The Lies That Shatter by A.V. Asher

Chapter Forty

As soon as Alec closed her bedroom door, he had Mercedes in his arms again. He kissed her deeply. Desire raged through his body to the point of pain. The way she had come apart in his hands filled him with such need he was nearly blinded.

He was losing every bit of control he had, and it terrified him she might change her mind.

Mercedes ran her fingers under his shirt, caressing his abs. Her touch laced with fire. She gathered the fabric in her fist. “Take this off. I need to see you.” He dragged it over his head and tossed it on the ground.

Mercedes’s mouth was on his neck, gently nipping his skin. Alec slid the strap of the dress off her shoulder and down her arm, then he did the same for the other side. The fabric fell, catching around her waist.

He brought his hand to her breast. Their tongues danced while he kneaded her. He trailed kisses down her neck, the heat of her making his nerves burn.

“You feel so goddamn good,” Alec moaned and walked her back to the bed. Mercedes sat on the edge, her legs parted.

Alec was about to kneel on the ground before her when the swirls of ink on her flesh caught his eye. “What’s this?” Mercedes smiled shyly as he pressed her back onto her elbows.

How had she kept this one from him?

Delicate music notes twirled across lines, like a sheet of music. Only she was the sheet. Colorful flowers and swirls accented the notes. It started below her breast and ran down her side to her waistline. Alec traced the lines with his fingers. The slight ridge of the scar it covered was the only sign of what she’d been through.

Alec swallowed hard, his throat parched. “Tomorrow, you and I are going to have a conversation about these tattoos.”

“You don’t like them?” Anxiousness crossed her face.

“I bloody love them,” he growled, bending to trail kisses up the design to her taut nipple.

Mercedes sighed, drawing him in closer. He loved the way she moved against him when he took the peak into his mouth. The mark he’d given her the night of the party had faded but was still visible. He pulled in her delicate skin and sucked gently. Mercedes gasped and clung to him.

His heart jumped at her response. “You like that?”

“I do,” she breathed.

“Mmm. Tell me if I’m being too rough,” he said, deepening the pull on her.

The groan that came out of her was so damn sexy. “I love it, Alec. I want more.”

His eyes shot to hers. “Do you?”

Mercedes bit her lip. “Yeah. I won’t break.”

But I might.

The desire to take his time and savor her fell away. He wanted her to lose herself again, only this time, he wouldn’t take it slow.

Alec jerked her legs toward him, bringing her to the edge of the bed. Then he gathered the fabric of her dress up, tugged the lacy knickers off and dove his tongue between her thighs.

Mercedes cried out, her hand fisting his hair. She lay back, giving herself up for him to play with. He toyed with her in an unyielding dance of swirling his tongue and sucking on her clit.

“Holy shit, Alec. Oh, my god,” she chanted the whisper over and over.

Alec gripped her hips and brought her in deeper, her arousal coating his tongue. The way he could make her whimper was like a drug. He needed more. He needed her to shatter under him.

Mercedes’s body tightened as she was spiraled into her orgasm. She cried his name over and over until she couldn’t seem to speak. When it hit her, she groaned, each shudder of her climax pulsing against his tongue.

Once the peak had passed, she lay trembling. Alec tugged on the dress, slipping it off her body. Then he worked on the last of his clothes, tossing his shorts and briefs aside.

He bent over her and kissed her, wanting to offer her a slow recovery. But she wasn’t having it. Her fingernails raked his scalp, pulling the kiss in deeper. She wanted nothing to do with gentle.

She grasped his chin, and he opened his eyes to look into hers. “I need you. Now,” she rasped. Then she moved, shifting herself onto the bed. “Come here.”

Her command pushed his hunger to a peak. As soon as he was between her thighs, he thrust himself inside her. Her cries of pleasure matched his. The tightness of her walls clenched around him, and he savored the sensation.

“Jesus, I’ve needed you so much, Sadie,” he whispered. “I’ve been so fucking lost without you.”

“Then take me, Alec,” she said, her fingers stroking his back. “I’ve always been yours.”

Alec groaned, taking her in a deep and steady rhythm. Mercedes lifted her hips, coaxing him until all he knew was her.

“Harder Alec, please. Oh, god, yes right there,” Mercedes cried. He increased his cadence, their movements now rough and carnal. He fought to hold back his release, but she was milking it from him.

When her body tightened with her climax, he held back a little longer, savoring her orgasm gripping his cock. She was so bloody perfect, and he was so fucking starved for her.

Mercedes writhed under him. “Come for me, Alec. I need to feel you.”

Alec couldn’t hold back anymore. His release blazed through him and he cried her name as he emptied himself inside her. The last wave struck him, leaving him panting for air. He kissed her softly, his pulse still hammering in his chest.

She opened her eyes, her expression soft. “Why is it like this with you?”

Alec didn’t have to ask what she meant. Every moment they’d spent in each other’s arms was unlike anything he’d ever known. She pulled him to the surface and exposed the depth of his heart.

“Because we belong together. And this.” He gave her a gentle thrust, which made her sigh. “Is a reflection of how much you love me, and I you.”

Mercedes nodded, tears spilling onto her cheeks. “I love you, Alec.”

The ice that had formed in his veins over the last year of pain and grief melted, connecting him back to the living. His throat tightened painfully, and he didn’t try to hide his own tears. “I love you too.”

* * *

Alec awoketo the blue light of daybreak filtering through the open curtains. He reached his hand out to search for Mercedes, terrified she’d been a dream.

But she wasn’t.

She was turned away from him, curled up in sleep. Her chestnut hair spilled all around her. As gently as he could, he shifted himself to curve his body against her, tightening his arms around her. He didn’t want to wake her yet. Neither of them had gotten much rest, reaching to love each other twice in the night. She shifted slightly, then settled back to sleep.

The sun was just rising, painting the sky and water in light pinks and blues. He held her, listening to her soft breathing and the crash of the distant waves. A sudden wave of mixed emotions slammed into him.

She was alive. She loved him. This was real.

Last night had been one of the most intense nights of his life. Sex with Mercedes had never just been sex. It was pure energy that sucked him in and wouldn’t let go.

Mercedes stirred, and it wasn’t long before her fingers tightened around his. When she sighed, he kissed her shoulder. “Good morning, darling.”

“Morning,” she said, sleep thick in her voice. She flipped over to face him, her legs intertwining with his. “I’m so glad I woke up in your arms. I was afraid you’d disappear on me in the night.”

“Aye, I had the same fear.”

He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently. The tattoo on her forearm caught his attention, and he angled it to get a better look.

“Tell me about this one,” he said, running his finger along the edge of the compass rose.

“This is a Celtic symbol for strength, guiding me forward.”

“And why are the flowers blue? Heather’s usually pink or purple.”

“Here, let me see.” She lifted her forearm and put it next to his cheek. Her gaze shifted between the heather and his eyes. “Nearly perfect.”

Warmth spread up his chest, pooling in his heart. “So, tell me about this one.” He said, sliding the sheet down to expose the inked music running down her ribs.

“Well, the one on my arm I did to be practical. I needed to cover up the scar, and a tattoo made sense. But this one.” She ran her fingers over the swirls of notes. “I did for me. A little like reclaiming myself from what happened.”

“I love that,” he murmured. “So, what song is it?”

Mercedes bit her lip. “It’s a song I wrote.”

“Did you?”

She nodded and peered at her tattoo. “See these higher notes here, they sort of cascade over and over?” At his nod, she said. “Well, long ago, a handsome Scotsman took me on a hike. This is the waterfall that sang to me the first time he kissed me.”

Alec’s pulse faltered, and he had to force himself to breathe.

“And see these?” She pointed to a pattern of lower notes. “This was the beat of his heart the first time he made love to me. It’s quite lovely when you put it all together.”

Alec stared at her in utter disbelief that someone could ever love him this much. “Will you play it for me later?” he choked out.

She nodded. The whiskey gold of her eyes had overtaken the moss green. “You’re the only one I’d ever play it for.”