Page 106 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

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Alex pulled up on their street and killed the engine of the hire car. The clock told him it was half past midnight. This was either the dumbest idea he’d ever had, in which case he’d be asleep in his own bed in fifteen minutes. Or he was a genius, and soon he’d be wrapped around his favourite person, seeing in his birthday with the one person he wanted to.

Cerys had suggested he call rather than ring the doorbell as Zoe didn’t always wake up to the flashing alert, whereas the pebble attached to her phone vibrated.

He stepped out of the car and slung his bag over his shoulder. It felt good to stretch his legs, and he was grateful he’d grabbed a quick shower on the bus ride from the Birmingham arena to the only car hire company open before pulling on clean clothes and heading out. The band knew what he was doing. He’d explained that he was finding it hard to support Zoe when she was going through such a tough time from such a distance. He’d meet them at the venue the next day.

Hopeful, he dialled Zoe’s number.

When she didn’t answer, he felt his heart drop.

He tried again; his chest tightened when she didn’t answer.

On the third try, he conceded defeat. Instead, he typed a message

Hey, Rocky. It’s me. I’m outside. Heading to my house. Call me if you see this and I’ll come over.

He’d only taken two steps when the thunder of footsteps from inside as she hurried down the old wooden stairs interrupted the silence. When she threw herself into his arms, he knew he’d do it again, a thousand times over.

“God, I missed you,” she gasped before kissing him soundly.

Without looking, he locked the car, cupped her arse, and carried her inside, kicking the door shut with the heel of his boot. He pressed her up against the wall, settling his dick against the sweet spot between her legs. She groaned as he rolled his hips.

“Wait,” he said, forcing himself to stop. “I came here because I know this week has been tough. I needed to see for myself you were okay.”

“I don’t have my hearing aids in, and the hallway is dark, so I only caught a quarter of that, but if you said you came to check I’m okay, I wasn’t, but I am now. And if you offered to take me to bed or something similar, then, yes please.”

Alex grinned as her eyes watched his lips. “I didn’t offer.”

“I think your dick did. Take me upstairs.”

He lowered her to the ground, then nudged her ahead of him up the narrow staircase. As he watched her navy with white pinstripe pyjama-clad arse disappear upstairs, he thought about the moment he’d get to unbutton them. Anyone else, he’d be teasing them, telling them exactly what he was going to do, but Zoe couldn’t hear him. Certainly wouldn’t hear him when his face was up close and personal with her pussy.

Which is why he’d been studying words that might be helpful in bed.

He dropped his bag on the bed and stepped up behind her, right into her space, his arms around her waist. Gently, he slid his fingers between the buttons of her shirt as she put her hearing aids in. He growled against her skin as he playfully took a bite. “I want to try something…if you’re game.”

Zoe tilted her head, giving him more access. “What is it?”

“You’ve been in your own head for days about going back to uni, and I wanted to try something to help clear all those thoughts.” He reached into the bag and pulled out the black box. “I bought this after reading one of your books.”

Zoe’s eyes went wide, and he could see her mind race as she tried to figure out what was inside. “What is it?”

Alex opened the box and took out one of the small metal jugs, before tilting it towards her so she could see inside. “A candle. More precisely soy wax, because it has a lower melting point and cools quickly.”

She stepped over to him and peered at it carefully.

“You remember that scene?” he continued. “The one where he ties her down and drips candle wax on her. Well, I thought it was really hot and I’d never tried it before.”

When she looked up at him, he could see the tentative curiosity in her eyes. “You’ve never tried it?”

He shook his head. “Well, I mean, I tried this on my inner arm at the hotel because I didn’t want to pour something on you without testing it first. I didn’t want to burn you or hurt you or anything. So, I just tested it on my arm, so I’d know how much to drip and pour.”

“You tried it on yourself because you want to use it on me, but you didn’t want to hurt me.”

Alex shrugged. “That sounds about right. But we don’t need to. Boundaries are important. I guess I just wanted to do something with you that I’ve never done with someone else. But, I did some research, and the anticipation is super good for calming busy minds like yours. And I like the idea of it on our bodies. I got a red candle for you, because I love you in red lipstick, and I got an orange one for me, so it stands out against my ink.”

“Yes.”

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