Aleks positioned himself between her legs and slid inside. Gently moving his body, he made love to her. It was slow and sweet, and the entire time he watched her.
There was no need for speed. His gentle thrusts were enough to give him release, but Aleks had a feeling it was her eyes that brought him to the edge and back. He came first, whispering her name in her ear. He felt her contract around his shaft, and she followed him over the edge.
When t
hey were done, Aleks quickly rolled off of her and bolted to the bathroom. He ran. Like a scared little girl, he ran away from her again.
What would happen now? Usually he split, but that was a little hard to do this time, considering this was his room and it was Carrie.
Aleks wanted to cuddle up behind her and fall asleep. He wanted to wake up with her in his arms. But Carrie only wanted sex, and the more intimate they became the harder it was for him to remember that.
He would head out to the couch and sleep there. Give her some privacy, some space.
Who was he kidding? He was the one who needed the privacy and the space. His head was spinning in a million different directions, and the only way to stop the spin was to be far away from Carrie Taylor.
He tiptoed to the door, hoping he would make it without being seen.
“Aleks? Are you leaving?”
The simple sound of her voice broke down his defenses. So soft and needy. Aleks couldn’t leave her behind. He didn’t want to.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He closed the door and locked it.
She snuggled up to him the minute he crawled under the cover. Snuggled. Aleks didn’t snuggle. But nothing felt better than the warmth of her body and the softness of her skin against his own. Carrie let out a contented sigh. Aleks had no idea what would happen when he opened his eyes in the morning but for right now, at this very moment, life was perfect.
* * * *
Carrie woke to a snuffled snore. The noise came from behind her.
Beyond relaxed, she turned over and was face to face with Aleks. He slept so peacefully. His breath tickled her face, and she could feel his heart beat against her chest.
Despite her demands, Carrie still didn’t get what she wanted. Aleks refused to be himself. But it was no less exciting. Even slow and gentle he gave her more than any other man had. But without him letting go, without him giving in to his dark side, Carrie couldn’t help but think she was just a pity fuck.
She’d known he was trying to sneak out of the room. That wasn’t something she could allow. If she had to get out of the bed and tackle him, dragging him back, she would have. Carrie was prepared for that, but he surprised her. Aleks had come back without a fight and now he slept beside her with a calm, angelic expression on his face. An expression she had never seen before.
Even as a kid, there was always a tormented look on his face. And she had watched him sleep before. Years of family camping trips, stuck in a tent with both boys she had the opportunity to look. And she had looked a little too much and for too long. Carrie often wondered if she had spent her time thinking about someone else if her feelings would still be as strong.
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” He was awake, his voice a little rough.
Carrie looked up at him. His eyes were a light green in the morning, not as dark, not as haunted as when the stresses of the day or memories of the past came back into focus.
“How do you know I’m thinking about anything?”
“Please.” He stretched his legs and pulled away from her but only for a second. Aleks rolled back toward her, his warm skin heating up her own. “I know that face. That’s the ‘what am I going to do face’. You really do analyze everything, even first thing in the morning.” He chuckled.
“Well, I have a lot of things on my mind.” That was an understatement. Between the store, her new line, all the new business Aleks had brought her way, the party and now this– Carrie’s brain was fried, her thoughts racing around at an uncontrollable pace. That was why Carrie didn’t really date.
“What’s on your mind, Care Bear?” He wrapped one arm under her shoulders and draped the other across her upper body. He hugged her closer. “Come on, we talk about this stuff all the time. Why not when we’re naked? It is much more relaxing.”
He always had the talent to bring her back into focus. Settle her down, stop her mind from spinning out of control. If he wanted to talk, there was only one question she wanted answered.
“Why do you have sex the way you do?”
He stared down at her, a confused expression on his face.
“You wanted to turn me over. You didn’t want to look at me.”
Aleks let out a rough breath and fell away from her body. “It’s nothing.”