“Can I take a look at your terrace? I bet it looks gorgeous at night,” she said, then surged to her feet, and before he answered either way, she was striding to the French doors, and he followed her like a pathetic wounded animal.
He knew what else looked gorgeous at night… her, and the way the full moon cast a shine over her, as she walked onto the wooden terrace. She moved with quiet sensuality, her hips swaying gently, yet enough to elevate his blood pressure.
He’d show her the view, and then come up with an excuse to send her away as soon as he could. The sooner she left his house, the better.
2
Alyssa caressed the rail, glancing up at the enormous full moon. She then looked down at the lower level of the terrace, which included a pool and hot tub, along with a section for entertaining, an outdoor barbeque grill and sets of tables and lounging chairs.
She’d been here twice, with Madison, but tonight, she basked in every detail about the impressive beachfront property. What if she didn’t get another chance? She sighed.
Knox made her nervous, and that meant bad decisions followed.
Like coming here with food. She could have written a thank-you note and sent a case of beer with it. That would have been appropriate. What did she think? She was gracing this well rounded, sophisticated man with her presence and masseuse career tales? She ran her fingers up her neck in a self-protection gesture.
Now, she looked up at the moon, begging for help. She wasn’t sure what she wanted—well, she knew she wanted to jump his bones, but she might have to resort to medieval sorcery first to get him invested in her.
She had nothing to offer him—not even sexual experience. She should have accepted her high school boyfriend’s advances, but she always feared getting pregnant like her mom did, very young, and messing up her life. Sure, condoms worked, but she didn’t want to risk it.
Two years ago, her period was hella irregular, and her doctor suggested she get started on the pill. She followed the advice, but never took advantage of it to use it to its full purpose and have sex. Now, her libido came in full force, irrational and unpredictable, like a freaking baby vampire. How else could she explain the attraction to her bestie’s dad?
“She has a pretty nice terrace too,” he said, joining her, drumming his fingers on the rail, and cocking his head in the direction of the Smith’s home next door.
Yes, but there is no sexy man over there. “Yes, it’s pretty cool. Though I’m sure you’re used to all this.”
“It’s easy to take beautiful things for granted.”
She worried her bottom lip. Did he mean anything by it? She gave him a sideways glance, then kept her attention ahead. No one was at the beach, the nice waves lazily rolling on top of each other, signaling an upcoming low tide. The sound was serene, peaceful, and it contrasted dramatically with the thrumming of her heartbeat in her ears, just from being so close to him. “That’s one of my life lessons from an early age… not to take things for granted,” she said, and after the words fled from her mouth, she wondered if she’d said them to herself or to him.
“You’re contemplative for someone so young,” he said, and this time, she felt his gaze on her, and goose bumps raised on her arms. How much did he know about her childhood and life in general? He must have an idea her growing up wasn’t ideal, what with being with a foster family for the last two years of high school.
“I’m a fast learner, I guess,” she said, then turned to face him, and the moment her gaze collided with his, a fire stoked in her. She couldn’t move, or talk. Hell, she could barely breathe.
His cobalt eyes held the intensity of a hurricane. They also held her hostage, as she thought she needed to wait for his next move before taking hers. Yes. She’d gotten them this far. She’d come to his house, ignored the awkwardness at first and kept going. She’d brought him to the terrace, and she hoped she’d been successful at giving him all the signs she was into him.
God, could she be reading him all wrong?
Right now, she felt he wanted her. Maybe… she could try one more time. She drew a fortifying breath, hyping herself up, and closed the gap between them without breaking the eye contact. “Maybe there’s something you could teach me,” she said, her voice low.
“I can’t teach you anything good,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. She could hear the vibration in his voice, like a lazy humming.
“Perfect. Because I need to learn how to be bad.” Who better to teach it to her than him? The man who had the power of drenching her underwear with one single look.
Before she lost her courage, she got on her tiptoe and encircled her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. Growling, he dipped his head and captured her lips with his in a passionate kiss that threw every part of her off balance. He swiped his tongue over hers, his fingers biting into her skin, the warmth from his body sifting through their clothes until she didn’t know what heat came from him and what came from hers.
He lowered his hands down her back, fingers perusing over her skin, and leaving a trail of goose bumps wherever they touched. Her nipples puckered, her entire body hot and stirred up for him.
She did some exploring of her own, palming his taut shoulders, sliding her hands down his incredible, thick biceps and forearms. He was so strong and hard and delicious.
He squeezed her ass, nearly lifting her off the ground, with the kind of maneuver of a man who knew how to give pleasure to a woman—and she wanted. God, how much she wanted… Every bit of it.
He sucked her lower lip, earning a moan from her, then nipped it, sending short circuits of lust through her. She felt his cock, and parted her thighs to deepen the contact, which even with clothes in between caused her blood to pound hot and thick in her veins.
“Mr. Barret… oh yes…” she said, then he abruptly stopped touching her, and disengaged.
She shivered, like he just threw a bucket of cold water on her. Cold? Make it glacial water, straight from an Alaskan winter. He turned away, shaking his head, and said something under his breath she didn’t catch. “W-what happened?” she asked, her heart nearly galloping out of her chest.
“What happened? I was about to have sex with my daughter’s best friend. Isn’t it obvious?” he said, throwing the words at her like sharp darts on a board. Then he sucked in a breath, a frustrated expression crossing his face. A second later, his features softened just a bit. He exhaled. “Listen, Alyssa, I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to take advantage of you in that way.”
