by Stacy Eaton
“What’s crazy about that?” Alex asked, and for the first time, I actually turned and looked him straight in the eyes. Maybe the alcohol was already settling my nerves, or perhaps I’d had enough of this silly conversation.
“Why are we even talking about this? And why are you here? This is my place. We come here every Tuesday. Are you stalking me now? Hoping you might get an invitation to watch?”
“Maybe you’re stalking me; I was here first.” He paused, a sly grin slipping over his mouth. “And I wouldn’t want to just watch.”
Well, there went the heat to my cheeks again. I turned away and busied myself with tearing a napkin to shreds.
Clare pointed at the napkin. “See, she’s sexually frustrated.”
“I am not sexually frustrated!” I snapped at her.
“Then why are you killing the napkin? What did it ever do to you?”
I balled up the pieces left in my hands and tossed them to the bar. “Fine, I’m done.”
“If you just used your rabbit—”
I put a finger in her face. “If you say one more thing about that damn rabbit, I’m going to knock you off the barstool.”
Clare laughed and turned to Alex. “She really is sexually frustrated. She’s usually a lot nicer than this.”
He didn’t reply, but when I glanced his way, there was still a lopsided grin on his face. I shook my head and stared at the mirror behind the bar. Unfortunately, from that view, I could see him still watching me, and I looked out the window.
For the next thirty minutes, Clare and Alex chatted about a variety of topics, although most had to do with sex. I tuned them out and from time to time would look in the mirror and study him. He really was an attractive man, and every time he laughed, my body reacted to it. I hated myself a little for that because I did not want to be attracted to him. He reminded me too much of my brother’s best friend, Will.
I downed the rest of my drink, prepared to leave Clare to her new friend, when two other people came up to our group, and he stood to speak to them.
“I’m glad you came back, Jump.” Alex grinned and slapped the guy on the back.
“When I asked Laurie what she wanted to do, she said, just hang out. I figured if you were still here, we could do it together.”
“That’s great. It’s nice to meet you, Laurie. Here, you can have my seat.” He stood, shifting so that she could get seated, and his friend Jump stood next to her chair, which put him next to me as Clare swiveled her seat around to face the expanded group.
“Jump, Laurie, this is Clare and Lexi.” He introduced them, and we said our hellos.
“You didn’t tell me you were meeting other friends,” Jump said to Alex.
He glanced at Clare. “I met Clare tonight, and Alex lives in my building. We actually just met last night for the first time.” He let his gaze land on me, and I wondered what he thought as his eyes seemed to darken in my direction.
Chapter Four
Alex
She seemed a little uptight when she arrived, and her cheeks colored more times than I could count with the conversation that Clare and I were having, but that didn’t turn me off. In a way, it was more of a turn-on, because I couldn’t get the fantasy out of my head of her on her back, writhing in pleasure, her cheeks flushed with desire as I stared down at her.
She avoided our conversation, and more than once, I thought she might leave, but she didn’t. Maybe part of her was interested in hearing what we were discussing, and I was enjoying the conversation with Clare. If Lexi hadn’t been right beside her, I might have been interested in taking Clare back to my place to try out some of her suggestions. The problem was that Clare didn’t come close to measuring up to the woman beside her.
I was happy that Jump and Laurie had joined us, and even Lexi seemed to come out of her shell a little bit, chuckling at the conversation and also taking part after the initial introductions.
“Why do they call you Jump?” Clare asked.
He grinned widely. “Because I love to parachute. I’m an adrenaline junkie; just ask my man, Shadow.” He threw his arm over my shoulders.
“Shadow?” Lexi raised a brow and asked teasingly, “What, you afraid of yours or something?”
I chuckled at her as Jump stepped forward, lowering his voice slightly. “No, this man can come and go, and you never even know he’s there until the target is neutralized.”
Her gaze drifted to mine, the humor in them now gone, and something else in its place. “You’re military?”
“Was,” I replied as I tried to figure out why she looked so serious now.
She nodded and turned back to the bar. Jump and I exchanged a glance, and thankfully, Clare was there to answer the unasked question.
“Alexandra lost her brother and boyfriend in the war.” She patted her friend’s shoulder while Jump and I shared another glance. We had lost too many of our friends over there.
“I’m sorry, Alexandra,” I said to her, but she didn’t turn around. Instead, we locked eyes in the mirror, and I saw the stark sadness that I knew too well. I wanted to ask her how long it had been, but she had closed up momentarily, and the conversation around us had already turned to other things.
Clare pulled Lexi back into the conversation, and the three of them discussed a couple new stores in the area while Jump and I began a discussion about my training class. An hour later, we ordered a bunch of appetizers to share, and I purposely remained near her chair. Each time I leaned up to the bar, I had to come to either one side of her or the other. I made sure to brush my arm, or shoulder, or even my hand someplace on her each time.
At one point—she was probably four drinks in—I came around her far side as she laughed about something. We both reached for the same potato skin, and our hands brushed. Her eyes snapped to mine like the current had just zapped through my body, and we got lost in one another’s eyes. Her gaze shifted and slowly drifted over my face, and I remained still, not wanting to scare her off. She might not know it, but I saw the desire igniting inside her eyes. She did find me attractive, even if she pretended not to.
Of course, that could be the alcohol-distorted reality, but even though she had been throwing the drinks back, she held her liquor pretty damn well and didn’t seem overly intoxicated. It was a coin toss as to whether she was interested in me personally, or on the rocks.
It was another two hours, and several more plates of appetizers before Clare glanced at her phone and announced she had to catch the train. I offered to walk her to the station, but she said she’d be fine. Before she left, she pulled me over to the side.
“Can you make sure Lexi gets home? She’s had more to drink than she usually does.”
“No problem,” I told her, and then she gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. Although I wasn’t into Clare, I did really like her and hoped we remained friends.
“It was really great to meet you, Alex.” She glanced back at Lexi, who was finishing her drink. “Don’t give up on her.”
I frowned. Why would Clare think I was interested in her friend in the first place?
She rolled her eyes and smirked. “Don’t even deny it; you’ve been watching her all night.” She glanced at Lexi. “She might not seem into you, but she is. Go for it; she could really use the fun.”
“We’ll see about that,” I told her, and then we said goodbye as Lexi climbed off her stool.
“I should get going, too,” Lexi said. “It was really nice to meet you, Laurie, Jump.” She held her hand out to shake goodbye before she turned to me and muttered, “I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
I laughed and grabbed her arm. “You’ll see me now. I’m walking you home.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am. Clare wanted me to make sure you got home safe.”
“I’m an adult. I can take care of myself.” She tossed a wave toward my friends before nailing me with a stern look. “Stay with your friends.”
She walked away quickly, and I turn
ed to Jump, who was grinning, “Go, man! Don’t let that one get away.”
“I’ll talk to you later this week.” I waved to Laurie and was rushing out the door to catch Lexi. She was already halfway down the block, and she weaved slightly from side to side. I started to jog to catch up to her, and when I reached her, she stopped dead in her tracks.
“I thought I told you I didn’t want you to walk me home?”
“You did, but I don’t listen very well.”
She surprised me as she stepped closer, our chests almost touching. “Well, listen closely to this, Shadow. I do not want you to walk me home, and I am not sleeping with you.”
I jerked back, grinning. “Hey, I never said anything about sleeping together.”
“I’m not having sex with you—or whatever,” she blurted and began to walk away. I caught up and remained at her side for the next two blocks. She didn’t say anything, and neither did I, but once in awhile, our shoulders would touch, and I felt a current shoot straight to my groin.
At one point, she stumbled on the uneven sidewalk, and I took hold of her arm to make sure she had her footing again. As soon as I knew she did, I let go. Not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t want to. Every nerve ending in my body was telling me to get her inside and up against the wall.
I pulled open the main door to our building, and she hustled past me and to the stairs. I began to follow her up, and she turned, grabbing the banister as she started to fall toward me. I was one step down from her, and we were now eye-to-freaking-gorgeous-eye. Her pupils dilated, and I don’t think she even realized that she was staring at my mouth.
“I think I can make it to my door without your help, Shadow.” She said the words slowly, and my hand landed on her hip.
“I’m sure you can, but I’m still going to make sure you get there safely.”
Her glassy gaze drifted to mine. “I don’t want—”
Her mouth might have said one thing, but the look in her eyes said something else. I shifted my hand to her lower back, drawing her chest to mine, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “What don’t you want, Lex? You don’t want me to touch you?” My arm tightened around her, and her hands went to my arms, her fingers almost digging into my biceps as she held on.
“No.” Her eyes locked back on my lips.
I shifted my hand lower, cupping one of her firm cheeks. “You don’t want that—me to touch you? You don’t want me to kiss you?” I said softly as I leaned forward. She shook her head slowly, her dark hair shifting over her shoulders, and I cupped the side of her face with my other hand. “I think you do want me to do those things.”
Our lips were so close, and I wanted nothing more than to claim them with mine, but she whispered, “No, I don’t.”
I pulled back. I’d never been one to take something that wasn’t given freely, and she’d said no, not once, or twice, but three times. No meant no. I wanted the woman, but I wasn’t a total dick. I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her. “Let’s get you to your apartment.”
She didn’t say anything as we went up the stairs, and I stayed behind her to make sure she didn’t lose her balance. We were almost to the landing on the third floor when she spun around and nearly toppled down. I grabbed on to her hips again to steady her. “What’s wrong?”
“Why didn’t you kiss me?”
I chuckled, which made her stare at my mouth again. “You said no.”
“So—you do actually listen,” she replied and then slowly turned and finished the steps, walking to her door. She removed her keys from her pocket and found the one for the door while I waited. After she had unlocked it, she looked at me, and I saw uncertainty in her gaze. I think part of her wanted me to come in, but there was definitely another part that didn’t.
I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Sleep well, Lexi.” I started to walk away, and turned to face her, walking backward. “And if you and the rabbit have fun tonight, think of me.”
Her mouth opened as if she were going to say something, but then it closed, and I turned on a dime and made a beeline for the stairs. Damn, why did I have to put that vision into my own head? Fuck! Now I was hard as a rock.
I made it into my apartment and tossed my keys and phone down on the table before I grabbed a beer and plopped down on the sofa. The image of Lexi naked in the middle of my bed, foremost in my mind. Fuck, I could have kissed her; I should have kissed her. Especially after she asked me why I hadn’t.
If I had taken her into my arms at her door and kissed her good night, just a sweet, gentle kiss, would she have changed her mind and invited me in? Maybe I could be peeling those tight jeans down her thighs right now. Fuck—me!
I guzzled my beer and started to undress as visions of Lexi filled my mind, and I climbed in the shower. I had barely gotten wet before I was fisting myself and imagining her sweet little mouth on my cock. Fantasies of her looking up at me from her knees flashed through my mind, and I tugged harder. The orgasm hit me so hard, I leaned back against the cold shower wall to keep myself upright.
Jesus, what was it about her that turned me on so damn bad? As I rinsed off, I decided it was going to be my mission to find out. Perhaps I could figure out the mystery behind her. I’d been attracted to hundreds of women in my life, but this felt just a tad bit different. Maybe if I could break down her defenses, and I could have her once, the fantasy would go away.
I fell asleep thinking of her, hearing her laugh echo in my head, her smile making her eyes twinkle, and I had a feeling that any fantasy of her that I had would haunt me until the day I died.
I rolled over and punched a new indentation into my pillow. I’d felt like this once before in my life, and that hadn’t ended very well. Maybe I should just forget I’d ever met her and find another woman who didn’t make my mind twist and turn. It would be safer, but then again, when did I ever do safe?
Chapter Five
Lexi
I watched him walk away, my eyes stuck on the way his jeans moved around his hips and over his butt. Would he look back? No, he hit the stairs and didn’t stop.
I frowned as I locked the door behind me and hung up my jacket by the door. Why did that bother me? What should have bothered me was him suggesting that I think of him tonight if I brought out the rabbit. The rabbit—
I headed toward my bedroom and paused at the door. In the middle of my floor was the box I’d discarded when Connie was here. I stared at it for a long time, my focus coming and going with the waves of alcohol in my system. I picked up the rabbit and stared at it. It wasn’t like I’d never used one before, I had.
Sighing, I put it back in the box and moved the box to the top of my dresser before going into the bathroom and getting ready for bed. As I brushed my teeth, Alex’s image came to mind. The memory of his chest against mine, his hand around my back, made my core clench. It had been too long since I’d been with someone, and while I personally had not wanted Alex, my body sure as hell had. I wasn’t sure if that should be a plus or minus.
I peeled back my sheets, and before I got in, stared at the box again. Clare was probably right, and maybe I was filled with sexual tension. Why the hell not. I retrieved the bright-pink object and took it into the bathroom to wash it with antibacterial soap. After I was done, I dried and set it on the bedside table, climbing in and then laying there staring at the thing.
No, I didn’t need to get off using a battery-powered object. Instead, with Alex’s image back in my mind, I slipped my hand under my panties and found myself slick. Oh, god—
A fantasy of Alex pressing his lips to mine, and then running them down my neck as his strong arms held me tightly to him ripped through me, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more. With a groan, I grabbed the rabbit and pushed down my panties, trying to find the power button in the dark. The little orange light came on after a moment of fiddling, and it made a whirling noise, but that wasn’t what I wanted and turned that function back off. Finally, I found the buttons to adjust the vibrations and
set it on low, bringing it to my sensitive skin and immediately feeling the build of an orgasm.
Alex’s voice was in my head, and if you and the rabbit have fun tonight, think of me. I shifted the head of the vibrator to my opening and pushed up, imagining that it was him entering me. The little vibrating ears hit the right spot, and I orgasmed within moments. The feeling so damn powerful that my toes literally curled. I hit the button, hoping to turn it off, but hit the higher speed, and arched back on the bed as another powerful orgasm ripped through me. “Oh, my god—oh, my god!” I called out over and over again until I had to yank the thing away or risk dying from another release.
It took me a moment to get it turned off and catch my breath. Once I knew my legs would hold me, I took it back to the bathroom and rewashed it, staring at it as a little smile brushed my lips. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”
After tucking it into my nightstand, I pulled the covers over my shoulders and drifted off to sleep like a well-fed baby.
The next morning when I woke, I had a slight headache, but strangely enough, the rest of my body felt great. In fact, the knot of tension that had been sitting at the base of my spine seemed to have all but disappeared. I guess Clare had been right after all. I’d just needed a few intense orgasms to unwind myself.
With a smile, I got up and made coffee before getting ready for work. I checked my phone and found a message from Clare saying that she had made it home safely. Oh, lousy friend moment for not even thinking of her until now. Well, that’s not true, I had thought of her briefly last night as I drifted off and wondered if I should thank her for the gift—or not. Maybe I should just let her think that I hadn’t used it. It wasn’t like I was going to use the other thing she sent me. Um, that was a no.
When I got ready to leave, I was stepping out of my apartment and found a note and two carrots hanging from the doorknob. That prick. I ripped the note off. In case your rabbit is hungry.