“I’ll come with you,” I said quickly, then regretted my words just as fast. Did I sound too eager?
“What about your life here? Chaucer?”
“There’s room in my heart for both of you.”
Alaric kissed the corner of my lips and smiled. “Since I don’t have a horse, you get the whole of mine.”
“What about Ravi?” I blurted. “I know you were together recently.”
“Gemma again?”
I was so bad at this. “Maybe?”
“Ravi and I have an arrangement. If we’re both single, we’ll take care of the physical side of things for each other. Since I’ll no longer be single, that ends. But we’ll stay friends, and we’ll work together. Does that bother you?”
I considered my answer for a moment. Did it? Alaric had been honest with me, perhaps brutally so, but better that than the constant lies I’d gotten from Piers. Alaric trusted me with his secrets, and I had to afford him the same courtesy.
“Honestly? I’m not sure, but I like Ravi.”
“Actions speak louder than words. I understand that, and I appreciate your candour.” He barked out a laugh. “Fuck, just listen to me. This sounds like a business meeting, and we’re definitely not working today.”
“What are you doing?” I asked as he wriggled out of his suit jacket and draped it over my lap.
“Shh.”
His hand found its way back to my thigh, and this time, it crept higher.
“I’m not… We can’t…”
He silenced my protests with a kiss. Guess I was more daring than I thought.
Oh, heck, the neighbours… My front door bashed off the wall and slammed shut as Alaric carried me towards the bedroom. After his antics in the cab, I was already hot and bothered, and I needed to get out of this damn dress. And my damp knickers too.
“The tie’s got to go,” I told him, desperately trying to reach my zipper. “And the shirt.”
“It’s all going except for your shoes. You can keep those on. I want the heels digging into my ass.”
When Alaric unhooked my bra, he paused for a moment to study the tattoo over my heart. Piers had been furious when I got the name of my old horse inked there permanently, but Alaric dipped his head and traced the letters with his tongue.
“Usually, I’d hate seeing another man’s name over your heart, but in this case…”—he pressed a soft kiss to the P—“I’ll make an exception.”
“I’ll get yours done too,” I blurted, then we both tumbled onto the bed. Alaric ended up on top. I was kind of glad he was taking the lead because I was way out of practice here. Having to lie back and think of England while Piers pounded away had in no way prepared me for this.
But I must have been doing something right, judging by the tent in Alaric’s trousers. Hell, that was more of a marquee. The marquee… We should have been sitting in there at this very moment, pretending to be happy for Priscilla and Tarquin. A giggle escaped.
“What’s so funny?”
“I don’t know what they’re serving the other guests for the wedding breakfast, but I definitely got the better end of the deal with salami.”
“Have at it.”
Alaric rolled me, and I fumbled with his belt, then cursed the button and the zipper on his trousers when they wouldn’t undo fast enough. Oh, wow, he trimmed down there. With Piers, I’d had to search for the toadstool among the undergrowth. Self-doubt hit, but when I hesitated, Alaric gently guided my head downwards.
“Don’t overthink things, Beth.”
I gave his cock a tentative lick. Then a suck. His groan told me I was on the right track, and for the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed giving a blow job. But Alaric stopped me before he finished, flipped me onto my back, and treated me to the dirtiest grin I’d ever seen.
“This is going to be good,” I said, accidentally using my outside voice instead of my inside one.
“It’s already better than good.”
Holy hell! His tongue hit exactly the right spot, and I screamed as I arched off the bed. My upstairs neighbour banged on the ceiling. Whoops. The stream of filth that flowed from my lips as Alaric went to town would have made a porn star blush, and I ended up stuffing my own knuckles into my mouth in an attempt to stop it. Didn’t work.
“Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I hate you. Just let me… Oh, oh! I adore you. You’re a bloody monster. Don’t you dare, I can’t— Keep going! Stop, I’m— There, there! No! Sweet mother of…”
When I shattered for the third time, he finally let me rest. Every part of me was broken. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to be whole again.
“You’ve got quite a mouth, haven’t you?”
“Sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“I meant it as a compliment.”
“You’ve ruined me. I mean that as a compliment too.”
“Really? Ruined you?” Alaric nuzzled my neck, sweet and tender. “But I’m just getting started. Care to demonstrate your riding skills, Ms. Stafford-Lyons?”
“Maybe, I…” He flexed his hips, and that glorious cock pressed into my stomach. “I guess I could give it a go.”
“Hold on… Let me find my wallet. I’m kicking myself for only bringing one condom now.”
“I…I’m on the pill.” Was that too forward? “And I got tested for everything after the hooker incident, so if you want to…”
“The hooker incident? Piers?”
Ah, crap. A flood of icy air drenched the room. “I’m not certain whether he did or he didn’t. But probably.”
“Beth, don’t run away from me. We can talk about anything, okay? It can’t be worse than what we saw earlier.”
“It sure felt that way.” Alaric wrapped me up in a hug, and I knew at that moment that he was right. We could talk about anything. I took a deep breath. “It happened three years ago. Our
