Page 20 of The Maxwell Brothers
“Yeah, I figured that might be the case.”
“Is Paisley okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. She fell asleep."
"You're a great dad," she whispered.
"I'm glad you think so."
"So listen, I didn’t uncork the bottle. We can drink it another time. With the storm and everything, maybe it's better that I get home."
"Is your building okay? Do you have electricity there?" I asked, standing in the doorway.
“No, but that’s fine. We have emergency generators, so those probably kicked in.”
"What floor is your apartment on?”
"Twenty," she said on a groan, coming to the same conclusion I did.
"Think it's smart to go there? What if the generator hasn’t started yet and you have to climb twenty flights of stairs?"
"Yeah, you're right," she said. "I should wait some more."
"I have another proposition," I said.
"Oh?"
"Spend the night here. We have enough bedrooms. Power outages can be a hassle even with generators."
“Hmmm… I sense some alpha vibes going on. Can’t say no to that, can I?”
“What?”
“Never mind. I was talking to myself. Umm…” Damn, she was cute all worked up like this. “Is Paisley going to be okay with that tomorrow morning?"
"You're going to sleep in the guest room, Lexi, not my bedroom." I groaned at the thought. "I'll explain to her tomorrow morning that you couldn't go home while the electricity was off. Come on, let's have that wine before we go to bed."
"I never say no to wine," she said in a chirpy tone.
“I’ll go turn on the generator manually since it didn’t kick on. You can pour the wine.”
“Okay.”
Ten minutes later, the generator was up and running. I found Lexi at the kitchen island. She’d taken out two glasses and uncorked the bottle.
I poured us each half a glass and took the bottle with us back to the couch. Sitting down, we clinked glasses.
“I want your honest opinion on the wine,” I said.
“Okay.” She swirled it once, sniffing the glass before taking a sip, then another one. "Mmm.”
The sound went straight through me, and I couldn’t hold back a groan. She inhaled sharply, licking her lower lip. Our gazes crossed, and something snapped inside me. The next second, I leaned in closer, cupping the side of her head, tilting it, brushing my mouth over hers. She tasted delicious, I was right, but not because of the wine. It was just her—sweet and so damn perfect. I kissed her hungrily, exploring her mouth, coaxing her tongue with mine until I felt her shudder. The reverberations went through my body. I couldn't stop kissing her, wanting to claim more sounds of pleasure. But Lexi pulled back, groaning.
“Tate…,” she murmured.
"I can't think straight," I warned her.
"Mmm," she whispered. "I can't either. But I think it's safe to say we're on a dangerous path, mister. No more wine for us."
