‘‘I am. You’re a very good host.’’
‘‘Not as good as you think,’’ he admitted.
She turned to face him and found that he’d shifted closer to the middle. Her leg bumped his knee. Her breath caught at the contact, but she couldn’t find it in herself to complain…or retreat. Was it her imagination or had her breathing gotten faster? Her heart was pounding hard enough. She was afraid it might crack one or two ribs.
‘‘What do you mean?’’
‘‘You confuse the hell out of me.’’ In the dim light his eyes were black and bottomless. ‘‘Tonight, when you were talking about being queen of your country, I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut by a steer.’’
‘‘Why? That shouldn’t matter to you at all.’’
‘‘Maybe not, but it does. When it’s just the two of us, you’re plain Alex. But then I have to remember you’re much more than that. I don’t know how to handle Princess Alexandra, or worse,QueenAlexandra.’’
They were both speaking softly. Alex had to force herself not to sway toward him. ‘‘I’m not a horse. I don’t have to be handled.’’
His mouth turned up at the corners. ‘‘You know what I mean. I can’t reconcile what I want with what’s real.’’
Her heart pounded harder. ‘‘Wh-what do you want?’’
Instead of answering, he reached up and, with one hand, cupped her face. His fingers were long and warm against her skin. Her eyelids drifted closed and she found herself rubbing her cheek against his palm, like a cat seeking affection.
‘‘Tell me to take you back to the ranch,’’ he said gruffly.
She opened her eyes and stared at him. ‘‘What?’’
‘‘Or tell me that you wanted to come out here because my kisses make you hot. That you want to pretend we’re just a couple of high school kids who stole away to make out.’’
He was moving closer…or was it she? Not that it mattered which, she thought hazily as she licked her lips in anticipation of his kiss.
‘‘So it’s either or?’’ she asked. ‘‘I have to pick?’’
‘‘Yeah, but hurry up.’’ He put his free hand on the other side of her face and held her still. ‘‘I mean it, Alex. I have to know.’’
She’d never done anything like this before in her life. The experience was coming about nine or ten years too late, but at least she was going to have it.
‘‘Don’t worry, Mitch,’’ she said, her voice low and husky. ‘‘My parents aren’t expecting me home for hours.’’
He stared at her for what felt like forever, but was actually two very loud, very excited beats of her heart.
‘‘You are one hellcat under that bossy facade of yours,’’ he growled, then pulled her close and kissed her.
Chapter Ten
Alex had thought about their kiss on a nearly hourly basis since it had occurred. So she should have been prepared for the impact of having Mitch kiss her again. She shouldn’t have been surprised by the fire that leaped between them or the way her body seemed to melt into a needy pool of desire. But shewassurprised by all of it. She gasped at the feel of his firm mouth against hers. His lips brushed hers, slowly at first as if he had to rediscover every curve, then faster, building tension.
Without quite being sure how, she found that she’d raised her hands to his broad shoulders and rested them there. As Mitch’s tongue stroked against her bottom lip, she tensed her fingers, hanging on to him as her world started to spin.
When she parted her lips for him, his tongue slipped into her mouth. He tasted sweet and hot and male. He explored her, his touch making her shiver with delight. They circled around each other, under and over, the rhythm making her sigh. This kiss was as good as the one she remembered. Better, maybe, because this time she wasn’t so startled by the intense wanting that seemed to be flooding her. Heat flowed through her blood, igniting fires in her breasts and between her legs. She felt tension in her stomach and dampness on her panties.
She shivered with delight and a little fear. It was as if her body had been taken over by someone else. Or maybe it was because for the first time in her life, she couldn’t think. She could only react and feel. Mitch was, she realized, her ultimate escape, and she never wanted to have to go back to the regular world.
‘‘What?’’ he asked, pulling back slightly. ‘‘What are you thinking?’’
His voice was low and husky, his breathing rough. She could feel herself struggling to fill her lungs, as well. ‘‘That when I’m with you, like this, I’m just like everyone else.’’
His eyebrows drew together. ‘‘I don’t understand.’’
‘‘Here, in the truck cab, we have our own little world. The regular rules don’t apply. I don’t have to worry about doing the right thing or think about my responsibilities. I can just be a normal woman.’’
