He nodded to himself, pleased with the outcome. Yes, they’d explore this intense attraction for the upcoming months. Crazy for them not to grab the opportunity.
Satisfied with his logic, he poured his wife a cup of coffee and started up the stairs.
…
Alexa mushed her face deep into the pillow as the reality of the situation hit her like a freight train.
She’d slept with her husband.
Not once. Not twice. But at least three times. Too many to term it a crazy mistake. And too wildly intense to chalk it up to a one-nighter.
My God, she’d never be able to keep her hands off of him again.
She groaned and forced herself to look at the situation with some neutrality. Hard to do when her thighs ached and the scent of sex clung to the sheets. She still tasted him on her tongue, still felt the imprint of his fingers on her body. How could she possibly be expected to move on and pretend last night never mattered?
She couldn’t. Therefore, she needed a new plan.
Why not keep things the way they were?
She sighed deeply and tried to analyze her emotions with the coldness of a surgeon making the first cut. Yes, the pact clearly stated no sex, but that had been to protect both of them from turning to other partners. What if they just continued as is? Could she handle it?
They wanted each other. She believed his desire for her now; his body had clearly told her what her mind denied. Last night had been much more than sex, but a strange co-mingling of friendship and respect and need. And…
She slammed the barrier down on that scary thought and moved on.
Okay, so what if she suggested they continue to sleep together until the year ended? They’d maintain their friendship and put an end to the horrible sexual tension, while enjoying one another for the next few months. Yes, her deepening feelings for him terrified her. Yes, she may get her heart broken when he walked away. But she knew him, knew he was so hung up on his rotten upbringing, no woman would earn his trust.
She didn’t have false expectations.
Alexa ached to take a risk. She wanted him in her bed, wanted to take what she could for this short time and at least have the memories. She was safe because she had no illusions.
Her gut lurched at her last thought but she ignored the warning.
Then the door opened.
Nick hesitated, coffee mug in hand. A faint blush stained her cheeks at his intense stare, and she casually slid one naked leg under the barrier of the cover and rolled to her side.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she repeated. An awkward silence beat around them in the typical morning after episode. Alexa motioned toward the coffee. “For me?”
“Oh, yeah.” He moved toward her and sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight, and he handed her the mug, watching as she took an appreciative sniff of the rich Columbian roast. She sighed with pleasure after a taste.
“Good?”
“Perfect. I hate wimpy coffee.”
His lower lip twitched. “I figured.” He didn’t say anything for a while as she drank. He seemed to wait for an opening, but Alexa figured he couldn’t ask her if she slept well since they had hardly closed their eyes.
His male scent rose to her nostrils like a mate seeking her own. He hadn’t showered. The thin black tank left his arms and upper chest exposed, and his pants hung low on the waist, giving her a glimpse of burnished skin and a tight stomach. A raw heat tingled between her thighs and she shifted slightly on the bed. Damn if she wasn’t becoming a nympho with this man. One more time and she’d need a cane to get into her bookstore, but her body didn’t seem to care.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
She blinked and tilted her head upward. A lock of blond hair slipped over his forehead, and his jaw was darkened with stubble. She noticed he kept his attention on her face rather than the slippery sheet that kept falling down and revealing her br**sts. Usually shy, a twinge of mischief danced through her with the need to test his control. She stretched in front of him to place her mug on the side table. The sheet tightened, then surrendered as she loosened her grip. The air rushed over her naked br**sts and teased her ni**les into tight peaks. She pretended not to notice and answered his question.
“Fine. My muscles are a bit sore, though. I need a hot shower.”
“Yes, a shower.”
“Do you want some breakfast?”
“Breakfast?”
“I’ll cook something once I get dressed. You don’t have to go into the office today, do you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay. What do you want?”
“Want?”
“Yeah. For breakfast.”
She propped her head up with one hand and studied him. He swallowed hard and tightened his jaw, as if desperately trying to pay attention to her words instead of her half-naked body.
Alexa held back a laugh and upped the ante. Her leg snaked out from underneath the covers and she stretched. She flexed and wiggled her toes in the air. Then hooked her knee over the sheet and bent it at an angle.
Nick cleared his throat. “I’m not hungry. Have to go to work.”
“You said you’re not working.”
“Right.” Her skin practically tingled under his lustful gaze. Excitement pumped through her veins at the thought of him crawling back into bed to make love to her again, but didn’t have a clue as to how to do it.
She gathered her forces and went for the jugular. “So, are we going to talk about last night?”
He flinched, then nodded. When she remained quiet, he seemed forced to respond with something. “Last night was good.”
She propped herself up. The sheet did fall and stayed put around her waist. Bare breasted, she leaned on one elbow and tossed her hair over her shoulder and out of her eyes. She ignored the strange sound he made and continued the conversation. “Just good?”
“No, no, it was great.” He paused. “Really great.”
The man was definitely breaking. She pressed on. “I’m glad. I’ve been thinking about us and where we go from here. We can move on and decide not to sleep together again. Keep things less complicated, right?”
His head bobbed up and down as he glanced at her br**sts. “Right.”
“Or we can continue.”
“Continue?”
“To have sex.”
“Mmmm.”
“What do you think?”