Her lips are spread wide and her eyes are sparkling as I set her on the grass. She leans up on her tiptoes, snaking her hands around my neck as she takes a step forward, her chest brushing against mine.
“Hey,” she breathes.
I dip my head, gripping her waist and pulling her against me. “Hey yourself.”
My gaze flits down to her mouth and back to her eyes before I close the distance and press my lips against hers, backing her up against the wall.
It’s been a week since Sunday drinks and I haven’t seen her much since then as I’ve been holed up in my cabin, tracking Darrell and all of his dealings while watching what he does with the software.
He’s become a ghost since I handed him the chip back, and that doesn’t bode well with me. He’s too quiet for my liking. I can’t help thinking it’s the calm before the storm.
Lexi’s moan vibrates through me, spurring me on as my hand wanders down past her hip and to her thigh, pulling it up and wrapping it around my hip before fusing us even closer together: showing her how much she’s affecting me right now.
My mind can’t help going back to the last time I had her like this against the wall. We’ve been taking it slow the last couple months since then, not wanting to rush things and get to know each other more. But right now, I want nothing more than to repeat what we did last time: to feel her body against mine without clothes in the way, to hear her gasps, to be inside her.
The kiss becomes more frantic as my mind muses, and I’m seriously considering pulling her out of here and doing all the things I’ve been imagining since that night.
A throat clearing has us breaking apart, but our gazes stay connected as we pull away. Her eyes flash, the green in the hazel that much more brighter. I take a beat, staring at her before slowly turning around to see Dad and Pop standing next to the grill. I smirk when I see Dad with an arm full of toy ducks ready for the game that they run in the small inflatable pool that is hanging from Pop’s arm.
“Are we interrupting?” Dad asks, a grin on his face.
“Yes,” I say at the same time as Lexi as she says, “No.”
Dad chuckles and holds the bag up, silently telling me that he’s going to set up his game.
“I better go and start the grill,” I say when I turn back around to Lexi. Her face is flushed, her eyes not quite meeting mine as she shuffles on the spot. “Lex?” I ask.
“Hmm?” She looks off to the side, her gaze flitting over all of the games and then to the gate when more people walk in.
“Lex?” I place my thumb and finger on her chin, bringing her gaze up to mine. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” I frown, widening my stance.
“Nothing,” she whispers before clearing her throat. “I… I just…” She shakes her head. “Never mind.”
I frown, wanting nothing more than to find out what is going on inside her head. By the way her eyes meet mine and dip down to my lips, and the way her teeth sink into her bottom lip, I think I can figure out exactly what is happening without her having to say it out loud.
My finger runs from her chin, down to her neck where I fiddle with the delicate chain of the necklace I got her before holding up the two hearts that are connected. “Do you like it?” I ask, not willing to move my attention from the necklace to her eyes.
“I love it.”
My gaze darts to hers as I take a step toward her but she shakes her head at me, effectively bringing me to a halt. “Lex…”
Her beautiful hazel eyes narrow on me. “Go and cook the meat.” The smirk on her face is at complete odds with her tone and I can’t help but take that one last step that separates us before planting a soft kiss on her lips and spinning around. If I don’t move from her now, I never will.
I set the grill up and start to cook the burgers and sausages, getting into a good rhythm and setting everything else up. Before I know it, the place is packed with people and I can’t see Lexi anywhere.
I won’t deny that my eyes are searching for her, my ears perking up and trying to hear her melodic voice. I hate that I’ve barely seen her this last week and I want nothing more than to have her all to myself.
All the guys from the compound turn up and they head over to Ty’s mom and dad who are standing next to the animal pen. Laughter surrounds us, kids playing—and adults. I look up, my lips spreading into a wide grin when I see Eli running around with Lexi, a shield in his hand as he shouts instructions at her.
I lean my hip against the table that is set up next to the grill, watching as she gets into his game, not caring who’s watching. She pulls a face at him before making a war cry sound and running toward him.
“She’s certainly something.” I whip my head around. Pop stands on the other side of the table, watching the exact same thing that I am.
“She is.”
I never thought I’d find anybody like her. Only a few months ago I was in a relationship that was downright destructive. I thought that it was the perfect relationship, that I was meant to take what was thrown at me: that it was normal. Now, I realize that it wasn’t normal, it was far from it.
“You two getting serious?” I turn to face Pop, catching his gaze and the knowing look on his face. It hasn’t been easy for neither him nor Dad. People are more accepting now than they were ten years ago, but I know that they still have places where they won’t go because people don’t want to be confronted with two men who are in love.