Page 27 of Jack of Hearts
“He’s off-limits,” Madison said, stopping Lauren in her tracks.
“You know him?”
“Oh yeah.” She headed for the man who’d kept her from sleeping last night. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Angelina’s gaze darting from her to Alex and back. This was going to be interesting.
“Hello, Madison.”
“Alex?” That smile of his should be bottled, a patent slapped on it, and sold to women across the country who would pay top dollar to have it bestowed on them.
“You’re wondering why I’m here?” He glanced behind her—to where she knew without looking that her mother and Lauren stared at them—before taking her hand and pulling her toward the bookcases.
“That would be a good place to start.” She eyed the sign above her, almost laughing at realizing they were in the romance section. That was appropriate, or maybe even better would be the mystery aisle. Still holding her hand, he faced her, and she saw uncertainty in his eyes.
“Or you could start with what happened between you and Ramon after I left.” She pulled her hand away from his. “The thing is, I’m not sure we should see each other at all.” Had she really said that? Today he wore jeans and a white button-down, the sleeves rolled up, which looked just as hot as his biker leathers or clubbing clothes. He was like a chameleon, one that looked beautiful no matter what color he chose.
He put his hands on the bookshelf behind her, caging her between his arms. “Is that what you think?”
No.She nodded. “I think things between us are too complicated.”Don’t listen to a word I say.Why she was giving him a hard time, she wasn’t sure. Maybe she wanted to know if he thought she was worth fighting for.
“Complicated, huh?”
She nodded again. His warm breath brushed across her cheek, and she slid her eyes closed as she breathed in his scent.
“Madison,” he said, putting his mouth next to her ear. “Open your eyes.”
She opened them. If he knew what that low, sexy voice and wicked smile did to her, he’d use them whenever he wanted her to do something. She’d never been with a man who had the kind of commanding presence that Alex possessed. It was both exciting and scary.
“Much better.” He trailed a finger down her cheek. “So beautiful. I lie in my bed at night, fantasizing about the things I’d do to you if you were there with me.”
Her bones had surely turned into marshmallows. “I think about you, too.”
“Do you?” At her nod—he’d turned her into a nodding fool—he gave what seemed to be a satisfied grunt. “I want to hear more about that, but over dinner. The reason I stopped by was to tell you that Ramon and I came to an understanding. He won’t cause trouble, so no more sneaking around.”
“How’d you manage that?” Ramon not cause her trouble? She found that impossible to believe. But oh, she wanted to. To be able to see Alex without worrying what her cousin would do? That would be a dream come true. She pushed away the guilt for not being honest with Alex, for not telling him about the hold Ramon had over her. A loan from her family was none of his business.
“I’m a persuasive man.”
There was a truth. “So what’s next?” Until Ramon proved Alex wrong, she was going to grab this chance to explore a side of her that no other man before him had discovered. Hell, she hadn’t even suspected she had a wild side, but now that she knew it was there, she found it impossible to ignore. This thing with Alex might not last long, but before it was over, she was going to experience firsthand dirty monkey sex, not that she knew exactly what that was, but she was sure Alex did.
“Want to share why you’re licking your lips, Mad?”
“For some strange reason, I was thinking of dirty monkey sex.” Wow, had she said that out loud? Was this the new her? Apparently she had, because his eyes widened, followed by an ear-to-ear grin.
“Were you? Come to my place tonight, and we’ll see about making that happen.”
“I can’t. I’m having dinner with my mom.” The mom who was headed their way that very moment with Lauren at her side.
“Tomorrow then,” he said. He put his mouth next to her ear. “Dirty monkey sex will be on the menu.”
She exhaled a long breath. “Okay.” What else was she supposed to say to that offer? No? Not possible to even contemplate. He chuckled, breathing into her hair, and she squeezed her eyes shut against the heat racing through her bloodstream that she wasn’t sure what to do with.
“Okay is good.” Without glancing behind him, he stepped back, putting a respectable distance between them. Did he have eyes in the back of his head?
“Madison, there you are,” Angelina said, eyeing Alex with interest. “It’s time to close. Do you want Lauren and me to take care of everything?”
Standing a little behind Alex and Angelina, Lauren fanned her face, and at the same time, lifted a brow. Madison got the message. She was going to be grilled as soon as Lauren could get her alone.
“Alex, this is my mother, Angelina Parker, and my best friend and partner, Lauren Montgomery. Ladies, Alex Gentry.”
