Chapter 32

T here's an unfamiliar melody coming from far away. It's pulling me out of my sweet and oblivious slumber. I slowly become aware of my surroundings, consciousness taking over my sleepy state. Lex's large, warm body is plastered on my back as I lie on my side. He has an arm around me, longingly keeping me against him, while the other is under the pillow beneath my head.

Finally, the sound seems to stir him up, and he mumbles something, his low mumble getting lost in the curls on the back of my head. His arm releases me, and his body moves away from mine. When the music stops after fumbling for a few seconds, he returns against me, wrapping his arm back in its place and pulling me closer. With his front pressed to my back, I'm deliciously aware of his morning wood.

A soft pair of lips meet my shoulder, and an irrepressible smile stretches my lips. Pure joy radiates through my heart. The same kind I felt yesterday when I realized he allowed me into his AI's commands. It means so much more than the time he spent on it. It means he wants me here. It means he envisions a future for us.

That's why, high on that, on him, and on our kiss, I almost blurted out that I love him. Everything was so new and confusing, I didn't know how to express all of it, unsure I even should.

The one thing I know for sure is that I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even close. So this must be it, right? The big L. The one that's been missing from my life.

It's not like I ever stood a chance. He's too irresistible for me not to fall in love with him. He's rigid and disciplined, but he has a hidden sense of humor I adore, and he sometimes bends the rules for me. His intelligence is off the charts, and despite being very cerebral, he has a sensual side that goes beyond anything I've ever known. He cares about me enough to overcome his worries about the inte rnet and send me a naughty pic, or to come on stage to help me out, or to add me to his AI…

All those things and so much more are why I'm falling for him so hard and so fast. Too hard and too fast.

"‘Morning," Lex mumbles, his just-woke-up voice low and throaty.

"Morning, baby."

"You didn't sneak out of my bed."

I giggle. "I didn't have enough strength left."

"So, that's what I need to do to find you in my arms in the morning?"

At the memory of the night, every inch of my skin flushes. He was relentless, merciless, and amazingly skilled. He drew orgasm after orgasm, filling me with the thick essence of his pleasure, demanding much more than I ever thought I could give.

It started on the couch, then his bed, then his shower. And after a pit stop in the kitchen to refuel, one last time in his bed. Now, my body is aching, my intimacy is tender, and I'm utterly exhausted. Building up his anticipation was stupid of me. I'm an absolute wreck.

But in all truth, I wouldn't change a thing.

Behind me, Lex is more awake, nuzzling my hair and kissing my exposed shoulder.

"Do we really have to go to work?" I whimper.

"One of us has to, or it'll look suspicious."

"I vote for you to go while I stay here all day."

There's a smile on his mouth when he kisses the slope of my throat. "And how am I supposed to get any work done, knowing you're spending your day naked in my bed?"

"Sounds like a you problem, Coleman."

His tender ministrations get more audacious, his tongue grazing the shell of my ear, his hand finding my breast and fondling it. Between my legs, the desire to have him is already growing. After the night we had, it's insane I have any need left at all.

"I can do either sex or work," I try, hopeful.

"Are you trying to bribe me?"

His hand slowly goes down my stomach, his fingers sending shivers that I can feel in my bones. I spread my legs slightly to give him the access he needs, eager for his touch. He toys with the curls of my mound for a few seconds, teasing me into begging. Weak and unwilling to fight it, I arch my back with a moan, pressing my behind onto his erection. He chuckles low and drops another open-mouth kiss on my shoulder, gently sucking on the skin.

Finally, he gets to the point and rolls a ca reful fingertip on my overly sensitive clit. I moan again, the sensations rousing my tired body. Morning slex sounds like the perfect way to start the day.

"Are you sure you can only do one or the other?" he insists.

"Positive."

"Hmm, a shame…" An unexpected slap on my ass makes me jump with surprise. "Get up. We need to get ready for work."

"Lex!"

"What?"

"Are you serious right now?"

"Very much. You wouldn't want to get fired, now, would you?"

"Alexander …" I warn.

"If I give you what you want, will you still come to work?"

"Yes!" I promise, exasperated by how astutely he manipulated me.

Within a second, he's back against me. "Okay, so it turns out you're not a morning person. I'll try to remember that."

With baffling ease, he rolls me on my stomach. Before I can protest, he straddles my thighs to lay random kisses on my skin. I'll forever love feeling his lips on me. After a few pecks, I understand he's kissing the dark freckles scattered there. Then, I get a more insistent kiss on the brownish mark on my left butt cheek.

"Did you know your birthmark is almost exactly the same shape as the Guangdong Province in China?" he asks, gently grazing the spot with his thumb.

It's so random that I twist my upper body to stare at him with amusement. "And how do you know that?"

"I was looking at some facts regarding Huawei for a potential partnership, and when I saw the outline of the province their HQ is in, I noticed the resemblance."

"You have my birthmark memorized in that clever brain of yours?"

"I have your entire person perfectly mapped in there," he corrects. I laugh, thinking that while it isn't exactly romantic, it's pretty damn close.

The birthmark gets one last kiss and then comes the sharp, unexpected bite of his teeth on my soft mound. He doesn't inflict any pain, or not much, at least. His hand slithers under me when he straightens up.

"Fuck, you're already soaked…" he grunts in my ear.

I arch with a sigh when he slips a finger inside me, giving him better access. "How sore are you?" he asks, sinking in a second one.

"Very."

"Lazy and tender morning sex it is, then."

Soon after, the round head of his shaft replaces his hand. I push back against him, eager to have him, but he resists.

"Is this what you want?" He's in a teasing mood this morning.

"Yes."

"Say it."

"I want it."

"Say you want my thick cock in your tight cunt."

Fuck… That's enough to make my intimacy throb. I can't believe how much power he has over me.

Lex presses a little harder but doesn't penetrate me yet. "Say it, Andrea."

"I—I want your thick cock in my tight… cunt," I comply, lusty shivers making me pant.

"Good girl."

Inch by delicious inch, mindful of my soreness, he nudges inside of me. While he conquers my recalcitrant flesh, he kisses, bites, and licks my shoulders and neck, amorously distracting me.

"I could spend eternity inside you, and it still wouldn't be enough," he rasps. It sounds a lot like commitment, but I don't let it go to my head. I'm so starved for his affection that I might misinterpret.

This is lovemaking again, instead of fucking. It's slow, tender, almost lazy… Pressed against the mattress by his weight, I can't do anything other than push myself up on my elbows, keeping my hips tilted toward him.

"Lex… We're going to be late," I whimper, realizing he's in no rush to bring this to its apogee.

Instead of answering, he grabs my hips to lift them, and I'm suddenly on my knees and elbows before him. I foolishly think it means he'll pick up the pace and bring us to the finish line, but he keeps his slow and intense rhythm, reaching deeper now.

It's all very intimate and pleasurable, but as much as I enjoy it, we can't be late for work, so this has to be a quickie. Holding myself on one arm, I caress my clit to speed up the climb to my orgasm.

Lex grabs my wrist, rips it away, and pins it next to me, effectively immobilizing it. Because I can be strong-headed, too, I use my other hand. The tips of my fingers barely have time to roll on my swollen crease before he pins that wrist down as well.

"Behave, unruly woman, or I'll have to tie you up," he commands, giving me a deep thrust. My insides pulse around his shaft.

"Aah, yes…" I'm discovering myself to have a submissive side with Alexander Coleman.

Still holding my wrists, keeping me helpless and complying, his maddening thrusts slowly speed up. This is animalistic, raw, and sensuous. It feels like we are sexual beings, existing solely for this moment in time, this purpose.

Lex's breathing becomes heavier behind me, answering my moans and whimpers, and his thrusts grow faster, deeper, and longer. The fervor of his thrusts and the way his hips meet my ass resonates in the room, along with the bed lightly banging on the wall. Tension builds up between my legs, like an elastic stretching and stretching, the breaking point almost there.

I know he's close when he releases one of my wrists to shove his hand between my legs. He finds my clit instantly and rolls his fingertips over it, never halting his momentum. My own fingers tangle with his skilled ones, pressing him to go harder.

My orgasm is so fucking close.

Lex gets there first, biting my shoulder to muffle the carnal roar that rolls in his throat. His hips jerk as he comes, and the sensation of his pleasure filling me, coupled with his fingers flicking over my clit at a fast rate, push me into my own release.

He holds my hips with both hands as I tremor from the intensity of my orgasm. Completely lost in passion and wanting more, I push against the headboard to take him even deeper. Sobbing cries escape me, the experience is so intense I wonder how I'm not passing out.

Fuck, morning slex is amazing…

When the trembling, quivering, and pleasure-consumed messes that we are finally come down, Lex allows me to collapse on the mattress before slumping next to me, as sweaty, disoriented, and overwhelmed as I am. He always looks puzzled after sex, as if something about it constantly surprises him.

As much as I want to linger in bed with him, it's time to get ready. "Iris, what time is it?" I ask, wondering how late we are.

"Good morning, Andrea. It is 7:03," the AI answers.

"What! Lex, how early is your alarm set up?"

"Six thirty. I like to get a workout done before I start the day."

"You mean I could have slept an extra hour?!"

He chuckles and presses a kiss on my lips. "But then we wouldn't have had the time for what just happened."

He gives me another peck, and I focus on keeping my mouth closed, not wanting to expose him to my morning breath. Especially since we didn't brush our teeth after the quick stop at his fridge.

"When I come back you better not be asleep, Andrea," he warns. His tone makes my toes curl more than it scares me. I lie there in post-nut bliss while he heads to the bathroom to get ready. When he comes back, all dressed, he rips the duvet from my spent body and forces me to head there.

When I enter the marbled room, I grimace at my reflection. My curls are all over the place from getting wet during that middle of the night shower followed by hair-messing slex. My skin is flushed, what's left of my makeup is runny, and I have two giant bags under my eyes. It's a miracle he still wanted me this morning. Maybe it's why he took me from behind. That, or because of how he adores my ass.

Really, it's a fifty-fifty split in the probabilities.

Once I'm ready, I join him and prop myself up on the kitchen island, purposefully sitting on the very spot where we had sex for the first time. He notices and gazes at me with intensity, his eyes darkening. Apparently unable to resist, he comes to me and gives me a long, deep, and longing kiss. I took a moment to quickly brush my teeth, and his minty flavor proves he did the same.

"I think I preferred when you smelled like sex," he says, the tip of his nose grazing the column of my throat as he inhales.

"No one else in the office would have appreciated me reeking of sex."

The touch of his tongue between my collarbones startles me, and when he drags it up to my jaw, all sorts of shivers run under the heated skin. "That way, you aren't rid of all traces of me," he states, returning to his task.

After I recuperate from his surprising fit of possessiveness, I watch him prepare our first meal of the day. It's very entertaining to see him in his natural habitat. He already prepared two bowls of granola, two glasses of orange juice, and two plates with toast and lean ham. He's just done with a large portion of scrambled eggs, which he separates in equal amounts on the plates.

"Thank you," I say as we sit down, eager to dig in. "I usually don't take time to eat in the morning, but I definitely should."

"I can't start the day properly if I don't have my routine breakfast."

"You eat exactly this every morning?" I ask while buttering a piece of toast.

He nods and takes a bite of his eggs. "I'm a man of habit and like to stick to them."

It's pretty much in character since he is rather rigid and disciplined. His apartment is spotless, his desk is always organized and neat… Something I never realized before it suddenly dawns on me.

"Do you have OCD?" I impulsively ask.

He freezes with his fork halfway up to his mouth, taken aback. "I don't. If anything, I'm closer to OCPD."

"What's the difference?"

"Obsessive-compulsive disorder is unwanted and involuntary, while obsessive-compulsive personality disorder results from my own desires to keep things neat, organized, and repetitive."

"Oh, I see. So you're actually fine with following the same routines and all."

"I always preferred it that way. But I have been working on shaking my monotonous ways lately. It's going quite well, and you help a lot," he adds.

"How?"

"For the first time in my life, I had to put up with having a messy desk, which was surprisingly tolerable."

His explanation has me chortling with embarrassment, hiding the redness of my cheeks behind my hands. The sheepish look I offer apparently charms him, and he pushes my hand away to grant me an indulging peck.

"It's all good. I've realized I'm too rigid in my ways of life. So your unpredictable personality and messy habits are welcome." It's my turn to be charmed, and I pull him toward me for one more kiss.

We eat the rest of our breakfast, talking and learning more about each other. I'm feeling so comfortable around him, all this is so natural, I can't help but think I want this to happen daily. From the incredible wake up to the chatty and healthy breakfast and then the ride to work that will follow.

Yes, a girl could get used to this.

I could get used to him.

I want to.

I 'm making my way to the dev office when Mason grabs my arm to pull me into an isolated spot. "Alright, sis, spill the tea," he demands with sparkling eyes. My heart launches itself into an insane rhythm. Fuck, what does he know?

"Hmm, what?"

"Oh, come on. You were all dolled up yesterday, and now you look like you barely slept. You had a hot date that went well, and I want to hear all about it."

Relief floods me, and my hectic heartbeat and thoughts settle down. Mason doesn't know about Lex and me. "It was… great," I admit, seeing no point in denying it all.

"Girl, give me some details. Was it your first time seeing the guy?"

"No, it started a few weeks ago."

"Okay, are you secretly seeing our resident ginger?" he bluntly asks. My jaw drops. Why would he think that? "We know you and Oli went on a date and then nothing," he says nonchalantly. "But you two are always cute and all together, so we thought you were secretly seeing each other."

"Who is ‘we,' Mason?"

"Me. I'm ‘we.' I have this matchmaker syndrome I got from my mom. I can't help it."

"Well, I'm not dating Oli," I state, hoping I'm firm enough. "We went out on one date, and then I realized I'd never like him like that. That's the extent of it."

"Oh, I see… And is it serious with that other guy?"

"It's slowly getting there."

"You go, girl! I can't believe you got a man and never told me."

"He isn't my man."

"Yeah, yeah… Answer me this, at least. Is he worth barely sleeping?"

I let out a surprised laugh, not expecting him to go so boldly into this line of questioning. Why is everyone so invested in my sex life? Surely, people are interested in sex in general, and the fact that it's me having it is irrelevant.

"Oh, come on," he insists. "I haven't found myself a good man in months. I need to know they still exist."

"I'm not sharing details, but I'll throw you a bone and say he very much knows what he's doing."

"Ugh, has he got a gay brother?" he presses. I give him a mysterious smile, wiggling my eyebrows. "Friends don't gatekeep, Dee."

"Well, I'm keeping this one all to myself, sorry, Mace."

He sighs and his shoulders sink with disappointment. "I see you, Dee. I see you…"

I'm on Cloud nine all morning and feel like I'll never come down from it. Mason sometimes notices my elated mood and gives me a knowing look while shaking his head.

Later in the day, I'm seated with the guys for lunch when the free chair next to me is pulled back. My heart flutters before I even look up to see who it is, instantly recognizing Lex's hand. It's a struggle to contain my broad smile when our eyes meet as he casually settles his fried rice next to my lunchbox.

"Hi, boss," Brian greets him.

"Fancy seeing you here," Steven jokes. It is a rare occurrence indeed.

"Yes, I thought I'd come and check on everyone, see how you're all doing."

Honored he would sit with us, the guys don't waste a second chatting with him. A few of them are having some issues with scripts, and Lex offers to come and spend the afternoon with us to help out.

It's odd to sit next to him like this, pre tending we're nothing more than work acquaintances. I long to touch him, graze his arm, steal a bite of his dish, laugh with him… But I have to keep up with appearances, to pretend we weren't having sex all night long and that I'm not entirely obsessed with him.

Whatever the future holds for us, I need to be patient. And if—when—the time comes to make it official, I hope it'll be far enough from the sale of my app to avoid having to deal with gossip. It would wreck me if people had the wrong assumptions about it just because I'm sleeping with my boss.

"Are you okay?" Lex asks, pulling me out of my thoughts. When I look up, everyone's looking at me, having noticed my lack of participation.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep," I explain, even though Lex knows that.

"Did someone keep you up all night?" It's Brian trying to humor me.

Mason lets out a sassy "Mhmm," and I stare at him wide-eyed. "What? It's not my fault if he guessed!"

When I kick him in the shin to make him shut up, it's Brian who jumps and bends with a sobbing, "Ouch!"

"Sorry," I apologize with a grimace. "Mace, shut up!"

But it's too late. Next to me, Lex turned his stoic mask on, and I, for once, can't tell what's on his mind.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Steven says.

Ah, shit, not that word. It's so official, so… final. "I'm—I don't want to talk about it," I stutter.

"But you have a boyfriend?" Brian insists, still bent over to massage the spot I accidentally kicked.

My skin is now crawling with embarrassment, and I don't dare to glimpse at Lex anymore. There's no way I'm telling them I have some sort of sex arrangement with someone until we figure out where to take it. Especially not with the someone right next to me.

"Drop it, man. Andy will tell us about it when she's ready," Oli says. I nod to reinforce his words, and Brian sighs.

Eventually, they start talking about some random world-famous gamer, dropping the matter of my short night. Lex isn't taking part anymore, and I can feel his discomfort. I push around the rest of the food in my lunchbox but don't eat anything.

The break ends, and we all move to the Trolls' Lair. "I'll get my laptop and handle a few things before coming back here to help," Lex tells us. Half a minute after he leaves, my phone buzzes with a message from him.

Lex

Come up.

Ah, shit …

Reluctantly, I turn my screen off and get up to follow him. He's waiting by the opened door. I feel like a lamb going to the slaughterhouse. He closes the door behind us, and I courageously face him, ready for whatever will come. After a few seconds of insufferable silence, he finally speaks.

"Boyfriend?" he questions with just enough humor for me to understand he isn't mad or annoyed—just intrigued.

A relieved sigh escapes me as I laugh a little, helpless. "I never used that word. Mason guessed I had a date yesterday because I look like I barely slept, so he drilled me with questions."

"Hmm, I see. I guess I shouldn't have asked so much of you."

"Oh no, please, keep asking."

"But you should always come into work well-rested," he points out with wit, reminding me of the exchange we had during my first week here.

It feels like ages ago. So many things have happened since. I can't believe how annoying I used to find him. The rage he could conjure in me is still vividly clear in my mind. All those explosive feelings evolved into something even more flammable but so much better.

"I have the feeling my boss likes me. He wouldn't fire me over this," I say with a crooked smirk.

"And what gives you that impression?" He feigns skepticism, and I bite back my smile.

"I'm not sure what's the biggest clue. The way he grunts when his cock is far down my throat, or how he hums in appreciation every time he's eating me out? Or maybe it's the intensity in his eyes when he rams into me with his huge cock." I witness the surprise on his face and guess he didn't expect I could talk dirty, too. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to return to."

I don't even have time to turn around as he grabs and slams me against him. He holds me in his arms, lowering his head until his mouth is an inch from mine.

"You're such a fucking tease," he mumbles. "You'll drive me mad one of these days, Andrea Walker."

"I'll drive you mad tomorrow evening, Saturday, and Sunday."

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh no, Alexander… It's a promise," I whisper lasciviously.

He groans a curse before taking my lips, cla iming what is already his. After a moment of heated embrace, he pushes me away gently, laying one last kiss on my lips.

"Tomorrow," he says.

Yes, tomorrow and then the whole weekend. And the one after that. And many other weekends, I hope.

I'll never get enough of him .