“Rafferty—”
I shook my head. “No, Lex. Just think about it. I’m gonna get out of your hair for a few hours so you can study.”
She squinted one eye at me. “Why aren’t you going back to Jacksonville?”
For a moment, I twisted my hands up. “For a couple reasons. One, I think Brantley will try to come back. Second, you’ll think I’m selfish, but I wasn’t joking yesterday. I’ve wanted to get in your pants for a long time, and after what happened earlier, I want to be your first.”
Her eyes widened and she spluttered, “Tonight?”
I shook my head. “No, not if you aren’t ready. But for now, you don’t have a roommate to time shit around, worry about her overhearing us, or anything else - so just think about it, will you?”
She took in a deep breath. Then I noticed the deer-in-headlights look on her face. “All right. I’ll think on it.”
I nodded and stepped closer. “Good. It’s been a few years for us, but do you mind if I kiss you before I leave?”
“You’re not fooling around,” she muttered under her breath.
I leaned toward her. “No, Iwantto be fooling around, but you need to study.”
She grinned even as her warring thoughts played out on her beautiful face. “You’re right. It’s been a while. You can kiss me.”
I didn’t let myself think about it. I grabbed her left hand, pulled her to me, and put her hand on my back. I drove my right hand into her mass of thick dark waves, while I rested my left hand on her hip. She tipped her head up, those gorgeous hazel eyes full of curiosity. That curiosity told me we were on the same wavelength. We’d done this once before, but we were teenagers. So we both knew this would be different. And I couldn’t wait to see how different it would be.
I lowered my lips to hers and groaned. This kiss felt like home and I didn’t want to leave.
Her lips parted on a gasp. I swept my tongue inside. She tasted of orange cream lip balm with hints of the Kombucha she drank in my truck. Glimmers of our first kiss hit me as I recalled how timid we both had been.
Rather than letting one take from her, now, Alexandra was assertive and slid her tongue against mine until she could explore my mouth.
Instinctively, my hand at her hip slid around her waist, pulling her tight to my body.
Her free hand slid up along my beard and into the short hair along the side of my head. She must have risen up on tip-toes, because her lips pressed harder against mine and her breasts smashed against my chest.
Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and steadied my breathing. Her eyes stayed closed for a beat and when she opened them, it took her a moment to focus on me. “I didn’t want to stop, Lex, but it would have gotten out of control fast if we didn’t.”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
Her warm, lush body was still plastered to mine and her hand was still cupped around the side of my head. Then again, I hadn’t moved my hands either.
“You think you can let me go, babe?”
Her eyes slid to the side and she lowered down on her feet. “Think that goes both ways, Raff. You’ve got a pretty strong grip on my waist right now.”
That little bit of sass made me want to kiss her again, but I gave her hip a squeeze instead. “Smart-ass.”
With her eyes locked on me, she stepped back. “I think what they say about bikes needs to be revised - even though it’s true.”
I wheezed out a laugh. “What are you talking about?”
She smirked. “That was just like riding a bike…but it was vastly different from back in high school.”
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I chuckled. “Yeah, definitely a change. I’ll be back at five-thirty with sushi unless you want something else.”
She waved a hand in front of her stomach. “To-go sushi isn’t ideal. A burrito would be better, thanks.”
I traced the underside of her lower lip with my finger. “You got it, Robertson.”
While I sat inside my idling truck, my cell rang before I could decide whether to call Cal, Blood, or Volt. The display showed my sister was on the line.
