He pulled back and she stilled. She couldn’t remember ever having such an intense physical reaction to a man before. Especially when she was exposed as she was right now.
He wasn’t nearly through, though, and before she caught her breath, he slipped his finger into her. First one and then another, stroking deep, twisting and stretching. Her channel clenched and she threw her head back. She dug her heels into the mattress, thrashing against the intensity of his touch. She couldn’t take another minute, ready to beg him to stop, when he fastened his lips around her clit.
Oh, shit. Stars burst behind her eyelids, and her entire body tightened like a bow as wave after wave of pleasure washed through her. Chris kept stroking her, licking around her while she thrust against him again and again, moans of pleasure rumbling in her throat.
She screamed as a second orgasm pushed through the first.
While the final tremors shook her body, he shifted beside her, enveloping her in his arms and pulling her to him. She sank into his embrace, and her arms flopped to her side. Every muscle in her body was spent from being fully consumed by the double orgasms.
“That was amazing,” he spoke against her hair. “I love seeing you so open, giving yourself over to the feeling. It turned me on even more.”
She would respond if she could organize her thoughts into a simple sentence, but he’d scrambled her mind in addition to depleting her body. As she snuggled into him, he whispered in her ear about how beautiful she was, how lucky he was to have found her, and how thankful he was that he’d been where he was when she needed him the most.
She barely heard any other words as her mind shut down and she gave up fighting the exhaustion.
* * *
Chris kept his arms around Alexis long after she fell asleep, watching her chest rise with each breath in and the quiet sounds she made as she exhaled. His mind raced, replaying every moment he’d spent with Alexis since the day he’d met her. He never expected to see her again after that first night, much less start a relationship with her. And he certainly hadn’t expected to fall into bed with her.
But every moment they spent together, every touch they shared, had led up to this moment. The way she reached out to him, showing such understanding of the anguish of his sister’s death, proved that his relationship with Alexis was forever changed.
They hadn’t even made love. Not that he didn’t want to, but he’d opted to pour everything he felt for her into giving her pleasure first. She was so responsive to his touch, and it hadn’t taken long for him to learn exactly what built up her desire slowly … and what drove her over the edge.
When she fell asleep in his arms, he was content to lay beside her, feeling the steady beat of her heart. It wasn’t as though he was getting a wink of sleep tonight anyway.
Chapter 14
Alexis stretched her arms above her head. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so hard. She blinked her eyes open and… holy shit. She popped up to a sitting position and the sheet fell to her waist, exposing her breasts. She snatched the sheet up and held it to her as her mind cleared.
Last night with Chris had been everything she’d hoped for and more, from the moment she’d walked into his back yard until he had gently lowered her to his bed and proceeded to give her not one but two unbelievable orgasms. Everything was perfect… right until she’d fallen asleep.
She glanced at the other side of the bed, the pillow still indented where Chris’s head must have laid. But the sheets were cold to the touch. How long had she been sleeping?
Oh, shit! She had to take care of Bandit. She hopped out of bed, snatching her clothes off the floor and yanking them on in record speed. Talk about the walk of shame—her hair mussed, her makeup probably smeared, and her hair a jumbled mess of knots. While she had hoped to make love with Chris last night, and had arranged for Serena to care for Bandit, she hadn’t expected to stay until the morning. Her poor boy was probably miserable right now, pacing in front of the back door, begging to go out.
She grabbed her shoes off the floor and flung the bedroom door open. Chris was on the other side.
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I was just coming to check on you. Do you want something to eat?”
The delicious scent of bacon and toast wafted down the hall. Damn, he’d made breakfast. She couldn’t have scripted a better morning after… except there was no night before. They hadn’t even had sex. He’d taken care of her and how had she repaid him? She’d caught some ZZZs.
From his tousled hair to the delicious looking abs that he hadn’t bothered to cover with a shirt, all she wanted to do was drag him back into the room and finish what they’d started last night.
If only...
“I wish I could, but I need to go.” Chris’s smile faltered. Ah hell, she was handling this all wrong. She pressed her lips to his cheek. God, he smelled delicious, like crispy bacon and sexy man. “I have to go let Bandit out. That is, if he hasn’t found a few choice places on the carpet to expression his displeasure at being left alone for so long.”
She hurried down the hall, not even waiting to see if he followed. She grabbed her phone out of her purse on the counter, surprised that she didn’t have any messages flashing on the screen. Even Jessica hadn’t texted.
Then she saw the date. Crap. Not only did she have to get home and take care of Bandit, she had that blasted family cookout today.
Maybe she could skip it, or maybe…
When she spun around, Chris was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, that trail of hair descending into his jeans tempting her to reconsider her pooch’s needs and drag Chris back to bed.
She didn’t have time for that, but a hug wouldn’t hurt. She crossed the room and slipped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. His arms came around her and it was a homecoming. She was exactly where she should be.
“I’m sorry you have to leave.” She felt his words against her cheek as much as she heard them. She wanted to stay with every part of her being.
“Me, too. But I wanted to ask.” She snuggled deeper. This way she didn’t have to see the look on his face if he said no. “My family is having a cookout today. It’s Memorial Day weekend. Did you, uh, I thought maybe you could come with me.”
A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “Are you asking me?”
“Yeah, I am.” There was her social ineptitude again. But why was she so nervous about asking Chris? After last night, she should feel safe with him. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like her—that much was clear. She drew in a deep breath and leaned back so she could look him in the eye. “Would you come with me to my family’s cookout today?”
“I’d love to.” He pressed his lips to hers, teasing her mouth open with his tongue.
She sank into his kiss, remembering every place his lips had been last night. Every inch of skin he’d caressed. And just like that, her body was ready for round two… or was it three? Except that right then, her phone buzzed. Whoever wanted her would have to wait. “I can’t do this. I have to go. Bandit.”
She kissed him one more time and hurried to the door before he tempted her to drag him down the hall.
His laughter followed her. “What time should I pick you up?”
“How about two?” she yelled as she flung the door open and flew down the stairs.
“See you then.”
* * *
Alexis paced across her kitchen, waiting for the oven to heat so she could bake the tray of brownies. Cookouts were practically an everyday thing in her family. It seemed as though they found an excuse to get together every other weekend. She loved her family, but all of them at once could be a lot to handle.
And that was before the spouses and children.
Usually, Alexis glommed onto Mom for these cookouts. It was her safest bet with the least chance of sibling interference. Mom enjoyed the family dinners and cookouts more than Alexis did, though. While she knew Mom was happy that her family was thriv
ing, every time they got together had to be a reminder of what she’d lost, or what she’d suffered as they were growing up. Alexis wondered if her siblings understood that… or didn’t care.
Alexis considered making up an excuse. She could spend the day with Chris and make up for last night. But she’d blown off their last family dinner to go to FitzGeralds… the night she met Chris.
If she skipped again, her entire family would be on her doorstep, hounding her.
Her siblings were going to freak out when she showed up with a date. As far as she knew, Serena was the only one who was aware she’d met someone. Not that she could keep secrets from her twin. One look at Alexis and Serena would know exactly what was going on with Chris.
Twin. She’d about fallen out of Chris’s lap when he’d told her last night he was a twin. And his twin sister had been murdered. That explained the vulnerability she’d seen in his expression on several occasions, the unusual reaction to the news that Alexis herself was a twin, and the clipped conversations between Chris and Zach. She understood the unique connection he’d shared with his sister and the anguish he must have felt at her death.
The oven beeped and she slid the tray of brownies into the steaming heat. She figured if she was carrying a plate of brownies when she arrived, it would keep her hands busy. And maybe her siblings wouldn’t ambush her in that awkward moment when she rounded the corner.
Her phone buzzed on the table and she jumped. Damn, she was more nervous than an author publishing her first book. She stared at the phone until it buzzed again. It was probably Chris cancelling…after she’d gone to all this trouble to mentally prepare for her siblings’ questions.
But it wasn’t Chris. “Are you still coming?”
Serena could probably feel her anxiety, even from this far away. “Yes, I’m coming. Just waiting for the brownies to finish.”
“Brownies? Wow, this is a banner day. Alexis bringing food to Justin’s cookout.”
Hardy-har-har. Just for that, Alexis wouldn’t warn her sister of the other thing, or more precisely, the other person that she was bringing with her. “Nice. I’ll see you when I get there. Now stop bugging me.”
“Just wanted to check in after you missed the last time.” Serena followed this message with a series of hearts, as if that would soften the blow.
Alexis could at least throw her a bone. Give Serena something to chew on until she arrived. “I have a surprise.”
Alexis could practically see her sister’s fingers flying over the keys, the three dots immediately flashing on the screen. “Do tell. Twin secret.”
“Nope, you’ll have to wait.” Alexis smiled as she teased her sister. She knew Serena would be happy for her regardless.
The oven dinged, and she placed the brownies on the stovetop to cool. Fifteen minutes until Chris picked her up. Just enough time to touch up her makeup and pack the brownies into a Tupperware container.
She had tucked the last brownie into the container when the doorbell rang. Bandit darted out of the kitchen, her own personal welcome wagon. She followed the little mutt to the door, fiddling with the red, white, and blue blouse she’d paired with her jeans. Might as well get into the spirit, she figured.
When she threw the door open, Chris’s gaze traveled down her body and back up, hesitating on her breasts before landing on her lips. She licked them, remembering the feel of his kisses from this morning.
He crowded into the doorway, shoving the door closed behind him, his arms encircling her right before he lowered his head. “If you keep that up, we’re never getting out of here.”
Then he took her mouth in an all-consuming kiss, his tongue caressing hers. A moan escaped her throat involuntarily, mingling with the delicious sounds coming from him.
She finally broke away and braced herself against his chest. “That was quite the greeting.”
“I missed you.”
He’d barely had time to miss her, although he’d filled her thoughts all morning. “I saw you four hours ago.”
He opened the door. “True. Let me know when it has been long enough, and I’ll come back.”
She grabbed his arm. “No, don’t leave.”
He smiled and snaked his arms around her waist. “I wouldn’t dare. Are you ready?”
“I guess. I’ve got some brownies in the kitchen. Let me get them and we can go.”
While Alexis crossed the room, fully expecting him to follow, he lingered by the door. She stopped at the kitchen door and raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s just if I come into the house, we may not make it to your cookout.”
She laughed and collected her things and then Chris led her to his truck. When he pulled up in front of Justin’s house, he put the truck in park, but he didn’t open his door. “Are you all right? You’ve been pretty quiet.”
She heaved a huge sigh. A quick count of cars confirmed that she was the last to arrive. Great. All eyes would be on them when they walked in. “I never know what to expect when I get together with my family. I always feel as if I’m letting them down based on some set of expectations that they haven’t clued me in to.”
His hand covered hers where it trembled on her lap. “I doubt that’s it at all. The only expectation I ever had for Robin was that I wanted her to be happy.”
She knew her siblings wanted her to be happy. Alexis had spent so much of her life reading the meaning behind the words Dad hurled at her that she’d forgotten how to take people at face value. But that kind of self-doubt had no place in her mind anymore. She squared her shoulders. She had this. “Okay. I’m ready now.”
That must have been what Chris was waiting for, because he rounded the truck and had his hand out to help her down before she could get her door open. And he didn’t let go as they circled the house.
The party was in full swing when she and Chris stepped through the gate. Perfect. No one noticed her for a moment. It gave her a chance to calm her nerves. Chris squeezed her hand, and she drew strength from his touch.
But then Serena lifted her head from where she was talking to Izzy and her gaze passed over Alexis… and then immediately snapped back. Her eyes wide, she hopped out of her seat and rushed across the yard.
“Alexis. So glad you’re here.” Serena threw her arms around her, and she could do nothing but laugh.
“Good to see you, too, but you’re smushing the brownies.”
“Oh, sorry.” Serena released her and turned her attention to Chris. “Nice to see you again, Chris. Alexis didn’t tell me she was bringing anyone today.” You little stinker. You could have told me he was coming. The last words weren’t spoken out loud, but Alexis heard them clearly in her head.
“I told you I had a surprise. He’s my surprise.”
Serena linked her arm through Alexis’s, practically shoving Chris out of the way. “Well, he’s certainly going to be a surprise for the rest of the fam, since they don’t know he exists.”
Chris extended his stride to keep up with the pair of them as Serena dragged her across the yard. “Look, everybody. Alexis is here.” She paused a minute, giving her family time to absorb the full impact of her words. Then in true dramatic fashion, she continued. “And she brought a friend.”
As Serena slipped the brownies out of Alexis’s hands, all conversations stopped, and all eyes fixed on her and Chris. See, this was why she hated these things.
Mom hurried to her side and wrapped her in a hug. She could always count on Mom to buffer the blow, and today was no different. “Hey, honey. Good to see you.”
“Thanks, Mom. This is Chris.”
“So nice to meet you, Mrs. Harper.”
Mom hugged Chris, too. Alexis should have warned him that her family had no boundaries. “None of this Mrs. nonsense. Call me Barbara.”
Chris chuckled and wrapped his arms around Mom. “All right, Barbara. Thanks so much for having me today.”
“You have my son to thank for this shindig. Speaking of which…”<
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Justin stepped up and extended his hand. “You work for The Gazette, right? You’re covering my team’s run up to states? Justin Harper.”
“Oh, right. Yeah. Chris Kennedy. This is a great backyard you’ve got here.”
“Thanks.” He turned his gaze to Alexis and then pulled her into a hug. “I was getting worried that you weren’t coming. Good to see you, sis.”
For the next few minutes, Justin escorted them around the yard, introducing Chris to everyone, including his wife Maddie, who was running back and forth between the house and the yard, only pausing long enough to smile and greet Chris.
“And these are our kids, Aiden and Sofia.” Justin beamed as the two of them didn’t lose a beat in their game of tag with Tanner’s daughter Hayley. “And the older girl, she’s Izzy and Tanner’s.”
Chase stood and shook Chris’s hand. “Good to see you again. Glad you could make it.”
Chris seemed to take her big family in stride, his hand resting at the small of her back as a reminder that he was there for her the entire time.
Chris nodded at her brother-in-law Tanner. “We met a while back when I covered your teen center for the Gazette.”
Tanner’s eyes widened for a moment, but he didn’t abandon his spot at Izzy’s side. “Oh, right. Thanks for the positive article.”
Izzy grinned from her perch at the end of the table. “It’s nice to meet you, Chris. I’d get up, but I’m like a beached whale here.”
Alexis sank down beside her sister and wrapped her arms around, well, part of her. “I can’t believe how enormous you’ve gotten. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”
Chasing Strength: A Harper Family Romance Page 14