God, he wants to be gentle.
He wants to be gentle and take his time and savor every inch of her. He wants to run his fingers through her hair and tease her to the point of unraveling and give her everything she could ever ask for because she deserves no less.
But he also wants to have her wet on his cock and screaming his name and whimpering nonsense as pleasure overwhelms her senses. He wants to drag his fingers over her skin and mark her with hard kisses and hold her down as orgasm shakes her body.
He doesn’t know which he wants more. Alexander wants her so badly, it almost tears him apart. He settles for exploring Eden’s mouth with the tip of his tongue, eager to memorize her taste and savor the softness of her lips.
Even though he stumbles through her tiny apartment, bumping clumsily into furniture while drinking her in, Alexander’s hold on Eden never falters. By some miracle, they make it to her couch, tumbling down together onto the cushions in a tangle of arms and legs. She rolls her hips against him again, and it drives him crazy.
She’s so small, it’s alarming, like handling fine crystal beneath him. He’s constantly worried about crushing her, but she doesn’t seem to mind him on top. In fact, she pulls him that much closer, eager for more.
Eden sucks on his bottom lip, raking her fingers through his hair like she’s searching for a lifeline out in the middle of murky waters. She rolls her hips against him again, unleashing lava through his veins. Her hands are just as greedy as his, dragging down the front of his chest, wandering further to the front of his pants. Eden palms at his erection through the stiff fabric of his jeans, and he just about loses it.
“Eden—”
There’s something ravenous in her eyes. Something seductive and dangerous. It’s pure, unadulterated hunger. They’re both chefs. They should know.
They move with purpose. Eden undoes his belt, he slips his hands beneath her shirt. She gropes the front of his boxer briefs, he lightly squeezes her small breasts. He mouths at the delicate skin of her throat, she parts her legs that much wider. They breathe as one, panting and groaning and drowning in the pursuit of pleasure.
They’ve been dancing around each other long enough, even though Alexander has no sweet clue when the dance even began.
Was it the first day she arrived at La Rouge? Maybe the first time he saw her truly smile.
Perhaps it was when she took charge of his kitchen and he recognized a fountain of untapped skill. He can’t be too sure. Right now, he doesn’t care. Eden may be hungry, but he’s ready to devour her whole.
She hooks her fingers over the waistband of his boxer briefs, the contact of her bare skin against his hips sending a jolt straight through him.
He stops and pulls away. “Wait.”
Eden braces herself up on her elbows, concern written all over her face. “Shit. Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, I—”
“No, no,” he assures quickly. “I just... Fuck. I think we should talk.”
She brings her hands up to cover her eyes, mortified. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you not want to—Shit, I thought—”
Alexander chuckles and cups her face, peering deep into her lovely eyes. Her pupils are blown wide open, her desire undeniable. “I want to, Eden. But I think if we’re going to do this, we should do it right.”
“What do you mean?”
He takes a deep breath. “I mean I’d like to take you out.”
“Like, kill me or...”
He snorts a laugh. “On a date, dummy. Would you like to go to dinner with me, maybe?”
Eden giggles nervously, visibly relaxing. “But we work in a restaurant all day. Won’t that be a bit too close to home?”
“You might be right about that.”
Alexander sits up and pulls Eden over so that she’s straddling his lap. It takes some of the strain off his cock, but he knows it’s going to take a hot minute before he’ll be able to settle down. Eden circles his neck with her arms and remains close. He can’t get over how wonderful she feels pressed up against him.
“We can think of something else,” he says. “But I do want to take you out. And I think... I think we should set some ground rules. Especially since we work together.”
“And you’re my boss.”
“Exactly. I don’t want you to feel obligated into agreeing to go out with me just because—”
Eden presses her fingers to his lips to stop him. “I don’t feel obligated in the slightest,” she states. “I like you, too. And I’d love it if we could do something together. Away from work.”
