by T. J. Kline
“Can I call you?”
Alex’s eyes brightened at the thought and her brilliant smile brightened his mood. “Really?”
“Absolutely.” He slid his phone from his pocket and handed it to her, his fingers lingering over her hand. “Would ten minutes from now be too soon to call?”
She laughed and typed in her number before she quickly added, “But please don’t give it to anyone else. That’s my personal number.”
“You better believe it, Alex. I don’t want anyone else ever getting this number again.”
She gasped slightly as she caught her breath and seemed to process what he’d just inadvertently revealed. Nico rose, knowing he needed to go before he made a complete fool of himself over her. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. I promise.”
Chapter 8
Alex watched Nico walk away as she tried to will her heartbeat to slow. She didn’t dare stand to follow him or she was sure she’d pass out from lack of oxygen.
“Why didn’t you get his number?” Fallon shoved the middle of Alex’s back, urging her toward the bar. “Go after him.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
Her denial made her realize just how much she wanted him. Maybe it was the alcohol loosening her up, or maybe she was finally taking her sister’s advice, but she’d enjoyed talking with Nico. And the man was hot enough to turn her limbs and her brain, apparently, to mush.
“Why can’t you? You like him, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he’s obviously into you,” Anna pointed out. “That kiss was hot!”
Alex covered her cheeks with her hand. PDA had never been her thing. She was all about looking prim and proper in public, the way a Radcliffe should. But tonight had been different. Nico hadn’t been like anyone she’d ever met, and he made her feel free to follow her heart.
Fallon turned to Anna. “I told you she wouldn’t do it.”
“Do what?”
“Loosen up,” Anna offered.
“You’re so tight-laced that you don’t know how to relax.” Fallon shook her head sadly. “I worry about you, Lexie.”
“I’m fine.” Alex bristled at the judgment in her sister’s tone but even she could hear the feeble denial for what it was—a complete lie.
“You’re a workaholic who’s so focused on dollars and cents that you’re losing touch with your humanity. So have fun.” Her sister leaned close. “Go get laid. That man is gorgeous.”
“Fallon!”
“She’s right, Alex,” Anna encouraged.
Alex looked from one to the other, unable to believe that they were both encouraging her to have a one-night stand. “Thank you both, but I’m not going to sleep with him.”
“Why not?” Fallon asked and shrugged as she took her seat again. “You must be getting soft. You never used to be afraid to go get what you want.” Her sister slid a sideways glance in her direction.
“I know exactly what you’re doing.”
“Is it working?” The corner of Fallon’s mouth quirked upward.
“I don’t do one-night stands,” Alex reminded them.
“Who says it has to only be one night? It could be a wonderful week or a glorious month. Who knows?” Anna pulled her phone from her purse. “You’ll never find out until you give it a chance.”
As appalled as Alex tried to sound at the idea, her entire body seemed to hum at the mere suggestion of it. She stared at Nico’s broad back, those curls that begged her to run her fingers through them, and those hands with long, tapered fingers. She remembered how those lips had felt on hers. He was the opposite of the men she usually dated—successful businessmen who drove luxury cars, traveled the world, and were too focused on what dating Alexandra Radcliffe might do for their career to even inquire about her wants or desires. Maybe that was exactly the reason she needed to walk over to the bar. Maybe she needed to remind herself that a man could be genuine without wanting something from her.
Alex tossed back the rest of her drink with a grimace. “Fine, but you realize that if I wind up on the front page of the paper tomorrow, it’s your fault.”
“No one would believe it about you anyway,” Fallon promised. “Now, go, before that girl in the red bustier gets her talons into him.” She pointed toward the woman in skin-tight pants, knee-high boots, and an overflowing bustier.
Oh, hell no.
Chapter 9
Rhianna winked at him and Nico quickly looked away. He didn’t want anything to do with her. It wasn’t just that she had a reputation, it was that she liked her reputation. She was quick to tell stories of her conquests.
Nico saw her lean close and whisper something to Aaron before he frowned and looked over at Nico. Aaron turned back to Rhianna and shook his head but she gave him her best pout. Dread welled in the pit of Nico’s stomach as his friend walked toward him.
“Yo, what do you have planned for the rest of your night?” Aaron looked like he’d rather eat rusty nails than talk to Nico right now. “Rhianna wants us—”
Nico had no interest in anything Rhianna might have planned. “Let me stop you right there.”
Before he could say any more, he was pressed against the bar as a hand curled in the front of his shirt and sweet curves pressed into him. Nico reached out to balance himself as another hand slid into the long hair at his nape, dragging his face downward.
The moment she touched him he knew it was Alex. Now he inhaled her as their lips met, their breath mingling, the taste of her striking the match of his desire. His fingers curled into the dip of her waist, dragging her against his chest, and she sighed into his mouth as his tongue dueled with hers.
Breathless, she dropped down from her tip-toes and looked at his throat, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. “Come home with me,” she whispered.
Nico knew it was probably the alcohol talking but his body didn’t care. Every muscle seemed to contract with need and his brain stopped thinking logically. He wanted to go with her—he wanted her—but he also knew he couldn’t take advantage of her inebriated state.
“Neither of us can drive.” The words were a gruff rasp and neither of them could mistake the desire in it.
“I have a car waiting outside.”
Ignoring the glare he could feel burning across the bar from Rhianna, he tipped Alex’s chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You’re sure?”
She nodded, her eyes glazed with yearning.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Nico reached for her hand and tugged her away from the bar.
“Hey!” Rhianna called from where she and Aaron stood watching the exchange. “I thought you’d—”
Aaron waved at him. “I’ve got it. Get the hell outta here so I can work my magic.”
Chapter 10
Nico was ready to ravish her in the back of the limo, but somehow managed to (mostly) keep his hands off her during the ride to her house. Besides, Alex was more than a little tipsy. He’d had a buzz when he left the bar, but it faded as they drove, and the minutes stretched into what felt like hours. Her head rested on his shoulder and the scent of her shampoo teased his senses, making his body ache with need. He’d contented himself with stroking her arm from her shoulder to elbow, her warm breath fanning over his chest as he waited to see where she led them once she sobered up a bit. If she changed her mind, he’d simply make sure she got home all right. Then he’d take a cab back to his place where a cold shower would be waiting.
“This is your house?”
Nico picked up the keys when they slipped from Alex’s fingers onto the tile steps of the porch of her Seacliff home. She giggled as he opened the door for her, resting her weight against him as he held her up with an arm around her waist. Nico tried not to think about the way her breasts pressed against his side, or the way her fingers hooked around the waistband of his pants. His discomfort was a testimony to how badly he was failing. Nico stared around him in aw
e at the Spanish Colonial that had probably been standing on this spot at the turn of the century. The sweeping entry opened to a staircase on one side, a dining room on the other and, in front of him, a wall of windows showcasing the view of the Pacific Ocean bathed in moonlight. He took a few steps forward, wondering what it must be like to wake up in this home each morning.
Her hand slid around his waist. “I didn’t ask you here to see the view.”
“Alex, you’ve been drinking and I like you. I really like you, but—”
“You don’t want this?” She took a step back, suddenly hesitant.
His hand cupped her cheek. “I do. You have no idea how much I do.” He closed his eyes, willing his body to come back under control. “But I’m just not that guy.”
She smiled, her eyes smoldering with passion as she stared up at him. “I’m not that drunk. I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” His fingers traced the line of her jaw. “I’ll tell you what. We sober up for the next hour and if you still want this, I’ll stay.”
“Then I guess I only have one question for you.”
“What’s that?”
Alex stood on her toes, pressing her lips close to his jaw, her breath fanning over his neck and making his entire body feel like it had been engulfed in flames.
“How do you take your coffee?”
Chapter 11
Alex brought out two steaming mugs of coffee and slid his across the table. Her buzz from the alcohol was gone but her body still hummed at the thought of Nico’s kiss. From the first moment, he’d stirred something primal in her, reaching into her core and making her lose control. The poker face she’d cultivated for business had served her well through all aspects of her life, but it wasn’t working now. Nico had a way of seeing right through it, or making it disappear altogether.
“So, what should we talk about?” She lifted the mug to her lips, blowing on it gently as she glanced at him.
What she saw caused her heart to jolt in her chest. The raw hunger in his gaze as he watched her made her freeze with the cup against her lips. And then it was gone, like shutters snapping closed over windows.
“Let’s talk about you.” He rose, lifting the mug from the table as he made his way to the bay window, taking in the view of the ocean. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “You’re not just another suit, like you said. A suit couldn’t pay for this place, and wouldn’t get driven everywhere in a limo.”
Her heartbeat stuttered in her chest. She didn’t want to tell him who she really was. She liked the fact that he was here for her, not for the status of her family name or the connections it could offer. “I worked for everything I have,” she said carefully as she wandered closer to him at the window. “But I did start off with a good-sized boost most people don’t get. What about you?”
“I’m afraid I’m the lowly chef I claimed to be. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and hope to open one of my own someday.”
“Well, if everything you cook is as good as that breakfast I had at Eco-Tech, you’ll make it happen.”
“Hmm,” he murmured, looking back out over the water and sipping the coffee. “You’re not really drunk, are you?”
“I told you I wasn’t. I don’t lie, Nico.”
“And you still want me here?”
She slipped the mug from his hand and set it on the side table nearby before slipping her arms around his waist and looking up at him. “I wouldn’t have asked you to come over if I wasn’t certain.”
His hands found her shoulders and held her firmly. He didn’t push her away but didn’t pull her close, either. Alex wondered what was going through his head.
He slid her hair back from her shoulder, the back of his fingers brushing against her jaw, and she wanted to moan at the pure pleasure of his touch. Instinctively, her body arched into him, seeking the heat of his. His fingers moved against her hair and she realized he was pulling the pins out. As her hair hung loose, he tucked the pins into his pocket and ran his fingers through the length of her waves. Tipping her head into his hand, she sighed with sheer ecstasy, the touch sending tingles down her neck and raising goose bumps on her arms.
Without another word, his mouth found the curve of her jaw, pressing hot kisses along the length of it. Her fingers clenched in the hard muscles of his back, trying to hold herself upright as his mouth ravished her neck. A storm of need swelled in her. She tugged at his shirt and, as if reading her mind, he reached for the bottom of it and jerked it over his head, letting it fall to the floor. She released him only long enough to unbutton her blouse as his hands found her waist again. He pulled her close before his hand trailed up her ribcage to the lacy edge of her bra.
She shivered against him, her nipples tightening in anticipation as his thumb brushed over the lace covering her breast. Her hands splayed over his chest, her back arching as his lips pressed against her collarbone before moving lower. His tongue swirled over the lace and Alex gasped as icy heat shot to her core. Her hands plunged into his curls, drawing him closer to her. His hands slid down her hips, pulling at the skirt as he lifted her up. Alex wrapped her thighs around his waist.
“Down the hall, second door on the right,” she whispered, her body trembling as her bare flesh pressed against the muscles of his chest.
As he made his way down the hall, his tongue slipped into her mouth. Alex couldn’t get enough of him. She needed him inside her, but also prayed this would last for an eternity. Her hands cupped his face as he entered her room and she slid to the floor. Her skirt was bunched between them, giving him access to her bare thighs. His fingers caressed the length of them, as he pressed his face between her breasts, traveling down the length of her body, tasting every inch of her.
The roughness of his palms against the sensitive skin of her thighs made her throb with hunger. When his hands cupped her rear, he pressed her against his mouth, and she squeaked in surprise. He was gentle, yet demanding. Insistent but yielding. She reached back to unzip the skirt, letting it fall, and Nico moved back up, pressing kisses to her stomach as he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. After sliding it down her arms and allowing it to pool on the floor with the rest of her clothing, he looked down at her.
“You’re exquisite,” he whispered, his voice raspy with desire.
She stepped away from her clothing on the floor and smiled up at him, her fingertips sliding down his chest to reach for the waistband of his pants. “Thank you. But you’re still dressed.”
With a flick of his wrist, the pants were unbuttoned and he slid them down his legs, standing before her wearing nothing but boxer briefs and a smile. She stared at him, his erection boldly straining against the material, and licked her lips.
“Alex, I have to warn you that if you do that again, I’m a goner.”
They moved together simultaneously, neither waiting for the other. Arms and legs tangled as he carried her to her bed, falling with her onto the mattress.
“Condoms?”
“Nightstand drawer.” He moved away and she shivered without the warmth of his body pressed against hers. “Need any he—”
“Got it,” he said, his voice strained as he stripped off the briefs and tore open the packet, sheathing himself.
Nico moved toward her and Alex sat up on the bed, her fingers tracing the ripples of his abs, urging him closer. She reached behind him and gripped his butt, pulling him down on top of her as she opened to him.
“Now.”
“Alex,” he argued, his eyes closing as she arched into him, wrapping her legs around his hips, and he fought for self-control.
“Please, Nico, now.”
He didn’t argue. With agonizing slowness, Nico slid into her, and Alex felt her body tighten from the inside out. Pleasure coiled in her, threatening to break her as he moved, his body carrying her closer to the precipice with each stroke.
“I can’t,” he groaned, dropping his forehead against her neck. “You feel too good.”
Good
didn’t begin to describe what she was feeling. Alex was euphoric, her entire being wanting more as she reached for her climax, clinging to him. Nico filled her and his every thrust drove her closer until she gave in to the pleasure and lost herself to the explosion of ecstasy. Her body quaked against him as he plunged into her and came.
They were both still gasping for breath, their bodies slick with sweat, as he raised himself onto his elbows, lifting his weight off her. Looking down into her eyes, Nico brushed a tendril of hair from where it had fallen over her forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Maybe?” She met his gaze and the tenderness there made her want to weep. “I don’t know,” she answered, honestly. “That was…”
“Incredible,” he finished for her.
“Yeah,” she agreed, awestruck.
There was a part of her that wanted to insist he leave now. A part of her needed to close the door on this once-in-a-lifetime experience. But when Nico leaned down and nipped her mouth, pressing kisses over her face before deepening them in an erotic dance of lips and tongues, she knew she couldn’t ask him to go.
When she felt his erection twitch, still buried within her, desire raged again as if they hadn’t just found their release.
Alex moaned softly into his mouth. “So soon?”
He chuckled, the sound vibrating deliciously against her flesh. “Apparently.” His mouth sucked at the curve of her breast and her back bowed in response. “This time I want to make love to you in the moonlight.”
Nico didn’t ask for permission as he lifted her, carrying her in front of the windows where the light of the moon cast its glow over the ocean, and proceeded to ravish her once again.
Chapter 12
