Page 58 of Kiss Me Forever

During the quiet drive home, Andrea was filled with mixed emotions. The evening had certainly not turned out as she had planned. She still had questions to ask Alex. She needed to know why he'd lied to her and to the rest of the world. But at the moment she just wanted to take care of him, which was an unexpected feeling. She'd never really thought of herself as a nurturer. That was a title better suited to her sister or her mom. But with Alex, she felt so many things. He could make her hot, make her crazy, and make her feel incredibly emotional and protective.

She had the scary thought that maybe this was what love felt like.

Glancing over at him, her heart twisted once again. At the moment, he was not rich, powerful and in charge. Instead, he was vulnerable. His shirt was splattered with dirt and blood. The bruise around his eye was puffy and turning a dark purple, and his hand looked as fat as a watermelon in a white cast. He was definitely off his game. The guard walls were down. He might be a sexy playboy millionaire most days, but tonight he was just a man in pain, and she was going to take care of him.

When they arrived at Alex's home, she and Tyler helped a very sleepy and dazed Alex into the house. Fortunately, Tyler seemed to know where Alex's bedroom was, so she didn’t have to waste time figuring out which of the six bedrooms belonged to him.

After they got Alex onto his bed, Tyler said he was going to sleep in the room he usually used.

She followed Tyler down the hall, pausing at the door of his bedroom. She couldn't help noting that the furnishings were very teenage male: a queen-sized bed with a dark blue comforter, a TV on one wall as well as a video game box on a nearby table. A desk with a computer was by the window, and there were posters from Alex's games on the walls.

"Do you stay here a lot?" she asked curiously.

"Once a month," Tyler replied. "I wish I could live here all the time. And not just because Alex gives me stuff. He's just really cool. And he gets me."

She nodded. "I know he cares a lot about you, Tyler."

"He's still going to send me back to the Monroes."

"Well, you can talk to him about that tomorrow. I know that Alex wants to do right by you, and I think you have to trust him to know what that is."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for buying me dinner, Andrea."

"Any time."

"Are you going to be here in the morning?"

She hesitated. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe."

He nodded. "You should stay. Alex likes you."

Her heart turned over at the simple words. "I like him, too."

"Are you sure you're not his girlfriend?"

"Our relationship is complicated."

"If you both like each other, what's the problem?"

She couldn't begin to answer that question. "Goodnight, Tyler."

After shutting his bedroom door, she wandered down the hall, curious about the other bedrooms. Alex had obviously had Tyler's room decorated with a teenage boy in mind. Did any other strays occasionally spend the night in his house?

She found her answer in the next room. There were twin beds with pink and white comforters, white bookshelves and desks, and floral curtains on the windows. It was a dream room for a girl or two girls, and she couldn't help wondering who had occupied this room.

Closing the door, she checked the rest of the rooms, finding nothing but ordinary guestrooms.

She returned to the master bedroom and saw Alex sprawled out on the bed. He didn't look very comfortable in his clothes, but there was no way she was going to attempt to undress him. She could at least take off his shoes and maybe his tie so he didn't strangle himself.

The shoes came off easily. The tie slipped off his neck, and she managed to undo the buttons of his shirt without any problem. When she got to his waist, she pulled the ends of his shirt out of his pants. The belt was a bit more of a challenge. She released the buckle and started to pull it through the loops, but Alex moved, his shirt coming completely open, and she was now staring at his solid, tanned chest. There was a smattering of dark hair covering the well-defined muscles of his chest and stomach, disappearing in a line below his waistband.

She flushed as her imagination completed the picture. What on earth was wrong with her? She had seen naked men before. But this half-dressed unconscious man sent her pulses racing.

Her fingers lingered on his belt buckle as her eyes traveled up his chest, to the strong jaw, the generous curve of his mouth, the amused grin in his eyes, the spark of desire.

Oh, Lord, he was awake.

"Are you taking off my pants?" His voice was a bit dazed, and Andrea suddenly realized that her fingers were playing with the snap on his waistband.

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