by Alexis Anne
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Other Books By Alexis Anne
Copyright
Tease
-Volume 1-
By Alexis Anne
http://alexisannebooks.com/
Copyright 2014 by Alexis Sykes
All rights reserved.
To N~
For whom I write all the dirty things…
Chapter 1
Sunday night
“Your usual?” Mitch asked without looking up.
“Please,” I huffed as I threw myself down onto the barstool and slammed my purse on the countertop. Mitch grabbed the bottle of Wente Cabernet Sauvignon, my favorite, and filled my glass generously, just the way I liked it.
“How’s it going so far? You aren’t lonely yet, are you?” His forced smile told me my unhappiness was obvious.
“I’m up and down.” In the short time since we moved to the South Carolina town of Calhoun Beach, Mitch had become a friend and sometime confidante—most likely because he was the keeper of the alcohol. “I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”
I wouldn’t get used to it.
The problem was my entire world consisted of two people: my little sister, Lily, and my best friend from college, Allison. Both of whom, as of two days ago, had left me. Lily was back at Yale for her last year of college, and Allison was on a project with the London branch of her architectural firm for the next six months. Except for a group trip to London for the Thanksgiving break, I wouldn’t see either of them until Christmas.
I’d been abandoned, or at least that was what I told them (only half-jokingly) as I put them each on their respective planes.
Mitch shook his head, “They’ll be home before you know it and the three amigos will be back here for drinks with me, yet again.”
“I need to make new friends, don’t I?” Somehow I couldn’t see spending the next six months sitting at the bar as a healthy option, no matter how desperately I wanted it to work.
Mitch nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Ugh.” I grunted and laid my forehead down on the cool surface of the bar. “But I don’t like people.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t move. Instead I spoke directly into the lacquered wood, the vibrations of my voice bouncing back at me. “Not you, you’re awesome. But most people… they kind of suck.”
“Look, give it a try. You might be surprised. You’ve only been here a few months and you’ve barely scratched the surface on all that Calhoun Beach has to offer.”
I sat up and shifted back against the barstool with a grin. “You mean there are places to eat other than Seychelles?”
Seychelles Bar and Grill was the restaurant on the ground floor of my apartment building. Inside was dim, but elegant. Dark wood was the main architectural feature and white table cloths covered every table. The bar was situated so that guests had a view out the back window of the beach.
It meant we had food downstairs nearly every night, a bar any time we needed a drink, the beach out our back door, and a huge, gorgeous apartment that had been refurbished, along with the rest of the historic building, ten years earlier. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when Allison and I did our first walk-through.
“As much as I love having a job…yes, there are other restaurants in town,” Mitch snorted.
“I eat at the diner across the street…”
“You’re hopeless,” Mitch agreed, shaking his head like I was a lost cause.
I would have punched him in the arm if there hadn’t been a bar between us. “Fine, I’ll start getting out more. Sheesh.”
“That’s my girl.” He pushed my wine glass closer and I took a sip. “Know what you want to have tonight? I can get your order in before the dinner crowd hits.”
“Scallops, please.” My stomach started growling at the mention of food.
“Coming right up.”
While Mitch busied himself with my order and the other two customers at the bar, I pulled out my Kindle and dove back into the book I’d wasted most of the day on: a ridiculously over-the-top romance. It wasn’t my usual fare, but with my friends gone, no life, and absolutely no desire for a relationship, it was actually kind of liberating to live vicariously through a fictional character. Love belonged on the page and as far away from my real life as possible.
I had zero interest in relationships or anything else that resulted in broken hearts. People were users—my parents taught me that early on. Every time I became attached to someone it became a way for them to manipulate me.
If you really loved me…
I just need some help…
This is the last time, I swear…
I’d had enough. Calhoun Beach was my chance to start over and this time I was in charge. I’d made a few rules for myself, but the most important was to never get attached to anyone. I had fun, but on my terms. And when it came to pleasure, as long as I followed my rules, I somehow always managed to find satisfaction.
By the time Mitch brought me a water I’d plowed through three chapters of my book. “Dinner should be right up—” Mitch stopped mid-sentence as something over my shoulder caught his eye. “Hey Adam, It’s been a long time!”
I glanced back as a tall man strode up to the bar and enthusiastically shook Mitch’s hand. He was gorgeous.
Incredibly, perfectly, gorgeous.
My heart jumped and I had to swallow to stop a sigh from escaping my lips. Tan skin, chiseled jaw, straight nose, bright brown eyes, and a muscular body. The immediate physical reaction I had to the sight of Adam was embarrassing.
And much to my delight and fear, he grabbed the seat next to me. Only inches away. My skin crackled with electricity.
Why was he sitting so close to me when the bar was nearly empty?
Except the bar was packed. Sometime while I was zoned out in my book, the restaurant had filled to capacity and the only empty seat was the one next to mine. Lucky me.
“How’s Germany?” Mitch asked, leaning against the bar with his arms crossed. There was genuine curiosity on his face—this wasn’t small talk, they were friends.
Adam leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head, giving me an enjoyable view of his long, lean body. My pulse quickened. The black t-shirt was fitted enticingly around his biceps. This was a man who took care of his body and I could only imagine what else that t-shirt was hiding.
Or I could find out for myself. I adjusted slightly on my stool as my body roared to life and heat pulsed between my legs.
“Man, it’s awesome. I’m having the time of my life. It’s been a real pleasure to see it all come together like this. I never would have imagined.”
“I’m so jealous, but happy for you. I always knew you’d do great things…”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Adam replied with a proud grin on his handsome face. “Glad to be back home for a couple of weeks, though. How are things here?”
Mitch chuckled, straightening up. “Same old stuff, nothing really changes. Can I get you a drink?”
“You still got that Golden Goose Ale on tap?”
“Sure do.”
I sat there pretending to read as Mitch and Adam continued to exchange random information. I couldn’t help but wonder how Adam and Mitch knew each other, why he lived in Germany, or what brought him back to Calhoun Beach.
Or why he was so damn sexy.
For the first time in two days I wasn’t whining about Lily and Allison—heck I was half glad they were gone. Mitch was right, I needed some fun in my life and Adam seemed like a perfectly a good way to start—if I coul
d form coherent thoughts while looking at his delicious body.
My phone vibrated against the countertop, startling me from thoughts of stripping the stranger beside me naked. Allison’s name was emblazoned across the screen along with a picture of the two of us on the beach. An hour ago I would have been ecstatic to talk to her while I waited for dinner, but things were different now. I had a man to seduce.
I tapped out a message letting her know I’d call her later, when Mitch grabbed my glass and started refilling it. “Thanks.”
“No problem, Elizabeth. I just got the signal your dinner is ready. I’ll be right back.”
Mitch disappeared and Adam and I sat there, side by side, neither of us with anyone else. It was that awkward silence that comes when you are both fully aware that the other one is also fully aware.
“You like the Wente? It’s a favorite of mine as well.”
My heart skipped a beat. He was talking to me in a deep, smooth voice that was softer than when he was speaking to Mitch.
“Yes, it’s very nice. I get it every time I’m here,” I answered quietly, flashing a small smile and making eye contact. Sweet Jesus… his eyes were amazing.
“You come here often then?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he turned to face me.
I blushed and suddenly wished I wasn’t wearing a sun dress. My telltale nervous flush extended all the way down my chest and I realized I wanted this man more than I was prepared to admit. “Yes, I actually live upstairs,” I pointed up towards my apartment, hoping to distract him.
It didn’t work. His gaze was locked on me. It was steady and curious, with just a touch of confusion. “Really? How is it that we’ve never met before? I’ve been eating here for years and Mitch is a childhood friend.”
I took a steadying breath and tried to relax my nerves. It was scaring me how attracted I was to Adam. My mind was filling with images of his hands against my skin, roving over my breasts, down my stomach, and between my legs. I wondered what it would feel like to have his lips on my body with his cock buried deep inside me as I rode him.
The images were so real and insistent. I felt like I needed a cold shower just to sit beside him. “I just moved to town about four months ago.”
He stroked his stubbled chin and I couldn’t stop focusing on his long fingers as they brushed past his lips. “Makes sense then,” he replied. “I’ve only been in and out of town briefly over the last few months. So what brought you to Calhoun Beach?” He leaned his elbow on the bar and I got the distinct impression he was genuinely interested in hearing about me. Which felt weird.
“Work. I’m an assistant professor at the college,” I answered his question but I didn’t want to talk about myself. I wanted to hear about him. “And what brings you to Calhoun Beach from Germany?”
His eyes didn’t move. “My family lives here. I come visit every few months.” The corners of his lips turned up slightly in a half-smile. “Where did you move here from?”
I fought my instinctive need to flee when his questions turned toward my past. I never talked about my childhood, I avoided all questions related to my parents, and I never told people my real name. But there was something compelling about Adam, so instead of asking for my check and ducking out the door, I searched for an answer I could live with. “I’m not really from anywhere. My family moved around a lot…the longest I lived anywhere was during college.”
“And where was college?”
“New Haven.”
Adam nodded thoughtfully, “Yale? Good school. And what are you teaching at the college?”
The questions were hard and fast. This wasn’t a normal, casual conversation between two people stuck at the same bar. This was an interrogation. Why Adam felt the need to question me, I hadn’t figured out, but I was hoping it was because he was as attracted to me as I was to him.
“I’m in the Historic Preservation and Community Planning department.” Being a professor was the only thing I ever wanted to do. It was the furthest thing from my childhood I could imagine, and it gave me the power and control I so desperately needed.
Adam’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, you sure picked the right town for that.”
Calhoun Beach was pretty much one giant historic district, with buildings from nearly every era. The College of Calhoun Beach had one of the most prestigious departments for historic preservation in the country. Landing my job at my age was a coup.
It was at that moment that Mitch returned with my dinner. “Bon appetit, darling. Enjoy!”
The scallops looked amazing and the smell alone made my mouth water. “Thanks Mitch.” He had an odd smile on his face, giving me the distinct impression that he was amused, then walked away to serve another customer.
“Those look delicious,” Adam murmured. “You’ll have to let me know what you think. I was going to order the steak tonight, but I think I might change my mind.”
I could swear his eyes were twinkling. Were they twinkling at me? I took a bite and the perfectly prepared scallop practically melted like butter in my mouth. I barely suppressed a groan.
A strange look of pleasure crossed Adam’s face, but he shook his head and closed his eyes, erasing it.
“They really are wonderful tonight. You should get them,” I said between bites, curious about his reaction. I was almost positive Adam was just as attracted to me as I was to him.
He looked away from me as if he couldn’t stand watching me. Something had suddenly shifted and Adam seemed almost as uncomfortable around me as I first did around him. He downed the remainder of his drink, clinking the glass against the counter as he waved at Mitch, indicating he’d like a refill.
It was my turn to ask the questions. “You don’t have much of an accent. Are you from here?” Adam had a faint drawl to his words, but not the distinctive accent I was used to hearing from the locals.
Adam glanced at me warily, but warmed after a moment and his smile returned. “Funny story, actually. My family moved back here when I was fifteen. I finished high school here, but that was it. This is home now because it is where my folks live, but I didn’t really grow up here.”
“Where is home, then?”
His brown eyes looked a little distant and sad for a moment, “It used to be New York, but I guess it really isn’t anymore.”
Before I could press him for more information Mitch reappeared, interrupting our conversation, “Did you decide on dinner, Adam?”
“I’ll have what Elizabeth,” he paused glancing intensely at me, “it is Elizabeth, right?”
I nodded, feeling a little thrilled that he just made the obvious effort to make sure he knew my name.
He smiled broadly, “I’ll have what Elizabeth’s having. I certainly can’t pass it up after her rave reviews.”
Mitch glanced from Adam to me and back again. “Not a problem, coming right up.”
We sat quietly, sipping our drinks for several moments. The silence was comfortable but full of anticipation and I wasn’t sure what to think of the stranger beside me. He was very handsome—my physical reaction was evidence of that. I’d gone from lonely and cranky to nervous and horny in a matter of moments. But he was also asking a lot of questions.
I ate my scallops very slowly, giving myself as much time as possible to feel Adam out.
“What are you reading?” he suddenly asked, startling me from my thoughts.
I glanced down at my Kindle, feeling exposed again. “It’s just a romance.” I waved my hand in the air in an attempt to dismiss his interest.
“What’s it called?”
“Why do you care?”
He grinned. “Why won’t you tell me?”
I tried not to blush all over again, but he’d gotten me. It was like he could see my vulnerabilities and knew he needed to concentrate his efforts if he wanted to get under my skin.
Which he seemed pretty hell-bent on doing.
“I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.”
“I bet you I have.”
/>
What was with this guy and his romance novels?
“Or,” he asked, leaning just a little bit closer. Close enough that I could feel the shift in warmth from his body. “Do you assume as a man I have no interest in romance novels?”
“Well, yes.” Why were we even having this conversation? Hot guys on vacation did not talk about romance novels over drinks with strangers.
“What’s the name of the book, Elizabeth?”
Demanding. Adam was incredibly demanding for someone who’d known me all of twenty minutes. But compared to the other men in my life, this seemed fun, not intimidating. It wasn’t a power tactic; it was Adam pushing at my boundaries to feel me out.
“It’s called The Summer of Us.”
“By Robin Green. It is number two on the Times best-seller list right now.”
Ok, so I was honestly, truly shocked. “I think I’m impressed.”
Adam bounced his eyebrows and took a sip of his beer. “I read a lot and I don’t restrict myself to any particular genre. I read whatever is hot or piques my interest. When I travel I usually grab the books on display at the airport.”
A reader. A genuine, in the wild, reader. If I thought I was attracted to Adam before… “I read everything, too.”
Somehow the stupid grin on his face grew and his eyes lit up. “Kindred spirits.”
My heart skipped a beat.
This was trouble.
Thankfully Mitch placed an identical plate of scallops in front of Adam and I got a break while Adam ate. His brow was slightly furrowed and his green eyes were staring at some imaginary object in the distance as he chewed. His dark hair was just long and wavy enough to be perfect for running my hands through. His hands were large and capable looking. They were properly manicured but also showed signs of use. I wonder what he does with those hands……
His phone buzzed, startling us both. He frowned and tapped a quick reply before standing abruptly and waving at Mitch who made his way back over.
“I’ve got to go,” Adam said, looking annoyed. Then he dropped several bills on the counter, glancing at me sideways as if he were having an internal debate.