43

Liliana

I felt like I handled it pretty well when Alistair told me Julian was coming. But watching him walk toward me, smiling, made me wonder if Alistair had made a mistake by letting him come.

Felicity wasn’t with him. And Julian didn’t know about me and Alistair.

Could we really hide it well enough that Julian wouldn’t catch on?

“Liliana, can we talk?” he asked, motioning with his head for us to step aside. I went with him, guilt and conflict and confusion rising up inside me.

“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. For everything. How things ended between us, what I did, is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life, and I’m sorry. I wanted to make sure you knew that.”

He seemed sincere, so I figured the least I could do was make the same effort.

“Sure, Julian. I appreciate you saying that.”

He blushed and glanced down. “Working the steps, you know? Making amends.”

I put my hand on his arm, genuinely happy that he was still actively working at his recovery.

“I’m so glad, Julian.” I almost asked about Felicity, but I bit my lip and didn’t. If he wanted to tell me where she was, he would.

Benedict cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention and started handing out tasks. I needed to get some decorations purchased specifically for the tasting and hang them in places we’d all decided on at another meeting.

As soon as Benedict suggested that as my contribution, Julian volunteered to help me.

“I can hang that if you want,” Julian said about a lightweight Avalon Spirits logo sign. He put his hand on my arm as he spoke.

“That’s okay. I can get it if you want to keep the ladder from wobbling,” I said with a smile.

As I went up it, Julian put his hand on my hip. The touch pinged as something unnecessary, but I wrote it off as innocent.

On my way back down the ladder, however, he put his hand on my hip again. And it slid a little, so that his hand was partially on my ass.

It could have been innocent. Julian might have been overzealous in trying to make sure I didn’t slip or unbalance myself.

But it also could have been something else.

I had my answer when I went up the ladder a second time, and again Julian touched my hip. When I came down, he didn’t move away enough to keep our bodies from brushing. It was awkward and uncomfortable for me, so I took a few steps back.

“Julian,” Alistair said. “Come here for a minute.”

His voice was sharp, with just a hint of anger. I took the opportunity to walk away and regain my composure.

“What?” Julian snapped, not moving from the ladder.

I could hear the challenge in his voice and hoped nothing was going to happen.

Alistair had to approach him, and by the time he got there, he was pissed.

“What you’re doing with Liliana,” he said. “Knock it off.”

“What I’m doing?” Julian snapped back. “Helping?”

“You know exactly what you’re doing. And this is my place of business, where we’re all working to get this done.” Alistair took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re not here to help, are you?” he finally said.

I glanced around at Benedict, the servers, Maddie, and Charity. Charity was staring at Alistair, a frown on her face, like she was trying to figure out what was happening.

Julian said something under his breath and walked away, opting to help Benedict unload some cases of liquor.

Alistair glanced at me with raised eyebrows, then he winked and gave me his most handsome half-grin. But I caught it dropping and his jaw clenching as he turned away.

I went back to work, Maddie helping me instead of Julian, and was grateful that Julian stayed away from me the rest of the time he was there.

--

“Get in here,” Alistair said, pulling me through the doorway and closing it behind me. He pulled me into a tight hug, then he kissed me slowly. “I hate being in the same room with you and not being able to kiss you.”

He raised his eyebrows and glanced down between our bodies. “Or do other things.”

I playfully slapped his chest. “Even if people knew for sure about us, we wouldn’t be doing those other things.”

“I know, but it’s hard having to pretend that I don’t want to pull you into my arms every few seconds.”

He sighed and let go of me enough that we could walk into his living room. Then he pulled me down into his lap on the couch.

“I’m looking forward to everyone knowing. I can’t pull you into my arms all the time, but at least I won’t have to pretend like I don’t want to.” Alistair slid his hand down my thigh to my knee and back again, pushing the short skirt I wore up as he did so.

I giggled and stopped his hand.

“You don’t want me to?” he asked with a grin.

“Oh no, I really do. But I came here to ask how you were doing.” I followed his gaze down to where he stared at his crotch, at how his pants were starting to tent as he got hard. I laughed. “Doing fine, I see. But I meant about Julian.”

Alistair bit his lip, nodding. “He’s pissed at me, I think, for calling him on his bullshit today.”

I felt bad about that. Maybe I’d overreacted. I knew it was possible.

“He might not have meant anything, Alistair. The fact that we were together a long time ago . . . maybe that just made him more familiar than he should have been.”

“You’re being too easy on him, Liliana. I think he knew exactly what he was doing.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed me again. “Leave Julian to me, okay? I can’t deal with him right now, but after the tasting, he and I are going to have a serious talk and get things straight between us.”

I took his face in my hands, staring into his deep brown eyes. “I thought you two were doing so well.”

“We were. Until he acted like he was trying to get somewhere with you today.” Alistair kissed my palm. “I’m thinking of it as his mistake, and I’m going to give him the opportunity to fix it.Afterthe tasting. For now . . . I don’t want to think about Julian anymore tonight.”

Alistair slid his hand underneath the front of my skirt and slipped a finger between my legs to press against my panties.

“If that’s all right with you, of course.”

He grinned as he said it, as if I might protest, when he knew I wouldn’t. I let my thighs fall open a little and pressed myself against his finger.

“Whatever you want is alright with me, baby,” I said softly, moaning as his finger shifted to rub my clit through the fabric.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he breathed, hooking his finger into the crotch of the panties to pull it aside and slip a finger slowly into me.

“Alistair,” I whispered as he buried his finger to the knuckles and used his thumb to tap and brush my clit.

He did it with no rhythm, keeping me on edge and not knowing what to expect.

“Your blouse,” he said, licking his lips.

So I unbuttoned it, still trying to push my pussy against his fingers and tighten my inner muscles around him. He dragged the shirt out of the way and yanked the cup of my bra down to suck my nipple into his mouth. His teeth gently raked the sensitive flesh, sending a rush of wet heat down my body to pool between my legs.

“God, baby,” he groaned. “You’re so damn wet for me already.”

“Because I want you so much.”

Alistair had that effect on me. All I had to do was think about him touching me and I could self-consciously slick between the legs.

I worked his fly open and pulled out his cock, already rock hard. I stroked him while he fingered me, his head quickly getting slick as I spread the glistening drops that formed at the tip over his skin. Hearing him hiss and moan in pleasure had me wanting him so much I could barely wait.

Alistair glanced around the living room at the closed curtains and the door. Then he pulled me down into a kiss that stole my breath.

“Ride me, baby. Right here, just like this,” he ground out.

I squeezed his thick cock as I stroked him, root to tip.

“Yes, Alistair.” I wanted him so much I’d have done anything he asked.

He gripped my hips with both hands and helped move me into place, then he pulled my panties to the side and pressed his cock head against my opening.

I gasped as I lowered myself onto his cock, letting it spread me open inch by inch. Halfway down, I sucked my bottom lip into my mouth.

“You did lock the door?” I asked to be sure.

Alistair laughed, the rumble passing from his body into mine. “I don’t remember. Think of it as an adventure.”

The only person who might open Alistair’s door and walk without at least knocking had been Julian, but he might not do that now that things were tense between them. If he was going to be that bold and rude, then maybe it would serve him right to see us together.

A flash of guilt reminded me that Julian was fragile, in recovery, and I certainly didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

But Alistair’s cock filled me as I sat fully in his lap. I couldn’t have stopped then even if I’d wanted to.

“Baby,” he gasped, pushing my hips to lift me then sliding me back down his length. “You always feel sofuckinggood.”

I moaned, and Alistair obviously loved that because he bucked up into me, bouncing me on his lap. He caught one of my nipples in his mouth and sucked hard, making my clit throb even more.

I reached down to touch myself, to rub my clit and bring my orgasm on faster. I just needed him in that moment. But Alistair pushed my hand away and took over, his other hand gripping my ass tightly and moving me on his cock.

“This what I needed after today,” he said softly, kissing my chin and then my mouth. “You’re what I need. Always.”

His thumb brushed my clit with a circular motion and his sweet, sexy words pushed me over the edge. “Alistair!” I cried out as my orgasm rippled through me.

Alistair cursed and grunted, his cock thickening inside me. He came groaning my name, feeling twice as big and hard as he was as my muscles tightened rhythmically around him until my muscles gave up and let me go limp in his lap.

I rested my head against his shoulder and pressed my lips to the side of his neck. We both took deep breaths until we’d recovered, and he started slipping from my body.

“I could sleep right here,” I said honestly. We hadn’t been getting much sleep lately, usually staying up to make love at least a couple of times. And the stress of the day had taken its toll too.

“Me too. And we’d both be miserable in the morning.” He gently patted my behind to urge me to get up, so I did.

“Come on, baby,” Alistair said, taking my hand when he stood and leading me to his bedroom. We shed the rest of our clothes next to his bed and crawled under the covers.

“I didn’t bring clothes for tomorrow,” I pointed out.

“You left some here last week that I washed for you. So don’t worry about it.” He kissed my forehead, and I relaxed into it as if my body instinctively knew that I was safe with Alistair, and everything would be perfectly fine.