Page 6 of Such a Sweet Girl

I hoped it might light the fire he had been lacking. Maybe he’d pin me over the counter in a haze of lust and I wouldn’t have to call off our arrangement after all. Instead we could havea long, hot summer of tangled limbs and mutual orgasms. All while being out from under my parents’ feet.

‘I’ll take mine black.’ A deep voice startled me. The words were clipped with an English accent.

Turning sharply, I dropped one of the ceramic cups, sending shards skittering across the tiled floor as I let out a scream.

No fear crossed the man’s face. If anything, he looked somewhat bemused.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ I grabbed the first thing that came to hand, waving a lime green spatula between us.

Sweeping a hand through a thick bolt of dark hair, he leaned against the doorframe, his eyes glittering. Slowly, he reached up and loosened the top two buttons on his shirt, pulling the collar from his neck in a way that sent a jolt to my chest.

‘I should ask who you are, being that you’re half naked and standing in my kitchen.’

My mouth felt stuffed with cotton as his words jumbled in my head.Hiskitchen? What? Then the phrase half-naked hit me and I dropped the spatula on the counter, yanking at the hem of Nick’s shirt to gain an inch more of decency.

‘I’m here with Nick,’ I murmured, staring down at the shard-covered floor as heat rose in my cheeks.

‘Me too,’ he said, striding forward and coming around the kitchen island.

I moved to retreat, and he held up a hand. ‘Stay where you are.’

The commanding tone in his English accent had me rooted to the spot. I felt like a dog whose owner just showed up.

He stooped at my feet, gathering up the chunks of shattered ceramic, his proximity to my naked thighs causing me to press them tightly together. I hadn’t put on any panties.

Jeez.

‘I’m Alexander,’ he said, quickly gathering up the broken mug and placing it in the trash. I tried to step to the side when he reached for the low cupboard beside me. ‘I told you not to move.’

His sea-foam green eyes fixed on me from his position on the floor, and I tugged my shirt more firmly downwards. The stranger was practically face level with my crotch. What if he could smell the sex I’d had? That was a thing, right?

‘Why are you here? Do you know Nick?’

‘This is my holiday home. I’m Nick’s father.’ He took a dustpan and brush from the cupboard and swept the surrounding area in sure strokes. His quick competence was far more attractive than was acceptable.

‘Wait.’ His words sunk in. ‘You’re Nick’s dad?’

He didn’t look nearly old enough to have a twenty-something son.

‘Yeah. I’m guessing he didn’t mention me?’ Alexander stored the tools back in the cupboard, pausing a breath too long beside my legs. Our eyes met and an almost palpable electricity hit me. There was a depth in those green eyes, like a forgotten sea waiting to be explored. I lost myself until I realised that lusting over the father of a man I’d just been in bed with was wholly problematic.

‘Can I move now?’ I asked.

His teeth grazed his lower lip before he smiled. ‘Sure.’

I went to grab another coffee cup, hesitating as he stood beside me, all too aware of how my shirt would ride up.

‘Let me,’ he said, reaching past me. Taught muscle bulged beneath his white shirt, his spicy aftershave sweeping over me along with a hint of a masculine, more primal scent beneath.

Alexander placed two more cups beside the one remaining on the counter, filling them with coffee before nodding to the fridge.

‘Get the milk, love.’

The term was far too over familiar, but with his accent it sounded like it was more of a habit than a pet name. ‘You forgot to say please…’

I hadn’t meant to say it aloud.

Alexander focused on me, his eyes darkening. ‘Would you like me to beg?’

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