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“It was before the laws of gravity changed after forty,”
Alex joked in an inexplicable display of self-consciousness.
Charlotte wanted to assure Alex that she was still stunning. More so than in the photo. Her body was fuller, but it was a woman’s body, luscious
and hot as hell.
But Alex moved on to the largest image at the center of the display before she got a chance. It was a family portrait featuring over twenty people centered around an elderly couple sitting on ornate chairs placed at the center of a garden. Behind them, an impressive estate loomed large.
“Now we’re scattered all around the world.” Alex pointed at people as she spoke. “Vera and her husband started a family in Australia. Lidia moved to Kenya to devote her life to wildlife conservation. Martica followed her husband to his banking job in Zurich and has popped out a few kids over there.”
“Do you get to see them at all?” Charlotte knew that the more personal information she had on Alex the more complicated she’d make things for herself, but the question just slipped out.
“Most years we gather for my father’s birthday in June.
He’s everybody’s godfather,” she explained with a smile.
“But they’re trying to put a bit of a reunion together for Christmas and New Year this year.” Alex shrugged. “I doubt they’ll be able to coordinate everyone, but I said I’d go if they managed it.”
“What’s it like there?”
“In Barcelona?” Alex’s lispy pronunciation made Charlotte’s head spin. It was unfair for an accent to be so sexy. All Charlotte had was her nasally Miami accent in English and the unsophisticated Cuban bend to her Spanish.
“I don’t think I can do it justice. You have to see it for yourself. You’re welcome to come with me. My parents love guests.”
The invitation caught Charlotte o guard. She was probably just being polite or taking pity on her lack of travel and culture. There was no way she was traveling to another continent or meeting her family.
“That’s months away,” Charlotte said as she took the frame and returned it to its place. “I was hoping our next date could be sooner.”
Alex’s dark eyes were trained on Charlotte’s lips. “It doesn’t have to be a date. I’ve taken friends along many times.”
The words were either a taunt or a test. Regardless, Charlotte hated the sound of the f-word reverberating in her ears. Tangling her fingers in the damp hair at the base of Alex’s skull, Charlotte made a fist and spoke the truest words she’d ever uttered. “I have no interest in being your friend.”
Alex’s lips twitched into a smirk before her eyes turned dark and dangerous. When Charlotte kissed her, there was a new hunger on her lips, confirming that Charlotte was taking the right measures. She had to focus more on the physical and stay away from the emotional.
Breaking away from their kiss, Alex kept her hands firmly on Charlotte’s hips as if she was afraid Charlotte was going somewhere. “Do you want to stay for dinner?” Alex asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Charlotte’s ear.
Considering they’d only had lunch an hour before, Charlotte took it as a sign that their date was going well. Alex wanted her to stay another few hours at least.
“It depends.” Charlotte licked her lips, still tasting the lingering salt from Alex’s skin.
“On?”
Charlotte bit her bottom lip for e ect before responding.
“On what you want me to eat.”
Alex bent her head forward, kissing Charlotte again. “Let me take a quick shower and I’ll be right back.”
Charlotte wanted to toss out a flirty line about not wanting to spend so much time apart from her but couldn’t fashion it in a way that didn’t sound pathetic. Instead, she assured Alex she’d be fine and jammed her hands in the pockets of her jeans.
A few minutes later, Charlotte decided on a bold move and followed Alex’s path up the stairs.
CHAPTER 20
IN THE STEAMY confines of her glass encased shower, Alex washed the sweat and grime out of her hair. She regretted being a terrible host and leaving Charlotte to linger awkwardly alone downstairs, but she couldn’t very well spend the evening smelling like goats.
She’d only gotten as far as combing the conditioner through her hair when the bathroom door clicked and inched open. Only a small part of her was surprised Charlotte was there. The rest of her expected an appearance much sooner.
