There’s no longer any pretense of dancing, no longer a crowd around us. We stand, each of our movements solely focused on the other. I slide one hand up to the warm skin of her upper back and bring the other around to cup her face. I feel her hum against my lips and my breathing turns ragged.
It’s as if I’ve been waiting for this my entire life, not for the past week.
“Ivy,” I whisper before taking her plump bottom lip in my teeth and sliding my hand from her cheek down to her lovely neck.
Time passes in a blur of sensation until a hand, not belongingto Ivy, lands on my arm.
“Excuse me,” a nervous male voice begins, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Ivy looks mortified as the pub and the people come back into focus.
“So sorry,” I say to the man, then take Ivy’s hand to get my coat and leave.
Laughter is absolutely bursting from Ivy as we step out into the night.
“What’s so funny?” I chuckle.
“Alexander Henry gets asked to leave a pub despite being uber famous. It just tickles me.” She grins up at me.
“Excuse you. You got kicked out too.”
“Hmm. I did.” She looks pleased with herself, and that’s all it takes to give me an idea.
.
36
Ivy
It’saftermidnight.Ishould be exhausted, but Alex has my veins coursing with adrenaline. It’s quiet out. The echo of our shoes hitting the bricks is louder than normal with my senses on high alert.
Alex holds my hand, and all feels right in the world.
Suddenly, he pulls me into a darkened doorway, and what the shop is, I couldn’t tell you. Only that it is closed. Before I know it, he has me pushed up against the door, and good gosh if this isn’t the hottest thing that has ever happened to me, or maybe anyone in the world.
“I have to kiss you again.” His hands bracket my shoulders as our breath mingles. “We got interrupted, so I think really, we need to continue our first kiss.”
“Good,” is all I say because my mind is absolutely blank. But it’s the understatement of the year.
Suddenly his lips are back home. Soft and warm against mine. I realize my hands are dangling by my side, so I grab his suit coat and pull him even closer. He cradles my head in his hands—leaning it to the side—then trails kisses across my jaw and down my neck, pausing halfway and whispering, “You are a dream.”
Alex once again takes my lips with his, and I groan. He grabs hold of one of my thighs, the heat of his hand like fire through the silk. I shiver when he slides his hand up to my waist. We could have been doing this for a week now? My mind refuses to remember any of the reasons we hadn’t been.
The first kiss had been filled with passion, but this one crosses over into frenzy. My breathing turns shallow as he threads his fingers into my hair and makes a sound that, I guess, would be considered a growl. I’ve never been the inspiration for such a sound, and wow, is it empowering.
I push his chest the two steps to the wall behind him, and he smiles as his back hits the wall. Gosh, that smile.
“I’m at your mercy, m’lady.”
“Yeah, you are.” I drag my hands down from his chest, into his coat, and grab hold of his sides. Alex wraps his arms around me. I go up on my toes to kiss him again.
“Mmm … you’re warm.” I pull him slightly away from the wall so I can bring my arms all the way around him inside his coat.
Alex brings a hand up to tuck some loosened hair behind my ear. “Are you cold, darling?”
Not anymore.
Clearly, my adrenaline has worn off by the time we make it back to our hotel. I open my eyes and find Alex leaning into the SUV, his hand gently stroking my cheek.
