I feel so hot and needy, and I want him to go further. To hell with what I just said down in Alex’s car, I want to have sex with Alex—right this very minute. Mentally urging his hands to move, to explore, to strip, I almost beg him out loud to do those things to me.
Almost, and I’m glad I don’t, because Alex ends up being the sane one of the two of us, and he pulls away from me with a frustrated sigh and a whole lot of heavy breathing.
Leaning his forehead against my temple, he says, “God, I could do that all night. ”
“I couldn’t,” I grumble and he lifts his head to look at me in curiosity. “I mean…I couldn’t just kiss all night…I’d want to do other things,” I say quietly as I close my eyes in mortification.
“Hey,” Alex says softly as he grasps my chin with one hand. I open my eyes and look into his, noticing that he actually has a circle of dark gray right around his pupils. “Don’t be embarrassed by that. There’s nothing more that I want to do at this very moment than to—”
He breaks off quickly, and releases his hold on my face. Picking me up slightly, he moves me off his lap and sets me beside him. Turning toward me, he slings one arm across the back of my couch and runs the other through his hair.
“Sutton, I want you badly and had you not just told me a few minutes ago that we weren’t ha**ng s*x tonight, you’d better be damn straight I’d be f**king you right now. But I’m respecting that and we’ll get there whe
n we get there. ”
“You could have had me tonight,” I tell him cautiously, part of me hoping he’ll take that as an invitation and will start kissing me again. I’d capitulate in a heartbeat if he kissed me the same way.
“I know,” he growls low. “I felt it…that kiss was…”
“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?”
“So f**king good,” he says and the way his words rumble out of his lips causes tremors to race up and down my spine.
“The best,” I murmur, embarrassed slightly to admit that, and I hope that’s not a turnoff in any way.
“The best,” he agrees and my heart melts a tiny bit because he actually sounds humbled by it.
We stare at each other a moment more and I can feel a buzz of energy actually start to build around us while we get lost in each other’s eyes. Alex can feel it too, and suddenly it feels dangerous to be this close to each other. He stands abruptly and says, “I probably should get going. I think we both know what’s going to happen if I stay. ”
I stand up behind him and practically have to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop myself from saying, “Oh, to hell with it. Let’s have sex. ”
Instead, I follow Alex to the door, suddenly a bit shy now that we’ve pulled away from the coziness of the couch. But he doesn’t let me stay shy for long because when he reaches the door, he spins on me and pulls me into his arms, hugging me close. It’s endearing, the way he’s choosing a comfortably intimate embrace rather than a lust-filled kiss to say good night.
“Will you watch me play while I’m gone?” he asks with some trepidation.
Pulling back so he can see my face, I tell him, “Absolutely. I’ll be screaming for you here in my living room. ”
“I’ll call you after I get back to the hotel after our game tomorrow night,” he tells me, then leans in softly to place a feather of a kiss to my lips. I’m beyond warmed by the fact that Alex is being such a gentleman, and completely mortified that I don’t want him to be.
Which makes me curious.
“Where did that prick go that I met that first day in my office?”
Alex’s eyes cloud just a little, even though he gives me a smile. “He’s probably still there, Sutton. I’ve been a prick far longer than I’ve been charming. You’re seeing a new side to me, but you know the old is bound to come out. ”
I c**k my head to the side and say, “We all have days when our monsters come out, Alex. You’re not going to scare me off if I see yours. ”
“I’ll be careful not to show you my true monster,” he quips as he steps out of the embrace.
Turning to reach for the doorknob, I lay my hand on his arm gently. He stops and glances back at me.
“I’m serious, Alex. You won’t scare me…I’ve seen a lot of stuff. ”
“I’m not worried about scaring you. I’m worried about hurting you,” he says with a haunted look on his face. “But not enough to warn you away. The bastard part of me is okay with you taking that risk. ”
“Always painfully honest,” I murmur as he opens the door and steps across my threshold.
“Always,” he says as he turns toward me to shut the door. But he gives me a smile and a wink, and it lightens the mood. “Lock the door behind me. ”
“Okay. Safe flight tomorrow. ”
Then he’s gone.
I lock the door dutifully and shuffle my way back to my bedroom, checking my email briefly on my iPhone. I’m startled when my phone buzzes with a text from Alex.
Sitting in your driveway, wishing I hadn’t left.
My fingers type furiously back to him.
Me too. I’m so bad.