I take a step back when Alex unexpectedly twangs my pouty lip. “Fuck you’re sexy when you’re jealous.”
He grunts when my fist lands in his stomach. "I'm not jealous! I'm . . ."I've got nothing — not a single fucking thing.
Loving my inability to deny his claim, Alex smiles a cocky grin, forcing me to snarl, “You’re a moronic asshole who has no chance in hell of taking me to Texas!”
After snagging my jacket from the back of my chair, I spin on my heels then leave. I make it two steps down the cracked sidewalk of the cafe before I remember I have no transportation. The blisters on my feet are the size of Mount Everest, and I am without my cellphone and purse. Fortunately, my firepit stubbornness forces me to continue my expedition—one slow step at a time.
Ignoring Alex’s repeated offer to give me a piggyback ride as he had earlier this morning, I gingerly take a step forward, closely followed by another and then another.
After ten dozen painstakingly slow strides, Alex says, “You do realize you’re walking in the wrong direction, right? My apartment is that way.” I can’t see him, but I can imagine him hooking his thumb behind his shoulder.
Incapable of backing down without a fight, I respond, “Who said I was going to your apartment?”
“The closest pay phone is over a mile away. My apartment is half a mile, maybe a little less. Figured you’d prefer the latter.”
I growl at the humor in his tone. It isn’t a husky little pussy cat roar. It’s a tigress about to maim the carcass it slayed.
“Who said I’m seeking a pay phone? Perhaps I am on the hunt for a gullible idiot with more than a few pennies to his name,” I seethe through clenched teeth. “I’m sure he’ll drive me home without a single dime being mentioned. There are plenty of ways for a girl to make payment without handing over her hard-earned money.”
The last half of my childish remark comes out with a squeal from Alex curling his arm around my waist and hoisting me off the ground. He tosses me over his shoulder without breaking a sweat before stomping in the direction of his apartment.
While pounding his back with my fists, I scream blue murder, begging for a random passerby to save me from the madman holding me captive.
I’m sickened to admit, no one comes to my rescue.
“I’m going to have you arrested for kidnapping!”
“Oh goodie,” Alex replies, his tone more snarky than happy. “While you’re at it, make sure they draw up the charges as a federal offense, as this crime is about to cross state borders.”
“We arenotgoing to Texas!”
Chapter Eighteen
“We’re going to Texas.”
How in the world Alex got me to agree to this, I truly don't know. It was somewhere between him pinning me to his bed and throwing me in a cold shower.Or perhaps it was a combination of them both?He only stopped me clawing at him by holding me hostage on his bed with his body, and he couldn't calm me down with a cold shower without entering the stall with me, minus his shirt, of course.
That must be the issue? My stupid ass libido found her voice again, but instead of focusing on a man deserving of her time, she wants the dumb ass standing in front of her.
Apparently, Alex's chivalrous remark on me being free to leave when I wish only counts when jealousy isn't at play. I shouldn't goad him like I do, but what can I say, it's fun. Alex is a handsome man, but when he's angry—walking on the blistering sun! That's the only way I can describe it. He isTHAThot.
Although I wish he weren't right now. He has two first-class flight attendants’ panties in a twist as easily as he did when he had his ticket upgraded from economy to first class. I booked our flights in different sections for a bit of breathing space, but all it took was a couple of words and a smile, and Alex's hundred dollar ticket was exchanged for one that costs nearly a thousand dollars.
When I demanded the check-in clerk amend my ticket price to match Alex's, she glared at my fancy platinum credit card before her eyes drifted to the address on my license. I argued that the credit card and penthouse apartment on the wealthiest street in Ravenshoe are perks of my job, but she wasn't having any of it. If I wanted to travel first class, I had to pay for the privilege.
I should have switched Alex’s ticket with mine. There are plenty of men in first-class with us, but there’s no way I could match the attention he is receiving. First the waitress, then the check-in clerk, now two pretty bimbos whose legs stretch for miles and smiles just as big.
James, the head attendant for our section, is downright gorgeous, but even if my gaydar were utterly awry, I'd still know he has a fascination with handsome blond-haired, blue-eyed men. How? He's been fussing over Alex as much as the female attendants.
The man gliding down the aisle, on the other hand, sign me up. I can understand the stewardess's offer for a free upgrade. He's so handsome, I'd let him ride me for free. A five o'clock shadow darkens his jaw, which makes his devastatingly handsome face even more dangerous. He has dark eyes, either green or brown, I can’t tell from this distance, and his body is lean yet appealing enough to set my pulse racing.
When he takes the seat opposite me, his head casually slants my way. The friendly smile he offers me gains him the devotion of every female within a one-mile radius. Not because Alex has competition, but because they lose Alex’s attention.
The instant Alex spotted the direction of the stranger's welcoming gaze, he left the first-class bar for the first time since the seatbelt sign was switched off nearly thirty minutes ago.
The slight flutter in my pulse due to the handsome stranger’s face triples when Alex stops in front of me. Just the vast span of his sexy thighs wipes the stranger from my thoughts, but in case they didn't, he bobs down to align our eyes.
Handsome stranger? What stranger?Is all my brain computes when I’m awarded the utter devotion of Alex’s oceanic eyes. A hint of familiarity clears some fog in my envy-laden brain when his squinted gaze burns into mine. I’ve often wondered if our friendliness was an effect of the crazy sexual current firing between us, but now I’m not so sure. There is more at stake here than just sexual hunger. It is something deeper and more compelling. I just can’t for the life of me work out what it is.
