ARABELLA. Alexander takes me to the middle of the bed as he showers my face with kisses and I move my hands down his abs. He takes my mouth in his again and I slip my tongue into his mouth, running it over his teeth as I lock my hands around his neck. He pulls back by an inch as he trails kisses down my neck while one hand plays with my breast, squeezing it through the material of the gown I have on and I feel my panties start to get soaked as I let out a moan, arching my back in pleasure. Alexander moves back to my mouth and, after a small peck, he draws back with his hands pressing onto the bed as he lifts himself off me. My chest rises and falls as I stare at his face, my hands on his shoulder. He doesn’t remove his eyes from mine as he spreads my thighs wider with his leg and one of his hands sneaks underneath my gown. I let out a whimper when he brushes his thumb over my wet panties and the corner of his mouth lifts at my reaction as he repeats the action. "Alex…" I groan out

DEX. I halt my steps when I see Veronica standing next to an angry-looking Sam and my mouth falls open. This was who she came for. It’s been long minutes since Veronica left the shop and I thought I’d go in search of her because I got worried. I, however, didn’t expect to find her in the arms of her boyfriend. "What the fuck is he doing here?" I hear Sam blurts angrily to her as I stand before them, a few feet away. "He came to see me. That’s what I was trying to–" "Came to see you?" Sam sneers as he turns his full attention to Veronica. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Who the hell is he to come to see you?" Veronica sighs as she takes a step forward, trying to reach out her hand, but Sam slaps it away and I grit my teeth, wanting to jump between them at that second but forcing myself to stop. I shouldn’t. Not yet. "Sam, please. Don’t create a scene here. If you had let me speak–" "Don’t create a scene?" He laughs as he points at me. "I’m not the one who’s fucking chea

ARABELLA. I’m turned and Alex smiles at me as he removes his hand from my mouth. "Hey." I slap the books I have in hand into his side and he hisses as I say, "You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was in trouble for a minute there." "Do you have enemies? Why should you be scared?" He chuckles as he rubs the spot before he drops his hand. "You don’t need to have enemies to be in trouble," I mumble as I tuck my hair behind my ear, then finally smile. "But, hey. You couldn’t have just called for me? Or snatched me the normal way?" "I thought you’d recognize my touch." He pouts. "You didn’t. My voice too. I’m actually hurt, Arabella." He jokes as he presses a hand to his chest and I chuckle. "I’d have had better focus if I wasn’t panicked." Alex laughs before he wraps a hand around my waist, pushing me to his chest with my hands serving as a barrier as I grip my books and phone. He raises his other hand to my face and pulls my cheeks before he lowers his head, meshing his lips a

ARABELLA. Alex’s hand lifts my skirt, squeezing my ass through the thin material of my soaked panties, and I moan into his mouth as his tongue meets mine in the middle. I move my hands to his head, fingers combing through his hair and pulling at his curls as the sounds of our mouth smacking take over the silence in the room. Alex breaks away from the kiss when we can no longer feel our mouths and I push my face in his neck, brushing my lips across the skin and leaving faint marks as he squeezes my ass again. I pull back, panting heavily, and we have five seconds of intense eye contact before I drop from his hold, not removing my eyes from his as I move to my knees before him. He brushes my hair from my face before grabbing a fistful of it, holding it back as I undo his belt from his trousers, my hands shaky and heart racing. "Take your time," Alex assures me, and I take in a breath as I finally loosen his belt. I waste no time in undoing his pant buttons before dragging it down a

DEX."Are you okay?" I ask Veronica, who’s turned to the window and hasn’t spoken a word since we stopped the car.She sniffs, and I watch as she wipes her face. "Yeah. I am."I want to reach out to her and bring her in my arms, but I’m not sure if she seeks my comfort at this moment, so I wait for her to relax and tell me what happened."Sorry." She chuckles as she finally turns her gaze to me. "I’m delaying you, aren’t I?""No," I assure her with a small smile. "Take your time. I can wait. I’m used to it."She doesn’t say a word, but her lips quiver, and she breaks into sobs again. I feel my heart ache painfully in my chest, and I lean over the divider as I finally give in to my urge and soothe a hand down her back."It’s fine. You’re okay. You’ll be fine." I mumble in the small space of my car. She lifts her hands to her face and continues to cry while I continue to rub her back gently, letting her get it all out.After a while, she removes her hands and wipes her tears. "I hate him