Until I Break(40)
Author: M. Leighton

I walk down to the kitchen and grab half a bagel, slather it with cream cheese and pour a cup of coffee from the already-brewed pot. I wander the house as I nibble, admiring the flawlessly-positioned artwork, the immaculate décor and the breathtaking views from nearly every window.

Within thirty minutes, after roaming the entire empty house, I’m back upstairs. I stare out at the secluded balcony off the master as I sip a glass of lemonade, listening to the silent call of the padded chaise lounge and the ocean just beyond it.

I glance at the clock. It’s only a few minutes after ten. It’s warm enough to get some sun and it’s early enough that I’ll still have time to shower and be ready for Alec by noon.

But I didn’t bring a bathing suit.

Feeling more daring and lighthearted than I have in a long time, I strip my clothes off, grab two towels from the bathroom, wrap one around myself and head for the balcony.

I set my glass down beside the chair, drape one towel over the cushion then look nervously around before I drop my own towel and lay face down on the cushion. I giggle, imagining Chris rolling her eyes at my silliness. She’s the type that would sunbathe in the nude without thinking a thing about it. I, however, am not.

Until today. Today, I might be that girl.

I relax in the warmth of the sun. When my skin begins to tingle, I roll onto my back to feel the hot rays caress my face and chest. I’m in that drowsy state between sleep and wakefulness when I hear his voice.

“I must admit, I’m very happy with the way you ‘make yourself at home’.”

I jump when Alec speaks from somewhere near my left ear. Instinctively, I sit up, crossing my arms over my chest and drawing my knees up to hide my nudity. I shield my eyes from the sun to focus on him. He’s standing slightly behind me with only a towel draped loosely around his hips. My mouth goes dry as I take in his wet black hair and the drops of water that glisten like specks of gold on his bronze chest.

Instantly, I’m right back in my book with Daire and Mason. The setting is so similar, it’s like déjà vu. Only Alec is real. And he’s really here. And so am I.

“I thought you were going to be gone until lunch.”

“After my workout, I decided to come home for a shower. What can I say? I couldn’t stay away.”

That makes me inordinately happy, but not enough to make me drop my guard.

“If you’ll hand me that towel,” I say, nodding toward the one I left crumpled on the floor at his feet, “I’ll go get a shower, too.”

Alec kicks my towel out of the way. “How about this one instead?” he asks, reaching for the towel that encircles his hips. My mouth falls open and no sound comes out. My gaze is glued to his hand and my mind is willing him to remove the towel. “No?” he says when I don’t answer. “Well, now you have no options. I don’t think I’ll let you have your towel,” he says casually as he moves to stand at the foot of the chaise. “I don’t think I’ll let you go back inside either. Or get dressed. You’re here. I’m here. And you did agree to do as I say, did you not?”

I nod. Even though he told me I have nothing to fear, and I believe him, a thin thread of anxiety works its way down my spine. He’s already shown me what he likes, what he can be like. But I find that it also excites me. I remember his words, the things he promised he’d do to me, things he promised he’d make me feel. And I don’t doubt I’ll feel them all.

Anticipation blooms in my stomach like a lazy lotus blossom.

“Remove your arms. I want to see your br**sts.”

My hesitation is minimal, but he still notices. “Ah-ah-ahh. Remember the rules,” he reminds. “Do as I say.”

Forcing myself to act, I relax my trembling arms away from my chest. I see his eyes drop. My ni**les furl tightly and ache under his prolonged scrutiny.

“Beautiful,” he whispers. “Now spread your legs. Drop them on either side of the chair.”

Why, oh, why didn’t I leave my underwear on?

Heart pounding, I part my thighs and let my feet fall off the chair until I feel the warm wood of the deck beneath them.

I see the muscle in Alec’s jaw tick as he looks unabashedly at my exposed femininity. Heat gathers there and I can’t be sure if it’s from the sun or from Alec’s gaze.

After several nerve-racking seconds, he moves to my left, stopping at my shoulder. He bends over, reaching forward for my glass of lemonade. Ice cubes clink against the side as he absently swirls the liquid.

I look up to find his eyes raking me from head to toe. He doesn’t take them from me as he tips the glass to his lips and takes a long drink. When he lowers it, I see an ice cube pop out from between his lips. He reaches up and takes it between his fingers.

Dropping his hand to my chest, Alec circles my left nipple with the melting cube. It tingles with the stimulation. “Mmm, that’s what I like. I want to see them hard. And tight. Begging for my mouth.”

Leaning over, he wraps his lips around my nipple. Although his mouth is cool, after the touch of the cold ice cube his tongue feels like the lick of an open flame, hot and searing. I gasp. Drawing it further into his mouth, Alec gives it one quick hard suck before he lifts his head.

His eyes meet mine. He says nothing, just watches me as he takes another sliver of ice into his mouth. We stare at each other for several long, tense seconds before he leans across me to take my other nipple.

When I feel his tongue this time, it’s cool against my hot skin, still warm from the sun. The temperature is an equal, yet opposite contrast, and just enough to leave me breathless.

He speaks after he releases my nipple this time. “I want to see you play with them now,” he says, moving back down to the foot of the chaise. “Now,” he orders sternly when I don’t comply immediately.

I bring my shaking hands to my br**sts and I rub my flattened palms over the ni**les. Alec’s eyes are on my hands for a few seconds, but then I see them drop down to look between my legs again. My muscles contract, squeezing at the thought of his body inside mine, throbbing under the heat of his blatant scrutiny.

Alec reaches into my glass of lemonade and pulls out another cube of ice. He straddles the end of the lounge chair, his knees touching mine, and he trails the ice cube up the inside of my thigh.

“I want you to pinch your ni**les every time I put this ice cube inside you,” he explains, reaching forward to slide the long piece of ice into me. He only puts it in a little ways. “Pinch them.” I do as he asks. I feel a twitch low in my stomach and my body clutches at the ice. He pulls the sliver out and then puts it in deeper, his fingers penetrating my entrance as he does. Obediently, I pinch my ni**les. Another delicious squeeze in my belly. “I want you to feel the ice melting. I want you to feel my cold fingers.” He pushes his fingers in deeper. I feel the coolness of them as well as the liquid from the melting cube that runs back out around them. It trickles down the crease between my butt cheeks. “Concentrate on how good it feels. Know that I could make you come, but I won’t. You will do that only when I give you permission. Do you understand?”