Piece of My Heart (Fostering Love 4)

“I’d rather eat my sister-in-law’s cooking every day for a month.”

“She’s that bad?” I asked.

“No,” he confessed. “But she used to be. It was disgusting.”

“But you ate it anyway?”

“Well, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings,” he said simply.

I think that may have been the moment I knew I was in love with Alex Evans.

Chapter 7

Alex

Do you still want me to come in?” I asked as we sat in the quiet truck.

The entire night had been such a nightmare. I felt bad that I’d agreed to the whole thing and dragged Sarai along with me. The way Sean treated Hailey was disgusting, and I was embarrassed that my connection with him was how I’d met Sarai.

“Yeah,” Sarai said, sending me a small smile as she unbuckled her seat belt. “I still want you to come in.”

I smiled back, hiding my nervousness, and got out of the truck, hurrying around the hood to open her door. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. The chemistry between us was electric, and I knew that the sex would be, too, but part of me worried that when we actually made it to bed, things would go south. What if it didn’t go well? What if she did something that I hated? More importantly, what if I did something that totally turned her off? I really liked Sarai, and I knew she liked me, but this was uncharted territory for us, and I so badly wanted it to be great that I was psyching myself out. Hell, maybe nothing would happen beyond some kissing on the couch and I was worrying for no reason.

I led her quietly to the front door, holding her hand until she reached for her keys. As she unlocked the door and led the way inside, my hands found her hips, and I smoothed my thumbs up under her shirt to the soft skin of her back.

“Do you want something to drink?” she asked, reaching for the light switch in the kitchen.

“No, thanks.” I could barely answer her as I pulled her coat off.

The moonlight was just bright enough for me to see her head tilt back as I ran my fingers across the side of her neck. The skin was so smooth, and I could feel her pulse racing against my fingertips. When she shivered, it was all over for me. Every ounce of worry flew out the window.

“It feels like we’ve been waiting forever,” she said quietly, unmoving, as she let me take the lead.

“I know,” I groaned, brushing her hair aside so I could taste the side of her throat.

I slid my hands around her and flattened them against her belly, then smoothed them upward until I held her breasts in my palms. I smiled a little as she made a noise deep in her throat.

“Bedroom?” she said huskily.

“If we can make it there,” I agreed.

She let out a small breath of laughter and laced her fingers with mine.

As she led me to her bedroom, I wished that we’d turned some lights on. There was no hesitation in her step as we walked down the short hallway and into her room, no self-consciousness as she turned on a low bedside lamp and spun to face me. Her confidence was sexy as hell.

“I have condoms,” she said as she kicked off her high heels.

“So do I,” I replied, mirroring her movement with my shoes. I pulled out the two condoms in my pocket and tossed them on the bed.

“Okay, good,” she said, a small relieved smile on her face. “Safety first, right?”

“I don’t have anything, Sarai,” I told her, my mouth going dry as she slipped out of her pants. “I, uh, get tested pretty often because of work.”

“You make it sound like you’re in some sort of sex trade,” she teased, watching as I slid my jeans down my thighs.

“Nah, but can you imagine a whole platoon coming down with gonorrhea?” I asked, immediately wincing as the word came out of my mouth. That may have been the least sexy thing I’d ever said in my life.

“We can agree not to mention any STDs by name from this point forward,” she said, correctly reading my expression.

“I think that’s a good idea,” I joked, the last word cutting off halfway through when she pulled her shirt over her head.

Her bra and underwear matched. Holy God, they matched. They were purple, silky and lacy at the same time, and for a second I thought I could die right then and it would be the best moment of my life. Then she looked at me expectantly, and I knew there was no way I would leave the earth without seeing what was under that silk and lace. I pulled my shirt off quickly and dropped it to the floor so I could keep staring at her.