He forced her against the door, reaching for the handle with his spare hand as he continued his relentless assault against her.

She didn’t know what to think. She needed Alexander out of her life, but her body was on fire from his mouth pressed against hers, his tongue and fingers invading her. She couldn’t help but to kiss him back, running her fingers through his hair and pressing her body against his even more. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get close enough to him.

Alexander dragged her inside, pushing her up against the wall as he closed the door.

“Alex,” she whimpered.

“Tell me you don’t want this, Olivia. I need to hear you say the fucking words.” He continued thrusting his fingers inside of her. He lowered her shorts before quickly unbuttoning his own, sliding them down. He positioned himself at her wet entrance, panting from the proximity. “Tell me, Olivia,” he growled, waiting for her to respond. “Say you don’t want me.”

Olivia couldn’t form any thoughts, the feeling of his arousal on her clit overwhelming. Staring into his intense green eyes, her mouth refused to form the words that weren’t true.

“God damn it, Olivia.” He slammed into her, causing her to throw her head back in ecstasy. “Tell me Cam makes you feel like this when he’s fucking you. Tell me he drives you crazy like I do.” He continued thrusting into her, savoring the feeling of being inside her. It felt right. It felt like home.

“Lift me up, Alex,” Olivia breathed out. “I need to feel you closer,” she begged.

Alexander did as she asked and lifted her up, steadying her as she wrapped her long legs around his waist.

“Is that better?”

“God, yes,” she responded. “Faster, Alex. I need to feel you.” She began thrusting against him, savoring the closeness that she had been missing ever since she ran. He matched her tempo. Something about Alexander being back inside her made everything seem alright again. She was climbing higher and higher toward her peak, and she could see the edge in sight. But, unlike so many other times, she didn’t know if Alexander would always be there to catch her. She didn’t know if she wanted him to catch her anymore.

Olivia’s breathing became heavy and Alexander felt a familiar clenching around him. He continued driving into her, wanting to come with her. As she screamed out his name, he let go. “Tell me every time that Cam fucks you he makes you come like that!” He thrust one last time, emptying himself inside of her as she convulsed around him. He kept her pinned to the wall for several long moments as he tried to regulate his breathing.

After she finally came down from her earth-shattering orgasm, Olivia opened her eyes and stared into Alexander’s haunting green ones…the same green eyes that she kept seeing in her dreams. Those eyes that told her she would only destroy him, too.

She desperately needed to clear her head. What the fuck just happened? She couldn’t let Alexander back in. She pushed against him, ridding herself of his grasp, tears flowing. With shaky hands, the aftershocks of her orgasm still ravaging her body, she raised her shorts and stormed upstairs, embarrassed about what had just happened.

“Olivia!” Alexander shouted, his chest heaving as he raised his shorts. “Answer me! Does Cam make you feel as good as I do? Do not run away from me!”

She turned around, bolting back downstairs, and slapped his face hard. “You want a fucking answer?!” she roared. “YES! He makes me come better than that every fucking time! His dick fills me up like I’ve never been filled before! Now get the fuck out of my house!” Tears streamed down her face as she fell to the ground, unable to muster the strength to stand anymore. “Please,” she whimpered. “Leave me alone.”

Alexander looked down, knowing that it was his fault the girl in front of him appeared so broken. He thought about telling her everything, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t form the words that she probably needed to hear. So, instead, he remained silent as he took in her shaking form.

“Please. Move on. I beg you. Forget you ever met me. I need you to do that,” she pleaded quietly. “I can’t survive if you don’t.”

“Olivia,” Alexander whispered, his voice soft. “Is that really what you want?”

She looked up at him, the hurt in her eyes overwhelming. “Yes,” she answered, lying through her teeth.

Alexander’s heart sank, not really believing her but deciding to respect her wishes. He had no fight left in him. “Okay. I’ll go then.” He took a few steps toward the front door and opened it. “I’ll be sure to have your credit card reported as stolen so that no one else can track you.”

He turned and walked out of her house, hearing loud crying wails as he made his way down the front steps and into his rain-soaked car, angry at himself for causing her such pain. He thought about going back, but knew it would only make matters worse.

He grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number. “Martin, Burnham here. Prepare the jet. We’re leaving immediately.” He threw his phone on the seat, not caring about the torrential downpour covering him with water as he drove through the streets of Amelia Island for the last time.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

OLIVIA STAYED CURLED UP on the hardwood floor of her beach house for most of the day, bawling her eyes out, certain that her loud wails overpowered the steady rain that pounded the shore that cold, dismal Monday in November. Her entire body hurt from lying on the hard floor, but it was a pain she welcomed with open arms. It helped dull the ache in her chest. She could still feel his hands on her, she could still smell his scent covering her body, and she could still feel the overwhelming sensation of pure ecstasy from him being inside her.

Screaming, she shot up, desperate to wash every trace of Alexander off her. She gazed out the large windows to see that night had fallen. Out on the horizon, lightening streaked through the sky, highlighting palm trees swaying steadily back and forth in the strong winds. The weather fit her mood perfectly. Dismal.

Running up the stairs to her bedroom, she nearly tripped over Nepenthe as she stripped out of her clothes, eager to burn them. They still smelled like him, too. She turned on her shower to the highest setting possible and, over the next twenty minutes, tried to scorch Alexander off her body, scrubbing frantically at every inch of herself.

After finishing her shower, she quickly got dressed, tossing her clothes into the garbage. She crawled into bed, wanting to forget the day. Sleep avoided her most of the night, Alexander’s green eyes appearing every time she closed hers.