Chapter Seven
Kissing Alex was more dangerous than Rosa’s coffee cake. The cake would only add to her waistline. The kiss had the potential to lead her down a road she wasn’t sure she was ready to travel.
All her good intentions had flown out the window when she’d seen him looking at her with undisguised longing in his dark eyes. This wasn’t smart. She was alone in the house with a man she really didn’t know, but her common sense had taken a vacation.
She was acquainted with many good-looking men, including Sam Blackwell. When Alex’s brother had stayed here, he’d stirred a mild curiosity about his reasons for being in town. Alex, on the other hand, made her every female hormone—ones that had been silent for more than a year—stand up and cheer.
She’d kissed him earlier today, but it was nothing like this slow exploration of his lips and tongue.
His lips were firm and warm as they skated over hers.
Moaning at the delicious sensation, she deepened the embrace and slipped her tongue into his mouth.
It was better than she remembered. That had been no more than a tease. This was the real deal.
If their earlier kiss had curled her toes, this one blew the top off her head. Her breath caught in her throat and she gave a hum of pleasure. She’d blamed delayed reaction to surviving a car accident unscathed for the potency of the first kiss but had no such excuse this time.
It wasn’t smart to get involved with him.
It could only lead to heartache. Once Alex had taken care of his family issues, he’d be gone.
But part of her didn’t care. She savored the sensual heat, the longing, welcomed the reassurance that her disastrous marriage hadn’t destroyed all hope of having a healthy relationship at some point down the road.
What better way to find out than with a man who was only passing through?
After the promise she’d made to herself to treat Alex with nothing but professional courtesy, she’d melted at his touch. The yearning in her soul, the ache in her body, overrode all objections.
He canted his head to one side and continued to explore.
Rising up on her toes, she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him with wild abandon.
Heat radiated from him, seeping into her skin.
Every nerve ending inside her came alive in a way they never had before.
It was downright scary the response he drew forth with barely any effort, but not scary enough to make her stop.
He kissed a path along her jawline and nuzzled her neck. Her breasts swelled, causing her nipples to rub against the cups of her bra. The pulse in her neck fluttered wildly.
Then he was gone. The abruptness of it was almost painful. Disoriented, she grabbed the edge of the counter for support.
Alex’s eyes were darker than a starless sky.
For a brief second, they appeared to be lit by some inner fire.
Then he blinked and it was gone. She chalked it up to her wild imagination or a trick of the light.
He was panting heavily, his hair disheveled.
Was that her fault? She’d gotten so caught up in the moment she couldn’t say for sure.
He was staring at her as though he couldn’t figure out exactly what had happened. He could join the club. A frigid shower might cool her ardor, but even that was questionable.
She licked her lips, almost moaning when his nostrils flared and his gaze narrowed. Why had he backed off? He was the one who initiated the kiss. “Alex?”
The phone rang, jarring her back to reality. It wasn’t her personal phone but the house line—the same landline that had been used since the inn’s inception. “I have to get this.” She crossed the kitchen and answered on the next ring. “Ivy House. How may I help you?”
By the time she’d dealt with a change in an upcoming reservation, the food she’d eaten sat like a stone in her stomach. Alex had used the interruption to slip from the room. He’d obviously had second thoughts about what he’d started.
Wrapping her arms around her waist, she leaned against the wall and sighed. She wasn’t sure if she should be disappointed, offended, or relieved by his quick departure. Maybe a bit of all three.
There was nothing to be done. He’d made his point. That it was probably the right thing did nothing to ease the riot of sensation inside her. She ached in a way she hadn’t in a long time.
Get over it, Cilla.
Pushing upright, she dumped the coffee, including what was in the pot.
The last thing she needed was more caffeine.
Her system was jittery enough. It was a shame, but she tossed the cake.
No way could she eat it now and, since they’d already had several bites, it couldn’t be served to other guests.
After putting all the dishes in the dishwasher, she started the cycle.
They’d be clean and ready to unload in the morning.
Pain throbbed behind her eyes. Little wonder she had a tension headache brewing.
It had been an emotional roller-coaster of a day.
“Kissing him again was a mistake,” she muttered as she locked the back door.
“What was I thinking?” That he was sexy and gorgeous and kissing him was off-the-chart amazing. That’s what she’d been thinking.
After a walk-through of the downstairs rooms to make sure everything was in order, she checked the lock on the front door and hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. Alex had made his choice clear. It was probably for the best.
The old house creaked and settled as it cooled after the heat of the day. It was a comforting, reassuring sound, the sound of home. Ivy House was hers, and she loved every square inch of it. Like her, it needed work. And like her, it was slowly coming back to life.
The only thorn in her side was the pressure to sell the house and surrounding land.
It didn’t matter that all the paperwork was in order and Richard—or her ex for that matter—had no legal claim to the property.
Discovering they’d purchased the surrounding land added another element to the situation.
They’d invested too much to simply back away.
Telling Richard she had no intention of selling the house hadn’t made him back off.
If anything, it had enraged him. There was no reasoning with him.
He was unwilling to consider her proposition—selling the bulk of the land while she retained the house and surrounding acreage.
For Richard, it was all or nothing. He’d gone from trying to manipulate her with guilt to threatening her.
Like their father, he’d do whatever it took to get what he wanted, no matter who he hurt in the process.
Richard had frightened her more than she wanted to admit, maybe more than the snake. “No one can make you do anything you don’t want to,” she reminded herself. While that might be true, it didn’t stop the worry. How far would he go?
It took a substantial amount of money to maintain the house and property—something her brother was always quick to point out.
Not to mention staying ahead of the necessary updates and repairs if she wanted to keep the inn viable.
Her grandmother had left her Ivy House and a small inheritance to help maintain it, but every unexpected expense drained the nest egg a bit more.
Cilla took the time to update the change in a reservation on her laptop and answer several inquiries. No matter what else was going on in her life, making Ivy House successful was her priority.
With her email up to date and no guests to tend, she was restless.
Since Rob and his buddies were out for the evening, she decided to call it a day.
She’d take a cool shower and read a book in bed.
Or she could paint her toenails. Maybe clean out her closet.
Anything but think about the man alone upstairs.
Was Alex showering? The idea of water cascading over all that hard, naked flesh had her nipples tightening. “Don’t think about it,” she whispered, but the warning was too late. Rock-solid muscle lay beneath his clothing. She’d felt it when they’d kissed in the kitchen.
A meeting with her lawyer, a car accident, threats from Richard, and a snake all in the same day was more than enough for anyone to handle.
Add her attraction to Alex and a mind-blowing kiss on top, and it was little wonder her stomach was in knots and her head ached, not to mention her hormones were popping.
Rubbing her forehead, she headed to her suite, pausing long enough to grab a bottle of water. Locked inside her private space, she kicked off her sneakers and padded to the bathroom.
The first order of business was some over-the-counter painkillers.
If her stomach didn’t settle, she might have to take something for that.
Since her divorce, she’d worked hard at taking care of herself.
No more dieting to please her ex. No more walking around on eggshells worrying about his moods and trying to live up to his expectations.
The headaches that had plagued her during her marriage had subsided. Tonight was an anomaly.
She removed the clip from her hair and rubbed her scalp.
Hot and sticky after a long day, she stripped off her clothes and stuffed them in the hamper before stepping into the shower.
The warm spray eased some of the tension in her neck and shoulders.
There were slight bruises on her left shoulder and stomach from where she’d been brought up hard against the seat belt, but nothing serious.
Not wanting to linger, she dealt with her hair before giving herself a quick wash. As much as she longed to crawl into bed, she blow-dried her hair and moisturized before donning a pair of cotton sleep shorts and a tank top.