“What?”
She looked up at Alex, who had spoken. “They need me to sign the original papers for the sale. They can’t be faxed.”
After a moment, he nodded. “Tell Stan to have ’em messengered. He can check with Clif Knowles at the paper tomorrow morning and get the address.”
“All right,” she whispered, then passed the instructions on to Stan. If the man was curious about the cloak-and-dagger feel to obtain the address, he never mentioned it. When the call ended, she pushed her chair away from the table and stood.
“I’ve had enough,” she said and left Alex alone in the kitchen.
He had tossed for most of the night. Knowing Topaz was right down the hall and wanting him as much as he wanted her made sleep a hopeless wish for Alex. Around 3:00 a.m., he threw back the covers and left his bedroom. Topaz’s door was ajar and he pushed it farther open. He stood there, arms folded across his wide chest, as he leaned against the doorjamb and watched her. He knew he would do anything to keep her safe. Anything. He had come to love her more than he thought he’d ever love any woman aside from his own mother. If keeping her safe meant keeping his distance, then so be it.
Topaz shifted in her sleep and the new position placed her dangerously close to the edge of the bed. Her head rested along the side, her long hair brushing the carpet. Alex went to set her back in the middle, his hands brushing the silver-blue sleep shirt that barely covered her thighs. Alex sat next to her for a long while and simply stroked her face and hair.
“Get the hell out of here,” he told himself, moving to leave the bed, when he heard her whisper his name in her sleep. With a sigh, Alex pressed a kiss to her forehead and she awakened.
“Don’t go,” she called as he stood. “Alex,” she whispered, taking his hand when he didn’t acknowledge her request. Tugging gently, she silently urged him back, scooting to make room for him to join her beneath the covers.
They held on to one another as sleep revisited.
Later that morning, Alex woke to find himself alone in Topaz’s bed. He rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes when he heard the shower stop. Topaz stepped nude from the bathroom a few moments later, drying her hair with a small towel.
“Hey,” Alex called, leaning against the headboard when she turned to face him.
Topaz read his expression easily and reached for his hand when she approached the bed. He pulled her across his lap and she straddled his powerful frame, her lashes fluttering when she touched his arousal, which was just as evident in spite of the black sleep pants he wore.
“What’s wrong?” Topaz whispered when he only stared at her.
“Nothing at all,” he assured her, his bright intense gaze lowering to her chest. His hands rose to cup the dark brown mounds and he buried his face in their fullness.
Topaz leaned her head back and moaned. She began to ease across the breathless extent of his manhood, growing orgasmic from the simple friction. Her moans gained volume when he tugged a nipple between his lips and manipulated it to a hard bud. He alternated between suckling and licking the sensitive peak, while his thumb caressed the other.
“Alex ...” she breathed, whimpering when his hand settled between her shoulder blades to hold her close to his mouth. “Alex!” she gasped then.
He was silent, focusing on the sweet, chocolate beauty sitting astride his lap. Eventually, he gripped her hip and lifted her slightly while he freed himself from the loose confines of his pants.
Topaz let her forehead fall to his shoulder and smiled at the increased sensation. “Alex, please ...” she whispered, unashamed to admit her need.
Surprising her, he switched the tables and rose above her, kicking away his pants as he followed her down. Determined to extend the pleasure as long as possible, Alex resisted her attempts to pull him close. He held her captive against the bed, her wrists trapped in his grasp while his nose outlined the shape of her breasts. Topaz’s lashes fluttered like hummingbird wings when she felt his tongue dart out to tease one firm nipple. Her fingers flexed above his hold about her wrists and she moaned when he suckled the rigid bud between his lips.
“Alex ... please ...” she begged him again. Still, he continued to ply her with the torturously erotic mastery of his lips and tongue.
His attention ventured to the valley between her breasts, then along the flat plane of her stomach. He held her hands against her sides while he ravished her belly with sweet kisses. Her legs tensed, then trembled when his mouth brushed the spot that yearned most for his attention.
Topaz could scarcely respond. She was so weakened by pleasure, she knew she would have been unable to raise her arms even if Alex had freed them from his grasp. His tongue stroked the petals of her femininity before delving past the satiny folds to seek the treasure inside. Topaz pressed her head deeper into the down pillow, feeling her inner walls relax and contract around his tongue. Her thighs trembled so, Alex released her wrists to hold them steady as he feasted.
Much later, Alex suggested they take a shower. Topaz, unable to move, happily allowed him to assist her. In the sleek, spacious, black-tiled stall with its brass fixtures, Alex held her at his mercy. One hand cupped her hips firmly while he suckled her earlobe and the sensitive area below it.
“No strength in my legs ...” Topaz sighed, gasping repeatedly as his fingers worked one nipple to a protruding pebble.
Alex simply positioned his knee between her thighs and continued to have his way with her. Later, he lathered her dark form with a scented soap and bathed her as his mouth had done moments earlier.
“You have incredible stamina,” Topaz noted, watching him on his knees as he massaged a soapy cloth across her thighs.
Alex shrugged. “Nothing to do with stamina.”
“Incredible restraint, then.”
“You think?” he asked, rising to his full height.
Topaz’s eyes widened at the extent of his aroused manhood. Pressing her lips together, she reached for the cloth before treating him to the same pleasure he had just provided her.
“I don’t want you to leave me,” Alex admitted, stroking her damp locks as they lounged on the floor of the dark shower.
Topaz snuggled her head against his chest. “I never want to,” she whispered, hearing him sigh over the water trickling down the drain. “Does that upset you?” she asked, turning over to face him.
Alex’s stare was focused on her damp hair lying in wavy ribbons across her back. “No, I like the sound of that. Doesn’t mean it’s for the best, though.”
“Alex,” Topaz called, rising to her knees, “you told me everything, right? Everything you were holding back?” she asked, watching him nod. “See? And I’m still here. So please stop this. I’m not afraid,” she fiercely assured him, drawing him into a tight hug.
Alex closed his eyes while silently admitting that he was afraid enough for them both.
