Chapter 7

Zara interacting with my brothers wasn’t something I expected to witness tonight.

But I couldn’t deny the way my chest expanded when I saw her smile at something Jasper or Jameson said. She’s comfortable with them and them with her, which is interesting. Because while my brothers look extroverted and sociable enough, they’re actually not … especially with people they’ve just met. Like me, they’re extra wary of who they let into our small circle. They can do small talk, sure, but they won’t go out of their way to make sure others feel comfortable.

Without even saying it, it’s clear that they all welcome her to the fold. Even Justin.

“Your brothers are nice,” Zara says.

That makes me laugh. “You can say that.”

“I have a question that’s been nagging at me since meeting them. Why does everyone’s name start with J but not yours?”

“You picked up on that, huh?”

“Hard not to. Jameson, Jasper, Justin. You’re Alec.”

“I’m actually James Alexander. I go by Alec because James and Jameson sound similar enough.”

Her face lights up in understanding. “Oh, right. Wow. That’s like a rich kid’s name.” She shoots me a look. “This is gonna sound weird, but I’ve never really asked your last name.”

I stiffen at this because it will take one Google search before she finds out who I am, before she finds out who we all are. “Fielding.”

“James Alexander Fielding. You have a trust fund or something?” She says it jokingly, but the humor dies on her face when I nod.

“Yes. All of us when we turned 18. We knew about it when our parents died.”

Her ears turn red, and she covers her face with her hands. “I am so sorry, Alec. Sometimes, my mouth works faster than my brain does.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a long time.”

We walk quietly after that, and I remember my conversation with Jameson earlier. Before they left, he pulled me to the side to talk.

“She seems like a good one, brother,” he told me.

“She is.”

“Then?”

“Then, what?”

“What is this throwing looks of desire when the other one isn’t watching?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe it one bit. “You stare at her with so much longing when you think she’s not looking. And she does the same.”

“That’s not possible.”

He huffed. “You’ve been through so much, more so than the rest of us. Let yourself be happy. God knows how much you need it.”

“I don’t deserve someone like her.”

“Ah, there it is.”

“What?”

“You thinking you’re beneath her.”

“I am.”

“You’re not, Alec. You deserve love and happiness, just like everyone else.”

“I only met her a few days ago.”

“I’m not telling you to marry her tomorrow, Alec. Just … just give it a shot, will you? Who knows? This might change your life … for the better.”

“But with everything we’ve been doing, I don’t?—”

“There’s four of us, brother. You being happy for once will not derail anything. Trust me.”

“It makes me feel guilty.”

“For what?”

“That I’m gonna choose to spend time with her while all of you?—”

“You suffered at the hands of our uncle while the three of us enjoyed boarding school. I was partying the night he burned you. Listen, I never forbid you anything. Never. But this time, I’m gonna forbid you from feeling even an ounce of guilt.”

“But—”

“I love you, Alec, and I will never move past the fact that I was partying left and right while he was beating you. I thought of myself and only myself, but ever since you came back to us with that scar, I made it my mission to make your life—all of yours—as happy as possible. I’m not trying to control you, but I’m not above giving you a bit of a nudge here and there. That’s what big brothers do.”

Zara swipes the keycard and turns the knob. She hovers in the middle of the doorway, eyes scanning the floor, gnawing on her bottom lip. “You, uhm, want to come in?”

Do I? More than anything. But if I step foot in her apartment, I’m gonna cross a line I’ll never come back from.

I’ve tasted her lips, and the desire to taste the rest of her is almost overwhelming. Once won’t be enough. A lifetime won’t be enough.

Something snaps in me.

“Ah, fuck it,” I growl and pull Zara into my arms, crushing my lips to hers, half-pushing and half-dragging her inside.

Kicking the door closed behind us, I cup her face and kiss her like I’m sucking her soul, my hands running over her curves and dips, and those tits.

Fuck, she tastes even better. So much better than last time. She leans into me while I push my tongue into her mouth, tasting icing and cupcake and all of her.

Without any urging, Zara unbuckles my pants and shoves a hand into my boxers, making me hiss when her fingers wrap around my cock. “Zara, fuck.”

“Let me taste you.”

My brain struggles to comprehend what’s happening when she falls to her knees and takes out my cock, but when her lips wrap around me, my legs almost give out.

I try to reach for something to hold on to, but there’s nothing around, so I clench my fists repeatedly and toss my head back, willing my body not to come too quickly. The need to be inside her, pumping her full of my seed, is the only thing I can think of.

Spots of color dance behind my eyes when she slides her mouth along my length while her hands pump me. I make the mistake of looking down and seeing her take me as far as she can. She gags when the tip hits the back of her throat.

“Zara, stop.” I pull her to me and claim her mouth. I’m so close to coming, and I won’t do it in her mouth. Maybe next time, not now. “I need your pussy, baby. Let me fuck you.”

She’s always been full of surprises, and I’m caught off-guard yet again when she backs away from me, a sly smile playing on her lips. And then … and then, she turns her back to me, hikes her dress around her waist, and bends over the backseat of her couch.

Jesus Christ. How am I supposed to think straight right now? The primal hunger I felt when we first met hits me full force, stronger and more intense this time.

Mine, mine, mine.

The chant reverberates in my brain, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that she belongs to me—in every way. Heart, body, and soul. I will end the life of any man who touches her. It has to be me. Only me. From this day forward.

I move closer to her, sucking in a sharp breath when I see a wet spot in her panties. My fingers graze the backs of her thighs and the cheeks of her ass hanging out.

“Is this your favorite dress, baby?”

She turns her head to the side, and the confusion on her face almost makes me laugh. “Uhm, no. Not really.”

With her bent over in front of me, I reach for the ties behind her dress and rip it apart. I could have slowly untied it, like unwrapping a Christmas present, but a beast has taken over me. Now she’s in nothing but her panties.

My arms wrap around her from behind, hands closing on her tits, and I pull her up, her back against my chest. I slide a hand down her body, slipping inside her panties and along her slit. Only to find her drenched. “Fucking hell, Zara. Is this for me?”

“Y-yes. All for you,” she pants and arches her back as my middle finger rubs light circles around her clit.

“Then bend over again.”

She does as she’s told, and I drag lungfuls of air before hooking her panties to the side and guiding my cock into her entrance. I hunch over her back again and trail my fingers between her thighs, playing with her sensitive button.

Inch by inch, I slide inside her, and I have to dig my heels into the floor because this is torture.

Sharp zaps of desire skitter up my spine when I’m fully sheathed inside her. Goddammit. She’s so tight and so good that I have to take her as slowly as I can. However, it doesn’t take me long before my pace increases. I nip on her earlobe while pistoning my hips, giving off a gruff grunt of nothing but pure starvation.

My orgasm threatens to explode just seconds after sliding inside her tight walls. But no. I need to stave it off as long as I can. I stuff myself deeper and, with my free hand, reach for her tit and squeeze her nipple into a tight peak.

“Oh, God. Yes, Alec. Yes!”

The sounds coming out of her mouth turn me into an animal. I pound into her relentlessly, my pulse pounding in my temples, but she can’t be outdone. Instead of standing there and just taking me, she rounds her hips and meets mine.

Goddammit. I’m going to embarrass myself any minute now, so I squeeze her tit harder and continue stroking her clit.

Zara stiffens in my arms before she begins shaking. “Oh, fuck. Alec!”

My body reacts to her orgasm while she flutters around me, pulsing and coaxing me to come. With a ragged groan, I sink into her and drain my cock. Draining everything I have.

We stand there like that for a few seconds, with me still inside her, and I plant kisses down her back before biting her shoulder gently and kissing the side of her neck.

I don’t know how I ever thought I could stay away. Leaving her alone or letting her go isn’t an option anymore.