Take It All by Alexa Riley

Chapter Six

Rory

Hosting parties at the estate is always a lot of work, but good for the community. Unfortunately because I’m hosting, I’m pulled in a lot of different directions all night. Thankfully this year I’ve managed to keep myself out of the bachelor auction, but Apollo has been entered instead. I’ll need to remind him of that before he has to go on stage.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him waiting on Celeste, and my heart aches.

After I left Anna’s house, I saw him in the car with a young woman. It surprised me, because although I’ve expected Apollo to date, he never has. So seeing him with someone was a bit of a shock. Even more so when I slowed down and watched his car turn into the driveway of the little blue house I just left. I parked at the end of the road out of sight and waited just to be sure. When I saw Anna come out and speak to the young woman in the car, then the two of them go inside, my suspicions were confirmed.

I didn’t know how to react to this discovery, and it felt like it was too coincidental. How could both of these women manage to get the two of us to fall for them? Apollo wouldn’t be driving her around unless he was serious. After what I’d done with Anna, I wondered just how serious Apollo was about her daughter.

Apollo has so much still ahead of him. I’ve lived my life and made my way in the world. When I got his mother pregnant, we didn’t know each other and were too young to think about the future. All we were concerned about was instant gratification. It led to the most incredible part of my life by having my son, but I wouldn’t wish the hardships I went through on him.

Guilt weighed heavy on me as I went back to the estate and closed myself in my office. After some thought, I reached out to one of my contacts in security and had him run a background check on Anna. It’s not that I didn’t trust her, I just needed to be sure that for Apollo’s sake, there wasn’t something or someone they were running from.

It didn’t take long to hear back, and the long list of suspicious activity from Anna had my worry doubling. Not that I cared that she had a past, but why did she do those things to begin with? Who put her in a situation where she had to con her way across the country? Did I even care if she was running a con on me? I sat back in my chair and thought it over for about two seconds. It didn’t matter if she cleaned out my bank account, I’d write her a check if she asked for it.

Maybe that’s naïve, but I’ve been around the business world a long time, and I’ve seen the type of people who wanted to take advantage of me. Anna isn’t doing it to support a lavish lifestyle or to hurt people; she’s only trying to do what she can to raise her daughter. As a father, I don’t fault her, and I would probably do the same if I was in her shoes.

My concern is that if Apollo feels anything for Celeste like what I feel for Anna, he’ll turn his back on his future.

There’s also this secret part of my heart that longed for more children, even though I never allowed that to become a possibility. Having a daughter would complete that missing piece, but I’m terrified of what it will cost me. What if she turns Apollo against me? What if I invest my love in Celeste and she breaks Apollo’s heart? What if she does to him what Heather did to me? I didn’t love Heather, but she left me with a child who longed for a mother that didn’t want him. I had to be the one to answer him every time he asked why he didn’t have a mom. That’s not anything I would ever wish on my son.

With all of that heavy on my shoulders, I talked to him before the party and did my best to explain that he needed to have his fun and end it before it went too far. I’m a grown man, and I can deal with Anna and what she’s after. I won’t allow Apollo to do the same.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Apollo stand and then embrace a young woman. When he releases her, I see it’s Celeste, and for a second I watch my son. The way his eyes light up and the way he looks at her is nothing I’ve seen in him before. The worry I have doubles as the two of them disappear into the crowd.

When I glance at the entrance, I’m stunned still as I see Anna walking inside, her head held high and looking like she belongs here. She does. I excuse myself from the group of people talking to me but don’t wait for them to reply. Instead, I go right to Anna and take her by the hand, pulling her behind me.

“Well, hi to you too,” she sasses, and I grit my teeth.

Leading her down a long hallway, I open the first door on the left. It’s a storage room, but I don’t give a fuck. I need to be alone with her.

“Rory, what are you—”

Her question is cut off when I pin her against the door and press my body to hers. “Enough,” I say as I look down at her deep purple dress and how it clings to her heavy curves. “Did you wear this to torment me?”

“Yes.” She doesn’t even try to deny it.

“What do you want?” It’s a loaded question, and I don’t even know what I’m asking for. “Tell me, and you can have it.”

Her lips part, and her eyes are uncertain as she stares at me. “Rory, I don’t know what you mean.”

“Do you have any idea how badly I want you?” My hands move to her hips and around to her ass. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you mine.”

She gasps as I grind my cock against her, and I swoop down, stealing her breath. When my lips press to hers, I groan so loudly it rumbles between us. She’s soft against me, and I want nothing more than to rip away the clothes that separate us so I can plunge into her molten heat.

The sound she makes when I break the kiss has me harder than ever. Kneeling down between her legs, I push her dress up and order her to hold it. She does as I ask, and in one swift move, I have her panties down around her knees and my face in her cunt.

She’s sweet softness between her thighs, and I lick the insides to clean up her messy desire. My body shakes with need, but it’s not for my own pleasure. I have to make her cum, have to mark her as mine. My need to stake my claim is burning all over, and if I don’t do it now, I might just die.

“Rory,” she moans, and I don’t know if her hands in my hair are pulling me closer or pushing me away.

“Mine.” I’m hungry as I feast on her honey and slide my fingers into her soft folds. As I curl them in that perfect way, she cries out in ecstasy.

The sounds of her climax are loud, and there’s no doubt that if anyone is in the hallway, they heard her. Hell, they might have in the ballroom too. When she’s sated and spent, I clean my fingers and put her panties back into place.

“Drop the dress,” I say, and her hands let go of the material she was clinging to. Her eyes are heavy-lidded as I stand and loom over her. “You’re mine, Anna, and if I have to fuck you in front of the entire island of Craven Cove to make it known, I will.”

Her eyes widen at my words as I lean down and cup her cheek.

“But make no mistake, there isn’t a place on this planet where you can hide from me.” She swallows hard as I brush my lips against hers. “Run all you want, but you’ll end up exactly where you belong.”

“Where’s that?” she asks softly, and I smile.

“In my bed, and under me.”