Crossing the Line (The Baltimore Banners Book 1)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  "It actually works better if you move the weights with your legs, instead of scowling at them."

  AJ shook her head and turned to find Alec standing less than a foot away. Her mouth went suddenly dry and her mind went completely blank. With the way she was reclined on the leg press, with the way Alec was standing, her eyes—mouth—was directly level with...

  She snapped her gaze upward as her face heated to a hundred degrees, and she absolutely refused—refused—to let her eyes rest anywhere other than on his own amused gaze. A few dozen retorts came to mind but she bit down on all of them. Looking away, she gritted her teeth and pressed down so hard with her legs she thought the weights should go flying across the room. Instead, they barely moved.

  She heard Alec chuckle as he put distance between them, and she wondered if that had been a deliberate move on his part, if he had stood like that, so close, on purpose. Maybe if she ignored him, if she pretended he wasn't there...

  But she knew better. That was never going to happen, not when his presence literally surrounded her whenever he was near. She didn't even have to see him enter a room—she just knew, could just feel it.

  And really, when had that started? When had she become so hyper-aware of him as a man instead of just a player, another story? At the rate she was going, she'd have him elevated to god-status before she could think of more words to write.

  AJ grunted as her legs pressed out then slowly squeezed back. More words to write. That was almost laughable, since nothing she had come up with so far was working. There was one large file with deleted material, and one miniscule file. With a title...and nothing much more.

  Because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with the right angle. Everything fell flat. Lackluster. Boring. Why was it so hard to capture the essence of Alec on paper?

  She stole a glance at him and had to quickly swallow a gasp of surprise. He was standing right at her feet, watching her with intent eyes. The weights crashed against each other as her legs gave out and she gritted her teeth.

  "Why do you do that? Why do you have to sneak up on me like that?"

  Alec chuckled and shook his head. "I did not sneak up on you—you just weren't paying any attention. Guess you finally found your zone, huh?"

  Zone. Yeah, she had found it alright...but it had nothing whatsoever to do with the workout Alec was forcing on her.

  "You ready for a break?"

  AJ nodded and quickly slid off the machine, wincing as a spasm raced through her right thigh. She brushed off the feeling and stepped away from Alec's reaching hand, knowing that he must think she was an absolute, graceless klutz prone to accidents and mishaps.

  "A break, huh? For what? Five minutes until Round Six of today's torture session?" AJ hadn't said it to be funny, but he laughed anyway, turning the lights off as they left the gym and headed down the hallway. She eyed the stairs dubiously, pausing behind Alec as he went down them, and wondered if her rubber band legs would survive the descent.

  The only positive thing that would come of her falling is that she'd take Alec down in her tumble.

  With that cheery thought, she took first one step then another, mentally grimacing with each one.

  "No more torture. We'll each have a protein shake, wash up real quick, then hit the hot tub."

  AJ paused mid-step and almost did stumble. Hot tub? She had to be hearing things. There was no way—No. Way.—she was going to get into a hot tub with Alec.

  "And don't say no. With the way you're moving now, if you don't do something to ease those muscles, you'll be stiff as a board before midnight, and completely miserable tomorrow."

  AJ still didn't move, didn't even blink as Alec turned and looked up at her from the bottom step. She was already miserable, and it was all his damn fault for the obstacle course of activities he had been putting her through for the last several days. It wasn't even six o'clock at night and she was ready to crash face-first into her bed.

  But as much as she wanted to protest, AJ kept her mouth shut. She knew Alec had a plan, and that plan was to get rid of her. It was relentless torture designed to make her give up.

  Gritting her teeth, she walked the rest of the way down the steps. Alec wasn't going to win that easily.

  **

  She stood in the hall just outside the door to Alec's bedroom, not quite sure if she could actually cross the threshold. Yes, she knew she wasn't actually going into his room—technically she was just passing through it.

  To get to the hot tub. On the balcony.

  Which was worse than actually going into his room.

  AJ took a deep breath, working up her nerve even as a large part of her—a very large part—was ready to turn tail and hide. Or better yet, just run away.

  Except that would make her a coward.

  Gritting her teeth, she reached for the door knob and turned it, pushing open the door and stepping into the room before she could chicken out. She refused to look at the large bed off to the side of the huge room.

  But seriously, how big a bed did one person really need? The thing was huge. It had to have been custom-made, sitting on an elevated platform, made up in luxurious shades of deep blues. AJ yanked her gaze from the bed and kept walking across the room, one foot in front of the other, heading toward the French doors that opened onto the balcony.

  She stopped again, her gaze taking in the breathtaking view of the harbor, the pinpoints of light from the Baltimore skyline reflecting on the calm surface of the water stretched out eight stories below. Despite the activity and bustle that she knew was going on down there, it was quiet and peaceful from this private haven. Almost serene.

  Until she turned and got a good look at the massive hot tub and nearly turned tail to run again.

  It wasn't the actual hot tub that scared her. As big as it was, eight people could fit in it without even touching each other. No, it definitely was not the hot tub that scared her.

  It was the man sitting in it.

  Alec was stretched out, his arms draped along the sides, a beer bottle held loosely in one hand as his head leaned back against a built-in cushion. Bubbling water foamed around him, reaching mid-chest, steam caressing his sculpted body as a look of pure masculine contentment radiated from his face. AJ's mouth went dry as she stared at him, feeling safe for at least a few seconds since his eyes were closed and he couldn't see her.

  "Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to get in?" His voice had a hollow quality to it as it mixed with the sound of the rolling water and drifted away with the steam. AJ bit back her squeal of surprise then hesitantly took a step toward the tub. "There's beer in the small refrigerator over there if you want one."

  She paused mid-step and looked off to the side. Sure enough, there was a refrigerator. Right next to the small wet bar. She changed direction and headed to the fridge, opening it up and pulling out an icy bottle.

  "Would you mind getting me another one?" She heard him shift in the tub behind her, heard water slosh as he changed positions as she grabbed a second bottle. "What the hell are you wearing?"

  AJ straightened abruptly, both bottles held tightly in her hands as she turned around to face him. He was staring at her in wide-eyed surprise, the steam doing little to block the intensity of his gaze. She looked down at her black t-shirt and running shorts then back up at him.

  "What's it look like I'm wearing?"

  "You have a bathing suit on under that, don't you? I mean, you're not planning on getting in here dressed like that, right?"

  AJ had been walking toward the hot tub but abruptly stopped, just close enough to hand Alec his beer. He leaned out to take it, treating her to a nice glimpse of bare chest and bare abs and...

  "Are you naked?" Her mouth clamped shut as the words left her, and she wished she could take them back, especially after the look Alec gave her. He twisted the cap off the bottle and tossed it to the side, then took a deep swig and stood up, his arms held out to the side. AJ swallowed back her disapp
ointment when she saw the loose swim trunks sitting low—really low—around his lean hips.

  "No, I'm not naked. I'm wearing swimming trunks. Which, by the way, are the only two options for a hot tub so I hope you have a bathing suit on under that outfit." He lowered himself back into the hot tub, his back partially turned to her, his eyes closed as he rested his head against the cushion.

  She stood at the edge of the tub, chewing on her lower lip in indecision. Yes, she had a bathing suit on underneath. A bikini. A simple black bikini, with two ties for the top and two ties for the bottom.

  What she wanted to have on was a solid, lead-lined sturdy one-piece. Or a wet suit. She thought she might even actually prefer wearing a suit of armor and drowning over getting into a hot tub with Alec wearing nothing but a bikini.

  "Coward." The word was a mocking accusation, a teasing dare issued in a voice just above a whisper. AJ gritted her teeth, then sat her beer down and pulled off the t-shirt and shorts.

  "You're an ass," she grumbled as she leaned over for her beer then hoisted herself onto the edge of the hot tub and swung her legs to the side. She heard Alec chuckle and knew he was laughing at her, then the chuckle turned to a slight choking sound, as if he had swallowed his beer the wrong way.

  She refused to look at him, just lowered her legs into the steaming water, her body following. A sigh of contentment escaped her and she sunk lower onto the built-in bench, the water lapping around her shoulders as she leaned back. Keeping her eyes closed, she raised the bottle to her lips and took a sip of the cold beer, then rested her head against the side.

  The sensation was delicious, relaxing, serene. Her muscles relaxed instantly; the tension flowed outward from her limbs and slowly disappeared, leaving behind a deceptive calm. AJ breathed in deeply and melted into the water, losing herself.

  "Feel better?" Alec's voice came to her from far-away, sounding almost hollow, swallowed amid the steam and frothing bubbles surrounding them. She nodded, having only enough energy to take another sip of beer.

  Minutes drifted by as AJ's body relaxed even more, as all thought, stress, and worry were washed away by the steaming water. She felt herself sink lower, the water now lapping around her neck. There was a tug on her beer bottle and her hand instinctively tightened around it, pulling it back. Her eyes fluttered opened and she sucked in a deep breath as her eyes met Alec's, less than a foot away. His hand was clasped over hers, anchoring the bottle in her hand. She straightened and pulled away, just a few inches, just until he released his hold on her.

  "Just making sure you weren't falling asleep." His eyes locked on hers, his expression steady, unreadable. She couldn't look away, even as she took several deep swallows from the bottle.

  "I'm not." She drained the bottle, her eyes still held by his, her heart pounding at the expression in his gaze. She still couldn't read it and didn't understand it, and her nervousness suddenly increased.

  AJ shifted and placed her empty bottle over the side, having to lean slightly out of the tub to sit it down. She could have sworn she heard Alec choke again, but when she turned to look at him, his eyes were closed, his head tilted back, his jaw clenched.

  AJ decided to ignore him, to pretend he wasn't there, and allowed herself to fully stretch out in the tub, secure in the knowledge that the hot tub was big enough that she wouldn't be in danger of touching him. The water flowed over her again and she sighed deeply, giving into the seductive call of the pulsating heated water.

  There was a small splash and gentle waves, and she heard Alec climb out of the tub. He asked if she wanted another beer and she murmured yes, almost completely relaxed now, the aches in her body fading away, her mind gradually emptying of all thought.

  She inhaled deeply and sunk even lower, then sucked in her breath as a stream of ice cold liquid hit the top of her head and streamed over her face. She sat up, sputtering, her eyes wide as Alec's laughter echoed behind her.

  "Oh my God. Oh..." AJ turned and stood, stumbling along the edge of the hot tub as beer streamed down her face, dripping out of her hair and off her chin onto her chest. "Why did you do that? You...you..."

  Still laughing, Alec pulled two beers from the refrigerator and walked back to the hot tub, neatly jumping over the side and sliding in with a splash. "Sorry, you looked too relaxed. I couldn't resist."

  Still sputtering, she glared at him, ignoring the bottle in his outstretched hand. "I thought the whole point of this was to relax!"

  "You're right. I'm sorry. Here." He motioned for her to take the beer again, but she shook her head.

  "Forget it. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." She pushed her beer-soaked hair out of her face and sloshed through the water to the edge, stopping as Alec reached for her arm, his face serious now.

  "AJ...Amber, don't. I'm sorry. Really. C'mon, it's just beer, you can rinse it off right here." She stared up at him, at his dark eyes and full lips, at the look of contrition on his face. Then she stepped toward him and pushed against his chest with both hands, thinking she could catch him off-guard and send him falling into the water.

  And it worked. At least partly. Because he did stumble backwards and begin falling, only he reached out for her as he went, wrapping his arms around her and taking her down with him. Her chest collided with his, their legs tangling together as they both went under the water.

  Alec's arms tightened even more as he rolled with her under the water then pulled, finally resurfacing so he was sitting along the bench seat. AJ had instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck when they went under, and now found herself clinging to him, drawn across his lap, straddling him.

  And she was pretty sure that wasn't a beer bottle wedged between them.

  Alec's eyes darkened as he looked at her, neither of them moving, AJ barely daring to breathe. She knew she should move away, needed to move away, but she couldn't—she was pinned in place by not only his piercing look but by his hands at her waist, by his thumbs gently rubbing circles along her hips.

  Other than that small movement of his thumbs against her skin, neither of them moved, neither of them said a word. Heat rose through her, from the water, from his touch, from the look in his eyes. And still she didn't move, caught in some hypnotic state of suspension, of anticipation. From somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice of reason shouted to be heard, tried to tell her that she needed to say something, to move away, to run away before it was too late.

  But it was already too late. Alec's hold on her tightened and he pulled her closer, his eyes still locked on hers as he lowered his head and gently, hesitantly touched his lips to hers for a sweetly electrifying and all too brief kiss.

  EIGHT

  Alec pulled back slightly, looking as dazed as she felt, as if waiting for her to say or do something. Again a small voice in the back of her mind screamed at her to run away, warned that this was a disaster waiting to happen, that there was still time to come to her senses before she crossed the line.

  AJ ignored the voice and leaned forward, and the world around her erupted. Alec's mouth claimed hers with a hunger that fed her own, and she eagerly met him with a fierceness that took her breath away. His hands roamed over her, touching, caressing, a sensual mix of hot flesh and hot water against her skin. She pressed herself tighter against him, feeling the hard length of his erection between her legs, heat building inside her at the contact. She rubbed against him, needing to feel more of him, all of him...

  Alec broke the kiss, his breathing harsh, his eyes locked on hers, his hand pushing back the wet strands of her hair. There was no sound except for the water around them, drowning out all other sound, including the heavy beating of AJ's heart. It had been just a kiss. How could she be as effected as she was by just a kiss? Alec looked as bewildered as she felt, as if he, too, was trying to figure out what had happened. They stared at each other in silence, their eyes locked, AJ's breathing becoming harsher as the heat grew between them.

  Alec cupped her face in his hands, his dar
k eyes searching, his thumb caressing her lower lip and sending sparks shooting through her. Slowly, achingly, he leaned forward again, his mouth closing over hers with a tenderness that made her melt into him even more. She tightened her arms around his neck, her fingers playing in his hair as he deepened the kiss. One of his hands reached around and cradled the back of her head, the other skimmed her back, tracing a path down along her spine, stopping just below her waist, steadying her as he thrust upward with his hips, slowly, pressing his hard length against her.

  She moaned, just the tiniest sound, but it seemed to be all he needed. His touch became bolder, his hands hot against her slick skin, igniting trails of fire everywhere he touched. He pulled his lips from hers and traced a path along her neck, along her collarbone.

  AJ's breath rushed from her in a hiss, her head tilted back, her fingers digging into Alec's shoulders as his hands closed around her hips and pulled her closer, pressing her against him as his lips found hers again, as his mouth closed over hers, insistent, demanding. She ran her hands down his arms, feeling the hard muscle and warm flesh beneath her touch; ran her hands back up and over his shoulders, then down once more, her palms flat against the skin of his chest. His heart beat fast and steady against her palm, his muscles quivering beneath her touch as her hands drifted lower, following the thin line of hair down to his taut abs.

  Alec pulled his lips from hers, his breath coming in harsh gasps, echoes of her own unsteady breathing. His gaze held hers as he dragged his hands up along her back, as he reached up and undid the ties of her bikini top. She pulled on her lower lip with her teeth as he hesitated, as if waiting for her to say no, waiting for her to stop him.

  Or waiting for her to give him permission. She reached behind her and clasped her hand around his then gently tugged, pulling the ties loose as he laced his fingers with hers. The top fell away and she leaned against him, flesh to flesh, kissing him, their tongues mating in a wild frenzy.