“Do you mind if I borrow her?” I ask, looping my arm through Alex’s once I finally reach her and lead her away before Suebelle can protest.
“Everything okay?” Her voice is laced with concern.
“I’m ready to leave,” I explain once we’re out of earshot.
“Are you sure? I’m fine to stay if you want to. Suebelle’s actually kind of—”
Unable to stand it any longer, I turn. Alex reaches out to steady herself from crashing into me at the same time I slide my hand around the back of her neck and pull her in for an unexpected kiss.
She lets out a hum of surprise but doesn’t stop it. Instead, her hands go to my waist, and she tugs me close. Immediately, the kissdeepens, as if we aren’t standing in the middle of a crowded room, surrounded by my coworkers.
A burst of laughter rings out from somewhere, causing Alex to break the kiss. We stare at each other, our breathing heavy and the air thick with anticipation. I lick my lips.
“I’ll call a car,” I tell her.
Her eyes darken. “I’ll get our coats.”
Chapter Thirty
Alex
After I’ve taken Ripley on the shortest walk he’s ever been on, I sprint back inside. Jules is standing in my kitchen with a glass of water, and her heels are placed on one of the stools underneath the lip of the counter right next to my discarded tie.
“Everything good?” she asks, handing me my own glass.
“I gave him a bone. He should be occupied for a little while.”
We drink our water in silence, the light from the hallway spilling into the room and making Jules’s ensemble shimmer. We really should talk about the way she kissed me and about the fact that she gave the driver my address instead of hers and followed me up.
“So.”
“So,” she mimics, stretching out the word and letting it linger between us.
“I had a good time tonight. Especially the part where you jumped me by the bar.” She chuckles and takes both glasses and places them on the counter. “It was the suspenders, wasn’t it?”
As if the mere mention triggers something inside her, she loops her fingers through the straps and pulls me closer. “It was absolutely the suspenders.” She runs her hands down my chest and back up again, resting them on my shoulders for the briefest of seconds before slowly pushing my suit jacket down my arms.
“We don’t have to do anything,” I whisper, hating that the want in my voice contradicts what I’m trying to say. “I know you need time. I don’t mind waiting.”
“Alex,” she says breathlessly, leaning in and grazing her lips along my cheek. “I appreciate you being all chivalrous, but don’t you think we’ve done enough waiting?”
“Before we do this,” I try to ignore the way her mouth feels against my jawline, “I want you to know that this isn’t about releasing tension or a friends with benefits kind of thing. I’m all in. And I know that I—”
“I know,” she says, interrupting me and pushing down the straps to my suspenders. “We can talk about this later, but for now, can you please get me out of this dress and put your hands on me?”
Her request shatters any possibility of moving slow.
I find the zipper and pull it down while she unclips her hair. She shimmies out of the tight fabric until it drops to the floor, leaving her standing in nothing but a matching set of red silk underwear.
Up until this moment, I firmly believed she never looks better than when she wears my old Cincinnati Reds T-shirt, but it turns out, I may have been wrong.
“Fucking hell,” I say, unable to focus on anything except the fact that her breasts are practically spilling out of her bra.
Ignoring my state of awe, Jules untucks my shirt and gets to work on the buttons. Even though she’s efficiently quick at unfastening them all, I’m no longer able to keep my hands to myself. Not when she’s standing in front of me looking likethat.
I draw her in for another kiss, one that’s neither patient nor soft. But she doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, she unfastens my pants and leads me backward down the hallway into the bedroom.
Normally, I’d lead, set the pace, and do all I could to satisfy her first. But it seems that Jules has other plans. Ones I’m happy to follow.
