*Songs for this chapter:
Mirrors • Justin Timberlake
Call Out My Name • The Weeknd
Acquainted • The Weeknd
Open (passionate) • Kehlani
Serial Lover • Kehlani

FOUR YEARS AGO

J O D I E

"I DIDN'T THINK you'd show." I'm greeted by the sound of his warm baritone as he walks towards me. I'm wearing an emerald green body hug top with a pair of black jeans and black boots. My hair is in more curls than usual- courtesy of Bri- and I love the way his eyes rake around my body, eating me up.

He's dressed in black leather pants and jacket and a navy blue t-shirt on the inside. The scruff on his chin has increased a little and his hair is scattered in a rather sexy manner. I almost forget to breathe just by looking at him, but I get my ass in check. Mama taught me to never let a man know that I am enamored by him, until things become more serious. Do I want serious things with Alex? Maybe? I don't know? Tonight will tell.

"Maybe I just wanna know the meaning of everything you said, maybe I'm just curious and I'd really love it if you don't get ahead of yourself." I say as we both grab a seat and a waiter makes his way to our table.

"Says the lady that moaned how much she loved my tongue." He whispers and memories of our first night tonight cloud my senses, my lips hand slightly open and he reaches for them, fitting his long thumb inside my mouth, silently urging me to suck on it. We're doing this in public and I suddenly don't care. Alexander Clayton unleashes the wildness inside the girl that always loved to keep her ass in line. I suck on his thumb and he inhales sharply, he continues, "She loved it so much and she kept asking for more, and me being the generous man that I am, I gave her much more," he pauses, "Didn't I?" He asks with a raised brow.

I nod and he smiles, it's a brief but sexy one and I suddenly wish he'd do it again. He releases his thumb from my mouth at the same time the waiter finally makes it to our table.
"What'd you like to eat?" He asks.

"Steak, shrimp, fries, just mix it up." I tell the waiter, my eyes glued to Alex as a ghost of smile appears on his face and he looks at the waiter.

"I'll get the same thing she's getting, and I need a Bourbon." Alex closes the menu and hands it back to the waiter who smiles shyly and walks away from us.

My eyes catch the people on the stage of the bar, and I see what they're doing. Karaoke. The last time I sang Karaoke was in El Paso with my Mama, and that was a long time ago- probably when I was in middle school. One thing people fail to understand is that no matter how many good memories you have of someone, the bad memories seem to take them all away, leaving you with nothing but pain.

"You've gone quite far away." I feel his hand on mine, rubbing in circles and I shiver at the feeling. What is happening to me? I'm I falling for him? I can't fall for him, I just met him. And Alexander Clayton is the kind of man that would rip a girl's heart out and throw it at her feet, leaving her to pick up little pieces that'll never be fixed. I don't need that in my life right now- but somehow he makes me need it, crave it, crave him.

"I can stare at you forever and still discover something new everyday- your essence is endless." His voice brings me from my thoughts and I feel a shy smile playing on my lips. I shake off the shy feeling as I phrase my question right.

"And what new thing have you discovered today?" I ask, withdrawing my hand from underneath his. I almost gasp at the loss of contact.

"You seem to drift away in your thoughts and in those moments, you seem quite lost, sad, sometimes little traces of pain and regret, you seem like you're looking for answers you may never have the answers to, and when your back to reality, it's like you're facing all those fears and distant feelings with a bright smile and a brand new aura."

His words make me quiver. I'm I that much of an open book?

"Shit, sorry, fuck, over zealous psych major." He chuckles. It's a nice sound with a boyish feeling to it and I love it. I love it so much that I want to spend the rest of the night listening to him chuckle.

"You majored in psychology?" I can't shake my surprise. He's an athlete, a very famous one and most people will think he ditched college at some point.

"I wanted to have a good degree." He says sharply and fast, but I press on.

"That doesn't seem like the reason." It's my turn to rub my hands over his and he visibly relaxes when I do. It's beautiful.

"My mother was going through tough times, I studied psychology because I felt it could give me an insight to her pain and I wanted to help her get through it." He sighs, his throat working and his eyes darkening with something strange inside them.

"Were you able to help her?"

"To some extent, yes, but I'm afraid my mother needs more than just psychology and I want to give that to her."

"And what is that?"

"Freedom, peace, happiness, my mother deserves that and even more." I'm astonished at how he speaks of his mother, she sounds like a beautiful person and I wish I could meet her and tell her how lucky she is to have a son like him.

"Any siblings?" I can't stop myself from asking all these personal questions and to my utter surprise, he answers.

"One brother, I'm five years older than, I love him, some would say too much," He chuckles as he continues. "Dead father, circumstantial kind of death." He tries to smile through it but I see his pain and I rub my hand over his. He notices my gestures and he takes the lead, squeezing my hand lightly, like he's holding on for support, for anything.

"And you?" He asks, vulnerability clear in his eyes.

"Deadbeat dad, crazy mom, you know, lots of neighborhood drama." I chuckle.

"No siblings?"

I take a deep breath as I speak, I know how crazy what I'm about to say sounds. "Um, I recently found out that I have a sibling and he's here in Seattle." I gulp.

"You gonna meet?"

"You know him actually, he's your teammate, Hudson Ace." I gulp more and his eyes widen.

"Wow, that's-"

"Insane, stupid-"

"Surprising." He squeezes my hand tighter and the waiter from before arrives with our food.

"I'd tell him, but I-"

"My teammate and friend, Nick Stones is throwing a huge party for the rookies on our team, now Hudson lives with Nick because his house was rigged by crazy fans and his accountant does think it's necessary for him to rent a condo." He states. "I'm inviting you to the party-"

"My Boss? Liz was saying something about a party-"

"Cap's girlfriend, yes, she and Nick are best friends that means you're automatically invited and you can meet your brother."

I gulp again and he notices.

"How do you think he'd react?" I can't help but ask.

"I went to college with Hudson, we've been friends for years. He's one of the first people I met when I came to America for the first time. I know he'd be shocked, but he'd never ignore you." He strokes my hand and wrist.

"Thank you." I release a small smile and he nods, smiling back. It feels like we just shared pieces of our souls together. It's a beautiful feeling and I crave more of it.

"For the next karaoke run we're calling on Alex and Jodie!!!"

WHAT?

I look to Alex for explanation and he shrugs, taking my hand in his as I stand on wobbly legs.

"What's happening?"

"We're singing Mirrors by Justin Timberlake."

"What if I don't know the song?"

"Your tone just implies that you know it, don't worry I'm singing the first verse, giving you all the time in the world to warm up." He says as we get on the stage, and the people clap as Alex is introduced as Seattle's Hockey Player.

Alex grabs our microphones and I'm astonished when he begins to sing. My heart warms and all the stage fright and angst disappears. It's like he's singing to me and I drink it up, singing along as we get to the chorus.

'Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space that now you hold

Alex smiles more and the people in the bar clap and sing along. I haven't sung in a while, and at this moment I don't understand. I'm enjoying every second of it, as long as I get to do it with him.

It's like you're my mirror (oh-oh)
My mirror staring back at me (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh)
I couldn't get any bigger (oh-oh)
With anyone else beside me (oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh)
And now it's clear as this promise
That we're makin'
Two reflections into one

Alex sings this part and tears well up in my eyes, I shake them away, but I know he sees through me, and I love it. I love h-

Yesterday is history, oh
Tomorrow's a mystery, oh-ooh
I can see you're lookin' back at me
Keep your eyes on me
Baby, keep your eyes on me

No, no, this can't be happening. I can't fall this fast and this hard for a man I just met.

Girl, you're my reflection, all I see is you
My reflection, in everything I do
You're my reflection and all I see is you
My reflection, in everything I do

The song comes to an end and we're greeted by a huge round of applause. I blink away the tears as Alex begins to speak.

"I wanna give a huge shout-out to my man Giuseppe, if you know him you know he's the owner of this bar and I want to say a huge congratulations to him on the success of the bar," Everyone starts clapping and a middle age man I think might be Giuseppe nods and smiles.
"Congratulations man." Alex says, throwing an arm around my waist as he drops the mic and walks down the stage with me.

We return to our food and Giuseppe approaches us.

"Thanks son." He places a hand on Alex's shoulder and Alex shrugs, digging deep into his food. Then Giuseppe says something in Italian and ghst gets Alex's attention and Alex smiles. I look at both men with a raised brow.

"He says he likes you already." Alex chuckles and I suddenly love the way he smiles with Giuseppe.

"Mateo needs a woman to mess him up a little bit don't you think?"

"I can mess him up just fine." I bite my lip and Alex and I share a heated glance; which Giuseppe takes as his cue to say his goodbyes.

"My place?" He asks, vulnerability in those hazel eyes.

"Sure, Bellissimo."
Handsome. He seems to understand and that earns me another smile from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KISSING AND TEASING each other, Alex and I barge in through the front door of his luxurious home. I make a mental note to look around later, but right now I have to get Alex fully undressed.

"I saw something in your eyes on stage." He says into the kiss and I pull away slowly. I'm in his arms, my thighs and legs wrapped around him as he walks majestically into his bedroom.

"I wanna snoop." I evade the subject and he lets me off him, allowing me to snoop.

Black and white.

White pillows, black velvet bedsheets, black TV, white couches, pictures on the wall?

In one, there's a small boy and I recognize him as Alex. I smile and I look back at him, "You were so cute!" I gush and he smiles shyly, wrapping an arm around me.

"I'm I still cute?" He asks and I smile.

"Maybe." I giggle as my eyes meet another picture. A woman, and two boys, one of them is Alex and I think the other is his younger brother?

"Andreas." He answers for me and I turn to face him.

"You're giving off the 'family man' vibe." I tell him as he kneels before me.

"You don't like it?" He asks, kissing my belly button.

"I love it." I moan as my toes curl at the feel of his tongue circling my belly button.

"I saw something in your eyes, Jo, and I want to know if I'm the only one that feels this way." He stands to his feet, placing my hand on his chest. His hand thunders beneath my touch and I gulp. I take his other hand and I place it a little above my breasts. I know my heart thunders too, because then he slowly undresses me. When he gets to my bra, I stop him. He freezes and I take his face in my arms.

"I want to see you, all of you, I need you, I crave you, Alex I-"

"Jo-"

"Open up for me," I tell him and a stray tear drops on his cheek. I want to cry, I swipe it away with a finger and he blinks, chasing the tears away. "I don't know what I'm feeling for you, Alex but I know it feels good and I want to spend the rest of my life feeling this way, and I-"

"I fucking feel the same way too, Jo, and I don't fucking understand it, but I fucking crave it, I crav you, Jo."

I kiss him and he moans into the kiss. It's an erotic sound and it travels all the way to my clit, giving me all kinds of shivers.

I release him and he backs away slowly. Then he begins taking off his clothes. Slowly.

I let him. This feels strange for him, but the fact that he's giving this a chance makes my heart swell and makes me cry.

His leather jacket and jeans go off, his t-shirt follows and then he's left in boxer briefs and nothing. His chest is bare, glistening in tattoos, old wounds and scars. A huge scar outlines his right thigh, leading down to his knee.

Anger brews in my gut and I blink away the tears that accompany it.

"It's not pretty." He grits out, his voice edged with pain.

"I'd kill whoever did that to you." I say, my voice laced with venom as I walk closer to him. "I'd kill him, and then you'll get a VIP seat for his funeral."

"I love it when you talk like that." He wraps an arm around me, pulling me to him and kissing me, slow and frantic all at once. I melt into him as he takes off my bra and panties, kissing me all the way down to my breasts where he buries his head and sucks and bites everywhere.

He seats on his bed and I join him, throwing my legs around him and a huge gasp escapes me as my center meets his growing erection. He chuckles, resuming his task. Palming my breasts, kissing and biting my nipples and squeezing and just loving them. I wriggle and moan, grinding my center against his erection. That gets me more guttural moans and from him and I find myself high on the sound he makes. My nipples hurt so bad from the biting but I don't care, I really fucking don't. I'm high on him and I really don't care. I love this wild side of me that he unleashes and I know he loves it too.

We're a mess of moans and cries, bites and sucks, kisses and teases, pure lust and need, a handsome devil and his wild acolyte.
I stop him with a whisper and he looks up at me with hooded dark eyes.

"I wanna do something-"

"Jo-"

"You're gonna love it I promise, you can tell me to stop if you don't." I say and he nods shakily.

I'm off him in seconds, kneeling at his feet as I palm his hard erection through his boxers. His body goes tenses at first but he adjusts and I know he's watching my every move.

"Can I take it off?" I ask, gesturing to boxer briefs and he nods. I smile victoriously as I take them off and his dick pops. Huge, thick, veiny. I want it in me and I'm not ashamed of it. He chuckles lightly and then he makes a joke.

"Someone's happy to see you." He chuckles I join him, stroking his huge dick up and down and he shits his eyes. I see yet another angry scar just a little below his pelvis and that angry feeling returns.

"I'm really serious about the killing and VIP funeral thing, you know." I stroke him some more and he just relaxes.

"Never thought you were joking ah-fuck, Jo."

My lips brand the crown of his dick as I suck in kf, slowly, reaching downwards with my tongue, taking it all till he hits my throat. "That's so fucking good , baby-ah." I suck some more, cupping his balls in my hands as I suck from the crown to base, over and over again. Both our eyes darken, his with lust, mine with need. I'm buzzing with all of him as he moans and grabs my head, lifting me up and placing me on him, my thighs around him.

"Ready to be fucked into oblivion?" He whispers, reaching for his wallet and pulling out a condom packet. He hands me the foil packet and I do the deed.

"I like being on top." I tell him.

"I want you on top, baby." He whispers.

He sets me in position and I brace myself for the feel of him inside me. He drives in slowly, giving me little moments to adjust. I've never had a dick this big so I should live in the moment. He goes all the way in, his hands holding me up and in place for his holy hugeness.

Our gasps match each other's and our eyes stay locked on eachother. "Why are you so fucking tight?" He grits out, fighting with his patience. "Fuck baby, give me a moment to adjust." I chuckle lightly, enjoying the strange but full feeling, intoxicated by it, so much that I start moving up and down on him because I'm impatient like that. Alex recovers from the feel of my entrance in seconds, he takes the lead and he wasn't kidding when he said he'd fuck me into oblivion. His lips hand slightly open, he watches my breasts bounce up and down as he fucks me, he releases on of his hands, and reaches to pinch my left nipple and that makes my moans louder. He reaches to pinch my clit, while we both watch the point where our bodies join. I moan his name over and over again, and it feels so damn good.

I throw my head backwards and he takes the lead again, spinning us around until I'm on the bed and he's hovering over me. He fucks me and I trace and kiss his scars and his neck. "I want this to last forever." He chokes out, our heavy pants matching.

"Fuck, Alex you're gonna make me fucking come." I moan, followed by a small cry of intense pleasure.

"Isn't that the entire fucking point?" He chuckles at the same time he reaches to pinch my clit again.

That does it. I'm thoroughly fucked into oblivion as my body convulses with it's release, and I see millions of stars. I think Alex comes too because I hear a loud yell of my name just before I feel his body beside me.

I recover to see him disposing of the condom. His naked body is just moving with grace. He returns to the bed and scoops me in his arms. At first I'm confused and then he takes me to a room where he turns on the lights and it's the bathroom.

He lifts the toilet cover and sets me on the toilet sitter. He caresses my hair, "I know we used condoms but I need you to pee." He says, kissing my head and this all feels so intimate. I should run in the opposite direction but I love it, whatever we have, whatever this is, I love it.

"Need water?" He whispers and I nod. He leaves the bathroom for a minute and then he's back with a bottle that he helps me drink. "Seems like you're still having sex aftershocks."

"Says the man who fucked me into oblivion." I tease as I finally pee. He chuckles, getting some tissues to clean me up, and flushing the toilet right before I get a chance to do so.

We return to bed where we kiss wordlessly and fall asleep in each other's arms, not before I hear him whisper something to