“So, birthday girl, you gonna come out with us now?” Sean winks, breaking the moment Lexi and I share.
Before she answers, I lean away from her chair and grab some of the dirty dishes from the table. I move to the sink with a need to keep my hands busy because it’s all I can do to not cup her face and pull her close for another amazing kiss. Fuck me. Those lips. I could kiss them all night.
“No thanks. You go celebrate for me.”
“You sure?” Austin says and I hate how his eyes light with appreciation when she smiles at him.
“I’m sure. This was perfect. Thank you.” She stands from the table and walks over to Iz, giving him a hug before he exits the bus door. She offers one to Austin too, and then Sean as they get ready to leave.
We made a plan to surprise Lexi and then go party at some nearby bar until they close. Our bus doesn’t leave until after two, so there’s plenty of time. The night is young. But when Austin steps outside and Lexi comes back over to collect her gift from the table, my feet are still planted in the kitchen. I have no desire to go out. Why would I when everything I need is here?
“You ready, man? That dish is probably clean,” Sean says with a lift of his eyebrow.
“Fuck.” I glance down to realize I’ve been scrubbing the same plate this entire time. The others are still dirty and piled up on the counter.
“It’s okay. I can finish cleaning up. Go,” Lexi says.
My gaze stays trained on Sean. “No, go on without me. I think I’m gonna stay in. Besides, we can’t have the birthday girl cleaning up from her own party.” I steal a sidelong glance at Lexi. “That’s like Party Etiquette 101.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Sean sends me a warning cloaked in a smile. “You were never good at cleaning up messes.”
“I know what I’m doing. Promise.”
He raises his brows and turns, leaving the bus.
“At least let me help.” Lexi sets the box of lingerie at the edge of the counter and stands at my side. “Here, I’ll dry.” She grabs a fresh dish towel from the drawer.
“Good birthday?” I hand her a clean plate and rinse off the rest.
“The best.” She smiles so damn sweetly, and for the first time, maybe ever, she looks years younger than her newly turned twenty-four.
Side by side we finish up, and while she returns the clean plates to their place in the cupboard, I take a wet cloth and wipe down the table and counter.
“Domestication looks good on you.” Lexi leans her hip against the counter with a grin. She’s making a joke, sure, but the heat in her stare says something more. Or maybe that’s only my hope. Either way, I can’t stop the desire that courses through my body. My muscles tighten as my gaze takes in the sight of her. Just Lexi. The stripped down version, no makeup, no overtly sexy clothes, just Lexi in all her unaltered beauty.
Her lips part, just enough that they appear even more plump. Kissable. Tempting.
Oh hell, what’s living without taking a risk?
I step in front of her, caging her in against the counter and steal the towel from her hands. Something charges the air.Yearning. I hope it’s not one-sided. The racing pulse that thrums at her throat, right where the chain of her new necklace rests, is my only indication she might return the sentiment.
I dip my chin, bending so my lips feather across her forehead until they find her ear. “Tell me, Miss Marx, do you like it dirty or sweet? Or maybe wet?”
She lifts her gaze, leaning back enough so she can meet my stare. “Can’t I have it all? Why should I have to settle?”
“I like that. That you want everything, because you deserve it, Lexi.” Setting the towel on the counter, my fingers trace a trail from her exposed shoulder and up the side of her neck until they cup her jaw in my palm. She shivers with my touch and her eyelids flutter shut. Maybe I should walk away now, before it gets messy. Before I do something I can’t erase or clean up, but I don’t.
“You deserve so much, but I ... I’m going to kiss you now.” I take her silence as permission. That, along with the encouragement from her fingers. They slide over my hips and dig into my flesh, tugging me closer still even after my lips cover hers.Sweet. She’s everything I want, and her mouth is as sinfully delicious as I remember.
My hands leave her face to trace the curves of her body. I don’t rush, gliding my lips in time with hers, eager to learn what she likes. She pushes her chest against my body while my fingers skim the hem of her sweater until they brush the outsides of her thighs. The big sweaters and sweatshirts she wears are a tease, because I know the sexy little body she hides beneath. My hands run up her sides, and I delight in the touch of her soft, warm skin. She must like it too because her lips part on a groan. The sound ignites my already fueling passion; I don’t hold back.
She grips my shirt and shoves the fabric up my abs. My tongue runs across her bottom lip and the silver ring that drives me crazy. Mr. Trent hardens painfully in my jeans at the promise of finally getting naked with the object of his obsession, but I remind myself to breathe and enjoy the simple rush from first touches and stolen kisses. I need this to be good for her, too. She’s nothing like the groupies who come for a quick ride. Lexi’s pleasure is my ultimate goal.
Our lips part and I pull my shirt the rest of the way off. “You, too.” I lift my gaze, and I’m left biting my lower lip when she grabs the edge of her sweater and peels it off her body to drop it to the floor. Her bra doesn’t do much for support. The green lacy triangles barely contain her breasts, and the outlines of her hard nipples show through. Her skin, so smooth and creamy, begs for my lips. I wonder if her panties match or if she’s not wearing any beneath those skimpy boy shorts.
“Fuck.” I toss my shirt toward one of the chairs.
Her lips, plump from kissing, part as she studies my bare chest. “When do you think the guys are coming back?” she says, lifting her eyes.
