink my teeth on my lower lip playfully at the thought of crawling behind him and getting his attention all for myself. Stealthily I stalk over and wrap my arms around his neck. He stops what he is doing, and I begin planting small kisses on the nape of his neck.
He groans. “Alayna...”I spin around the couch and drop in his lap. I don’t give him much time to respond; I aggressively crush my lips against his—kissing him as if his mouth were my favorite meal. He reaches for my face and shoves his fingers into my hair then plays with it, his fingertips massaging my scalp tenderly. Our mouths dance in sync, my tongue sliding along with his, dipping into his mouth. It is an unhurried, lush kiss, but our breaths quicken.
Tilting my head, he buries his face in my neck. I am grinding against him, my panties already damp and his erection bumping on my crotch.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispers roughly, his gray eyes piercing mine. He is really beautiful, his face looking like a work of art, like a sculptor’s favorite creation. I suddenly feel somewhat inferior, as though no one could equal his beauty.
I clutch his shirt. “I want you now,” I say as if begging painfully.
His eyebrows furrow. “But don’t you have something to say?”
I ignore him. I’m not sure if I’m going to like his interrogation or where our conversation would lead, so I lower my face again and kiss him like it’s the only thing I need in the world. I love having him lose control; I want him overwhelmed with desire because of me; I’d like him to think I could make him feel better, too, in my way...
But he pulls away again and cups my face. “Easy, darling. I want to talk to you first.”
Darling. “You don’t want me?” I ask.
He chuckles delightedly, and the sound sends a tingle down my already damp sex. “Not true. You have no idea what I want to do with you right now.”
I pout, feeling embarrassed by my own assertiveness. I feel my cheeks burning as I move away from his lap and sit in the space next to him.
“What else do you want to know? If it’s about Cassius, you have nothing to worry about now. We didn’t even have to say anything; all your actions earlier gave it away,” I snap because I want him to hurry up and continue what we started.
“I already know about that.” Putting his arm on my shoulder, he brings me closer to him. “What I want is to know everything about you.” His lips touch my ear. “Every single detail about you.”
I shiver at the vibration that his voice creates. I turn my face toward him. “About Jason and Arianna? I believe they already told you about us during dinner.”
“Yes, but I meant everything“What’s there to talk about anyway? Things like this come out naturally.”
“Except that I still don’t know about you and this man called Drake.”
I catch my breath, and something prickly crawls on my limbs, sending bolts of electricity down to my toes. I slide to the other side of the couch, although there’s not much space to escape. I suddenly feel powerless.
How did he even know himJason?“Is that what you two talked about?”
He frowns. “What?”
“You spoke to Jason. Did he tell you that?”
“So he’s an important person.”
“What?”“He didn’t.” Brandon tries to reach for me again, but I stand up. “What is he to you, Alayna?”
What is he to you? whowhat “No, stop. I’m not talking about that monster!” I snap. I was afraid this day would come. I don’t want Brandon to know about him or how my life was with the devil. It’s ugly. I was ugly.
Brandon grits his teeth. He stands up and grasps my arms. “What did he do to you?”
I shake my head firmly.
“Does this have something to do with your nightmares?”
Goosebumps rise all over my body, and my heartbeat quickens. I tried to walk away from that past, tried to move on with my life, and I did with Chris’s help. I don’t know how Brandon found out, but I can’t believe that abuser could still ruin my life after all this time.
I shake my head. “Please, I can’t talk about this. It’s not worth it.”
Brandon pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. He starts to rub my back and hushes me. “All right, it’s okay. I don’t mean to upset you. Look, I keep thinking that this—whatever it isHe closes the gap between us, and our mouths collide again. He picks me up and takes me to his bed without breaking the kiss.
“You should know, Miss Hart, that I will do anything for you.”
“I know...” That’s why he can’t know. If he knows, He starts by unknotting the ties of my nightgown, and my bare torso lies before him. His eyes gleam in the dimness of his bedroom.
“No bra?”
“You’ll take it off anyway,” I tease.
His eyes darken, but his mouth twitches in satisfaction. “You really like making it hard for me, don’t you?” Gently, his hands glide over my thighs and between my legs. “I’ll make you feel better tonight.”
I bite my lip, smiling. “I want that.”
He dives into the curve of my neck and leisurely kisses me. His movements are controlled and careful. I felt the surge of emotion when he mentioned the devil’s name. It’s devastating, but he knows exactly how to make me feel better. It’s his affection, his tenderness, and his desire that pull me into something as good as heaven.
As he kisses my neck, he softly palms my swollen breasts, and his thumb circles their crown. I yank his hair and smell the scent of his woody, peppermint shampoo. His body feels feverish against me, like his tongue sucking my hardened nipples.
Burning pleasure pulses through me. Through the hot vibration in my ears, Brandon whispers gruffly as his hand trails down to my cleft. “I want to taste you here.” His fingers yank the garter of my panties and peel them off me.
I’m too sensitive—too swollen, but it is too late to protest; he covers my pussy with his mouth.
“Brandon!”
His tongue flutters on my clit, and my hunger rises. He skims my vibrating slit, taunting me with a promise of a glorious orgasm.
I climax for the first time tonight, and my body is quivering wildly, but Brandon doesn’t stop. His mouth returns to my clit and sucks me softly... relentlessly... until I come again.
Cunnilingus is supposed to be all the same, but each time Brandon devours my pussy, I turn into liquid. He is surpassing his last performance, as though there’s still so much more to explore.
It is never like this with anyone else and considering my past, sex was never this special. Damn, I never even liked it. After Drake, I had a hard time trusting a man with my body. It was only that time when Chris attempted to erase But it’s never like that with Brandon. My whole body feels electrified with a million bolts of pleasure. I am moaning too loud, but I’m not embarrassed. He has his way of making me feel beautiful and wanted. I knew it when we first made love, and the second time, and now...
Another explosion is coming, but I’m not sure if I can still take it.
“Stop. Brandon,” I whisper breathlessly.
He briefly shuts his eyes. “Why?”
“I feel weak.”
He hauls himself on top of me and claims my mouth possessively. He tastes and smells like me. “I need you, Alayna. I need to fuck you thoroughly, and I want you to give it all to me, and I’ll take care of you. But I can feel your tension. You’re holding back.”
I frown. “I hold back?”
“Baby, you can tell me if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“No, no, no.” I shake my head. “I want this. You didn’t, in any way, made me feel uncomfortable. Brandon, sex with you is phenomenal.”
“Well, I’m flattered. But you tend to stop me every time after you first come.”
“What? That’s not true! I can manage twice“See?”
“I suppose; I didn’t focus on that.” Not before, at least.
“But I want to be attentive to your pleasure, and also I intend to give you more.”
Crap. Arousal overwhelms me again, and my clitoris pulses with his words alone. He’s right. I probably held back subconsciously.
“Wait.” I giggle. “Are we talking about sex now?”
He chuckles. “Well, we’re sort of having“No, don’t stop. I like it. I like everything you do...” I bite my lip. How comforting and reassuring it is for me to hear those words.
But since when have we been engrossed by sex talks? A stab of jealousy leads me to a sudden realization. I hold on to his biceps, my fingers digging into his skin. “Brandon, did you have sex with another woman when you were away?”
“The only pussy I fucked for a long time was yours, and now, still yours.”
I swallow dryly. Or maybe it’s because he speaks dirty but can still sound sexy.
“And you?” he asks.
I scowl at him. “Are you suggesting I had sex with your cousin? Of course not!”
“I wasn’t talking about my cousin.” He presses his lips into a hard line. “And I certainly don’t want to hear sexcousin“Then why did you—”
He briefly but deeply crushes my lips with his, and his eyes are on fire again. “Okay, that’s enough.”
Without warning, he takes out his cock from his sweatpants, and he rams it into me, filling me as I cry out his name.
***
It is almost midnight when Brandon suggests we continue our talk. I’m a little concerned by whatever he will try to ask me this time. I’m hoping he’ll abstain from asking about the devil. He dresses me up first and ushers me to the couch.
“Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” I ask as I sit next to him, but he pulls me up and points out the other sofa.
“It can’t, and sit across from me.”
“You certainly like having a conversation this way, as if I’m being interrogated.”
“So I can see you properly, and I wish to address something very important.” The sweet and playful Brandon turns into the serious, stern version of him.
“Okay?”
He clears his throat. “I have two cousins coming here after dinner, and I’m telling you this now so you won’t be surprised.”
“From Athens? Why would I be surprised?”
“Yes, from Athens. They’re the ones running investigations about Annette, and Jason will be back here to join us.”
“J?” My forehead furrows. “Why would he?”
“There’s something else you should know about him.” He moves forward, resting his forearms on his lap and clasping his hands. “Your foster brother isn’t just someone who’s employed at my hospital. He works directly with me.”
“Works with you how? Wait, I’m confused.” I close my eyes to realization and sigh deeply. He said J is meeting his cousins too, from Athens, and now that sounds more like a serious thing. “Does Jason know?”
“Mm.”
“To what extent?”
“Everything“Everything-everything. Including Lucia?”
“Yes, and he’s the one helping me with the search for Oliver.”
My shoulders slump. I’m not sure what to feel about it. “Fine. But is that what he really does? Jason’s not really a hospital director, but some investigator?”
“Jason is“How long have you known each other?”
“Five years. I don’t know, maybe six? It was Oliver who introduced them to me.”
“So, I suppose he knows about my connection with Lucia too.”
“Apart from my cousins, Jason is the one helping me resolve my issues, and he found you here because of that.”
I gawk at him in disbelief. “So it’s not an accident? You were all just keeping me in the dark, is that it?”
“It is. It’s a coincidence, believe me. I’m surprised too.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.
“And Arianna?”
“Her, too.”
“Oh, my God.” I rub my face. “Oh my God, why would you do that to me? I feel fucking stupid, thinking that my foster siblings finally found me in their own accord, and now it turns out it’s because of this—whatever fucking fate this is.” My chest becomes tight again.
“Alayna, things happened unexpectedly,” he explains with regret.
“No! This is serious, Brandon.” I stand up furiously. “We are talking about my family here. Siblings I haven’t seen in forever, and all of you had every chance to tell me face to face, but you withheld the truth. Now I’m not talking about this without them—”
“Sit down, Alayna.”
“This is pointless.”
“I said, sit down, Alayna,” he orders, and his tone is enough to bring me to submission. I sit back on the sofa.
Silence.
“What does Jason get from doing this, that he has to withhold things from me too?” I ask.
An amused smile plays on his mouth but doesn’t touch his eyes. “Your brother is right, though. You’re smart.”
“I’m not in the mood to play with you.”
“The hospital. The deal is after we resolve this, he will have the ownership.”
“That’s all? Why don’t I believe that it’s all for that? What else?”
“Alayna, the point is, I’m already telling you everything now. Isn’t this what you want?”
“Yes, but I’m not fully convinced.” I cross my arms.
“About Jason?”
“Yes. Oh, gosh. I didn’t know he was some sort of a secret agent. Wait, is he?”
“It’s... something like that,” he says.
I didn’t remember Jason having such talent, but I do remember he’d do anything to get whatever he wanted. And a whole hospital as a price is a more than reasonable reward. Jason once dreamt of giving free medical assistance, a dream that started when he was volunteering for Lawrence’s medical missions. He’s a philanthropist at heart.
“But that’s not all, Alayna. I want you to join us tomorrow.”
“Why would I do that? It’s not like I have something to do with your meetingHe shifts his legs to the other side. “Didn’t you say you want me to enlighten you?”
My heart lifts in anticipation. “And you will tell me?”
“Come here now.” He holds out his hand. I accept his invitation, and he lets me sit on his lap. He puts his arms around me. I’m glad because it’s much better for me to talk to him this way. My body needs him close.
“Well, what should I expect?”
He sweetly strokes my cheek. “You’ll find out.”