Page 24 of Loving Lex

Something deep in my chest tightened like a fist at her words, rebelling at the thought, screaming that of course I was hers. Didn’t she know that? Hadn’t she known from the moment she called me Johnny Bravo with all that sass and fire that we were both sunk?

I let my hand slip around and down to nearly cup her ass, drawing her even closer, my painfully hard erection now jutting into her belly, my mouth close to her ear. “So, if I told you that I had a date with Sundae tomorrow night, you’d be perfectly okay with that?”

She became rigid in my arms and shoved against my chest. “You fucking ass—”

I silenced her with a bruising kiss, claiming her with my lips, my teeth, my tongue. In no uncertain terms, I let her know that she had nothing to be jealous about, that I was hers and she was mine, whether she knew it or not.

She bucked and fought me for a few seconds, but eventually melted into me, sighing into my mouth and sliding her fingers into my hair, surrendering to the pull between us.

“Shay,” I murmured between kisses, branding her with my mouth. “You’re the only woman I want.” I moved down to her throat, kissing and suckling. “I think you’re the only woman I’ll ever want again.”

She became still in my arms, and I drew back to look at her, just as shocked by what had come out of my mouth. Our eyes met, searching for that mutual truth.

“You don’t know anything about me,” she said.

“So, tell me something,” I said softly. “I want to know everything about you, and I want you to know me.” I brushed her hair back from her face, searching her eyes. “I know it’s crazy. I know we just met. But—” I shook my head. “Tell me you feel it, too.”

I watched the fear and uncertainty dance over her face. She was scared. Hell, so was I. Who was I right now? Who was this person spouting romantic nonsense to a virtual stranger? I’d come to town to learn the truth about my brother’s death, and somehow fell into this gift of a perfect woman. I hadn’t forgotten about my original mission, but I also wasn’t stupid enough to let this slip away without fighting for it.

“I don’t know what I feel,” she admitted, her gaze dropping to my chest, making my heart fall. “But I...” Her gaze lifted to mine again. “There’s definitely something knocking my heart around in there.”

Good enough for me.

I swooped in and kissed her again, taking what I could get and giving her all I had.

She didn’t hesitate this time. She wrapped herself around me like a second skin, like we were made for each other, two halves of one whole and beating heart. I didn’t want to fool myself into thinking this was going to be more than just sex, but every cell in my body was screaming that my life was about to change. That I was about to jump off a ledge from which there was no turning back. And I could not stop myself.

I pressed her closer still and reached around her as our mouths fused even tighter, and turned the knob, opening her apartment door.

We stumbled inside into the darkness, and I was overcome with the scents of her and her home, even as I gorged on her. I kicked the door closed with my foot as I threaded my fingers through her hair. She walked backwards, her fists clenched in my shirt, dragging me toward the hallway.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she whispered between kisses.

“Doing what?” I shoved the outer shirt off her shoulders.

Her eyes met mine in the dark, playful. “I’m about to play chess with Thor, himself.”

I snaked a hand under her tank top to feel soft, warm flesh. “Chess, huh?” She backed into the wall. I had her trapped, so I pressed my body against hers again, much like the first night in her doorway, and stared down into her eyes. “Does that make me the pawn?”

“No.”

“Then what?” I cupped her jaw.

Her eyes fell to my lips. “The king, of course.”

My brows lifted. “King?”

This time her hands slid under my shirt as she raked my abs with her nails and lifted it up until I had no choice but to help her get it off. Once I was bare, she studied my scars and tattoos with hungry eyes for a few moments before kissing my chest. “There’s no game without the king.”

Fucking undone by this woman, I tipped her chin up and looked deep into her eyes.

“Before we do this, tell me one thing about yourself. One real thing.” I felt her pull away, but I wouldn’t let her. Not now. Not when we were this close. “Anything,” I prompted, my fingers slowly caressing her hips. “I swear I won’t judge you.”

“You were right about me,” she finally said in a weak voice. “Minus the reality show. I grew up the quintessential rich girl who never really had to work a day in her life, and because my dad’s new wife and I don’t see eye to eye, he’s cut me off. So, here I am, having to work and survive with the only assets I have—my tits.”

I frowned. “I said something real, Shay.”

She frowned harder. “Thatisreal, Lex. It doesn’t get much more real than that.”

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