It had all happened so damn fast. One minute, she’s raging at me, and the next, my hands are on her with our mouths fused together. The energy we always seem to generate had exploded upon impact. Whatever this is between us, it’s so much more than sexual chemistry. If that’s all it was, it would be a simple matter to relegate her to the past and move on with my life. She would be like all the other girls I’ve slept with and promptly forgotten about. With Alyssa, it goes so much deeper than that.
Unsure what to do, I lift my hand in a cautious wave.
Even from a distance, Saturday night sits uncomfortably between us.
As I give her a tentative greeting, she jerks out of her paralysis and flees down the carpeted hallway like the hounds of hell are nipping at her heels.
It’s tempting to huff out a laugh. Had I really assumed that kissing her into submission would be enough to thaw the icy veneer encased around her?
Maybe.
Although, I should have known better. If I’m brutally honest with myself, pushing her against my vehicle and going down on her in a public parking lot probably didn’t help matters.
What am I saying?
Of course, it didn’t. Just look at her—she can’t escape from me fast enough.
What I should do is cut my losses and leave her alone. By all indicators, that’s what she wants. And yet, I can’t do it. After holding Alyssa in my arms again and kissing her, I’m unable to fool myself into believing it’s possible to move on without a fight.
Decision made, I do the only thing I can and give chase.
Instead of waiting for the elevator to stop on our floor, Alyssa slams through the metal door and disappears into the stairwell. I pick up my pace and shoulder my way through the opening before it has a chance to close. As I peer down the cement stairs, she glances up, and our gazes collide before she flicks them away and hastens her step. With my hand wrapped around the railing, I speed up. A few steps down, my shoe slips, and I tighten my grip around the metal to steady myself. I can just picture it now—breaking my neck in an ill-fated attempt to catch up with my ex. Knowing Alyssa, she’d probably think it was sweet irony for past misdeeds.
And maybe she’d be right.
Thirty seconds later, I throw open the door and glance around the empty lobby. Not that I expected her to wait for me—hell would have to freeze over in order for that to occur, but it certainly would have simplified matters.
As I push through the glass door into the fresh air, I catch sight of her striding down the walkway. She waves to another girl before accelerating her pace as I jog to catch up with her. Her long blond hair is pulled up into a ponytail that swings from side to side as she continues to speed walk. My gaze roves down the slender line of her back before arriving at her ass. My fingers itch to palm the supple cheeks like I did the other night, and my cock stirs, warming to the idea.
Since the direction of those wayward thoughts isn’t helping matters, I jerk my attention away. Manhandling the girl probably isn’t going to help win her over. What I need is to employ a different tactic.
As I pull up beside her, Alyssa slants a look in my direction. Her lips sink at the corners before she focuses straight ahead and pretends I don’t exist. If she thinks that will deter me, she’s got another thing coming.
“So,” I say, testing the waters, “long time, no see.”
She presses her lips into a flat line before muttering, “Not nearly long enough.”
Well...at least she offered up a few begrudging words. That’s got to be something, right?
Since she hasn’t bared her teeth and growled, I ask, “Did you have a good time Saturday night?”
A tick or two passes by before she finally says, “Yup. It was nice to see everyone again.”
Wow. Look at us, communicating like adults.
Since I’m unwilling to drop the conversational ball now that it’s rolling, albeit slowly, I add, “I had a great time, too.”
“Did you now?” Her narrowed gaze slices to me. “Didn’t you spend the night sitting at the bar all by your lonesome?”
“What I meant is that I had a good time after I carted your ass out to the parking lot.” The way her eyes flare tells me that I probably should have restrained myself and kept the comment locked deep inside. Although that knowledge doesn’t stop me from tacking on, “I’m pretty sure you enjoyed it, too.”
She draws in a sharp breath before hissing, “We’re not going to talk about Saturday night because absolutely nothing happened.”