“Thank you.”
I entered the kitchen, waiting for her. She walked in, looking resigned and anxious. Before she could say a word, I reached out and dragged her into my arms. She stiffened in shock, trying to step back. Pressing my hand to the middle of her back, I held her tight.
“I’m sorry, Alex. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that last night. I didn’t mean it. Honestly. My Little Owl isn’t a bother. Neither is Seth. None of you are.”
“But you said it.”
“I was so worried about you. I didn’t know where you were or how to find you. The thought of you being hurt . . .” I swallowed hard. “I was an ass. Mrs. C would tell you, when I’m upset, I’m more of an ass than normal.”
“That’s a lot of ass,” she mumbled.
A chuckle escaped my mouth. “It is. Even Noelle picked up on that.”
She relaxed into my embrace, tilting up her head. Our eyes met and held.
“Why do you care so much?”
I slipped my hand up her neck, feeling the satin of her skin as I cupped her cheek. “I don’t know. I just do.”
“I can’t . . .”
“Don’t, Alex. Don’t shut me out.”
“Dylan,” she whispered. “This can’t work. I’m not a one-night-stand kind of woman, and you live hundreds of miles away. Live a different life from what I do. I have responsibilities, children . . . I can’t just . . .” She shook her head. “I just can’t.”
“Alex, I feel something. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something. Please don’t turn me away.”
She didn’t say anything, but she stared at me with those beautiful eyes, her exhaustion making them mossy and darker than usual. The air around us changed, becoming warm and charged. Slowly, I lowered my head, brushing my lips against hers. A quiet whimper escaped her mouth, and I tugged her to me, captured her mouth, and kissed her. All my worry, confusion, and the strange need I felt for her went into that kiss. Our tongues met, tangling and tasting, and I buried my hands in her long hair, tilting her face so I could get closer. Our mouths moved, the kiss deepened, and desire exploded.
In a second, I had shoved her against the wall, my body holding her captive as I explored her curves. It didn’t matter her daughter was close by or Seth was sleeping across the room. I didn’t care what happened in a few days, or even a few hours. All I cared about, all that mattered, was the way she felt in my arms. How perfectly she fit against me. The way she moaned low in her throat and how her fingers felt, tugging on the short strands of my hair, making me want her that much more. My cock lengthened, pressing against the seam of my trousers. I wanted her. Right there. Right now.
Until Seth’s voice boomed through the thin walls and reality came crashing around us.
“Hey, kiddo! Where’s Alex?”
Alex stiffened, and with regret, I pulled back, our eyes meeting. Her chest heaved, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips swollen. She looked stunning. I still had my hands tangled in her hair, and I bent down, kissing her softly. We’d have to continue it later.
Alex reached up, trying to calm the mess my hands had made of her waves. I tugged on her hand and kissed the knuckles.
“I’ll go distract them. Give you a minute to, ah, calm down.”
“I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“Sounds good.” I ran a finger down her pink cheek. “We need to talk.”
“Okay.”
“And I want to kiss you more. Lots more.”
“Oh,” she breathed. Then she looked down at my crotch. “I don’t know if you should go try to distract them looking like that.”
I grinned at her. “It’s all your fault. If you weren’t so tempting, I wouldn’t have this little problem.” I adjusted myself.
“Not sure I’d call that little.”
I chuckled and had to kiss her again, which didn’t help with my raging hard-on.