Chapter 13 #2
None of it mattered because Neil and the woman turned and walked away from the restaurant, leaving Josh to puff out a relieved exhale.
The hostess sat them in a dark, cozy corner, where they sat side by side. Josh inched his fingers under the hem of Lexi’s skirt.
“Stop,” she giggled.
“Stop what? I’m not doing anything.”
“Your hand is under my dress, and it’s working its way up.”
I need to touch you. It had been a few hours since they’d last made love, and his body was once again a live wire, crackling with need for her.
He had it bad. Was it because he knew he had a finite amount of time with her?
Did that pump up his desire? Except he couldn’t remember when desire had ever ruled him so totally before.
Lexi filled his every thought, drove his every action.
In a short amount of time, she had become an addiction, an obsession.
The emotions were foreign but so damn real.
And while he knew he was making a pest of himself, she didn’t seem to mind.
Seemed to welcome his pawing and fawning. Did she feel the same way he did?
“I promise I’ll keep it PG. No higher than mid-thigh.
” He slid his hand to the middle of her thigh, which was far enough to brush his pinkie over her lacy panties.
They were damp, and his cock immediately hardened to full mast. He hadn’t watched her get dressed—they’d done that in their separate rooms—and now he was dying to see what she had on under there.
“That’s too high,” she hissed. “You’re practically … there.”
“Where?” His voice was pure innocence as he took another swipe over the lace. Thong. Maybe. I hope. He pictured her beautiful backside in the imaginary thong, which only magnified the growing problem in his pants.
“At my hoohah,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.
He choked back a laugh. “Your what?”
“My hoo. Hah.”
Unable to hold back, he leaned in and kissed her. You’re adorable. Maybe he was into adorable after all. Reluctantly, he moved his hand to her knee. “Okay. No getting close to the hoohah. We’ll save that for later.”
She shoved him playfully. “You’re ridiculous.”
God, he hadn’t had this much fun with a woman in … ever. Nor had he ever felt like the other half of a couple before, but he liked it. A lot.
After dinner, Lexi begged him to dance, so they walked to a pop-up club called the Warehouse he’d overheard Matt the bartender mention the night before. Had it only been last night?
Connected inflatable tents were splashed with colorful lights that gave the place a vibrant, funky vibe.
When the music got to rocking, Josh took Lexi by the hand and immediately fell into an easy tempo with her.
He spun her with a flourish, loving how she laughed.
Lexi came into his arms gracefully, naturally, as if they’d been twirling and dipping together for years.
Soon they were lost in a zone of their own, and Josh was vaguely aware of people forming a perimeter around them.
All his attention was riveted on Lexi—on her smile, on her eyes twinkling with joy, on the way her soft curves felt in his arms. On how much he wanted to bend her back and kiss her breathless.
The song ended, and another one started up, the rhythm pumping in his veins.
She didn’t hesitate and fell right into the dance with him.
When this one came to an end, they collapsed against one another, laughing as their breaths came fast and ragged.
A shadow moved toward them, and Josh looked over in time to see Neil Afton looming.
Christ, the dude was popping up everywhere like a runaway game of Where’s Waldo?
The fine hairs along Josh’s neck stood on end. Shit, and here he’d thought he could avoid the jerk. He glanced at Lexi’s wide-eyed expression and tightened his hold on her.
“Neil,” Josh growled right before Lexi gave the asswipe a cheerful greeting that flooded Josh’s veins with jealousy. Was she still attracted to this douchebag?
“Hello, lovebirds.” Neil looked from Josh to Lexi, a smirk plastered on his face. Then his eyes moved over Lexi’s body, starting at her toes and stopping at her chest. The urge to punch him took hold inside Josh—yet another emotion he’d never felt before.
Instead of letting himself flatten the guy, he moved in front of Lexi to keep Neil from eye-fucking his girl.
His.
“What’s up, Afton? Where’s your date?”
“My … who?” Awareness dawned, and he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at yet another woman. “Getting a drink. I just wanted to say hi and see how you’re doing. Lexi, maybe you’ll dance with me later?”
No. Fucking. Way.
Lexi opened her mouth to speak, but Josh cut her off. “We were just leaving.” He glanced at Lexi without an iota of apology for his caveman self. “Ready, baby?”
Her fluster showed in her pink cheeks. “Um, I-I guess.”
“Later,” he called over his shoulder as he led her away from Neil, his arm cinched possessively around her waist. Where he was taking her, he had no idea. The synapses in his brain were rapid-firing, shutting down logic and putting him in shaky autopilot mode.
They wandered back to the hotel, small-talking about shit he couldn’t remember. At least none of the subjects was Neil. Eventually, they wound up by the infinity pool.
“Oh, it’s pretty out here,” Lexi gushed. She headed for a lounge chair, and he followed.
The pool deck was quiet, with a few other couples sprinkled around but far enough away to be out of earshot. The water was a ghostly blue, made that way by the underwater lights. Its surface rippled with the same breeze that ruffled the palms overhead.
The peaceful scene defused the adrenaline coursing through him, and he breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t seem to have noticed his sudden transformation into the Hulk.
Lexi barked a laugh that caught him by surprise.
“What?” he asked, afraid she was going to poke fun at his caveman act.
“Neil Afton goes through women like I go through cotton puffs.”
His tension ebbed further. “You go through a lot of cotton puffs?”
“Actually, he might have me beat,” she chortled. “Thank God you kissed me last night and saved me from being another throwaway ornament on his arm.”
Pride tugged up the corners of Josh’s mouth, broadening it into a ridiculous grin. “Happy to oblige, babe.”
Lexi kicked off her sandals, settled back in the lounger, and inhaled. “It smells so good out here.” The air was heavy with a flowery fragrance—star jasmine or something equally pleasant.
The unsettling thought occurred that Neil might show up yet again, so Josh focused on the people moving about. No Neil, thank fuck. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t turn up, though. “Want to go for a walk on the beach?”
Lexi shook her head side to side. “Not right now. I want to relax after dancing.”
He stretched out on the chair beside her. “You’re a terrific dancer—really easy to lead.”
Her cheeks were already pink from the exertion, but the color deepened. “Thank you. I think we already established that it’s your dancing skills that take mine up a notch.” She canted her head toward him, her eyes smoldering pools. “You have other skills I really enjoy too.”
That shyness he was getting good at pegging rose up and overshadowed the lust, and she cast her eyes down, suddenly fascinated by the hem of her dress.
His dick twitched. “I think that’s because your skills kick mine up a notch.” He reached over and twined his fingers with hers. We’re good together.
She beamed him a smile that made him want to strip her bare and have her ride him right here on the lounger—a titillating fantasy he wanted to act out with her.
Knock it the fuck off. He needed to get his mind off its single track. Out of the gutter. But he couldn’t.
“Tell me about the surprise you hinted at earlier.”
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, and her eyes sparkled with a devious glint that made his cock dance.
“You said you liked what that model was wearing in the magazine.”
He was suddenly hoarse. “Yeah, I did.”
“Well, one of the perks I got for writing that article was the same set—a brand new one, not the one she wore. What would you think if I showed it off for you sometime?”
He gaped at her. “You’d do that? For me?”
She nodded. “It won’t look as good on me, but—”
“Oh hell yeah, it will. In fact, I have no doubt it’ll look way better on you.” Fuck, the images cavorting through his brain were making his cock thicken and throb.
Her shyness roared back, complete with the pretty rose blush adorning her cheeks.
Rein it in, dumbass. You’re probably scaring the living shit out of her right now, with the tent pole in your pants and drool leaking from your mouth.
He placed a knuckle under her chin and dropped his voice.
“I would love to see you in that.” He placed a soft kiss on either side of her mouth.
“What do you say we go upstairs and you show me now? Have you had enough to eat? Danced enough? Seen enough of the infinity pool?” Can we go right now before I actually do strip you down out here and get myself arrested?
Her sexy smile returned in full force. “Somebody’s anxious.”
“Does it show that much? Am I being too anxious?” Yeah, he was not acting cool. At all.
She let out a lilting laugh that pulled at something deep in his chest. “No. I like how it makes me feel.”
“Then bring it, baby. I’m ready.” He had to check his gait to make sure he didn’t break into a sprint on his way to the elevators.