In Too Deep / Matched

But she couldn’t say the words—too dramatic, too vain-sounding. And if his answer was no she’d have a lot of explaining to do, which was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

He tilted his head at her. “Don’t what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Hey.” Alex ran his hands down her shoulders to grip her upper arms lightly. “If this is feeling weird to you, I totally get it. We don’t have to do anything. But even if that’s the case, I still want to spend time with you. I think you’re amazing—in so many ways.”

His eyes were pulling her in, making all her fears melt away. He was perfect…too perfect.

He swept his arm out toward the room. “There are more ways than one to enjoy a beautiful hotel room. I see a bottle of champagne over there with our name on it. Can I tempt you?”

Nicola relaxed a bit. “Sure.” After following him over to the bed, she sat down on the edge while he connected his phone to the speaker system on the nightstand. The smooth sound of R&B filled the space.

“This okay?” he asked.

She smiled. “My favorite.”

Alex popped the cork on the bottle and poured them two glasses. “To underwater rescues,” he said with a self-deprecating grin, holding his glass up. “May I never put you through that hell again.”

Nicola laughed and took a small sip. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“So you’ve seen worse?”

“I didn’t say that. But you’re not the first person I’ve had to…lend a hand to.”

“So kindly put. Well, I’m glad I went through with it. There were some incredible creatures down there, and the fish weren’t bad, either.”

Nicola smiled, drawing a leg up on the bed so she could face him. Even though the sexual tension between them had eased a bit since their time together on the beach, she could still feel an electric jolt shoot through her body every time their eyes met.

“Have you always taught diving?” Alex asked her.

She shook her head. “No. I was a real teacher in my previous life. First and second grade.”

“Previous life? That sounds—”

“Just an expression,” she said quickly. “I became a scuba instructor when I was nineteen and used it to put myself through college. I first went snorkeling when I was ten, after a teacher got me enrolled in a summer camp. I loved it right away. We lived fairly close to the beach, so I used to go off and escape to my underwater world every chance I got.” She smiled at the memory. “It’s still my go-to stress release. And then a few years later I discovered diving—a whole new world. My family couldn’t afford the equipment, but I found a program that allowed teenagers to borrow it free of charge.”

“Sounds like you were very self-motivated.”

“I had to be.” She took a quick sip of her drink as Ariana Grande started singing. The tone of Nicola’s response, sharper than she’d meant for it to come out, echoed regrettably in her head. She’d never been a big fan of talking about herself, but since the scandal it had become almost unbearable. “Will your brother be wondering where you are?” she asked to change the subject.

“I doubt it,” Alex replied. “He keeps himself pretty well occupied.”

Nicola nodded. “I gather you’re not that close.”

Alex placed his glass on the bedside table and leaned back against the mountain of pillows behind him. “You could say that. We were when we were younger, I guess, but…it got harder later. When his first album went platinum, it was kind of like I lost both him and my parents. He was away touring all the time, and suddenly my parents were completely wrapped up in his success. Nothing I did seemed to matter to them anymore. And now…” He shrugged. “I stopped trying to have a real relationship with him a long time ago. It’s like he just stopped trying. Like his fame made him into something so great that it validates every part of who he is, and that’s all he needs to define himself. He talks about wanting to live a normal life sometimes, but I don’t think he could actually handle it. Being adored by the world puts you in a position that’s terrifying to step away from. I get that.”

Nicola squirmed a little under Alex’s intense gaze. His words made her slightly uncomfortable, because though she’d never have admitted it, there was a tiny, ugly part of herself that hadn’t hated being in the spotlight for those six months. Having the power to attract such attention from the press and public, to have the world looking at her and wondering what it was that was so special about her, Nicola Metcalfe, to snag such a shining star—part of that had been intoxicating, even if she hated what it was doing to all of the lives involved and ultimately made the decision to escape it. “The ego is a powerful thing,” she said. “Can you imagine how different the world would be without it? No war, no corrupt politicians. No Kanye West.”

Alex laughed.

Hesitantly, Nicola reached out and placed a hand on Alex’s shin. “You’re here, though, right? That must mean something to him—that you made the trip to see him.”

Alex looked slightly sheepish. “I actually came here for business reasons. My brother living here—well, I couldn’t put off seeing him forever.” Placing his hand over Nicola’s, he slowly entangled his fingers with hers. “But I never imagined what else was lying in wait for me.”

Nicola’s breath caught in her throat. She wasn’t new to the language and subtle games of courtship—she knew better than to place any weight in casually uttered words this early on. But she’d never met a man she wanted to get to know so completely after such a short time. She thought about the many things she didn’t know about Alex—what he liked for breakfast, what he did for fun, even what he did for a living—and the history he carried with him that she knew nothing about. She wanted to immerse herself in him, to learn every nuance of what made him who he was. Maybe this would be something, or maybe it would just be tonight—but she wanted it, whatever it was. Very badly.

The song changed to Ellie Goulding’s latest hit.

“Are you hungry?” Alex asked her.

“Extremely,” Nicola said softly. She moved toward him slowly until she was between his legs, and then lying on his chest. She looked down at him, and he stared up at her with an expression that could only be described as amazement.

“You are so beautiful,” he said softly.

She brought her lips to his and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back, but she felt restraint behind it.

“It’s okay,” she whispered when they broke apart. His eyes fixed on her face as she licked her lower lip, watching her every move like he wanted to pounce on her. “I want you. I’m ready.”

“Are you—”

She cut him off with her lips, and this time he kissed her back with everything he had, a small groan escaping the back of his throat. Then he gripped her arms and rolled her onto her back, pressing the full length of his body against hers. She could already feel the heat building inside her, her heartbeat quickening—oh, God, she wanted him so badly. “Yes, I’m sure.” She reached for his phone and tapped the stop button on the music. “I want to see you, taste you, hear you. Undress me,” she commanded breathlessly. “And then you. I want to see all of you.”

Lying on top of Nicola, Alex felt intoxicated. It was the only way to describe it—as if someone had opened him up and filled him to the brim with pure desire. And someone had—she had. The vanilla scent of her, the softness of her lips and skin—he wanted to lose himself completely in her.

She sat forward and he pulled her dress over her head. Then he reached around her back and removed her bra, exposing her perfect, tan-lined breasts. “Gorgeous,” he whispered, spiraling around each nipple with a fingertip. She raised a breast toward his mouth, and he obliged her with a long, slow suck. She moaned. “Alex…”

Slowly. There’s no rush.

It was true. This moment only came once in a relationship, no matter how long or short. The first time, that wild collision of anticipation and reality—and he wanted to enjoy it to its fullest. But his cock, already rock-hard, was dictating something quite different.

Her panties were next. He hooked his fingers over the sides and slowly slid them down, revealing a perfect, trim triangle. “I finally get to really see you,” he breathed. “As beautiful as every other part of you.”

Lowering his tongue, he teased her clit with a few quick licks. Like he was the conductor and she the symphony, her hips curved upward to meet him. Slowly, he parted her lips and slid two fingers inside. “You’re ready for me.”

“So ready,” she gasped.

“And I’m more than ready for you.”

“Prove it,” she said, reaching for the button on his shorts, but he caught her wrists and gently pushed them over her head.

“Now, now, no touching.”

Straddling her waist, he pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his shorts and pulled them down so they rested across her tummy. His large cock, rock-hard and aching for her, sprang out above her breasts. “You see? I told you,” he said.

“You’re fucking perfect,” she breathed, reaching for him, but he pushed her arms up again.

“You’ll have me in a minute,” he whispered, bringing his mouth down to her ear and giving her earlobe a quick nip. “Once I’m inside you, you can touch me all you want. Oh, and by the way?”

“Yes?” she managed.

“Get ready, because I’m going to make you come harder than you’ve ever come in your life.”

Her eyes opened wide—pupils dilated, face flushed, she was the picture of lust personified. Alex rose up again, tossed his shorts and boxers aside and got the condom on. Then he lowered himself onto his hands and poised his hips over hers. She opened for him, drawing her knees up. “I need you now…”

“I’ll be there soon, I promise. Guess how wet you are?” he teased, dipping his cock down just enough to bury his head inside her.

“The wettest I’ve ever been.”

“I certainly hope so,” he said hoarsely. “Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this hard.” And with that he slowly pushed himself inside her, a small moan escaping both their lips. He buried himself to the hilt, feeling her warm wetness close around him. It was heaven—the feeling of her, her head thrown back in ecstasy with her eyes locked on his.

He started to move, thrusting slowly at first but quickly gaining speed.

“You feel so good. So good,” she gasped.

He wanted it to last forever, but it felt so fucking amazing, he just wanted to drive it into her over and over again, faster and faster until—

He forced himself to slow down, and Nicola took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his back and push him sideways. A half roll and she was on top of him, her long hair brushing her nipples as she rocked back and forth. Seeing her eyes closed, completely consumed with her arousal, was maybe the biggest turn-on of all. He caught her arms and slid one hand down to hers to catch it, then he brought it to her pussy. “Touch yourself. Let me see how you do it,” he said.

She obliged, using her middle finger to tease herself as she continued to ride on top of him. “Ohhh…” She threw her head back, lost in the moment, and then she pitched forward and braced her hands on either side of his shoulders. Hooking her feet around the inside of his knees to open herself wider, she rocked herself against his pubic bone with his cock buried inside her. That she knew her body well enough to take charge of her own pleasure—a fresh wave of heat flooded Alex’s groin.

“Oh, God,” she said, inhaling sharply. “Oh, God, here I come…”

“Yes—”

He felt her contractions squeeze his cock at the same time her mouth opened to let out a delicious moan. Alex grabbed her around the hips, anchoring her onto him as she rode wave after wave of her orgasm. It was all he could do to control himself as he watched her beautiful face contort with ecstasy, but he was aching to thrust into her one last time. When she finally let out a long exhale, he held on to her ass tightly and started moving again, building speed as he fucked her upward. The sound of their breathing and flesh slapping against flesh filled the room. Nicola’s mouth fell open and her eyelids lowered as she gasped, taking every stroke with a tiny moan of rapture.

That did it. Alex fell over the edge, letting out a massive breath as he drove himself up one last time to empty himself deep inside her. His orgasm ripped from his body almost violently—long, intense pulses of the hottest kind of pleasure that he never wanted to end.

At last his hips dropped down, leaving only the sound of their ragged breathing in the room. Nicola collapsed on top of him, and he rolled her sideways so he was still inside her with his arms and legs wrapped around her. “Was I right?” he asked as he caught his breath.

“What, you couldn’t tell?” she replied coyly.

“I don’t know. I don’t have much to compare it to.”

She caught his hand in hers as it trailed up her hip. “Then I guess we’ll need to change that.”

“I hope so,” Alex said softly. “So…no regrets?”

When Nicola didn’t immediately answer, Alex began to wish he hadn’t asked. He certainly didn’t have any. In fact, their union had only made him want every part of this woman—her body, her mind, even her heart—even more. But then she spoke again. “No regrets. And the weird thing is that I knew I wouldn’t have any, even though I’ve never done anything like this before. I just feel… I don’t know—comfortable with you, I guess.”

Alex smiled. “Me, too.”

Nicola gave a short giggle. “Really? I think you feel more than comfortable right now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Meaning you just fucked me. Aren’t you supposed to be getting soft?”

“I guess my cock missed the memo,” Alex said, wrapping a strand of her hair around his hand and giving it a gentle tug.

“I’m not complaining.”

“Oh, no?” He rolled her under him. It was unbelievable but true—just minutes after coming, he was ready to go again. What was with this woman?

“You’re going to be sore tomorrow,” he warned her.

“Then you better make it worth my while.”

“Oh, I plan to,” Alex replied, taking her nipple in his mouth as he positioned himself between her thighs.

CHAPTER SEVEN

NICOLA AWOKE TO the sound of running water in the bathroom. She rolled over to see that Alex’s side of the bed was empty, but a tray of food sat on the desk—coffee and orange juice, a basket of pastries and a plate of cut fruit covered with plastic wrap.

“Hello, beautiful,” Alex said. Nicola turned to see him coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips.

“Hello yourself. How long have you been up?”

“Long enough to order breakfast. I thought you might have worked up an appetite.” He gave her a devilish grin.

“As a matter of fact, I did,” she said, smiling back and sitting up in bed. How many times had they awoken in the night to satisfy their insatiable appetite for each other? Two or three—she’d lost count at some point as the need for sleep finally overcame her body.

Alex came over to her and leaned down to kiss her.

“You’ve already brushed your teeth. No fair,” she said self-consciously, but by the way he was devouring her lips, it was pretty obvious he didn’t care. She put her arms around his neck, and he settled down beside her in bed.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, tracing her cheek with a fingertip.

“A little sore. More than a little, actually.”

He grinned. “Me, too. But I meant…”

“Oh! Good. Great!” she added brightly, but this wasn’t the whole truth. A part of her did feel great—better than great. She’d just spent the night with the hottest man alive and had had—she may as well admit it—the best sex of her life. And she had to admit to herself that what she felt when she was with Alex reached beyond the physical; how could it be that after less than twenty-four hours together, she already wanted to spend every moment possible with him? But Nicola also felt a creeping anxiety that had stolen her sleep last night despite her exhaustion. Alex didn’t live here. He would be leaving. And if they spent any more time together before he left, not telling him the truth about herself would start to be weird. And after she told him, the fantasy would be over—and she really, really liked the fantasy.

“I have some work to do today,” Alex said, tapping the tip of her nose. “But I’d love to see you later. In fact…” He pressed a palm to his forehead. “I just remembered. It’s my brother’s birthday today, so he has a party planned tonight. Would you like to come with me?”

She blinked in surprise. “Oh, I… Are you sure I won’t be crashing it?”

“Are you kidding? The whole island will probably be there. You’ll be the only person I know besides him and his outrageously amazing chef, Rosie, so you’d be doing me a huge favor.”

The whole island. If someone recognized her and said something…but then again, there was safety in numbers.

“Well, then, sure. I’d love to.” Nicola smiled over the butterflies of unease in her belly.

“Perfect.” He pulled her close. “Just make sure my brother knows you’re with me. If he lays eyes on you…”

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes, and then glanced out the window at the white sky. “I wonder if he knows there’s supposed to be a storm tonight. They can get pretty fierce around here.”

Alex grinned. “I’m sure he has his people on it. He’s got people for everything.”

“Hmm. Sounds weird,” Nicola commented with a furrowed brow. Then she pushed her hands into Alex’s hair. “You know, there’s a very basic question I haven’t asked you yet.”

He ran his fingers up her arm and clasped her hand in his. “Am I gay? I don’t mind you asking, but I thought I answered that pretty well last night.”

She laughed. Alex was funny and charming, that was for sure, and he seemed intent on easing all of her concerns. The problem was that only she had the power to put her real worry to rest, and the only way to do that was to have a conversation she really didn’t want to have. “No. How long are you staying on Moretta?”

He trailed his hand down her side. “How long do you want me to stay?”

“That’s a dangerous question.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. You might not like my answer.”

“Try me.”

She caught his trailing fingers in her own. “Maybe later. Give me your answer first.”

He sighed. “Sadly, I’m due to return to the rat race on Tuesday. Five days from now. But I’ll need to extend my ticket if I can’t nail down a meeting with the contact I’m here for.”

“Wait. You mean you came here on business, but you don’t even have a meeting lined up?”

“Yeah, I know. Long story. I won’t leave without talking to him, though, whatever it takes.”

“Sounds important.”

“It is. I’ve been trying to track him down for months. We want to add his company to our roster, but he’s pretty elusive. I won’t bore you with the details of mergers and acquisitions—I’ve yet to see your eyes glaze over, but that would be a surefire way to make it happen.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay, so…five days.”

“At the least. When I ordered breakfast, I also took the liberty of asking the hotel to extend my stay here.” He pushed her hair back from her face and lowered his voice. “And I want to spend every minute of it that I can with you. Staring into the mirror of these beautiful eyes—not that I’m vain or anything.”

Nicola laughed again. “Do you ever stop?”

“I try not to.” He slid his hand under the sheet to caress her breast. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice thick. “Too good to be true. So what’s wrong with you? What am I going to find out if I Google you?”

Nicola’s heart stopped.

Shit.

She wasn’t ready for this.

“You know what I love about Moretta?” she answered smoothly. “It’s so close to paradise that you can almost imagine a world without the internet. I kind of love that idea—getting to know someone without the influence of Google. Can you believe the world was actually like that once upon a time?”

Alex grinned. “Can you believe I remember what that world was like?”

She smiled back at him, waiting. It will be better if it’s his idea.

“Okay, so no Google,” he said. “Let’s shake on it.”

Relief flooded through Nicola’s body. She hadn’t solved the problem, but at least she’d dodged the bullet for now. She’d spend today planning out how she was going to tell him. Anxiety subsiding, she snaked her arms around his neck. “Isn’t there another way we can seal the deal?”

“There sure is,” Alex said.

“Just one problem,” she said, glancing at the alarm clock. “I have to be at work in twenty minutes.”

“So that gives us…?”

“About five minutes.” Luckily, she kept a bikini in her locker at the scuba shack and could change at work.

“More than enough time.”

Alex kissed her deeply, and Nicola felt her body respond immediately. God, what was it about this man? In an alarmingly short time, he’d already become like a drug to her. Dangerous.

She reached out and tugged at his towel, exposing his already stiffening cock.

“See how much I want you?” he said softly.

She moved closer to him, closing the gap between them. “Take me any way you want,” she whispered into his chin. “Just make sure you fuck me hard. I need this one to last me for the next ten hours.”

“You’re sure you’re up for that?” he asked, but she could tell by how his body was reacting that he liked the idea—a lot. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m up for it,” she replied. “And I can see that you are, too.”

“You better believe it,” Alex responded, sliding a hand down to her pussy. “You’re already wet for me.”

How could that have happened so fast? But it had—her whole body was already on fire. “Because you make me crazy.”

Alex made a growling noise in his throat and grabbed her by the waist, effortlessly flipping her over onto all fours. Then his head was beneath her and his hands were on her ass, pulling her down to his mouth. Nicola moaned, pushing herself into his mouth as his tongue swept at her clit. “Oh, God, I need more—your beautiful cock—”

The words were barely out of her mouth before he was behind her and pulling her hips toward him. And then he was sliding into her, filling her deeper and deeper. It hurt but it felt so good, the most exquisite kind of pain.

“Nicola. You are so fucking amazing.” Alex punctuated each word with a thrust of his cock, harder and harder, each stroke building the heat within her. Then he reached his hand beneath her and found her clit, massaging it relentlessly until—

Until she was there with him, both of them cresting and falling together, their moans of pleasure intermingled until finally he collapsed forward onto her back.

“Now, that’s what I call a deal sealer,” Alex said.

“Okay, spill,” Kiki said to Nicola the moment she walked in the front door. She closed it gratefully behind her—a brisk wind had picked up, an early sign of the promised storm—and smiled at her roommate. Kiki was sitting on the sofa with one leg bent up, polishing her toes in two contrasting shades of pink.

“What are you talking about?” Nicola said, trying to look innocent. But it was pointless—within two seconds she burst out laughing. “Fine,” she said, tossing her satchel onto the tiny entrance table. “I may or may not have been having the time of my life.”

“Assuming you were. Would it happen to be with a Z-list celebrity?”