Fulfillment (Book 3 in The Temptation Series) (33 page)

“Can you
sing?” asked Derek.

“Not—”

“Yes, she
can,” Lucy interrupted.

“I can hold a
tune, that’s different from being able to sing,” I corrected.

“Pfft, I know
for a fact you can sing,”

“How?”

“How did Bryce
say you put it? Oh, yeah...Creepy Research.”

Oh, for the
love of...

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

So, it was
set. In just over two months’ time when I was no longer supported
by crutches and a hideous looking boot, I would be performing “The
Only Exception” for Bryce at one of Live Trepidation’s gigs.
How
the flying fuck did they talk me into that? Oh, yeah...it was
because it was ‘going to absolutely blow his mind’.
How could I
have possibly refused when Lucy put it like that? And, after giving
it more thought, he had gone over and beyond when it came to doing
things for me: helicopter rescue, Tel V Awards, 4Life, ‘Kings of
Leon’, Uluru, Brylexis, the list went on. I really had no choice,
and I had to perform the absolute shit out of it because he
deserved nothing less.

For the past
few days, Derek and I had been practising as much as we possibly
could, and my lessons had gone from actually learning how to
understand and play music, to listen, copy, and wing it—which had
been working nicely. Already, I was getting used to the 6/8 time
signature and the introduction of the capo on the second fret. I
was also getting used to different methods of strumming the
strings.

***

Bryce was due
home the next day, and I was beyond excited. I couldn’t wait to
touch him, inhale him and taste him.
God, I sound like a Mr.
Clark devouring monster.
The thing was, I was a greedy little
monster when it came to him. I could not wait to have him in close
proximity again. He was my drug of choice and I had suffered
withdrawals for the past week. As much as I was looking forward to
seeing him, I was also grateful for the time he was spending away
as it was giving me more of an opportunity to practise with Derek.
I didn’t see how that was going to continue after Bryce returned,
apart from sneaking off to practise with Derek behind Bryce’s back.
I hated that idea. I knew too well that that kind of behaviour
could only lead to bad things, things like lying, deceit and wrong
assumptions.

***

Derek and I
had been practising for a couple of hours and my fingers were sore.
I’d wanted a rest, so he had me watch him play the verse and chorus
of the song over and over, because essentially—where the chords
were concerned—the verse and chorus were one and the same.

I was lightly
singing the words and watching him strum when the door to the
man-cave opened and Bryce walked in. He frightened me at first, but
then that natural wave of guilt over being caught out washed over
me and panic set in—my response to his arrival clearly not what it
should’ve been.

“Hey,” I
smiled gingerly at him. “You’re back early.”
Shit! What do I
tell him?

“Yes, I am,”
he replied, as he eyed Derek with a suspicious scowl.

“Hey, Mate. I
was just picking up the new music composition,” Derek said casually
as he put his guitar down.

I propped
myself up and grabbed my crutches so that I could make my way over
to Bryce, embrace him and hopefully help remove that betrayed look
that was clearly plastered across his face.

I stopped in
front of him and balanced my arms on the tops of the crutches.

“Did you get
everything finish—”

He grabbed my
face in his hands and kissed me hard before I could finish my
question. His kiss wasn’t a sensual, loving caress, it was
possessive and angry. I pulled away from him and caught a look of
distrust in his eyes, and it stabbed me right through the
heart.

“I’ll get
going, let the two of you get re-acquainted,” Derek said just as
casually as before. He packed up his guitar and slipped past us.
“I’ll let myself out.”

“Best you
fucking do that,” Bryce replied, his voice dripping with
accusation.

My mouth fell
open and I glared at him. Derek stopped on his way to the door,
just a few feet from where Bryce and I were standing and turned
slowly. The tension in Bryce’s face was at boiling point. He was
almost ready to rip Derek to shreds, and I think Derek would’ve put
up a decent fight.

I placed my
hand on Bryce’s arm in the hope to calm him. “Bye Derek, and thanks
again,” I said apologetically.

“No sweat,
Alexis,” he replied while eyeing Bryce before he turned back around
and left the room.

When the door
closed behind Derek, Bryce stared at it for a few seconds, as if he
was ready to knock it down and go after Derek.

I reached up
and turned his face toward mine. “What the hell was that all about?
You were so rude to him,” I complained.

“You tell me,
Alexis. What the hell did I just walk in on?” he replied with an
icy tone.

“Are you
serious? Please tell me you are not serious.”

“Oh, I’m very
fucking serious,” he hissed, as he eyed me fiercely.

My mouth
dropped again and I turned away from him, hobbling on my crutches
toward the door. “What you just walked in on was Derek calling past
to collect whatever it was he needed to collect.”

I wrenched the
door open and proceeded through it to the lounge. Lucy was at
Mother’s Group, Nic was at work, and the kids were still at
school.

“Why did he
have his guitar with him if he was only picking up sheet
music?”

“I don’t
know?” I replied, exasperated.
Fuck!

“Doesn’t make
sense, Alexis. What the fuck are you not telling me?”

He followed me
out of the room, and I swivelled around to face him.

“Nothing! What
are you insinuating?” I shouted defensively while pointing my
crutch at him.

The fact that
he would think what I thought he was thinking pained my chest. How
could he possibly assume there was something going on between me
and Derek after all he and I had been through? How could he think
that?

“Is something
going on between you and Derek?” he asked me, outright.

A tear rolled
down my cheek. “What, so you think that just because I was tempted
by you, I would also be tempted by the next person who came along?
Fuck, Bryce, you don’t know me at all.”

I continued on
toward the elevator. He followed and gently grabbed my waist,
spinning me around and pinning me up against the entryway wall, the
very spot that held memories of so many heated, passionate and now
anger-fuelled moments.

Both my
crutches fell to the floor.

He pressed his
body firmly into mine. “What was he doing here, and why were you
sitting with him, watching him play the guitar?” his tone had
softened and his face was only centimetres from mine.

“Let me go,
Bryce. I have nothing to explain.” I turned my head to the side,
not wanting to look at him.

He gently
placed his hand under my chin and turned my face back to him.
“Alexis, answer me.”

“Why? It’s
obvious you don’t trust me.” More tears fell down my cheeks as I
stared into his eyes. “Is this how it’s always going to be between
us? No trust, because I gave you a small piece of me when I was
still with Rick?” I whispered.

“No, Hunny,”
his voice surrendered and he dropped his head. “I just know when
I’m being lied to.” He raised his gaze back to mine. “And you’re
lying to me, aren’t you?”

“So you
immediately think the worst. Did you not stop to think that I could
be lying for a reason? One that did not lead to me having it off
with your best friend?” I gave him a questioning look and the look
he returned was one of remorse. “Obviously not,” I sighed and
turned away once more. “Let me go.”

He turned my
face back to him yet again. “So you admit that you are lying?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going
to tell me what you are lying about?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I
don’t want you to know. Not yet, anyway.”

“Alexis, that
doesn’t cut it,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Do you trust
me?” I asked imploringly, as I ran my fingers down his distraught
face.

He searched my
eyes for a moment, a moment longer than I would’ve liked or
expected. “Yes,” he finally said.

“Then do that
and trust me. When I want you to know why I need Derek to help me,
I will tell you.”

He continued
to hold me against the wall as he peered into my eyes; into my
soul, my answer obviously causing him distress.

I smoothed his
hair away from his face. “Bryce, I promise you that I love you;
only you. And I promise you that no man has made me feel what you
make me feel, and no man ever will. I promise you I will never
betray you, not in any way. I love you, Bryce.
You
. Now, I’m only going to say this once, so, either
accept it and take me to bed...or just take me to bed. It’s your
call.”

I waited for a
split second before his lips met mine, this time the anger gone and
intense love and passion once again present. I wrapped my leg
around his waist and struggled to lift the other—my muscles all but
depleted. He noticed my strain and gently lifted it for me as he
walked me into the elevator.

“I’ve missed
you”, he said through tongue and lips. “I couldn’t wait any longer
to see you again, to touch you again. I just don’t function without
you anymore.”

“I know, and
that’s not healthy.”

“Fuck being
healthy,” he growled, as he walked me into our room.

I giggled as
he tenderly placed me onto the bed, my amusement stopping when he
reached for the button on my jeans. Just that one action indicating
his motives had my pussy aching for his touch. So much so, that I
lifted my pelvis automatically in order for him to pull my jeans
down with ease. He did just that, but stopped at the freakin’ moon
boot.

Slowly, he
undid the Velcro straps. “How is it?” he said as he gently lifted
my foot from its brace to inspect it.

“Good,
apparently really good. I’ve started physiotherapy and already I’m
gaining back strength.”

“That’s great,
Hunny.”

He carefully
removed my jeans completely, leaned over and placed a soft kiss on
my healing ankle. My body reacted and shuddered in response as he
continued to kiss up my leg, stopping when his lips touched the
material of my underwear. He looked up at me through his lashes and
grinned as he bit down on the seam and aggressively dragged them
off with his teeth.
Oh holy fuck, he’s a sexy animal.

Crawling back
up my legs, he bent my uninjured one over his shoulder, his head
now perfectly positioned in between them. I sucked in a ragged
breath as he touched my clit with the pad of his finger, my body
bucking with sensation.

“Oh God, I’ve
missed you...I missed this,” I breathed out as I tilted my pelvis
to get closer to his mouth while his finger kept teasing me,
tracing my wetness up and down and swirling at my entrance. “What
are you waiting for?” I panted.

“I’m admiring
the view. Your pussy is pretty fucking nice to look at.”

“It’s also
pretty fucking nice to taste, so stop admiring and taste it.”

He chuckled,
leaned forward and pressed his nose into me then, pausing for a
second, breathed hot and dipped his tongue. I clenched his hair and
dug the heel of my foot into his back. “Mmmm,” he growled, so I
clenched and dug deeper. I loved his growls.

Bryce pleased
my pussy with his sensational tongue and fingers, flicking and
sucking at my clitoris while sliding his fingers in and out of me.
I could feel every insertion and every retraction as he repeated
the motion while altering the pace. His movements had the ability
to trick and tease my mind and body.

“I want you,
Bryce, all of you,” I pleaded.

He pulled away
and crawled on top of me. “I’m all yours, Hunny.”

It had been
weeks since we were last with each other, and I desperately wanted
to feel him inside me again. I needed to feel him for so many
reasons. Reasons that were solely for pure carnal necessity, but
also reasons for wanting to reconnect with him after both of us
losing a piece of our hearts.

“And I’m all
yours, don’t forget that,” I whispered.

He leaned down
and pressed his warm lips to mine, gratifying me with his delicious
tongue.

I pulled away.
“Oh, and please don’t forget my ankle is exposed, unprotected and
highly fragile.”

“Your ankle is
safe with me, I’ll be careful. Now shut up and let me fucking make
love to you,” he growled with a smirk on his face.

I grabbed the
back of his head and pulled him to me, hungry for the man who
fulfilled my every need. He reached up and unbuttoned my blouse,
pushing each side away and exposing my chest. His hands felt smooth
as they glided across my skin removing the unwanted material.

Reaching down,
I took hold of his belt buckle, unlooping the leather strap and
gaining access to his pants. I unbuttoned those too, and found his
erection ready for my grasp.

A rumble of
relief resonated through him as I placed my hands on his cock,
slowly gliding them up and down. I delighted in the feel of him
tensing under my touch. It gave me a sense of empowerment and
reassurance that his cock belonged to me.

I clenched it
tightly before I positioned it at my entrance, and before he pushed
into me, we had a silent moment, our eyes communicating as
perfectly and as clearly as they had always done. I could tell he
was checking to see if I was okay, and ready to make love for the
first time after losing the baby. I was. I was ready to move ahead
in the hope that once again I would carry his child, our child.

I touched his
face, smiled softly and nodded, causing his eyes to sparkle and
fill with love as he pushed forward easing himself inside of me.
His rhythm was slow, soft and sensual, and I took great pleasure in
every rock of his hips.