Page 13 of Alfie

“It’s just me and Milo,” she said. “He and I used to really be mean to each other, but once we became adults we were like best friends. He and Alice have been together since high school, and she’s like a sister to me. I’m really lucky to have them, to have my parents too, in my life.”

“You definitely are.”

“What made you come to New Jersey?”

“There wasn’t anything holding me anywhere, and I knew Joss, who runs the safari tours, and he offered me a job and an apartment at the park complex.”

“That’s so cool. I would love to live above the movie theater. No commuting.”

He laughed and she loved the sound.

As the night wound down, she was fully charmed by him. On the way to her apartment, she felt the air in the SUV change, like it was electrically charged. Her whole body felt on fire, and she was so drawn to him that she was having a hard time thinking about anything but him. The way he smelled, like home and safety and everything she’d ever wanted, the way he made her feel, like a storm could brew around them and she’d be safe no matter what came.

And mostly how freaking much she wanted him—wanted his hands on her, his lips on hers, his voice in her ear.

“Sweetheart?”

“Ah, what?” she asked, unclenching her hands and blinking a few times.

“We’re here.”

She blinked and looked out the windshield, seeing her apartment complex.

“Wow, I zoned out there for a bit. Sorry.”

The softest sound seemed to come from him, like a growl. But she wasn’t really sure she’d heard it, because then he cleared his throat and smiled at her. “I’d like to walk you to your apartment, if that’s okay.”

“Anything you do is okay,” she said, her voice coming out breathlessly as a strange wave of heat stretched out inside her, all her bits tingling and aching.

He tilted his head slightly, and in the darkness of the SUV she saw the parking lot lights catch his eyes and make them glow for a moment.

And then they were kissing.

Lips pressed together, tongues dancing. Warmth spreading.

The console was between them, the leather-covered plastic in the way of her crawling over to his seat and sitting on his lap for more.

He pulled from the drugging kiss and cupped her face. “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”

“Walk me inside,” she whispered.

He nodded and turned off the SUV. He came around to her side as she opened the door and he helped her out, then held her hand as they walked down the sidewalk and through the courtyard to her first-floor apartment.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Stepping inside, she turned to face him and saw him hesitate.

Sweet guy.

She grabbed the center of his sweater and tugged him forward, and his face split into an almost predatory smile. He shut the door and kissed her. When she went onto her toes, he lifted her into his arms and her heels fell off as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Turning, he pressed her against the door and unbuttoned her coat, spreading the wool apart and sliding his hand to her waist, then cupping her bottom. He pulled her against his erection and she moaned into his mouth, grinding herself against him.

He chuckled and nipped her bottom lip, before deepening the kiss. He slid his hand to the hem of her dress and pulled it up to her hips. His fingers skimmed her bare thigh and he made that same soft growling sound.

She was so freaking glad she wasn’t wearing tights.

He left her mouth and kissed across her jaw to her neck, nipping a path down her throat as his fingers moved slowly along the back of her thigh until he met the satin of her panties. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access to one of her favorite places to be kissed—not the favorite place, of course—as he slid his fingers inside her panties.