Page 69 of Troublemaker: The Big Picture Edition

“Baby,” I encourage him. “Yes.”

But he doesn’t come. He seems to have gathered strength from some deep, fuck-champion reserve, because he straightens his arms on either side of me and starts thrusting in earnest now. Drilling into me.

Oh my God—thisis how it’s supposed to be with a man.

I let go of his shoulders, flop my arms down, and just let him ram into me.

Some strange noise has been echoing around the room, and I finally realize it’s me. This guttural animal cry of total surrender and satisfaction. I sound crazy, and I don’t even care.

And just when I think this is the best sex anyone has ever had in the history of sex, Alex Vega grabs my legs, lifts them, and sits up on his knees, pulling me up into him so my legs rest on his shoulders. He holds on to my thighs, rough and commanding. I point my toes and stretch my arms up over my head and let him maneuver me any damn way he wants to because I love it. He leans forward, and suddenly the angle and depth of his penetration is incredible. He’s discovered some new amazingpart of me, and my whole body is rejoicing in a slow and deeply intense way, despite the speed of his thrusts. It’s like hurtling through space in slow motion.

The last thing I see before I close my eyes is the look of absolute lip-biting concentration as he stares down at my bouncing breasts.

Just when I think nothing could possibly feel better than this, he slaps my butt cheek and then flips me around so I’m on my knees, facing away from him.

And I did not think I would like this, but wow.

Alex Vega has found yet another new angle on sex, and I give this one an A plus.

One hand on my shoulder, one on the small of my back, he is breathing so hard and really giving it to me, but I have a feeling he’s still going easier on me than he could.

“Harder” is all I say.

He grunts, squeezes my shoulder appreciatively, and then he goes harder. Faster. And if I could remember how to count, I would list so many things that I like about this night. But there’s no list, there’s just an explosion of energy and stars and an unbelievable need to have this man come while he’s fucking me. Finally, finally.

I scream his name and let myself go because I know he’s waiting for me.

And I want to give him this release.

Finally, finally.

His movement slows, the pitch of his voice rises, and when he grabs on to my hips and pulls me up and into him one last time—the sound of this man coming is as soft as his lips and as rough as the stubble on his chin and as dark as his eyes and as devastating as his hands.

We collapse together, sweaty and spent.

Maybe this is the best part—the stillness and weight of a man like this, pressed down on me.Thisman. I can feel his heart thumping against my back. Not one millimeter of space between us. If he weren’t on top of me, I might float up to the ceiling.

There’s no list.

There’s just Alex.

And this bed.

And the rest of the night.

And the beautiful blank notebook of a new relationship ahead of us.

CHAPTER 26

ALEX

When I return to the bedroom after going outside to bring the food and wine back in, I find Emilia under the covers. All languid, hair tousled, absentmindedly touching her fingers to her lips as she stares out the window. That mental image is going in the memory bank. Along with every single other thing that’s happened tonight.

I pick her skirt up from off the floor, place it on a chair along with the discarded shirt that I brought from the kitchen. Then I take my pants off and climb into bed beside her, propping my head up with one hand and caressing the smooth skin of her arm with the other. She doesn’t stop looking out the window, and I like that she isn’t all clingy. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop touching her.

“I like that tree outside your window. There was a eucalyptus tree in front of the house I grew up in. I used to read under it.”

“The view of that tree is my favorite thing about this room. Second favorite, after having you in it.”