Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4) (11 page)

A
fter their lopsided
games of pool, they settled in at the bar and waited for Melissa and Kyle to join them. Alexa’s friend called as they were wrapping up to see if she wanted to hang out.

Graham ran to the bathroom, and when he returned, he saw Alexa’s petite, dark-haired business partner holding hands with a stocky blond guy who had to be her fiancé. They exchanged introductions and found a table.

“What have you guys been up to tonight?” Melissa asked.

“Someone was killing me at pool, and now I owe her drinks.”

Melissa gave Alexa a high five and shook her head at Graham. “Her dad taught her to play pool when she was, like, four or five years old. She’s a pool shark. She suckered you.”

“You were hustling me?”

“You’re the one who suggested we go play pool. I’m trying to be an agreeable woman.” Alexa batted her eyelashes and folded her hands, propping them under her chin.

Her attempt at demure set the whole table tittering. Graham planted his elbow on the table and sat back in his seat.

“I hope Alexa passed along my congratulations, Melissa.”

“She did. Thank you. Kyle and I are so excited.”

“How long have you been dating?”

Kyle stroked his chin. “We’ve been together…almost three years now. We kinda started then stopped, and then started up again.”

“Yeah, there is a gap in there of four or five months.”

Since they’d brought it up, Graham figured it was okay to ask about it. “Why the break?”

Alexa smacked his knee under the table with the back of her hand. Her admonishment wasn’t as surreptitious as she’d hoped. Melissa laughed.

“It’s fine. I had an old boyfriend who came back. I was stupid, but it all worked out in the end.” Melissa dropped her head onto Kyle’s shoulder and squeezed his hand.

Graham stiffened. He couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it was for Kyle to have his girlfriend up and leave to chase some old boyfriend. Obviously, she came crawling back at some point.

The other couple exchanged an amorous glance.

“Graham and I were looking at venues a few days ago and found a wonderful spot. It overlooks the river and has indoor and outdoor space. I meant to send you those pictures, Melissa.”

“You and Graham are looking at wedding venues?” Kyle gasped and sputtered. His beer sloshed as it slipped out of his grasp to the table with a thud.

“No,” Alexa and Graham vociferated simultaneously.

Melissa set the record straight before her fiancé coughed up a lung. “I think it was for the juvenile diabetes benefit Alexa is helping out with for Toby and Sarah. Am I right?”

“Yes. You’ll love it, and it’s not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be.”

Alexa fished her phone out of her purse and climbed off her stool, walking around to stand shoulder to shoulder with Melissa and page through the photos. With the women hunched over the phone, Graham stared at Kyle who sat opposite him, trying not to think about his last inappropriate inquiry into the other guy’s life.

Kyle drummed the table then pointed. “Melissa tells me that you’re their landlord?”

“I’m a partner in a commercial real estate management and development company. We purchased their building. What do you do?”

“I’m an orthopedic trauma surgeon at University Medical Center.”

Graham whistled. “Wow. I can’t imagine the stress.”

“It’s tough, but I love the pace of it and the variety, just not the hours, which suck. I’m already taking extra shifts for colleagues so I can call in some favors and take a honeymoon. Melissa has thrown down one rule. We are having a honeymoon, longer than a week. My wedding gift to her is making that happen.”

Talking about making his fiancée happy put a glowing light in Kyle’s eyes. Whatever had gone on before, Kyle had clearly put it behind him. Graham wasn’t sure he could do the same.

“Are you talking about our honeymoon?” Melissa nudged Kyle with her elbow. “I’m making a list of places I want to go. I can’t decide between Europe, someplace with a beach, or maybe something unusual like an African safari.”

Kyle reached over and stroked Melissa’s hand. “My vote is for the beach. I want to sit and do nothing. If we go to Europe, we’ll be running around all day. I’ll need a vacation from my vacation.”

“I know. It’s just all the places I’ve ever really wanted to go are in Europe. We could find a place to sit and relax in Italy or the south of France.”

After sitting back down, Alexa perked up. “I love southern France. You could stay near Nice and visit Monaco. I have a friend who owns an apartment there. She rents out on occasion to friends. I can get the information if you’d like.”

“I love that idea,” Kyle exclaimed. “It’s a nice compromise. By the way, how was London? I don’t think I’ve seen you since you got back.”

Graham glanced sideways at Alexa, who stiffened next to him. “London was nice.”

“It’s another city on Melissa’s list.” Kyle popped a tortilla chip in his mouth.

Alexa shifted in her seat. “If you’re thinking honeymoon, I would do Paris, Barcelona, or somewhere in Italy before London.”

“You can scare up a romance any place—even London.” Melissa shot Alexa a pointed look and a pleased-with-herself smile.

Alexa’s eyes widened as if willing her friend to be quiet.

“Did you find London romantic?” Graham widened his eyes, striving for sincerity.

Alexa downed half her vodka soda before shrugging. “Not especially. I can think of a million places I rank ahead of London in the romance department.”

Graham put an arm on the back of her stool and leaned in. Drawing close to her made his skin dance with pulses of heat. “What’s the most romantic place you’ve ever been?”

She cast her eyes to the ceiling and tapped the side of the glass. “I hiked Machu Picchu with a boyfriend once. We were dirty and smelly for days, but there is something romantic about being up in the mountains—even if we were in a tent.”

“You don’t strike me as a camper.”

Alexa met his incredulous squint with a bemused eye roll.

“I’ve been camping dozens of times. I love being outdoors. You’d be surprised at all the things that I’m into.”

The crotch of his pants strained at the implication of her words. She flushed a little, realizing how what she said might’ve sounded to him. Melissa giggled, and Kyle cleared his throat.

“I look forward to finding out.” Graham bumped the side of her leg with his knee, twice, maximizing the friction.

Alexa pursed her lips. “You have a filthy mind.”

She loved it, and Graham wasn’t going to let her get away with pretending like she didn’t. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If there’s any untoward connotation to what you said, that’s on you.”

“Nice. You sit over there looking like an old lady fanning herself against the heat of the Devil with her church hat, but I think we know who the dirty bird in this conversation is.”

She poked his side, and he snickered, grabbing her hand. Her soft skin electrified his fingertips. “Church sounds like a grand idea. We could use a little bit of the Good Word to straighten us out.”

Alexa switched her finger between them and waved away the thought. “Us? I go to church, thank you.”

Melissa snorted. “When was the last time you went to church?”

“I’ll have you know I went Christmas Day. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way. When was the last time you took communion?”

Alexa’s friend tipped her dark head forward, letting a curtain of thick, ebony hair hide her face. “Sorry. You’re breaking up.” Her voice raised as if she weren’t sure if the rest of her companions could hear her.

“Looks like we’re all going to hell.” Kyle cackled.

“Probably.” Graham took another drink and whispered to Alexa. “Maybe I can come to your place tonight. We can discuss our sins.”

Alexa kept looking across the table at their companions. Her hand slipped over his knee and up his thigh until her fingers wedged in his crotch.

She didn’t turn her head. “You know what they say. I may be going to hell, but at least all my friends will be there.”

If Graham was destined for fire and brimstone, he could think of worse things than earning his way there with Alexa.

* * *

G
raham raced
behind Alexa to her house and jumped out of his car. He made it to the door just as she pushed it open.

The thunk of her purse dropping to the floor was followed by the click of the light. His arm wrapped around her.

“You’re going to have to let me go if I’m going to take my shirt off.”

Graham didn’t let Alexa go. He pulled her closer and grabbed the hem of the shirt at her hips and yanked it up. Her arms lifted with his, and he snatched it off her head and threw it somewhere.

She put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. Alexa opened her sweet, full lips on his mouth and stroked him with her tongue. The long, slow pressure of her mouth might as well have been on his cock because it pulsed against his thigh.

Her bra or his jeans? His fingers solved the conundrum without his mind activating, undoing each hook and pulling the silk and lace to her elbows. She dropped her arms and let it fall. Graham moved forward to bring her arms and hands back to his body, and the bra caught on the toe of his shoe. He kicked it somewhere.

He palmed her breast, feeling the weight and pinching her nipple.

She gasped into his mouth.

He pulled away from her suckling kiss.

“Turn around.”

Graham swept her hair away so he could taste the stars dotting the back of her neck while taking both breasts in his hands. He thumbed the peaks, rolling them in his fingers, and squeezing until she arched her back, breathless.

Her ass ground into his crotch.

“Bedroom.” He could barely hear her husky voice.

Graham didn’t have the patience to make it down the short hall to the bedroom. He walked her over to the couch and unfastened her jeans.

Alexa took over. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her jeans down, bending over to reveal her round ass perfectly displayed in pair of silky boyshorts. He ran a hand over her left cheek.

Smack.

She laughed, so he did it again.

She twisted around, still giggling. “Stop it. Take your pants off, already.”

Graham followed orders, but stopped to pull out his wallet and grab a condom.

Alexa stood there, luring him in—her smile soft, her nipples hard, and her skin golden brown in the light of her living room.

Slipping one hand into her hair, he pulled her head back and kissed her relentlessly hard while he roamed his other hand down her belly into the silky lace she still wore.

He raised his head so he could see her face. Her eyes closed while her mouth circled open.

“Oh, God, yeah.”

Graham lowered her onto the couch, their bodies knocking off pillows as they positioned themselves. He stayed anchored with one foot on the floor, and Alexa kicked one leg up onto the back of the sofa.

He played with her slick folds, making sure a finger always stayed on the tight nub topping them.

His cock strained toward her. He thought of giving in and sinking into her soft, wet heat. But her breath shortened. Her eyelids flickered. Her moaning turned desperate.

Graham moved his fingers faster, sliding over her and slipping two fingers into her tightness while strumming her with his thumb. He found her most sensitive spot and stroked her there.

“Oh, fuck.”

She squeezed his fingers so tight, he wondered how he’d ever fit his cock inside her.

He tore open the condom and put it on, ready to find out.

* * *

A
lexa eventually dragged
Graham off the couch and to the bedroom for rounds two and three of the evening. They collapsed in a heap with her tangled sheets.

She lay on his chest and ran her hands over the scatter of light brown hair swirling from his pecs to his belly. His stomach rose and fell in a rolling rhythm that slowly synced with her own breathing.

She wanted him to stay the night.

Staying in that exact position, feeling his heart thump against her cheek, felt like heaven even if it paved her way to hell.