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“Besides, I don’t think I’m ready for tonight to be over.”
I looked at him, trying to read the eyes of a man I didn’t know well at all, yet somehow felt connected to. “I don’t think I am either.”
He tucked my hand behind him as he led me off the bench and into the house. Becca and Travis stopped abruptly when we stepped inside.
“Oh, we didn’t think you two were coming in.” Becca giggled. I saw Travis give AJ the head nod. I tried not to read too much into it.
I dropped AJ’s hand and hugged Becca. “The house is beautiful. You should be really proud, Becca. I mean that.”
She giggled. “Thanks, babe.”
“It was a great party. Amazing wine and guest list.” I smiled. “Thanks for inviting me. I’ll see you at work on Monday. Ok?”
She whispered in my ear, “You better call me tomorrow morning. I want to know everything.”
I shook my head. She wanted details, but there wasn’t anything juicy to tell. Unless she thought reminiscing about missed college connections was sexy. What did I say? We talked all night in the garden? We compared Tar Heel stories and tried to figure out what other classes we might have had together? It wasn’t a wow story, yet under my skin I couldn’t deny it felt like it was. Tonight felt different. Tangible.
“Good night, man.” Travis slapped AJ on the back and we had our opening to escape.
The guest guilt slipped in. I thought about offering to help clean up, but remained silent after my goodbyes. I didn’t want to miss my chance to talk to AJ some more.
Once we were on the other side of the townhouse I spun to face him. I wondered if the magic would be broken on this side of the house. If the air that had wrapped around us was sealed inside that garden. I was wrong. The pull to him was just as strong on this side of the sidewalk as it had been under the sparkle of patio lights.
“So about that drink?” he grinned. “Where should I take you?”
But before I could answer his mouth crushed mine and I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him against me with a desperate hold. It was the kind of crazy kiss I had only seen in movies. We took steps backward until we rounded the side of the building. AJ pressed me up against the brick wall, where the kiss grew hotter and stronger. His hands wrapped in my hair, tugging my lips to his. I moaned, tasting the wine on his tongue. On his mouth. It made me dizzy. It made me race with energy and lust.
His hands coasted over the fabric of my dress, dragging the hem up and down my thighs as if he wanted to hike it higher, but was restraining himself. I could feel the need building in his fingertips when he dug into the softness of my thigh. We were in an alley, and neither of us seemed to know what the limits were.
He brushed his thumb over my bottom lip before kissing me again. I couldn’t catch my breath. I didn’t want to. I liked the rush. I liked that we were toying with something risky.
“Do that again,” I whispered.
“I want to do more than that,” he growled.
I nodded as he yanked my dress to my hips, sliding his hand between my legs. I moaned as he pinned my wrists over my head against the brick building. He nipped at my lips, grazing them with his teeth. My hips jutted forward, waiting for his free hand to snake under the black silk panties I was wearing. Thank God I had on matching lingerie tonight.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Syd.” He groaned into my throat as his lips moved to my breasts.
I was at his mercy. My body writhing against him. Desperate for the hard planes of his chest to chafe my nipples. Eager for his shaft to press into the softness of my thighs. To feel all the rigid muscle of his toned body melt into the softness of mine.
“Ohh,” I whimpered when his fingers trailed the skin along my knee to my heat. I sighed with anticipation.
But a set of headlights flashed on us as a car turned out of the driveway adjacent to the townhouse and AJ pressed his forehead to mine. His heart had to be racing.
“Shit. I’m sorry.” He released my wrists and pushed my dress back into place. “Maybe we should find somewhere else to talk. Somewhere not so public?”
I sighed with frustration. My body was ready to explode. He had lit a fuse that needed to fully burn and smolder until I released every firework in my veins.
“Maybe we should.” I bit my bottom lip wanting to feel the graze of his teeth again. It made me shiver and moan simultaneously. “I guess, technically, it’s not the first time we’ve met, even though only one of us remembers,” I teased. “I have a bottle of wine I was going to give Becca we could open it instead.”
I was giving myself permission to let things go as far as they could tonight. It wasn’t as if I was taking a stranger home for a one-night stand. This was AJ Hart. Someone I had known for years. It wasn’t a random hookup. Not a guy from a bar. It was AJ.
He grinned. “Is that an invitation to your place?”
I nodded, bringing his mouth to mine again.
“What if that image you have in your head of me is naïve?” I heard something dark but alluring in his voice.
