London Bound: New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers) (19 page)

Oh wait, they were
all
staying? Alexi too? She’d just assumed he’d be going back to wherever he lived. Uhm, yeah, that was so not going to work for her. There was no way she could survive the night knowing Lex was somewhere in the house after everything that had happened with them. “I uhm.” She slid a glance to Lex.

“Not to worry, I’ll take the couch.”

She frowned. “Are you sure? It doesn’t look that comfortable.”

“Let the man take the couch, Abbie,” Tamsin admonished. “I’m headed to bed, you coming?”

“Uhm, I think—”

Tamsin inclined her head sharply and widened her eyes, then tapped her temple. Abbie groaned inwardly. Tamsin had invoked their I-need-to-talk-to-you-right-now signal. Of all the times. No doubt she wanted to give a full deconstruction of everything Angel had said and done in the course of the night. There really was no graceful way to back out of going with her.

“Yep, right behind you.”

When she stood, she only allowed herself a fleeting glance in Lex’s general direction. If she let her gaze linger on his, there was a high likelihood she would spontaneously combust. “Goodnight, guys, she muttered to Angel and Alexi.”

As it turned out Tamsin did need her. And Abbie felt like a terrible friend because she couldn’t give the Angel deconstruction her full attention.

“I mean, he’s acting like he’s into me. I know you couldn’t turn around lest Jasper lean in for a kiss or something, but our legs were touching the whole time. I think that means something.”

Abbie pulled her focus together. “Maybe. Did you feel like you had a cocoon of tension wrapped around you?

“Yes. I swear. That love scene didn’t help.”

“Tell me about it,” Abbie muttered.

“So what do I do?”

Tamsin was seriously asking for her advice? She had no clue what to do with her own life, let alone anyone else’s. “I have no idea. You guys should maybe talk about it. Though first things first—What about Liam?”

Tamsin’s face fell. “I don’t know. Liam’s great, but Angel…I mean, look at the guy.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ve seen him.” Abbie sighed. “Look. I think you need to figure out things with the boyfriend you have before you deal with a new one.”

“Maybe you’re right. I won’t know what I’m dealing with until I see Liam again.”

Tamsin headed to her room and Abbie to hers. Alexi’s whispered goodnight still lingered over her like a caress. Even thirty minutes later, while she tossed and turned in her bed, her body felt the magnetic pull to Lex. She could only assume he was on the large sectional in the living room. Was he having a sleepless night too?

The light from the moon cast a slivery shadow on the guestroom she’d taken at the back of the house on the lower level. The clouds were so low she couldn’t make out any stars, and it gave the night sky and eerie quality.

After tossing over for the hundredth time, she finally gave up. She might as well try some warm milk, because lying there wasn’t going to solve her problem. And if Alexi just happened to still be awake, maybe they would have the chance to talk. Yeah, as if talking was what her too aware, too horny body wanted to do.

What she wanted to do was find out if what his kisses promised was as good as what he could deliver. What she really wanted to do was let go of the ghosts of her past. And let go of the bullshit of the last several years of her life. She wanted to be free. And Alexi tasted like freedom.

With a frustrated sigh, she tossed off the heavy duvet and shivered at the chill in the air. Careful of waking anyone, Abbie slowly opened her door and traversed the darkened hallway by feeling her way along the wall. On tip toe, she jogged up the stairs into the kitchen, though when she opened the door, she realized someone had already beat her to it.

With only the light under the ventilation hood on, Alexi stood stirring something on the stove. When he turned and smiled at her, her stomach dropped.

“You can’t sleep either, huh?”

* * *

Lex tried to calm his lust-buzzed nerves and smiled at Abbie. “Do you want some hot chocolate?” It helped if he didn’t look directly at her in that threadbare tank and those tiny shorts. Through the thin fabric, he could see the outline of her nipples, and they made his mouth water.

She was silent for a moment. No doubt trying to determine if she should run back to her room or not. “Uhm, yeah. Sounds good. Thanks. I was having a hard time sleeping.”

“Yeah me too.”

Glancing up the stairs, she licked her lips nervously. “Did everyone head to bed?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Angel went to bed soon after you two did.”

Abbie cleared her throat. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you back the last couple of days. I got a little busy.”

Lex slid her a glance and handed her a mug. She took it from him, careful not to let her fingers slide over his. After a tentative sip, she moaned.

He took a sip of his own and watched her carefully. “You really want me to believe that you weren’t running from me?”

She straightened her back, which only made those full breasts of hers jut out. He tried desperately to focus on her dark eyes.

“I wasn’t running, I just need—”

“Let me guess, space?”

She made a frustrated sound and put a hand on her hip. “Yes. Space. Look, it’s a good thing that call from Xander interrupted us the other day.”

He lifted a brow. “How do you reckon?”

“It stopped us both from doing something stupid. I mean, I barely know you. And you sure as hell don’t know me. And you made it clear yourself that you think this is a bad idea. You said we shouldn’t. I’m choosing to listen to you.”

He took another long sip and let the warm chocolate ease down his throat before he spoke again. “And if I said I was tired of trying to be good? And I only said I shouldn’t. Not that I don’t want to.”

Her eyes turned wary, and she took a cautious step back. “See, that’s what I mean. You keep telling me you’re not the good guy, and frankly, I’m in need of the good guy. I spent the last several years of my life dealing with someone who pretended to be something he wasn’t.”

“Abbie, I’m being honest with you about who I am. Is it a good idea for you to stay away from me? Probably. But will I hurt you? No.” He took a step toward her, and she didn’t retreat. “I think you already know you can trust me. I think you feel it every time you’re with me. It was why you let me touch you the day you took me to the lab.” Lex placed his mug on the island before closing the distance between them.

She didn’t move. “Alexi, I—”

“Unless, Jasper’s who you want.” Even as he said the words, his hands involuntarily clenched.

Her eyes widened. “No. Alexi, it’s not that. He’s a harmless flirt.”

“Yeah, he is. I’d rather he not flirt with you though.”

One delicate brow arched. “Seriously? Are you jealous?”

Yes
. “No.” He sucked in a deep breath. Big mistake. Her ginger shampoo wreaked havoc with his senses. “Okay, if it’s not Jasper, then tell me what are you so afraid of?”

Her wide dark eyes shimmered in the dim light and with shaky hands she placed her mug on the table. “Me. I’m afraid of myself. I’m afraid of wanting this and being wrong about you.”

He was afraid she was wrong about him too. But in this moment, he wanted to be the guy she could count on. The guy she could want. Not the unworthy asshole. “I won’t hurt you, Abbie.” He now stood close enough to feel her warm breath on his neck. “Just give me a chance to show you.”

Chapter 22

Abbie’s breath lodged in her throat as Alexi took control of the kiss. She had no choice but to ride the wave of pleasure as her knees shook and need pulled at her womb. He slid his tongue over hers then teased hers inside his mouth and sucked gently, muffling her cry of pleasure.

She slipped her hands over Alexi’s torso, skimming over rippled abdominal muscles and the hard planes of his chest, eventually digging into his T-shirt.

He tore his lips from hers, dragging in ragged breaths. “Abbie, now is a good time to stop if you don’t want to do this.” His gaze briefly flickered to her lips, but then he held her steady gaze as he waited for her answer.

“I’m scared that I don’t know how to do this. But I want you.”

“Fair enough.” He deftly lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, urging her to wrap her legs around him.

The position brought the hot, hard length of him directly against her heat, and she hissed, already dangerously close to bliss.

He kissed her gently, savoring her taste. “Are you okay with going back to your room?”

“I-I’m right at the bottom of the stairs.” She wanted this—wanted him.

He carried her down the stairs and through the back hallway as easily as if she weighed nothing. Once in her room, he gently laid her on the bed and slid in next to her. When he kissed her again, his fingers drummed on the nape of her neck, holding her in position while his thumb caressed her cheekbone.

To hold on and attempt some level of control, she slid her fingers into the thick soft curls at his nape and gently tugged. With a moan, he smoothed a hand down her back to the curve of her ass and tucked her closer to his body. She rolled her hips into his, and Alexi tore his mouth from hers with a harsh curse.

“Abbie, you’re addictive. I can’t stop.”

She trembled in his arms. “Then don’t.”

“Christ. You can’t say things like that to me. I could happily occupy myself kissing you for decades.”

Abbie shivered as he slid a hand up under her tank top and found the hardened tip of her breast. Her body remembered the feel of his gentle teasing in the lab and wanted more.

Breathing hard, he pulled back. “Is it okay if we take this off?” He tugged on the hem of her tank softly. Even though his eyes were clouded with lust, she knew he would stop if she asked.

Abbie nodded. And catching the hem with sure fingers, Alexi lifted the thin fabric over her head and deposited it on the floor.

“Wow.”

Self-conscious under his gaze, she fought the urge to cover herself. Alexi kissed her softly before shifting her so her head was closer to the headboard. He then settled his body between her legs, tracing a path of kisses from her lips to her jaw, to the sensitive hollow between her neck and her ear. Slowly, he brushed kisses over the tops of her breasts, and Abbie held her breath.

Leaning down, he breathed soft kisses on first one, then another nipple, each responding to his caress by instantly budding into hard little peaks. Focusing his attention on one, he drew the dark bud into his mouth, taking greedy tugs, while his thumb teased the other.

Abbie bucked, and her back bowed as pleasure reverberated through her body. Alexi took his time, paying close attention to how she responded. To his tongue, to the gentle use of his teeth.

Too impatient to wait, Abbie tugged at his T-shirt and half dragged it off his body. With a chuckle, he released her breast long enough to discard it. When he resettled into position, she sucked in a sharp breath. The heat of his skin nearly set hers on fire.

Tingling started in Abbie’s spine. She couldn’t form a single coherent thought. The only way she could communicate was to hold his head in place and to rock her hips into his body.

Lex kissed his way back to her lips, taking his time, with a little lick here, a little nibble there. All the while his thumb and forefinger gently tugged at her sensitive nipples, sending stabs of need to her core.

Abbie could feel every inch of his hardness between their bodies. Throbbing insistently. Begging for attention, but still, he didn’t rush. Didn’t make any move to remove the rest of their clothing, just kept on leisurely kissing her and teasing her nipples.

He skimmed the flesh of her belly and the curve of her hip. She held on tight to his shoulders when he paused at the waistband of her teeny tiny shorts.

He lifted his head, and she had to force open heavy-lidded eyes.

“Are you okay with this? I would really like to touch you if you’d let me.”

She gave him a vigorous nod. After all, it would eventually be her turn, and she was dying to have unfettered access to his body. “Yes. It’s okay.”

With what sounded like a muttered exaltation, his hand tucked under the waistband of her shorts and her underwear and slid immediately to her slick folds. Suddenly unable to breathe, Abbie could only grip his shoulders tighter.

Sure fingers slid through her lips, seeking her center. Alexi met her gaze as he found his quarry. Silver eyes, wild with lust gazed at her, watching her reaction as his questing finger found the center of her torment.

She cried out as he gently sank into her. Alexi held perfectly still except for his questing finger, gently exploring and retreating. Occasionally detouring to swirl around her clit, but always returning to delve just a little deeper inside her. “Jesus, you are so tight. So hot…” He bit his bottom lip as he sank in with two fingers, and his thumb traced circles on her clit.

Molten heat spread through her body. She parted her legs to give him even better access to her folds. “Alexi…”