With a stern expression, he grabs my hands and takes a step back. “I want to get something very clear. I’m not hiding a relationship with you because I’m embarrassed. I’ll shout it off the rooftops once we’ve told your brother. I only want the chance to actually be in a relationship with you before we share it with other people. So long as Grace will give us the opportunity to enjoy being a couple before she out’s us, I don’t care if she knows.”
A couple. I’m stunned. I don’t realize how obvious it is that I’m speechless until I feel Alex close my mouth, lifting my chin with his index finger.
“I know I’ve let you down. I really care about you. This is new for me. I want to get this right.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I rest my cheek against his chest. His heart sounds as if it’s mimicking mine, galloping like a racehorse. I feel his hand stroking my hair before he lays a gentle kiss on the top of my head.
“And don’t be worried about staying with me. I just want to hold you. We don’t have to do anything more until you’re ready.”
An overwhelming sense of relief washes over me. Not that I don’t want to have sex with this god of a man. But it is moving so quickly, and it isn’t helping that nagging sensation, wondering if I’ll roll over tomorrow and all of this will be over.
Alex leads me to his apartment and opens the door, welcoming me into the main living area. It’s a typical apartment, much like Ricky’s. A living room and kitchen in the center, flanked, I assume, by two bedrooms. It’s not overly masculine but still has a bachelor pad vibe about it. He reaches for my coat, startling me. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just me.”
“I’m sorry, Alex. The last few times we’ve been together have kinda done a number on me.”
His head drops, and as much as I feel bad about hurting him, I want nothing but transparency between us from here on out.
“You have every right to feel that way. All I can give you is my word. I’m all in. I’ve never felt this way about any woman before.” He steps forward, taking my hands in his. “Sunny, I wouldn’t risk my relationship with your brother, or you if I wasn’t sure we were the real thing. I needed time to make sure it wasn’t simply physical. If you were anyone else, I would’ve asked you out after the night at the party when we woke up together. But I had to be sure this was real. You mean too much to me to string you along.”
Dropping his hands, I take a few steps back. He starts to look a little pale until I reach behind my dress to find my zipper. It takes some finesse, as getting the thing zipped up on my own was difficult, but thankfully, I reach it and slowly lower it enough that I can drop the slinky silk to the floor and step out of it.
“Jesus, Sun,” Alex says as he wipes his hand down his face. Stepping forward, he scoops me in his arms and carries me down the hallway. Kicking the door open, he takes a few more steps before depositing me on the edge of his bed. “Lie back for me. Please? I want to look at you.”
I start to kick off my nude-colored heels when he stops me.
“Leave them on. Please?”
Oh. I lie back, resting my head on his pillow as he stands beside me. I’ve never seen a hunger like this on anyone’s face before. And it’s for me.
Alex slowly slides his suit jacket off and drapes it over a chair in the corner before loosening his tie. My body starts quivering as he slides his crisp white shirt out and begins undoing the buttons.
I drag my tongue along my lips and rub my thighs together, feeling overcome with need. I’ve only ever had sex once, and it was what you might expect for your first time. Painful and over before it began, there was a lot of fumbling, a painful initiation into womanhood, and what I suspect may have been the quickest orgasm in history. Well, for him, anyway.
After that lackluster sexual encounter, I decided to stick to the self-love variety. The very idea that Alex and I might… This simply doesn’t feel real.
Alex removes his starched dress shirt before moving to his belt. If my heart was racing before, it’s at supersonic levels now. His gray slacks slide down his muscular legs, and he stands beside me, looking like an Adonis. He has firm pecs, rippled abs, and a thin line of dark hair that snakes from his navel down into his boxer briefs, where an enormous bulge lies beneath. Am I ready for this?
He trails a finger from my lips, down my neck, between my breasts, and down my stomach before stopping at the hem of my panties.
“I love yellow on you, Sunny.” He’s toying with the little white ribbon attached to my pale yellow thong. “Can I take this off?” His fingers move to my matching strapless bra. The timid sound of his voice gives away his nerves. It comforts me that I’m not alone in my jitters.
Biting my lower lip, I nod.
Alex climbs over me, straddling my hips as he leans forward to lick my collarbone and reaches behind to unsnap my bra. As he straightens, I hear an audible groan as he looks at my breasts. I expect him to cup them, yet he surprises me as he scoots back and reaches for my panties. “Is this okay? I want to be-”
“Yes.”
Unmoving, he blinks for a moment as if he’s giving me a chance to retract my answer.
“I want you.”
Chapter 17
Alex
I have to swallow hard, convincing myself this is actually happening. Sliding my thumbs into the sides of her tiny yellow panties, I try to steady my quivering hands as I slowly glide them down her legs. Depositing them at the end of the bed, I take her in.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
