Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4) (6 page)

“I’ll walk you to your car.”

Alexa nearly argued with him. Her car was parked only half a block away. Instead, she pointed the way, and they walked. Their arms brushed with every step on the narrow sidewalk until they reached her vehicle.

“Here we are. You have safely delivered me to my destination, so you can go get your beauty sleep.”

He turned and looked down the street. Something told her rest was not the reason for ending their date.

She opened the passenger side door and dropped her purse on the seat. When she turned back around, Graham pressed closer, taking her hands and bringing them up to his chest. He brushed a kiss across the back of each. Caught between his body in the frame of the car, Alexa leaned back, away from him. He paused.

“I wanted to give you a kiss good night.”

Since he still had hold of her hands, she gripped them and pulled him to her. She licked the edge of her bottom lip. “So do it.”

He stepped off the curb and straddled her legs, forming contact with as much of his body as possible, then slipped his mouth over hers. Each nip at her set off shockwaves. He toyed with her lips, teasing them apart with his tongue. The slow, easy way he kissed her generated more heat than if he’d grabbed her.

Alexa sighed into his mouth. She flattened her palms on his chest with the hard muscle underneath warming her fingertips through the smooth cotton of his shirt.

Graham thrust his tongue once more across hers then pulled back. The tingle he infused in her flesh flickered from her lips to her knees.

“I know. Early morning tomorrow.”

He rubbed his jawline with his fingertips, breathing heavily. “Yeah, early morning. I’ll call you.”

Despite the reluctance in his voice, he was down the block before Alexa could catch her breath. She definitely didn’t believe him.

* * *

R
egret twisted
Graham’s stomach as he walked to his car.

Wouldn’t he much rather spend the evening bringing his New Year’s Eve memories into the here and now? He enjoyed Sierra, but she didn’t intoxicate him.

The sweet taste of Alexa clung to his lips, making him dizzy. He should have canceled his plans.

Graham looked back over his shoulder. She was already gone. He imagined he could hear the low rumble of her engine fading.

Too late.

By the time he made it home at one in the morning, he thought he’d pop his zipper. Sierra would be quickly disappointed.

He jogged upstairs to the master bathroom, undressed, and flipped on the shower. Graham stepped in and let the water cascade over his head, closing his eyes—remembering.

The feel of a curl around his finger. The way Alexa’s breath came in hot bursts when he kissed her. The scrape of her hands over his nipples through his starched shirt.

The plush ripeness of her mouth.
Yeah.
That cocktail-soaked New Year’s kiss tugging on his lips while he unzipped her spangly dress and dragged it down her race car body. Her round ass filling his hands.

He imagined himself gripping her now. He squeezed his eyes shut and the image of her breasts bouncing against his cheek while they fucked flooded his mind. Good God. She’d been so tight.

Memory fragments kept skittering through his mind until he found release under the streaming water.

That would do it. Calm him down until he could have the real thing. Well, not the
real
, real thing. He’d sent
her
off in her BMW.

Graham wondered if she was as frustrated as he was. Had been. He’d be fine once Sierra got there.

He dressed in a slouched, worn pair of jeans and an old, college T-shirt, and tried to relax in his game room, outfitted with a front projection TV and surround sound. He paged through his DVR while downing a beer, waiting for the sound of the bell.

Settling for another woman was shitty, but he and Sierra had a deal. No strings. Just satisfaction—or close enough to it for tonight.

Soon enough, the door chimed, and Graham let his consolation for the evening into his house.

They exchanged quick hellos as Sierra kicked off her heeled sandals and headed across the foyer and up the stairs to his bedroom. Graham’s legs moved on autopilot behind her.

He didn’t bother to close the door. She was already peeling her tights down her slim, tanned legs. He watched as she lifted off her shirt.

“You better catch up. It’s already late.”

Her dark purple lipstick stretched into a smile as she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Creamy, pale breasts bounced free with surgically perfected roundness. Graham slipped out of his clothes and reached for her, closing his eyes.

O
n Friday morning
, Melissa and Alexa hunkered in the latter’s office over Greek yogurt and fruit with plans to discuss the spa launch.

However, Alexa’s partner wasn’t interested in business. She narrowed one eye like a sniper and aimed her spoon at Alexa.

“How was your date?”

Alexa balked. It was barely worth discussing. “Sam? Miserable.”

“Tell me.” Melissa lowered the spoon and swirled her breakfast.

“It was bizarre. I wasn’t thrilled to go out with him, but I figured it would be fun. I fought through his pooh-pooh personality, and then he snapped my head off for ordering dinner!”

“For the record, Kyle barely knows the guy. He got invited to the birthday party by another co-worker. We disavow him.”

“Good. He’s a weirdo.”

“Too bad. There goes your shot at having a Valentine.”

“He wouldn’t have been my Valentine anyway. We barely know each other. I can’t think of anything more awkward than participating in the most romantic day of the year with someone you barely know.”

“You seriously don’t want someone to smooch on national holidays?”

“I’ve pretty much had the national holidays covered of late.”

Alexa strove to keep the single-lady defensiveness out of her tone. She had more fun in the last few months than some women got all year—married or not—she’d guess.

“Hooking up on New Year’s doesn’t count.” Melissa banged her spoon in syllabic rhythm on the edge of her yogurt cup.

“Yes, but I hooked up on Thanksgiving and on New Year’s. Come on. High five.”

Alexa raised her hand up and reached over the desk, waiting. Melissa half-heartedly smacked her hand. “But what about someone to snuggle with on Christmas morning? Kyle made me waffles and bacon. We sat around in our pajamas and watched stupid Hallmark movies. I loved it.”

“There you go. Too many Hallmark movies. I had a good time Thanksgiving week, and as embarrassing as it is to run into Graham at work, the night was a good one.”

“Then why run out of his hotel room?”

Alexa sat back.

Seeing Graham again did remind her of how hot the sex had been—how hot he had been. And still was.

She gripped the arms of her office chair and shook off the heat that suffused her again just thinking about him. Heat faded, and you couldn’t take horniness seriously.

“I wasn’t trying to turn one night into a relationship. I didn’t know I’d see him again. I took it as a one-time, ‘Happy New Year’ kind of thing.”

“Well, now, he’s back. You can see if it could be more.”

Alexa laughed. “Everyone wants me tied down except me. Newsflash: I’m the only one who counts.”

Melissa circled her finger in Alexa’s face. “I’m getting you a Valentine.”

“That’s next weekend. I think it’s too late.”

“A Valentine isn’t just for February. You can snag one any time of year.”

“Are we going to talk about the electrical problems next door or keep beating the dead horse that is my love life?”

“I’m trying to give the horse the shock paddles, and you’re not cooperating!”

Melissa held up her fists and pumped them forward. The motion knocked her backward a couple of feet in her rolling desk chair as she mimicked an ER move that Kyle may have implemented a time or two. She dissolved into laughter.

Alexa chuckled. “Forget it, but speaking of Graham, he did send building maintenance over to talk to our contractors, and it looks like they were able to do whatever they needed to do in the wiring closet to start finishing the wiring and communications. They should be ready to drywall by the end of the week.”

Melissa’s eyes brightened. “Perfect. Your next boyfriend has been so helpful already.”

“Shut up.” Alexa threw a paper clip at her partner, who ducked.

Melissa scooted to the edge of her seat. “Resistance is futile, my friend.”

“I’ll fight to the death for my freedom. You’ve got me feeling very Patrick Henry over here.”

Melissa’s smile dissolved. “Is that really how you see it? You think being in a relationship means giving up your independence?”

“I think that’s how it ends up regardless of how I see it. I really don’t want to talk about this. We have work to do.”

Alexa refused to discuss her stance on relationships with people who could only see hearts and rainbows—Taryn, Melissa, and then, there was her mother. Each took a different tack, but they all had the same message.

Why didn’t she give up dating around and find herself a good man? As if good men dropped from the trees like acorns. And like dating around was so terrible.

She thought about London and New Year’s, and she enjoyed all the experiences the world had to offer—particularly of the male variety. For every Sam, she found an Adam or a Graham. A unique new moment with a new man always kept her guessing and nearly always satisfied.

At least Taryn and Melissa understood that part of her life. Alexa’s life confused and concerned her mother. Brenda Stevens had married her father, Carlisle, when she was only nineteen. They had an unfathomable connection that had managed to last almost forty years despite the challenges like her father’s stressful life as a cop.

Many nights, when her father had been out late on duty, her mother’s shuffling down the hallway would wake her up.

“I’m just getting a glass of water.”

Her mother drank enough water to drown all those nights.

Luckily, her father had always come home.

Her parents’ devotion was a beacon for the future, and they had poured all of their attention into Alexa. No man had ever made her feel like that kind of love would be possible.

Alexa scrolled through the list of men she dated. Most of them had been a good time. Some of them had been shit. Either way, she couldn’t find her way to forming intense attachments to them. Most of them were fine with that.

Alexa needed to get her mind and the conversation back on track. “We need to make an appointment with the decorator to finalize our paint choices. Do you have any other ideas?”

“Everything needs to be soothing. I’m thinking blues, light greens—peaceful, like the ocean. Sort of like a seaside spa.”

“I can see that, or I can also see something that fits a little bit more with our environment. Still green but with neutrals. Woods, water, trees—still nature, but more local.”

“You might be right.”

Melissa pulled a folder from her bag and opened it on Alexa’s desk. She spread some clippings from decorator and travel magazines with images of oceanside homes and out-of-the-way spas in exotic locales.

Melissa’s voice turned dreamy. “I love the
feel
of them.”

Alexa could see why. Even in the 2-D images of magazine clippings, she could feel the sense of peace and centeredness that she also wanted for the end result. “These look great. We need to show all of this to the decorator. Do you think you might have time next Wednesday?”

“Maybe in the afternoon. Let me check my schedule and get back to you. I have a regular client who wanted to reschedule for that day.”

“Okay. Just text me or call me.” Alexa flicked the corner of a clipping with her finger.

“Sounds good.” Melissa made a note in her phone. “What are you going to do for Valentine’s weekend?”

“Probably nothing. Netflix. Homemade cocktails. I could use some down time.”

Melissa said nothing, but wrinkled her nose.

“I’m single. It’s what you do when you’re single.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Uh, huh. And it speaks volumes.”

“It’s not as if you aren’t interested in Graham. You said the sex was good. I don’t get you.”

“I know.”
No one did
.

* * *

S
arah Larson texted
Graham the fundraiser meeting wouldn’t start at their house until eight, but not trusting Austin traffic, Graham left his west Austin home extra early and arrived south of town much sooner than anticipated.

With nearly twenty minutes to spare, he parked in front of Toby and Sarah’s and sat in his car, going through work emails. He didn’t know them well enough to show up early and knock on their door.

Ten minutes later, the roar and screech of a shining blue BMW zooming to a sudden stop behind him made Graham’s head jerk up. In the sliver of his rearview mirror, he saw the wild curls of his favorite gym owner. She bounded out of the car, lugging a leather briefcase, and rushed past him.

Graham got out to follow.

“Alexa.”

She stopped and whirled around. “Oh, I didn’t see you.”

“Hello to you, too.”

“Sorry. I’m in my own head this afternoon. Gym stuff and spa stuff.”

Graham hoped she wasn’t having any delays with her construction. He’d been on top of his people to make sure they responded to whatever she needed—whatever any of the new tenants needed.

Charlie, the supervisor for Alexa’s property, had assured him everything was moving smoothly.

“Let me know if you need anything. I’d be happy to take care of it.”

“Oh, no, the electrical issue got straightened out. That’s not a problem. It’s not—we just have a lot going on.”

Alexa waved off the topic and hustled toward the house.

Whatever was on her mind, it didn’t involve him.

“Well, I’m here to help. Your construction. The event. Whatever.”

Alexa stopped and beckoned Graham to walk beside her. “It’s nice of you to help with this. Have you met Poppy yet? She’s adorable.”

“I didn’t get to meet her. She was at school, but I’m looking forward to it. I love seeing parents with their kids. It gives me hope that the next generation won’t be a screwed up as sometimes I think they’ll be.”

Alexa tittered with laughter. “I know what you mean. Sort of. Although, I’ve seen some parents that let me know the next generation might be exactly as screwed up as I think they’ll be.”

“Ahh, a cynic.”

“I’m a realist, not a cynic. At least most of the time.”

A small smile curled the edges of Alexa’s mouth. The glow of the porch light tipped the edges of her curls slightly golden.

She edged in front of him, mounting the steps to the front door. Her hips shimmied a little as she took each step, which made Graham smile. Life in the gym did her good.

She moved like an athlete, but had the grace of a dancer. Her body exuded power and elegance much like the sleek blue BMW she used to race around Austin. She’d probably accuse him of being sexist, comparing her to her sports car. But, hey, from a guy, that was a massive compliment.

The door to the house peeled open just a crack. A small, wide-eyed face peered at them through the gap. The girl blinked, then threw open the door.

“Hey! Mom, Alexa’s here. And she brought a man. Are you her boyfriend?”

Boyfriend? That would drive Alexa crazy, which pleased Graham immensely. Before Alexa could answer the small child, Graham piped in.

“Nice to meet you. You must be Poppy. I’m Graham. Your parents have told me all sorts of wonderful things about you.”

“They did? That’s nice.”

“Well, what else would they have to say, gorgeous?”

Alexa stepped into the foyer of the Larson’s house and bent down to hug the Larson’s daughter.

Toby and Sarah hustled toward the door.

“Hey, guys. So, Graham, you found the place okay, then?” Toby extended a hand to shake Graham’s as he entered the foyer.

“I did. No problem.”

“Poppy, Graham is going to help us plan your charity event.”

“Oh, are you friends with Miss Alexa?”

“We know each other from work. That’s also how I met your parents. They told me all about the benefit, and I decided that I definitely had to help.”

Sarah beamed. “It’s incredibly generous of you to donate your time.”

“It’s not a problem, and I plan on donating a bit more than that. Whatever is necessary.”

“Daddy said I could have a disco ball.”

Toby shook his head. “I said that I’d look into it, but that I couldn’t promise. I don’t even know where you would get such a thing.”

Poppy’s mouth twisted the side, and she sighed. “It would be so much fun. Sparkly and twirling around.”

She threw her hands over her head and executed a spot-on disco spin. When she caught Graham looking at her, her plump cheeks reddened. She threw her arms around her father’s waist and grinned into his slacks.

Graham had been to numerous parties with ‘70s themes. Somewhere in Austin, they could find what the little girl wanted. Who could tell her no? “I think I know where we can find a disco ball.”

“You do?” Poppy pushed away from her father’s hip, eyes bright.

Graham bent down to her eye level. “It shall be done, my lady.”

Her face turned scarlet again. This time, from an eruption of giggles.

“Thank you.”

Toby mussed Poppy’s hair. “I’m going to take this one upstairs to get ready for bed, so we’ll be out of your hair. I’ll be back down once I get her tucked in.”

“Good night, Poppy.” Alexa blew her a kiss, which she returned.

The father-daughter pair thumped up the stairs. Once out of sight, Poppy’s excited voice picked up steam. Graham couldn’t make out the words, only the joy of anticipation. Even though they had just met, his commitment to making the benefit a success doubled. “She’s wonderful.”