by Jayne, Kris
“It’s another city on Melissa’s list.” Kyle popped a tortilla chip in his mouth.
Alexa shifted in her seat. “If you’re thinking honeymoon, I would do Paris, Barcelona, or somewhere in Italy before London.”
“You can scare up a romance any place—even London.” Melissa shot Alexa a pointed look and a pleased-with-herself smile.
Alexa’s eyes widened as if willing her friend to be quiet.
“Did you find London romantic?” Graham widened his eyes, striving for sincerity.
Alexa downed half her vodka soda before shrugging. “Not especially. I can think of a million places I rank ahead of London in the romance department.”
Graham put an arm on the back of her stool and leaned in. Drawing close to her made his skin dance with pulses of heat. “What’s the most romantic place you’ve ever been?”
She cast her eyes to the ceiling and tapped the side of the glass. “I hiked Machu Picchu with a boyfriend once. We were dirty and smelly for days, but there is something romantic about being up in the mountains—even if we were in a tent.”
“You don’t strike me as a camper.”
Alexa met his incredulous squint with a bemused eye roll.
“I’ve been camping dozens of times. I love being outdoors. You’d be surprised at all the things that I’m into.”
The crotch of his pants strained at the implication of her words. She flushed a little, realizing how what she said might’ve sounded to him. Melissa giggled, and Kyle cleared his throat.
“I look forward to finding out.” Graham bumped the side of her leg with his knee, twice, maximizing the friction.
Alexa pursed her lips. “You have a filthy mind.”
She loved it, and Graham wasn’t going to let her get away with pretending like she didn’t. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If there’s any untoward connotation to what you said, that’s on you.”
“Nice. You sit over there looking like an old lady fanning herself against the heat of the Devil with her church hat, but I think we know who the dirty bird in this conversation is.”
She poked his side, and he snickered, grabbing her hand. Her soft skin electrified his fingertips. “Church sounds like a grand idea. We could use a little bit of the Good Word to straighten us out.”
Alexa switched her finger between them and waved away the thought. “Us? I go to church, thank you.”
Melissa snorted. “When was the last time you went to church?”
“I’ll have you know I went Christmas Day. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way. When was the last time you took communion?”
Alexa’s friend tipped her dark head forward, letting a curtain of thick, ebony hair hide her face. “Sorry. You’re breaking up.” Her voice raised as if she weren’t sure if the rest of her companions could hear her.
“Looks like we’re all going to hell.” Kyle cackled.
“Probably.” Graham took another drink and whispered to Alexa. “Maybe I can come to your place tonight. We can discuss our sins.”
Alexa kept looking across the table at their companions. Her hand slipped over his knee and up his thigh until her fingers wedged in his crotch.
She didn’t turn her head. “You know what they say. I may be going to hell, but at least all my friends will be there.”
If Graham was destined for fire and brimstone, he could think of worse things than earning his way there with Alexa.
* * *
Graham raced behind Alexa to her house and jumped out of his car. He made it to the door just as she pushed it open.
The thunk of her purse dropping to the floor was followed by the click of the light. His arm wrapped around her.
“You’re going to have to let me go if I’m going to take my shirt off.”
Graham didn’t let Alexa go. He pulled her closer and grabbed the hem of the shirt at her hips and yanked it up. Her arms lifted with his, and he snatched it off her head and threw it somewhere.
She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. Alexa opened her sweet, full lips on his mouth and stroked him with her tongue. The long, slow pressure of her mouth might as well have been on his cock because it pulsed against his thigh.
Her bra or his jeans? His fingers solved the conundrum without his mind activating, undoing each hook and pulling the silk and lace to her elbows. She dropped her arms and let it fall. Graham moved forward to bring her arms and hands back to his body, and the bra caught on the toe of his shoe. He kicked it somewhere.
He palmed her breast, feeling the weight and pinching her nipple.
She gasped into his mouth.
He pulled away from her suckling kiss.
“Turn around.”
Graham swept her hair away so he could taste the stars dotting the back of her neck while taking both breasts in his hands. He thumbed the peaks, rolling them in his fingers, and squeezing until she arched her back, breathless.
Her ass ground into his crotch.
“Bedroom.” He could barely hear her husky voice.
Graham didn’t have the patience to make it down the short hall to the bedroom. He walked her over to the couch and unfastened her jeans.
Alexa took over. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her jeans down, bending over to reveal her round ass perfectly displayed in pair of silky boyshorts. He ran a hand over her left cheek.
Smack.
She laughed, so he did it again.
She twisted around, still giggling. “Stop it. Take your pants off, already.”
Graham followed orders, but stopped to pull out his wallet and grab a condom.
Alexa stood there, luring him in—her smile soft, her nipples hard, and her skin golden brown in the light of her living room.
Slipping one hand into her hair, he pulled her head back and kissed her relentlessly hard while he roamed his other hand down her belly into the silky lace she still wore.
He raised his head so he could see her face. Her eyes closed while her mouth circled open.
“Oh, God, yeah.”
Graham lowered her onto the couch, their bodies knocking off pillows as they positioned themselves. He stayed anchored with one foot on the floor, and Alexa kicked one leg up onto the back of the sofa.
He played with her slick folds, making sure a finger always stayed on the tight nub topping them.
His cock strained toward her. He thought of giving in and sinking into her soft, wet heat. But her breath shortened. Her eyelids flickered. Her moaning turned desperate.
Graham moved his fingers faster, sliding over her and slipping two fingers into her tightness while strumming her with his thumb. He found her most sensitive spot and stroked her there.
“Oh, fuck.”
She squeezed his fingers so tight, he wondered how he’d ever fit his cock inside her.
He tore open the condom and put it on, ready to find out.
* * *
Alexa eventually dragged Graham off the couch and to the bedroom for rounds two and three of the evening. They collapsed in a heap with her tangled sheets.
She lay on his chest and ran her hands over the scatter of light brown hair swirling from his pecs to his belly. His stomach rose and fell in a rolling rhythm that slowly synced with her own breathing.
She wanted him to stay the night.
Staying in that exact position, feeling his heart thump against her cheek, felt like heaven even if it paved her way to hell.
She raised up and kissed his nipple.
Graham tucked his index finger under her chin and got her to look up at him. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
The low rumbling question pulled another moan from her. This one, unhappy. She didn’t believe in hell, but it might be something like this.
“I have a thing.” Her voice came out hollow and strangely high.
Right now, in his arms, Alexa would not mention Adam. Nor could she get out of seeing him. Could she?
Shit, shit, shit.
Alexa silen
tly wished for a remote control to take her back thirty seconds. She started to tell Graham she could cancel.
“A thing.” His tone dropped. It wasn’t a question. Her chance had passed. Graham scooted away from her and onto his side.
She rolled onto her belly. Her eyes flipped up to him, infused with as much but-I-want-to-see-you as she could muster. “I can move things around.”
His eyes clouded. He tugged on a few spiraled locks of her hair, then stroked and squeezed her arm.
“I better get going.” Graham kissed her on the forehead, swung his feet to the floor, then turned back. “Maybe I’ll stop by for lunch one day.”
“Do that. The rest of the week is wide open. Just call me.”
He grinned. “I will.”
Then, Graham stood and strode out of her room, leaving her to stare at his naked, muscled behind.
A magma-deep yearning to run after him erupted in her, but a languor in her limbs kept her pinned to her mattress. It wasn’t the bone-squealing sex. It was indecision mixed with the fear that comes from standing on the edge of the unknown.
She missed him, and he was still knocking around her living room. The sounds of him in her house would be intimate and comforting if she didn’t know he was pulling on his clothes and heading out the door.
Chapter Eighteen
Adam picked one of Austin’s toniest steakhouses for dinner.
The foyer buzzed. The festival crowd already swelled even though the events didn’t start until Friday. A peal of jazz piano trickled toward her as she entered the bar. A tendril of hair escaped her high ponytail, and she smoothed it behind one ear.
Alexa went back and forth with what to wear to her non-date. Thankfully, Austin didn’t require you to get dressed up. She’d gone for long, lean denim, heeled, rhinestoned sandals, and a flowing silk top that said pretty, but not sexy.
Pulling her shoulders back and lifting her head, Alexa perused each face around the mahogany-paneled room. She hadn’t seen Adam for months, and a shiver of excitement betrayed her intentions.
The traitorous emotions brought to mind last night. She hadn’t heard anything from Graham all day. His quiet departure from her house left her shaking with self-recrimination. She shouldn’t even be here.
But she was.
Alexa spotted Adam in the throng of people. Since he hadn’t seen her yet, she hung back for a moment to take him in.
Thick, dark hair and caramel skin came from his Indian heritage on his mother’s side. Someone next to him must’ve said something funny because his wide, bright smile sparked in the dim light. He stood a head taller than the man with the joke.
Even though she hesitated, she anticipated the warmth of his deep brown eyes.
Alexa propelled herself around the bar and approached him from behind, reaching up to touch his shoulder. He spun around, and she found herself wrapped in a tight embrace before she could even say hello.
She thought back to her last moments in his London apartment, which involved pulling herself out of his arms following a passionate night and, then, morning.
“Alexa!” His silken voice stretched out the “ex.”
“Adam, how are you?” Secured in his hug, Alexa had no choice but to wait until he released her. He gave her one more squeeze before doing so.
“Fantastic. Last night, I went to dinner with clients, and then, we took in some live music. Unbelievable barbecue and great bands. It was grand. You should’ve come out.”
She ignored his entreaty. “Glad you’re enjoying the city. Who are your clients? If you can tell me, that is.”
“Prospect Tech. It’s a small software firm headquartered in Ireland. They’re opening an office here. I’m helping them set up their systems and some other terribly boring things. How about you? How’s business?”
“Business is good. We’re moving from construction into decoration and finish out on the spa in the next several weeks. We’re hiring staff. I need to hire at least one more fitness instructor, so I can focus on the business and more personal training. Things are clicking along.”
Alexa glanced over to the bar, contemplating her drink order. Adam stroked her upper arm with his thumb. “What can I get you to drink?”
“A Tito’s and soda with two limes would be perfect.”
“Tito’s?”
“It’s vodka. They’ll have it.”
Adam ordered for her and then turned back.
“My building is under new owners, but they’ve been easy to work with so far. Their rep…has responded to anything that we need.”
Alexa’s cheeks grew hot. The bartender slid a bubbling tumbler toward her on a napkin.
“Excellent.” Adam eyed her and exhaled. “Enough about business. What else do you have going on?”
She sipped her drink. She only had two things going on: the gym and Graham. “Melissa, my business partner, is getting married.”
“Wonderful. Am I going to get to meet her?”
“At some point, I’m sure.” Alexa gulped her vodka cocktail.
“How far is your gym from here?”
“Over the river, kind of through the woods, on the other side of Zilker Park, but not far—except for all the traffic.”
“Is that where you live?”
“Close. I’m between First and South Congress. I bought a house there when I moved back from New York. It’s nothing fancy, but I love the neighborhood. I can walk to some phenomenal restaurants and bars and Amy’s Ice Cream. You have to have it while you’re here.”
“I’ll put that on the list.”
Alexa tapped a fingernail against the stem of her glass. “How long are you in town? You sounded up in the air on that the last time we spoke.”
“At least a couple of months. Maybe into the summer. We’ll see. How ever long it takes to have a successful engagement,” Adam answered and rubbed her shoulder. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Now.
“You, too, but Adam, I should tell you that I’m seeing someone. While it’s great to see you, I hope you’re not expecting a repeat of what happened in London.”
A brief cloud shuttled across his eyes, but he smiled it away. “I see. If you’re seeing someone and you’re here with me, it can’t be that serious.”
“It’s not about him. It’s just that I’m not available. We can hang out while you’re here. I’ll show you around, but that’s it. We need to keep this on a friendship level. I want to be clear.”
He drew his full bottom lip between his teeth and stared off over her shoulder. “I see.”
“I hope so. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”
His hand gripped the brass railing on the bar, turning his knuckles pale before he released it. “We’re clear. No worries. I’d love to meet your friends—all of them.”
“Sure.” Adam and Graham crossing paths? Before panic choked her, Alexa threw it off. She’d manage them…somehow.
* * *
The news that Alexa had a new lover burned, but it wouldn’t dissuade him. She said it wasn’t a serious relationship, which meant she could drop this other guy as quickly as she found him.
Adam signaled for the bar bill and set his course on moving to their table as soon as the hostess collected them. The press of patrons surrounding them as the bar filled up frustrated attempts at in-depth conversation.
The bartender nodded at him and hustled to the register. Adam flicked his eyes back to Alexa, who waved a twenty dollar bill at him.
“Absolutely not.” He swatted her hand away.
“No. I’m not going to let you pay for my drink after the conversation we just had. It wouldn’t be right.”
“I can be a friend and pay for your drink.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to.”
Alexa leveled her green-flecked brown eyes at him, unblinking. Her obstinance impressed and irritated him equally, and he found the challenge of her resistance sexy.
“We can split dinner if you’d like, but I’m
paying for your drink. Let me. My manly pride demands it, and you wouldn’t want to wound my masculinity, would you?”
Her gaze steeled, then softened. She slipped the money back into her purse with an amused smile slanting across her face. “Of course not.”
“Good.”
Adam tossed his own bills down on the bar. After dinner, he’d make sure the waiter settled the bill on his credit card before bringing it to the table. Tonight was on him. If he expected to draw her away from this other fellow, he’d have to take charge, and despite her protestations, he knew that was the way to go.
“I’ll bet our table is almost ready. Let’s check at the hostess stand.”
He looped his arm around hers and guided her through the foyer, enjoying the appreciative looks other men gave as she passed.
Having this alluring woman on his arm was more than worth a steak dinner.
* * *
Rather than get a steak the size of her head, Alexa ordered grilled fish and steamed vegetables. Adam declared that he couldn’t come all the way to Texas and not get some proper beef, so he ordered the Porterhouse.
“Have you gone off steak and that for good?”
“No. I just try to limit how much beef I eat. Steakhouses always give you these huge cuts of meat—twelve and sixteen ounces or more. And the leftovers are never as good.”
“Aha. You’re not a…what do they call it…a pescetarian then?”
“No. I can’t cut out whole food groups. The minute I tell myself no, I start to obsess.”
“I can see that about you. You have a rebellious nature.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s a challenge.” Adam’s eyes darkened with intensity. “I enjoy taking on challenges.”
He locked in on her resolutely as he did every time she saw him. Was she a challenge to be won? What happened after that?
Graham had all but called her a trophy when the subject of Adam first arose. Maybe she had a type after all. Matthew had seen her that way—as a shiny object to be won.
“I’d prefer to just be a woman.”
“A good woman is a challenge.”
“A bad one is easy?” Alexa edged forward in her seat, catching her linen napkin as it almost slid to the floor.