When I reached the kitchen, I started to turn the lights on but stopped up short when I saw a large figure in front of me, leaning against the island. His back was facing me, and even in the dark, I could see that he was shirtless.
I froze, not sure of what to do. The pounding of my heart was all I could hear in my head, and I could feel my chest rising and falling in rapid breaths.
My eyes traveled across the bare expanse of his upper body. I drank in the sculpted lines of his muscular frame. The light from the hallway illuminated every single curve and angle. My gaze wasn’t the only thing that had traveled along those ridges, and my fingers burned to reach out and touch his skin again.
He was magnificent. An Adonis. A gladiator. Truly. If this were Roman times, he would have had a marble statue erected of him.
As I stood, cemented in place, Alex lifted his hands and ran his fingers through his hair as a deep sigh escaped him. The gesture showcased the chiseled lines of his biceps and triceps and I gulped over the lump of lust that was lodged in my throat.
I needed to get out of there. I started to turn but when I did, my hip bumped the corner of the marble countertop and I cursed beneath my breath at the sharp pain. My eyes shot up and I saw that Alex had turned toward me.
“Sorry! I was just going to go get some banana bread.”
I started to back up, to leave him alone in his kitchen. When I retreated, he advanced. His long legs easily ate up the distance between us in three powerful strides stopping a few inches in front of me. I felt my back hit the wall as I lifted my chin up so that I could look him in the eyes.
“Hi,” I said awkwardly.
His nostrils flared and the look in his eyes pinned me in place. “Lexi’s spending the night with Bella.”
The growl in his voice caused a tremor to vibrate through me.
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.
“I can’t sleep,” he growled as he cupped my jaw.
“Same,” I answered like a teenage valley girl.
He didn’t seem to notice my meme-inspired response.
“I haven’t been able to sleep all week. Every time I lay down and close my eyes, all I can think about is you.”
“Same.”
Shit. I did it again. Why couldn’t I be cooler?
“I want to kiss you.”
“Okay.”
Well, it wasn’t exactly poetry but at least I’d moved on from same.
