Page 30 of Mister Rival

I owe her that much.

Chapter Fourteen

ALISON

“There’s no pressure,” he says, his eyes so pretty in the dappled light. “We never thought we’d end up in bed together, so there’s a lot to unpack.”

Is he saying he’s capable of more? Tristan Lucas isn’t the play-boy I’d pinned him up to be? I call him out on that. “You’re photographed all the time at charities with beautiful women,” I remind him.

He chuckles. “That last event? The model joined me without my knowledge on the red carpet by my publicist. It looked like we were together, but we weren’t.”

I narrow my eyes. “Did you sleep with her?” I know he said he hadn’t had sex for six months, but curiosity has the better of me.

His brows furrow. “No! She was young enough to be my daughter!”

“That isn’t what the papers said.”

He rolls me over, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “The papers are lying. They’ll do anything for a story. I’ve got nothing to hide. You can ask Bradley, he’s been living at home with me for a little while, he knows I never go out.”

Why am I so suspicious?

As if reading my thoughts, he cups one side of my face. “I know that rat bastard lied, but I’m nothing like him. I’ve never cheated. Not on my wife, or the couple of relationships I’ve had over the last decade. I’m not what they think I am.” He looks earnest, his eyes, oh God, his eyes kill me.

I press a hand to his chest. “I believe you, but it’s okay to have a past, Tris. I just don’t know how I feel about a boyfriend. I’ve had guys hit on me, but I just didn’t know what to do.” Do I sound pathetic right now? “It’s likehetook every inch of my confidence and just flushed it down the toilet. What’s worse? I have to keep the peace for Clementine. She was only twelve when we divorced. It was tough on her.”

“Does she know the truth?”

“She’s old enough to know now, and no, I never told her, but she worked it out for herself. She’s not dumb. Still, I never wanted her to hate him. That was never my intention.”

“You’re a great mom, your daughter loves you,” he tells me. And I know it’s true. Clementine and I have a special bond. In so many ways, she saved me.

“I wanted a baby so badly, and I never thought it was going to happen. The truth is, we were having problems back then, and I was going to leave. Then I found out I was pregnant, after trying for so many years, and we decided to give things another shot,” I say, the words just tumbling out. “He didn’t want our daughter growing up in a broken home, and I was so deliriously happy at finally having a baby of my own. I just let his behavior pass. That’s on me.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s not on you, Ali. He was never good enough for you, we both know that. But it’s like you said, there is no excuse for what he did. He’s the one who broke the family unit, you have nothing to feel bad about. He lost the one good thing in his life, aside from his daughter.”

I take a breath. This shit is hard to talk about, but with Tristan, it feels so natural. Like I can tell him anything. “I hated him for so long,” I admit. “And trust me, I don’t want to spend tonight talking about him, or my past, but I’m ready to put it behind me for good. Maybe I have you to thank for that.”

He smiles and it’s genuine. His eyes crinkle at the sides. “Glad I could be of service.”

I push him onto his back, rolling over so I’m on top. I’m brazen when I attack his mouth, his groan rumbling through the both of us as I rub myself against his cock.

Well, he did promise me he was going to do it all ways.

His hands grip my hips, and I grind against him as he lifts his head and sucks my nipple into his mouth. I watch as he latches on, cupping both of them as I get off, rolling my hips, my tits bouncing in his face. His dick is like steel as I rub myself back and forth.

“Come for me,” he mutters, and on command, I do. If crying out his name was an Olympic sport, I’d surely have the gold medal tonight.

I sit up as I shove him down, holding one hand onto the bedhead, then reaching between us.

“Condom,” he pants.

“I’m on birth control.” I hesitate. “Are you?—”

“Always wear a condom, and I was tested a few months back when I had a medical. I’m clean, Ali.”

I need him like this. Raw. Sexy. Tristan. “I need it.” I know I sound whiny, but I’m desperate. “I need you, Tris.”

He holds the base of his cock and says, “Sit.”

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