“The park and ride car park.”
Laughter dawned in his eyes.
“I know it’s not exactly romantic, but it’s close and we only need somewhere we can talk in private.” Somewhere that wasn’t sitting in a garage, which would have felt sad as hell, and that was dark enough to kiss some more without worrying about passing Neanderthals reacting to the gays.
It turned out to be a littletoodark in the secluded corner I chose. I put the overhead light on so I could see Alex. “What did you want to run past me?”
He told me his idea about James’s ambitions. “You know the other major banking families and the state of their relationships with the Fortescues, so I thought you’d have a feelif it’s likely.”
“It makes no sense to me. He’d have put offside all the other rich, powerful families who could back him. Why would he do that?”
“Why did Napoleon invade Russia?” Alex asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Actually, I’m not sure, either,” he confessed. “My point is that, possibly, he’s being driven by pure ego, and no one dares to point out the flaws in his plan because he’s so powerful and autocratic.”
I thought for a while. Alex’s idea didn’t seem likely, but there had to be some reason James hadn’t yet made a firm proposal to Margaret. “I’ll mention it to Bim,” I said. “Just in case.” I reached for my phone and swore when it wasn’t there.
“You can use mine,” Alex offered.
“I could, but I don’t know his number.”
“In that case, is there anything else we could do to make use of this handy dark corner you’ve found for us?”
It was only supposed to be kissing. I’d thought that, after this morning, my dick wouldn’t have had the energy to go again. When Alex’s tongue slid against mine, I realised how wrong I’d been.
It started as a hand job, but feeling the smooth heat of Alex’s cock, so full and heavy, I thought fuck it and contorted myself over the central console. I loved the way he filled my mouth, I loved the way his hands twined tightly in my hair as he moved restlessly under my attentions, and I loved the sounds he made as he got close. It felt so good to give him this. After he came, he was utterly loose-limbed, eyes dazed as if he didn’t know where he was.
I was hard as hell after that, and when he encouraged me to slide my seat back and unzipped me, his hand slipping inside my jeans to touch me, I moaned with the promise of it. The promise was nothing to the feel of his hot, slick mouth moving on me. My orgasm was steadily building, and then I looked down and sawAlex’s dark head, and that was it. I finished with a suddenness that took us both by surprise.
He laughed, once he stopped choking. “Guess you needed that.”
What I’d needed washim.I didn’t know how to tell him, not without sounding clingy. “We should probably get back,” I said instead, zipping myself up.
“It really is like being teenagers again,” he said.
I wanted to kiss him, but time was passing, and a late return to the house might raise questions after our joint absence last night. Especially after Mrs Fortescue had asked me to spend more time with Charlie.
I’d almost forgotten about that, and as I put my seatbelt back on, I told Alex about her request. “If I don’t do what she wants, I’ll be politely informed that I’ve outstayed my welcome,” I said. “On the positive side, I might learn something. Charlie doesn’t seem to know about James’s plans, but there might be things he knows that he doesn’t know he knows, if you know what I mean.”
“You lost me at the third ‘know’,” Alex said. “Why does she wantyouto babysit?”
“I don’t think there’s a particular reason why it’s me. She’s desperate for anything that will make Charlie spend more time at home. At some point, she’ll have to face the fact he’s a grown man, and let him go.”
Alex was quiet during the short ride back to where I kept the car. Before he climbed out, he kissed me again. His kisses were heady, exciting, and had a lingering warmth like nothing I’d known. I didn’t think I’d ever want to stop kissing Alex Teague.
ALEX
I scarcely saw Nate the following day. He said he needed to read up on the Fortescues’ bank and clients for his Zurich trip. The disappointment I felt was out of all proportion to the news, though it eased when he asked if I wanted go flying that night.
“Make it swimming, and you’ve got a deal,” I told him.
His brows drew together as he looked at me. “Don’t you need to fly? I have to get into the sky at least once a week.”
“Swimming’s like that for me,” I said. I wasn’t going to tell him why. He was Nate, with all the good things that came with that, but he was still a dragon. “Tonight.” I leaned forward and kissed him. “Can’t wait.”
I hadn’t realised how accustomed I’d come to Nate’s presence filling my days. Bath, I found, wasn’t half as much fun without Nate’s ready laughter and the warmth that flowed through me every time our eyes met.
