Page 18 of Rivals Next Door

“Well… no… You’re much more fun,” I joked.

Seriously… I laughed more with Alex than I had in my entire life. He was this intriguing combination of sexy, humor, and mystery.

He didn’t smile back and mine melted away.

“I mean, I don’t have money.”

“So?” I shrugged.

“I got into Harvard because of my perfect GPA but not on a scholarship.”

My eyebrows puckered as I wondered where he was going with this. “So, you’re afraid of telling me that you’re super smart…?”

He snorted and then gave me a wry smile. “They tell me I have a genius IQ, but sometimes I question my intelligence because I tend to get myself into a lot of stupid shit.”

I chuckled at that. He was so honest and funny. “Genius, huh? Impressive.”

He shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. “My mom can’t afford tuition. We live in a trailer park…”

“Alex…” I scoffed. “You really think I care about any of that?”

“I wasn’t sure…”

“Oh, my God. That’s why you haven’t even kissed me yet, isn’t it? You think I’m really the rich, spoiled bitch everyone thinks I am.”

It irked me that he thought so little of me. I shuffled away from him, but he snagged my wrist. “Just calm down and listen, Princess.”

I rolled my eyes but did as he said.

“I’m trying to tell you something important about myself here,” he said. “Yes, I’ve held back with you but that’s because I want you to know exactly who you’re with before we go any further. I like you, Olivia, and I respect you.”

My heart got all warm and mushy. He didn’t have to tell me. He’d been showing me since we decided to date. “I like you too, Alex. A lot.”

“I lied to my mom and told her I got a full-ride scholarship.” Guilt clouded his eyes. “But I actually pay for my tuition and afford to live on campus doing the other stuff I mentioned.” He sighed. “I got a job at a bar using a fake ID I made. I figured a bar would work because of the tips… I make a decent amount.”

“I don’t care about that either,” I said. “You’re doing what you have to do. You’re not hurting anybody, and I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

He grunted. “Thanks, Princess, but that’s not all.”

“Tell me,” I prompted. I was so smitten with Alexander Knight that I bet there was nothing he could tell me to turn me off.

“Since I’m so good at creating fake IDs, I have a whole underground operation going. I sell them at a hefty price. The bar job is just a cover up so no one questions where I get cash from. I’m also a great hacker, which sometimes brings in a few bucks. I have a shitload of money saved up from illegal activities, but it’s all to help me get a head start when I finish school. I have to get my mom out of that trailer park and give her a better life. She fucking deserves it. I’ll stop doing underhanded shit as soon as I don’t have to.”

Goodness. How could I be mad at him for surviving? “Alex?—”

“I’m telling you all this because I’m not such a standup guy… You know, one who’s worthy of dating a girl like you. Right now, I’m?—”

“Alex.”

He stopped talking to look at me.

“Just shut up and kiss me,” I whispered as I leaned closer to him.

He hesitated for only a moment before he closed the distance between us. As soon as our lips touched, magic happened. I swore I felt electricity spark as our mouths melded. Finally, my first kiss with my new boyfriend. It was better than I anticipated.

Alex kissed me with the passion and experience of someone beyond his age and that made me both thrilled and nervous. I wasn’t sexually experienced… at all. I was still a virgin, and the way Alex kissed and touched me said he wasn’t. He reached over and picked me up and then settled me on his lap. We kissed wildly as I straddled him.

When I pulled away, I panted, “Alex?”

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