Episode 40
EPISODE 40
ALEX AND ARIEL'S DATE PART TWO
Ariel
I’m kissing him.
I’m kissing Alex Maxwell.
I took off his black-framed glasses and softly touched my lips to his, like the brush of a feather.
He parts his lips, and I touch my tongue to his. A soft groan vibrates from his chest, and he pulls me out of my chair and onto his lap without breaking the kiss.
So different from Brett. Our lips and tongues tangle, but it’s unhurried, as if time is suspended and this kiss is all that matters. We explore each other’s mouths slowly without urgency. There doesn’t seem to be any need to rush, yet the kiss is full of passion. Our mouths seem to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, and I sigh into him.
His erection, though… He hardens beneath me as I straddle him. I grind on him gently, and the friction against my clit makes my nipples pucker, my insides ache.
Then time is no longer suspended. The kiss becomes more desperate, more essential. Alex groans into my mouth as our lips slide together. I melt into my desire and, as if he’s reading my mind, he deepens the kiss. Something inside me is unleashed, and I dive into him, trying to know everything about him in this embrace.
I’m a goner now.
Brett has a piece of my heart, and now Alex…
My God, how fickle am I?
I pull away and suck in a deep breath.
Alex’s hazel eyes widen. “You okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” My lips are tingling, my clit throbbing. “I shouldn’t have been so forward.”
He smiles. “You didn’t hear me complaining.”
I absently touch my fingers to my swollen lips. I was determined not to look like the easy little hayseed, and here I go again. Last night with Brett on the beach, and now I can’t keep my hands off Alex. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me.”
“That you like to kiss? I don’t think anyone could have an issue with that.”
“No, that I…” I shake my head, still straddling him…and still feeling his hard cock against my privates.
It feels good. So good.
“I’m not easy.”
“Kissing someone doesn’t exactly make you easy, Ariel.”
He’s right, of course. The rules I’ve been putting together in my head flash before me as if written in bright red.
Don’t be easy.
Be yourself.
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
Remember who you are.
Infatuation isn’t love.
“Why did you kiss me?” he asks.
“Because…” I sigh and lean into him, my nipples pushing against his shirt. “Because I wanted to, Alex. Because you look so handsome in those glasses. I just wanted to.”
The th-thump of his heart pulses against my body.
“Hey,” he whispers. “Do you want some sweet potato pie?”
I pull away just in time to see Clark arrive with the pie. My cheeks on fire and my pussy already slick, I slide off Alex’s lap and retake my seat across from him.
Clark serves us each a piece of pie with whipped cream. “Would either of you care for coffee?”
“Just water for me,” I say.
“Water’s good.” Alex nods. “Thank you, Clark.”
I twirl my fork in the peak of whipped cream, gazing at Alex—his dark stubble, his chiseled jawline, his nerdy yet sexy vibe. And he’s so sweet. He made sure this date was just the way I wanted it. What’s wrong with me? I’m ready to give my heart away again.
Infatuation isn’t love.
I sure liked that kiss, though. I also liked Brett’s kisses…and other things. But Brett has made his position clear. He’s getting to know everyone, and I’ll bet he gave Sienna one heck of an orgasm this afternoon. The no-pussy touching game was his idea, after all.
And now Sienna’s on a date with him.
Jealousy spikes through me, but I wash it away with a longing look at Alex and his glasses, which are back on his handsome face.
Our kiss was spectacular, and in a way, it was better than Brett’s. This one wasn’t propelled by pure lust. Tonight felt deeper in an emotional way, the way it began slowly and then transformed into something more intense.
“Are you going to try it?” Alex asks, wiping his full lips with his napkin.
“Yeah, of course.” I take a forkful of the pie and bring it to my lips.
I can’t help a moan as the creamy and spicy sweet-potato filling glides over my tongue. “I hate to say it, but that’s even better than Mama’s.”
“I’ll tell Chef you were pleased.” He takes another bite.
Our dinner date has been memorable, and now soon we’ll watch his movie in the theater inside the mansion. I’m looking forward to it, but part of me wants to go back to the beach and lie under the moonlight. But this time, I want Alex’s tongue between my legs…
I’m warm all over, yet I brush my hands over my arms as if to ease a chill.
What’s wrong with me? Since when have I been so horny?
Clark returns to clear our plates, and then we’re alone. The sun has a little of its glow hanging on as dusk settles in. If I were home, the crickets would be chirping about now.
Alex rises. “You ready?” He offers me his hand.
I take it, and a spark shoots straight between my legs.
Damn. I am fickle! Maybe I’m too young to be here. Twenty-two is barely out of my teens. These men are looking for life partners—women who have more of a clue than I do. They want a woman who knows who she likes best.
Last night I was ready to give my heart—and my body—to Brett. Tonight? As Alex gazes at me with those eyes the color of the greenish-gold kudzu leaves as the plant prepares for winter in Alabama, all I know is now.
Not last night.
Not tomorrow.
Now .
And Alex is now.
“I hope you like the movie,” he says as we walk back through the courtyard toward the mansion. “But it’s not as good as the book.”
“Movies never are,” I reply, but when I look up at him, I see the merriment in his eyes. “Of course you’d say that. You wrote the book.”
“Yup.” He squeezes my hand.
Emily and June are sitting on the deck talking. I feel kind of sorry for them as they weren’t chosen in the drawing to have a date tonight. But they’ll have dates tomorrow night, and they’ll probably get to choose who they want, since Rachel and Ginger are no longer here.
“Having a good time?” Emily asks.
“Yeah.” I nod. “You?”
“Brilliant, actually,” she says dryly.
“Nice to see you ladies, but Ariel and I have a date for a movie.” Alex tugs me into the mansion.
We pass through the kitchen and down a hallway to the theater. Before the men arrived, we had a chick-flick pajama party here where we watched old rom-coms and ate popcorn in the red leather recliner seats with cupholders. It felt like we were really at the movies. I loved it, but…I’m not sure I’m in the mood for a movie tonight. I want to get to know Alex through his work, but why waste this beautiful night inside the house? Alex isn’t Brett. He’s much more subdued, but he responded to my kiss and he kissed me back.
And the kiss… God, the kiss…
The red letters flash in my head…
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
“You know what?” I say quickly. “I’d love to see your movie. I would. But we’re here in the tropics, Alex. We should be outside, enjoying the scenery, the ocean. The stars. All of it.”
Alex pushes my hair off my forehead. “You really are beautiful.”
I suppress a shiver. “Thank you.”
“It’s your eyes,” he continues. “I mean, all of you is beautiful, but your eyes are so wide and clear—so inviting. They’re the color of maple syrup and honey combined, and they glow, Ariel. They glow with kindness and wonder. They light up for everything—from a glorious mansion to a simple fried green tomato. But they hold fire, too. Fire I’d love to explore.”
I swallow.
His words ignite me. It should be no surprise, as he makes a living with words. But he writes mystery thrillers, not romance novels.
“I like your eyes too,” I say, trying desperately to think of something poetic to add.
I can’t.
“Thank you.”
“In a way, it’s a shame to hide them behind your glasses, but something about those glasses, Alex…”
“I’m glad you like them.”
“I do.”
He holds out his arm. “Shall we?”
I take it, relish the feel of his corded muscle beneath his sleeve.
Together we leave the mansion, this time walking out the front door. “I thought we could be alone out here,” Alex says, “since Emily and June are on the deck.”
I nod and turn into his arms as his lips come down on mine.