"Stop thinking, cupcake," he said. "And start calling me Alex."
Her expression was grim. "Fine, Alex. Why did you bring me here?"
"Right now, I brought you here to dance," he said, attempting to once again propel her forward.
"But...but I don't know how to dance." Her voice was soft.
Alex turned and pulled her into his arms, the place he'd wanted her to be for so long that it felt like an eternity. "I'll help you," he whispered into her ear as he drew her forward. He was hoping for a slow dance, something long and low so he could hold her body against his. The band had other ideas.
"Allright, ya'll," Eddie hollered into the microphone. "It's time fer the square dance. Grab yer partners."
It's too late, you're committed now, he told himself, pulling Lila to his side amongst the other groups. Ruth Anne and Chucky appeared beside them, with Darlene and her escort following. Mrs. Wheaton stepped forward with old Cooter and Alex was grateful that they would complete their square. He hadn't danced like this since high school, and he was bound to be rusty. Good thing they call the damn steps.
"Bow to your partner," Eddie called. "Bow to your corner." Alex made the appropriate motions but Lila stood frozen beside him. "Now circle left." Alex grabbed Lila's hand as Chucky grabbed the other, and together the dancers circled to the left, then the right after the following call.
Alex watched as Lila began to move, then smiled as she picked up the steps of the Allemande and made her way around the circle, taking hands until she'd returned to him. The Do Sa Do was a little more complicated, but she managed to make it around his back and return to face him. Alex thought he noticed the beginnings of a smile toying around with the corners of her lips.
"Now swing your partner round and round!"
Finally! Alex positioned them, pulling Lila's hands up to circle his neck, then made sure their hips were touching. His pulse rate increased at his hands on her hips and he couldn't help pulling her closer than was necessary. He twirled them around twice and then returned to home.
"Promenade!" He moved Lila to his side, grasping her hands in front of them and began to walk them around the circle. Her smile had broken out of its confines and it now graced her lovely face, joining with her sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks to make a picture that almost froze him in his tracks.
"Now let's get down to business!" Eddie hooted, and began calling a more complicated series of steps.
Lila tried her best, but even Alex was having trouble keeping up. When it came time to swing his partner, he grabbed her and tugged her off the dance floor, ignoring the annoyed glances from their square.
He didn't let her go until they'd walked down the three steps leading from the Grange's front door and down the driveway. Although many people had walked to the hall, there were still several vehicles parked along the street. Alex walked them underneath the lone streetlight and stopped, looking up into the cold night sky at the multitude of stars above.
Living in the city, the light pollution dimmed the brightness of the stars until he'd stopped noticing them. But out here, where the only light in the world could be the streetlamp they were stationed under, the stars were impossible to miss.
Then he caught sight of Lila, her eyes golden in the winter darkness, peering up at him, and all the stars were outshone. He wanted to kiss her, to taste her out here in the night until the moon was forgotten and the stars burned out one by one.
Alex bent his head, lowering it so that his lips were less than an inch from hers. He tried to close the distance but she stepped back, placing two cold hands on a chest that felt like it was lit by its own furnace. "Wait."
He refused to move back but he didn't pressure her. "Lila, I want another chance. I want to see where this...thing between us is going."
"This thing?"
Alex let out a heavy breath. "Thoughts of you have been driving me crazy. There's something between us, and I know you feel it too."
Her eyes said she did, but she shook her head. "It won't work between us. Look at what happened the last time we were together."
His jaw tightened. She was reminding him of his loss of control, of his fists connecting with that asshole who'd said things that made his guts clench up inside him.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't just stand there and let him say those things without punching something."
He wanted to wipe away the wrinkles of worry that peppered her pale forehead. Alex didn't want to talk about that prick, but he wanted the air cleared between them. Something inside him drove him to ask. "What happened with him?"
Lila started to turn away but he pulled her back, not stopping until she was cradled in his arms. "I want you to be able to tell me anything," he murmured into her ear, then brought up a hand to cup her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her face. "I want to know everything about you. And I want to share things about myself. That's why I brought you here."
Her big hazel eyes stared at him, and for a moment he thought she would refuse. Then she spoke. "He was my high school crush, also my neighbor. We...fooled around, but I guess I took it more seriously than he did."
Alex continued to stroke her cheek. He saw the pain in her eyes and almost wished he hadn't broached the subject, but it needed to come out.
Lila looked away. "We had sex. It was my first time. And I...I..." She shook her head, and he saw her throat work as she swallowed.
"You came."
She looked back at him, and a bright teardrop spilled over and rolled down her cheek. He caught it and held her tighter.
"It was beyond embarrassing. I didn't know what had happened. And neither did he. He thought I'd...well, he thought it was something else."
Her bottom lip quivered and she worried it between her teeth. Her cheeks were flushed, her hands pressed tight against his chest, the fingers flexing in his shirt. "He told his friends and they set me up...humiliated me."
"Oh cupcake, I'm so sorry." Alex pushed her head onto his shoulder and stroked her hair. Her breath hitched, and it was like a torrent had been unleashed. "It messed me up, made me think I could never get close to anyone, never let myself go again. Until...until you."
"Shh..." he whispered, even as a hot thrill ran through him. She'd let herself go, with him. Trusted him enough to risk ridicule once again. That same trust had to be enough to build something more on.
She was trembling in his arms, and at first he assumed it was her sobs that shook her body. Then he remembered they were standing out in the cold. Her little nose was red, and he instantly felt ashamed of his neglect. "Let's get out of here."
"I have to go back inside, get the clean-up started."
Alex pressed a kiss to the tip of her red nose. "Already been taken care of, cupcake."
* * *
Lila wasn't surprised when they pulled up in front of the rooming house. Of course he knows where I'm staying. He planned this whole fucking thing.
Although she felt the ember of her anger still glowing inside her, it had been nearly overwhelmed by other feelings, feelings she was almost afraid to examine. Why the big unburdening? She hadn't told anyone about what happened in high school, then she suddenly blurts it out on the steps of the Grange to the man capable of hurting her more than her lover of a decade ago ever could.
She'd held onto her pain for so long, burying it under layer after layer until she thought it too deep to be dug up. And Alex Drake had gotten it out of her less than a half hour after seeing her again. Too confused, verging on emotional numbness, she allowed Alex to lead her into the house, shivering when he closed the door behind them.
The place was empty, a few lights on here and there being the only hint of its usual inhabitation. Everyone in town was at the Grange Hall. Everyone but her. And Alex Drake.
She was still reeling from what she'd revealed about herself but staring up into his understanding gray eyes had unleashed something inside of her. And as he pulled her toward him now, into the circle of his strong arms, she realized she didn't
want to let go of this feeling. Being free of the shame that had imprisoned her for so long. Being able to be herself, entirely herself, if only with one other person in the world.
And what a spectacular person to share herself with. He was so handsome, so strong, it made her knees feel weak. But within his sexy exterior seemed to beat a kind heart, a caring soul. The combination made Alex Drake suddenly irresistible.
"Kiss me," she whispered, sliding her hands around his neck and pulling his head down toward hers.
"Gladly, cupcake," he replied, his lips brushing hers.
The kiss was so tender, so full of emotion that it was devastating. Lila couldn't take the intimacy of this kiss, the meaning behind it. She opened her mouth under his, snaking her tongue out to lick inside his mouth, to change the kiss from this gentle heartbreak to one of lustful heat. One she could understand and embrace.
Alex groaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss, a hand coming up to grip her pony tail, using it to pull her head back, to make her more vulnerable to his onslaught. It was as if something ignited inside her and suddenly she couldn't be close enough to him.
Lila's hands wandered down his body until they reached his belt, and she immediately began unbuckling it. She tugged down his zipper and then reached inside, not stopping until she could feel his hardness with her own fingers.
"Goddamn," he muttered against her lips. He put a hand over hers and pressed it against him. "Feel how fucking hard you make me. It's never been like this before."
"Less talk," Lila said, nibbling his lower lip. "More action."
His devilish grin appeared. "Oh cupcake, them's fightin' words."
Alex moved her toward the stairs, his hands on her back, propelling her forward. But when she reached the steps, she realized she didn't want to wait until they got upstairs to her room to have him inside her.
Lila stopped, turning around and leaning back against the steps, putting her arms out to him. "I can't wait," she said, drawing him between her legs, pulling his head down and whirling her tongue around his ear.
"You're driving me crazy," he groaned, licking at her neck before tugging her shirt over her head. Then he was pushing down the cups of her bra to free her breasts. Alex fastened his hot mouth over a nipple and Lila cried out, feeling a rush of moisture between her legs.
But it wasn't enough. She needed more. She needed him inside her. Lila unzipped her jeans and lifted her hips to slide them down her legs. Alex repositioned himself to allow her to, and helped her remove her panties. Then he was on his knees between her legs, his hand moving down to touch her, to set fire to her body.
He ran his fingers across her smooth outer lips and then was pushing inside, two fingers easily entering.
"I love the way you feel," he said, punctuating his words with a light nip on her shoulder.
"Please," Lila begged. His fingers felt fantastic, but she needed more.
"Please what?" he asked, his voice hoarse, but a playful grin on his face.
"I need you." Normally she would have been mortified to hear the pleading tone in her voice, but now all she felt was desire. She put a hand on his throbbing hardness and pulled him toward her.
"Me too, cupcake," he crooned, then entered her.
She was like a woman dying of thirst in the desert given her first taste of water. Their coupling made her realize exactly what she'd been missing during a life spent alone, denying her own needs out of fear. Now the only thing she feared was that he would stop this delicious torture.
Then it did stop for a moment and Lila cried out in distress.
"Shhh..." Alex murmured, putting his hands on her cheeks and kissing her. "I just want to change positions. I can't get deep enough inside you this way."
The fact that they were on the stairs of an empty rooming house barely entered her thoughts. His hands on her hips guided her as she allowed Alex to turn her around so that she was on her knees, bent over, elbows on a higher step, with him behind her.
"My God you have a sexy ass," he said, his hands sliding over the cheeks to squeeze them.
Lila moaned, even as she wondered about his view. She knew she wasn't the same size and shape as the women he was used to. Women like Alana Morgan.
Don't think about that now! she ordered herself, and was finally able to refocus when she felt the head of his cock at her entrance once again. He slowly slid forward until he was entirely embedded inside of her.
Holy fuck, that's deep. Lila had never had sex in this position. Hell, she'd only done it twice before, and both times were in the more traditional position, even if once was on a kitchen table. She couldn't believe how different this was, how full she felt.
Then Alex began to move, began to piston inside her, hitting a spot that made her body twitch. The sensation was nearly overwhelming, and she felt her climax approaching at rapid speed.
"You’re like the softest vice, squeezing all around me." His breathing was erratic, his voice low. His words ramped up her arousal to fevered heights. "I can't get enough of you." His thrusts increased in speed and power.
Her hips gripped tightly in his hands, Alex plunged into her, each time pulling almost entirely out before thrusting back in, seemingly farther than before, nudging that spot inside her that made her feel as if an explosion was eminent. Her breath came out in pants, interspersed with whimpers that became almost constant. She experienced the familiar feeling, waves of pleasure that shook her to her core.
It was coming, another monstrous climax, but this time she didn't fight it, didn't want to. Although she was a bundle of nerves about sharing the most intimate details of herself with another person, just this once she wanted it not to matter. She wanted to let go, to seize this powerful climax, damn the consequences.
His hoarse voice set off fireworks inside her. "Lila, I can't take much more and I want you with me."
Way ahead of you, she thought, before the ability to think coherently disintegrated under his increasingly vigorous onslaught. She arched her back, her head coming up to let out a long moan. One more fierce thrust and she came apart, her climax rushing over her like a rocket bursting into the heavens.
"Fuck!" she heard Alex gasp, and then felt his incredible hardness spasming inside of her. He collapsed against her, and a few moments later she was at last aware of the hard stairs against her knees and elbows.
Alex didn't seem inclined to move until she started shifting below him. He rose up, tucking himself back into his dampened pants before taking her hand as she climbed down the few steps between himself and the floor. Although she shouldn't have needed his assistance, she was grateful when she noticed how shaky her muscles felt.
He bent in to kiss her, his gray eyes bright like the fog that covered the ground during the Tennessee evenings. His lips brushed against hers, gently, and when he made to increase the intensity of the kiss, licking against her mouth to convince her to open it and allow his tongue entry, she pulled away instead.
"You should go," she said quietly.
Chapter Twenty-Three
His expression had to be incredulous.
"We should go," Alex countered, his voice low and husky. "Upstairs to bed."
Lila shook her head. "It's getting late and the others will be back soon."
He let out a frustrated burst of air. "It's not that late. And who cares if they come back soon? We'll be upstairs, snugly tucked into your bed, doing things I've been dreaming of doing for weeks now."
"It's a small town," she replied, walking out of his arms and taking a few steps away. "I don't want word to get out about...this." She raised her hand, sweeping it back and forth between them.
"I've already told some people. My sisters know, and Tony and Jake, of course. Mrs. Wheaton too."
Her frown made his jaw clench. It was like he could feel her retreating from him, physically and emotionally. What he didn't understand was why. "Come on, cupcake," he said, almost flinching at the wheedling tone in his voice. "I don't want the night to end y
et."
"Everything ends," she said with a small shrug, her golden eyes avoiding his gaze. "It's been a long day, and I'm tired."
Tired was definitely not what he felt. He felt recharged, rejuvenated, at the cusp of gaining the thing he wanted most. The thing he hadn't even realized had become so important to him.
Alex bit back another request to stay, knowing it would come too close to begging. Desperation was never an attractive trait. In business, the stink of desperation always led to losses, and Lila was too big a prize to risk.
He started toward the rooming house door, relieved that she followed him so that he could take her in his arms once more before his exit. She was stiff in his embrace, so he tucked her head against his chest, pressing a kiss to her dark hair and inhaling her sweet scent.
"Goodnight," he murmured, then let her go. Even though he didn't want to.
Even though he wanted to drag her upstairs and force her to admit that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, to prove to her that everything didn't have to end.
Instead he went out the door and down the short walk to where his car was parked on the empty street.
It was a maudlin drive back to his sister's house. At least it was short.
He parked the rental and jogged up the steps to the front porch. The door was unlocked so he entered the dark house. One benefit of small town living, no need for keys and expensive security systems.
Alex wandered through the house, flipping on a table lamp in the living room so his sister would find her way in safely. Then he headed back to the spare room and its empty bed.
The small bedside lamp cast the room in a warm glow but it didn't relieve the chill inside him. He pulled off his clothing and climbed into bed, even though he felt as if he'd never sleep. There was no way to turn off his mind, no way to stop thinking about Lila and their latest interlude.
It had been like coming home in more ways than one. And the end had been as unsatisfactory as his own departure from Trouble Hollow years before. For most of his childhood he'd thought only of getting out, and now that he was back, he'd felt a strange peace descend, a feeling of rightness that he'd almost forgotten. How much of it was the town, was reconnecting with people he hadn't realized he'd missed, and how much was his reunion with Lila he didn't know. But as he lay in bed, staring up at the dim ceiling, he knew that things had changed in a way that was as undeniable as it was unexplainable.
Worth the Risk: (A Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) Page 72