Page 34 of We Never Kissed

“Dated? No. We had one date, and he talked about you the whole time.”

I couldn’t hold back the small grin that formed on my face.

Lauren closed the distance between us, then surprised me by touching my arm. “And the only reason I kissed him was because some creepy dude kept hitting on me, and it was really making me nervous. I saw Alex and just…reacted. But it worked. I hope you understand.”

With a nod, I said, “I do.” My whole body relaxed then. “Thank you for coming and telling me.”

She gave me a single nod. “Well, I’ve gotta run…”

Her sweet smile made me feel a little guilty for how I reacted, but all I could think to say was, “Bye.”

Sammy left pretty soon after I emerged from the bathroom and Alex, Gunnar, and I didn’t address the elephant in the room as we drank our beers. I almost felt bad for Alex as he watched me carefully and seemed to examine my every move, as if I were a difficult puzzle to solve.

When we walked to our cars, Alex took my hand, saying, “I need to talk to you” before dragging me over to his Mercedes.

I let him pull me, holding up a finger to Gunnar, who shouted back sarcastically, “Sure, I don’t mind sitting around waiting…”

I thought about making him squirm, but we didn’t have time or room in this relationship for playing games, especially when we couldn’t be free to be together. “Alex, it’s okay…”

As if I hadn’t said a word, he gripped the back of my head and pinned me with a desperate glare. “That wasn’t me, Ava. Lauren, she—”

Reaching up on my toes, I pressed my mouth to his. I’d meant it to be a reassuring, sweet kiss, but Alex turned it into something fierce, pulling me hard against his body and pouring out his pent-up frustration on me. The resultwas my blood pumping overtime and my body heating at his relentless need for me.

We pulled away, both breathless, but kept our faces only inches apart. He dipped his forehead against mine and before he could say anything, I said, “Lauren found me in the bathroom, told me what happened.”

Nipping at my lip he said, “I can’t stand this…being away from you, not being able to hold you, reassure you when I need to.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“That’s why I’m taking you away. We need to get out of this town and spend some time together. Alone.”

Chapter 19

Alex

Not the most romantic choice for a getaway, but it turned out Vegas made the most sense for Ava and I to go to. That way she could tell her parents she was going to meet with her office, visit friends, and see one of her friend’s shows, which was mostly true. And given how close Sin City was, I didn’t think any of the Steadmans would even know I was gone.

My hand had been nestled between Ava’s shapely thighs for the last hour of the drive as we played Who Knows Who Better. The whole thing started when she’d tried to tell me that I didn’t like pizza the way most people liked pizza. And she’d actually convinced me she was right, giving several examples. Basically, I could take it orleave it. Then I’d clapped back with how she wasn’t attracted to male dancer bodies despite being a dancer. I was particularly proud of proving that one, given one male dancer she was living with.

“What about pets?” she said after a few minutes of just the sound of the car and radio playing.

I didn’t turn my head, but I also didn’t hide my grin as I moved my hand a little higher between her legs, brushing my thumb over her inner thigh, which was exposed from her short shorts. “You sure you want to go there right now? I wouldn’t want to get us in an accident.”

Pushing my hand lower, she said, “I didn’t mean that.”

We were both laughing, but my body was on fire at the visual and the thought of a hotel room in our very near future. I glanced at the clock. With dinner reservations and the show commitment, we’d have less than an hour to check in and get ready. That wasn’t enough time in my book for what I’d had planned for Ava. I’d just have to tough it out until the end of the night. Something that was getting harder and harder.Literally.

When we finally made it to the hotel and up to our room on the eighteenth floor, Ava went right to the window. “I always love this view. Kinda reminds me of being on stage with all the lights.”

I pressed up behind her and nuzzled her neck. “Iwouldn’t mind seeing you on stage again.” She was so damn beautiful up there.

Turning her head to the side, she whispered, “Who says I can’t dance just for you?”

“Fuck…” I’d meant to only think it, but somehow it came out. I captured her mouth with mine and gripped her neck, holding her in place to deepen the kiss. After a moment, she spun and rose up on her toes to wrap her arms around my neck, sighing in that sweet tune before I dove back in for her mouth.

All I had to do was back her up a few steps and the bed was right there. Tempting for more reasons than I could count. It was like this moment was fifteen years in the making, and I wasn’t sure how I could wait another second, especially with the feel of her soft curves pressed against me, the heat of the kiss, her heady little moans… On instinct, I suppose, I took those few steps, guided her back toward the bed.

But before I could ease her down onto the mattress, Ava pulled back. “Wow, um…” She laughed, her face a gorgeous pink hue. “I was just thinking…”

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