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“Be right there,” she hollered as she slipped past Mark, grabbing her purse from the coffee table and disappearing through the door. A minute later, she returned, toting a large paper bag with a menu stapled to its top edge.

“Thai?” Scratching his temple, Mark followed her. “Since when?”

“I don’t know, since…May, I guess?” She dropped her purse on the floor near the sofa and set the bag of food on the bar. She tore it open, placing several cartons of noodles, sticky rice, and chicken on the counter. “I’ve grown to like it.”

Mark nudged closer, checking out their food haul. The warmth of his arm pressed against her bare shoulder sparked tingles all down her spine. Spring rolls and chicken satays were the last things on her mind.

“It’s still your fave, isn’t it?” She turned to face him. “Or did your tastes change? Shit, sorry, I should’ve asked…”

He leaned in and swept her bangs to the side of her forehead. “It’s fine, Lex.” His intense gaze left her eyes to savour her mouth. His fingers flirted through her hair, down to her collarbone, towards the dip in her neck.

The gentle sweep of his fingers…she shivered, unable to speak.

His eyes crinkled at the corners again. “I wasn’t sure in the park. You’re still wearing it…”

Her hand grazed the silver chain necklace with its Vespa charm, meeting his fingers. She refused to let go. “I still love it. It means…everything to me.”

Mark licked his lips. “Hop on, hold tight, and remember to enjoy the ride.” He reached into his jeans’ pocket with his free hand, pulling out a slim silver keychain, free of keys.

Alex recognized it immediately and squeezed his hand—his keychain matched the one in her purse: June 5, 2015, their first date on his Vespa, zooming around London, flirting in the summer sunshine.

“I couldn’t bring myself to give it back to you, Lex. I always hoped…”

His words weakened her knees and hastened her heart. Enough of this dance, enough skirting around what she really wanted—Alex knew exactly what to do.

Abandoning her necklace, she grabbed his neck and pulled him in, covering his lips with hers. All the months of hurt, of pretending she had moved on, faded as she welcomed him in. His tongue was familiar and possessive, owning her mouth and proving that no one else mattered. Going deeper, Mark moaned, stuffing the keychain in his pocket and locking his fingers onto her waist, grasping tighter and tighter as he pressed her against the cold stainless-steel fridge.

Its chill stung Alex’s upper back, jolting her forward, firmly against him. She softly whimpered into his mouth, her hands roaming from his jaw into his damp hair and back down again, slipping along his neck and taking possession of his shirt. It didn’t stand a chance. Dragging it quickly from his shoulders, buttons popped as she worked it down his arms to his wrists. The shirt’s cuffs wouldn’t budge. Can’t get the damn thing off!

Mark laughed into their kiss and left her lips. “Looks like we’re gonna need a lot of practice, just sayin’.” He freed his hands from the cuffs and flung the shirt on the countertop with a knowing wink.

Alex’s eyes widened. Mark’s already fit body was leaner, more sculpted. All her fears that the crazy Full Throttle 3 fitness regime would bulk him up like The Rock fell to the floor along with his jeans and her dress, which Mark lifted over her head in one smooth move.

“Oh, Lex…” Dropping her dress, Mark’s hands drifted through her hair. He untied the elastic, releasing her soft waves. He sighed, his hands travelling down her curves, his eyes taking all of her in. “You’re so beautiful. God, what you’re doing to me right now…”

I’m not doing enough!Alex slid her fingers down his firm chest towards his stomach, a path she knew so well. Despite his familiarity, her excitement, she hesitated in the trail of dark hair above his boxer briefs, the soft material stretching with his arousal. “All this time, I’ve missed you…so much…”

“Christ, I’ve missed you.” His thumb grazed her hip, stopping to rest just inside the waistband of her panties. “I thought about you…all the time.”

She stared into his eyes as her hands skimmed downwards. Through the cotton, she felt him stir—hard and eager.

He gasped, his mouth invading hers without mercy, like her kiss held the secret to his survival. Teasing her, his tongue was warm and confident, coaxing Alex to fully trust him again.

She answered by grabbing his hand and leading him towards her bedroom. Memories rushed through her mind: how his body fit hers perfectly, how incredible he felt…would it be the same now? Different? Better? The ache to find out short-circuited all rational thought. So what if this is just a one-night stand? Even if they had no future, she wasn’t about to spoil the present. Decisions, writing, London—everything could wait. All that mattered was this moment, being with the man she loved. She wanted to enjoy Mark now, while he was there, while he was hers.

They barely made it out of the kitchen—it was like Mark read her mind. He swooped her up in his arms, laying her down on the sofa before pressing his whole body against hers. He kissed down her neck to her bare breasts, circling and taunting them with his tongue and fingers while she buried her hands in his hair, pulling, twisting. She inhaled him deeply, dizzy with his scent—with her desire for more. Her moans prompted Mark to break away.

“I love you, Lex,” he whispered between heavy breaths. “I never stopped…I never will.”

Her heart couldn’t soar any higher. It wasn’t too late. His love and the sincere twinkle in his eyes was all she needed. “Don’t fly to Dublin. Stay.”

He bit his lower lip like he was preventing words from escaping.

“Don’t leave tomorrow, or Sunday—don’t go at all. I love you, Mark. Stay here with me?”

A wide smile lit up his face. “Yes…the answer’s always yes!”

He lowered his mouth to meet her lips, but Alex took control, kissing him hard and deep while tugging his boxer briefs away from his hips. Mark grabbed hold of the material and finished what Alex had started, allowing her to shimmy out of her panties. She pulled him down against her, feeling his warm skin, his hardness against her hip, his thigh muscles tensed in anticipation.

“Lex…” Mark winced like Christmas had been cancelled. “I don’t have a condom. We could just—”

A quick kiss on the lips and her hand dove to her purse on the floor. A feverish rustle…and her fingers reappeared with the foil-wrapped prize. She smirked. “Always ‘Be Prepared’—once a Girl Scout…”

Mark grinned and made quick work, putting on the condom and easing himself gently back on top of her. He tenderly traced her lips with his thumb, the want in his eyes matching hers. “Lex, it’s always been you…”

Feeling his body weigh her down…wrapped in his warmth, immersed in his breath, Alex’s hands slipped down Mark’s back. A trembling breath left her lungs. “Thank you, for finding me…”

A warm tear trickled down her cheek. His finger lovingly swept it away.

Kissing her softly, Mark pushed inside her. Alex inhaled sharply, rocking with him, falling into a rhythm she knew so well and had desperately missed. Eight months of heartache, loneliness, and misunderstanding were released with each caress, each kiss, their movements as one. Alex, The Girl Who Waited…was waiting no more.