AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His grin dips and then he blushes, which is sexy and endearing. “Oh shit, no. I didn’t mean that. I meant I have the apartment above yours.”
I’m feeling a little devilish with this man, and even though he’s my friend’s brother, I can’t help but flirt a little, especially now we’ve cleared the air. It’s harmless and fun and right now he’s looking at me like he wants to eat me up and I need the boost it gives me.
“Shame.” I wink and he blinks long and then I bust out laughing. “I’m just messing with you. Here.” I go to take the box back, but he steps away.
“Oh no, I’m not letting a lady carry her own boxes.”
He moves toward the elevator I know will take me to my floor and I have no choice but to follow him. I can’t help but let my eyes wander over his broad back to the lean carved hips and the tight ass that I just want to take a bite out of. He glances back and smirks and it’s a wonder my clothes don’t melt right off my body.
“Are you checking me out, Amelia Stone?”
My denial is so swift it’s easy to see the lie. “No.”
If I could die from embarrassment, then I’d be a rotting corpse right now.
He holds the doors open as I step inside and swipe my key to take us up and all of a sudden, this space seems way too small for his size. But it isn’t just that, it’s his presence. He’s imposing as if just his being here commands attention. It reminds me of Beck, and with that thought my good mood teeters.
“Hey, you with me, wildcat?”
I look up to see him studying me intently. I force a smile. “Yes, of course. Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”
“Something or someone? ’Cos let me tell you if he puts that look on your face, he isn’t worth it.” We both know who I’m thinking about after our conversation the other night, but I’m grateful he doesn’t call me on it. Bringing up Beck now feels like a step back in our unspoken truce.
His words run over my skin like chocolate, decadent and sweet, but he’s wrong, Beck is worth it and more. “Maybe.”
He shakes his head. “Nah, a woman as beautiful as you should always be smiling.”
I cock my head at him. He’s probably the most well-known actor on the planet right now and I’d expect he has women and probably men fighting for his attention, so why is he even bothering to talk to me? “This charm work on all the girls? Because I have to say, I’m not most girls.”
His smile only widens as a dark chuckle rumble from his chest. “No, you’re not.”
The doors open and I step out first and just stand for a second looking around at my new home. It is bare and uninviting, but I don’t see that. I see the promise, the potential of what I can make it. I have a good feeling about this place. I can be happy here; I just feel it. Maybe some of that is projecting or manifesting but I don’t care.
“Where do you want this?”
I glance around to see Xander by the kitchen island. “There is fine. I’m going to get it all in and then I can spend the next few days organizing stuff how I want it.”
He places my box on the side and walks slowly toward me and it takes everything in me not to step back. He prowls almost like a wild jungle cat, all elegant lines and purpose, which is so at odds with his size. He reaches me and I look up and up as he stands too close. His scent is masculine, he smells of his citrus shower gel or deodorant and the slightest edge of fresh sweat, which shouldn’t be sexy but is. I remember the way he kissed me like I was the air he needed to breathe, as if behind my lips was nirvana.
“So, Amelia Stone, are you going to let me take you out?”
“You want to kill me?”
His chuckle makes my toes curl in my sneakers and my lower belly flutters wildly. His hand comes out slowly and he grasps a lock of my hair and twirls it around his finger. I can hardly breathe, he’s soaking up all the oxygen in the room. Sexual energy tingles down my body, all the way to my fingertips but I hold still, not daring to say more.
“I want to do a lot of things to you, wildcat, but killing you is most definitely not one of them. How about a date first though?”
“Well, I did pay a pretty penny for you, so I guess that would be a good idea.”
He shakes his head and smirks, but his eyes are on my lips. “Not one you paid for, a real date.”
He’s asking me on a date, and it would be so easy to let flattery overwhelm me, but I tried dating a few months back straight after the incident with Beck and it was a disaster. This man is not only a superstar he’s also my friend’s brother. I don’t want to muddy my friendship with her if I mess up or do something dumb like falling for him, and then get my stupid heart broken. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
A part of me is screaming that I’m mental because I know this man would drive thoughts of Beck away for a few hours. Any other man and I’d be throwing myself at him with glee.
“How about a coffee, then? We’re neighbors now and I think it’s good to be friendly. You never know when you might need a cup of sugar in an emergency.”
A grin. “A cup of sugar, hey? Like you eat refined sugar with that body.”
