She snorted. “That wasn’t happening. Anyway, after almost twenty years together, I got smart. One day, while he was at work, I packed one suitcase, went to an attorney, filed for divorce, and sixty days later, it was final.”
He got the sense there was far more to it than what she said, but the fact that she was sharing this much with him? He’d take it. With time and trust, she’d open up to him and give him the full story.
“During that time, I lived in New Mexico on my savings. Luckily, I’d always kept a separate bank account that was just my money. I took some time for myself, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I applied for some jobs that were in law enforcement, but nothing really felt like a good fit. Then this job turned up.”
Christ, she was amazing. He praised his good fortune that she walked through the doors of his school and into his life.
Earlier, he’d let his comment about being attracted to her pass so she could come to grips with it before he pursued anything further. But now he couldn’t resist anymore. His feet moved toward her of their own volition, walking around the wall into the living room. She straightened as he got closer, turning to face him. He noticed her eyes open a little wider, and her breathing picked up. The pulse in her neck began to show.
One hand reached out to brush a few hairs that had managed to fall free from her tightly braided hair. “You’re one hell of a woman, Elyxandre Hookstead.” His fingertips caressed the side of her face, the touch so light, he wasn’t sure he was even touching her skin.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Hoping like hell you’re going to let me kiss you.” He made another pass across her cheek, this time dragging the pads of his fingers from ear to throat, stopping at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. “May I kiss you, Elyxandre?”
Tonight was the first time he’d spoken her name out loud. He loved the exoticness of it—the soft nuances that made it different from Alexandra.
“Lucas, we can’t.”
The words said no, but he could sense she was weakening. If she said no again, he’d pull back, but right now he felt certain she was saying it because she thought she was supposed to.
He stepped into her, his stance just wide enough to cage her feet in. “Why?” he murmured back.
“You know why.”
“Maybe tomorrow I’ll remember, but right now I really don’t.” He moved within the barest of spaces to her mouth. “Elyxandre. May I kiss you?”
“Please,” she answered on a sigh.
The hand on her shoulder slid up to curve around the side of her neck, his thumb brushing gently across her cheekbone. Her eyes fluttered shut, her mouth tipped up to his, and after another moment passed, he made contact with her lips.
At first, the kiss was soft and sweet. When he felt her tentatively respond, his second hand reached up to mirror the first, and he stepped into the last bit of her personal space.
His head swam with joy as he felt her hands drop from where they were folded in front of her, then set lightly on his waist. She pulled back for just a second, her breath and body shuddering with emotion, and she tilted her forehead to meet his chin.
He only allowed her a second, afraid she’d pull away completely if he gave her any time to think about what they were doing. His index finger went under her chin, lifting it to meet his lips again. Every second their mouths were fused together, thekiss gained strength until he felt her hands clutching his shirt. Tugging her braid, the rubber band at the tail came out in his hand and fell to the floor as he plunged his fingers through her hair, pulling the skeins free to let it fall to her shoulders.
His hips pressed forward, and he heard a whimper as his hard length came into contact with her belly. Pressure along his lower back and spine told him that her hands were clutching him closer, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he felt her shift her hips specifically into his cock.
Of course his phone chose that moment to vibrate in his back pocket. He intended to ignore it, but ever since the accident, he’d been hypersensitive to letting calls go to voicemail. He stepped back. “Damn. I have to get that. It could be Ezra.”
She nodded, holding her fingertips to her lips, as if to keep the feeling of his mouth on hers from dissipating. She appeared dazed and passion-hazed, her eyes cloudy from being swept away in the kiss. Her lips were puffy, definitely a sign that she’d been kissed, and kissed well.
Had he glanced at his screen, he wouldn’t have answered the call. But he was so mesmerized by the dazed and passion-hazed look in her eyes, he answered the phone without looking away from her. “Lucas Vaughn.”
“Hi, Lucas. Do you have a minute?”
Jess. Fuck. Why now?
The blissed-out expression on Elyxandre’s face disappeared quickly, as if hearing Jess’ voice coming from his phone was a bucket of ice water dousing her.
Damn, damn, damn. “If you’re quick. We’re headed out to check on the last two float-building sites.”
He mouthed an apology to Elyxandre, who shook her head and bent down to pick up the rubber band from the floor. Calling himself every kind of stupid, he watched her walk down the hall toward the bathroom.
“‘We’re’?” She paused. “I just saw Ezra pull into the Hendersons’ driveway, which is what made me think to call you.” He heard her intake of breath over the line. “Damn. Elyxandre’s there, isn’t she? I’m so sorry, Lucas.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. What do you need?”
