His eyes landed on me as he spoke, making my insides swirl. I was on a double edged sword. Staying in Twentynine, while it would mean not being separated from Alex, would be detrimental for my career. I had to remember that, above all else, my career needed to come first.

The morning was filled with instruction, then splitting up into our study teams of four. It seemed that since I had been announced as the winner, everyone wanted to work with me. To my shock, Angelica even came my way, but I bypassed her. There was no way I was about to work with her when she had done nothing but try and make my life a living nightmare since we’d arrived here.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was absolutely starving. I walked out into the courtyard to meet up with Dalton, Lane, and Hutchins, when I got a buzz on my phone.

Alex: Jensen is out with Gunny Chavez for the lunch hour and the rest of the guys left too. Come to my office NOW. I need to EAT!

I knew exactly what that meant. And the heat of my body and the flush of my skin told Dalton exactly what it was as well.

“I have to go and take care of something, guys. I’ll see you all later.”

Dalton smiled and patted my shoulder.

“Enjoy!” he said, smirking at me and making me blush with embarrassment. He knew exactly where I was headed, and even though he’d known about Alex and me for quite some time, I still couldn’t erase the guilt behind it. I smiled anyway, then turned in the opposite direction and walked off before Lane or Hutchins could pick up on anything.

I looked around before knocking on Alex’s office door, then turned the knob and found him sitting at his desk, waiting for me. He stood and walked over, closing and locking the door behind him. When he turned around, he didn’t even say anything. Instead, he took my face in his hands and planted the deepest, most passion-filled kiss on my lips. I allowed him in, and he took advantage, dominating me with his powerful, and commanding tongue. I wrapped my arms around his neck, slightly tilting my head to the side as I attempted to gain some ground on him. He was hungry, indeed, but it wasn’t food he was after—it was me.

We pulled away, breathing hard and lusting after one another. He wiped his lips and pulled me over to his desk. I sat in between his legs, facing him as those sensual golden eyes flared out at me, drawing me even further into him.

“I’m so pissed you’re leaving me,” he said in a low whisper, my heart ached at the longing look encasing his face.

I didn’t want to go, but we both knew that this would be a very real possibility.

“I know. I wish I were staying here. They could have given Angelica my orders and given me hers.”

“Just our fucking luck, right?”

I nodded my head then focused on the black box that he pulled out of his pocket. My eyes narrowed as I pondered exactly what he had in there, and what he was planning to do with it.

“Our beach trip was so fucking eye opening for me. I knew that there was so much about you that I loved, but hearing about what brought you here—what brought you to me—I knew I needed to do something to always have a piece of me with you.”

“You already did that, Alex. I have your dog tags. They mean more to me than anything else in the world.”

“Well this can be a close second. Because I saw it and instantly thought of you.”

He opened the box and a silver necklace lay inside with a small, sparkling butterfly dangling from the end. No amount of willpower could stop the tears that immediately coated my eyes and fell down my cheeks. The butterfly was my symbol, my way of expressing freedom, and here was Alex, recognizing it in the most meaningful way.

He turned me around and placed it around my neck, clasping the ends in the back, then running his hand over my shoulder and down my chest, stopping on the butterfly. He moved closer, his lips on my neck as his other hand held firmly to my waist.

“I’m going to miss the hell out of you. But like the butterfly, you are free to go wherever you choose, so make sure you make your way back to me, or I’ll have to play catcher and go after you.”

I giggled. Tears fell down my face in slow trickles. I needed to look at him, to see the face of the one person who had made me feel whole again. I turned around and watched sadness float through his eyes. I kissed him long and hard, pressing him down on the desk and climbing on top of him. It was hard, and it kind of hurt—I knew that from experience—but it was all we had and I wasn’t about to waste a second not enjoying him.

“I want you, Alex. All of you.”

“You’ve got me, Blondie.”

“Then take me. Take me right now. I don’t want to lose another second with you.”

A spark went off in his eyes and he sat up, removing my blouse, my t-shirt underneath, then my bra. He nuzzled his face in my breasts as I held on to the back of his head. I could feel his erection, jabbing through his pants, longing to be set free, to snake its way into me and leave me breathless.

“I want you.”

I leaned back and unbuttoned his blouse, helping him out of it, then pulled his t-shirt over his head. His hardened and sculpted chest sat before me, and my hands glided down to it, stopping on his pectorals and squeezing as he unfastened my belt and unbuttoned my pants. An ache settled between my legs, desperately longing for his attention in just the right spot. My hands slid down to his pants, where I did the same to him as I leaned in and kissed him passionately. Every ounce of our touch hit me, like a powerful wave crashing on the shore. My heart ached with the thought of having to leave him, and I wanted—no, needed—all of him that I could get.

He stood us up, holding me by my ass as he turned us around and now lay me down on the desk. He pushed his pants and boxers down, his large, thick, cock standing at attention as he gently pulled my pants and panties down, smiling at the sight.

“I’ll say it again. I don’t know how I got so fucking lucky.”

“Ditto,” I replied, then motioned with my index finger for him to come down to me.

He hovered above me, his erection sitting at my entrance, deepening the ache that lay beating away at me.

“I don’t have a condom with me.”

I swallowed as I shut my eyes, the pain from his absence beginning to own me.

“I don’t care. I need you—now!”

He lightly closed his eyes and sunk into me, blowing out a long, deep breath as he did so.

“You’re even more fucking amazing with nothing on.”

He began to move, slow, in and out movements as my walls clung tightly to his cock. The absence of the condom intensified the sensual feel of him, sending me into a euphoric state of bliss. It didn’t matter that we were fucking on a desk, hidden behind a locked door, shrouded in secrecy. To me, it was perfect. It was everything I had ever wanted—me, Alex, no inhibitions, and our true souls locking on to one another and holding on for dear life.

He continued at the slow, leisurely pace, one of his arms wrapped around my neck as his other steadied on my backside. I wanted so badly to look up into his eyes. The feel of him was overpowering me, shutting my eyes against my will, and sending me to a faraway land—a place where we were free to have one another in the open, any and everywhere that we saw fit.

“As deep into you as I am right now, it will never be enough for me,” he whispered as he began to circulate his hips.

The touch of his skin on mine, warm and damp, drew me in even further. I latched on to him, my hands holding on to his back like my life depended on it as he slightly picked up the pace, alternating between the circular, and in and out movements. He was hitting my spot, causing small whimpers to come pouring out of me. He moved harder and harder, turning my whimpers into moans that were no longer for our ears only. He removed his arm from around my neck, placing his hand over my mouth and whispering, “Bite down if you have to.”