Alex moved her hands to either side of his face and pulled him toward her. She kissed him lightly on his forehead, then his nose, and then his mouth. “I don’t care,” she said against his lips before plunging her tongue into his mouth and squeezing him tight with her legs.
Chapter12
Friday Ups and Downs
Fin woketo the sound of water running. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in Alex’s bedroom. The closed bathroom door muffled the running water of the shower.
She’d surprised him last night by taking the lead. His intention in coming over had been to make sure she was okay with him staying so close to her for the rest of his trip, not wind up in her bedroom. When she had reached for his pants, he’d halted her. He hadn’t been prepared for this and didn’t have any protection. No worries, she had told him, and had proceeded to withdraw a box of condoms from her nightstand drawer. She had informed him that she never relied on someone else to look out for her well-being.
Fin stretched, then tucked his hands behind his head as he remembered their activities last night. Alex had been a delightful combination of shyness and adventure. He could tell when they wandered into areas new to her by the way she grew timid and let him lead. Then she would join in with enthusiasm and had even taken control a few times. The night had been a mix of slow, sensual lovemaking and fast, furious sex with languid bouts of quiet talk between. They had made a sizable dent in her condom stash. He made a mental note to buy some more.
Recounting the memories from last night stirred thoughts of joining her in the shower. He moved to do so when the clock on her nightstand caught his attention. Why was she up at such a deplorable hour? It occurred to him then that she was getting ready for work. And had an important meeting this morning, which she had mentioned during one of their quieter periods last night. A distraction this morning might not be appreciated.
He sighed and decided it was time to find coffee. He located his sweatpants discarded on the floor, pulled them on, and headed to the kitchen.
Fin had finally managed to pour himself a cup of coffee when Alex walked into the room. She was dressed to kill in an ebony pencil skirt and matching jacket. The blouse underneath the jacket was a shock of purplish-blue color, reminding him of the Scots bluebells from back home.
“Your coffee machine is fantastic, but your selection is abysmal,” he said by way of greeting.
She laughed. “Yeah, that machine mostly sees hot chocolate. Any coffee you found was left over from a family visit.” She walked up to him, sliding her hands up his bare chest and around his neck. “Good morning, handsome.” She kissed him lightly, and when it threatened to turn into something deeper, pushed away. “My god, you’re addictive. How can a simple good morning kiss make me want to throw you down and have my way with you?”
Fin’s body was already reacting to the kiss, but the suggestion of her ravishing him had everything standing to attention. She noticed and gave him a wry look. He told her, “Aye, you’re not the only one with thoughts along that line.” He grinned sheepishly and placed the second coffee cup he’d retrieved earlier back into the cabinet. “The only reason you didn’t wind up with company in the shower was because I remembered your morning meeting.”
Her eyes widened and he thought for a minute he had said something wrong before she responded quietly, “That’s incredibly thoughtful of you, Fin. You’re not what I expected a celebrity to be. At all.”
He leaned against the counter and sipped his drink, watching as she moved into the living room and surveyed the damage from last night. Her face went pink as she picked up the trail of clothing they had left in their wake.
“I’ve got to run. You okay to show yourself out?” she asked.
“Aye, I can do that.”
“Okay, there’s a spare key hanging on the rack in the laundry room. If you don’t mind, lock the deadbolt behind you and I’ll get the key back from you later.” She gathered her computer bag and purse but stopped as her gaze landed on the abandoned snack tray from last night.
As she moved toward the tray, he told her, “Leave it, Alex. I’ll clean up before I go.”
She stopped and looked at him. “So, you’re good in bed, thoughtful in the morning,andyou clean up? Am I in one of those Hollywood movies where everything is perfect?” She laughed as she tossed his shirt to him. “I’m so sorry I have to run off. Next time, let’s do breakfast,” she said, before turning bright red. “Um, I mean… boy, that was presumptuous of me.”
Fin walked to her and kissed her forehead. “Not presumptuous. I am definitely up for breakfast next time. Now go, before you’re late.”
As soon as she left, Fin picked up the room and put their dishes in the dishwasher. He finished his coffee, then moved into the bedroom and straightened up in there as well. He wandered into Alex’s bathroom and looked around. It still smelled like her, fresh from the shower. He spotted her makeup bag and was surprised at how much she possessed. He hadn’t thought she wore enough makeup to have a bag that full. And… now he felt nosy.
He switched off the bathroom light and turned to go. As he was leaving the bedroom, he spotted the black dress from Wednesday night crumpled up in the corner chair. Fin retrieved it and headed in search of the utility room. A plaintive meow caught his attention, and he spotted Felix looking mournfully at his empty food dish.
“Did we forget about you, buddy?” Fin picked up the cat, scratching his ears as he checked the cupboard for cat food. “I appreciate the assist you gave me last night by being discreet and staying hidden. Ye’re a good wingman.”
Fin found the food, read the directions for serving size, and filled the cat’s dish. He located a pen and paper, then left a message on the counter letting Alex know he’d fed her cat and had her dress. He found the keys, locked up, and headed back to his new temporary home.
“Alex.”Alex looked up at the mention of her name. Her boss stood in the doorway with some papers in his hand.
“Hey, Frank. What’s up?”
“I reviewed your project proposal last night and forwarded it to Jeff. He wants to meet with us this morning to review it.”
“Holy crap, that was fast.” Alex blinked up at him. When Frank raised his eyebrows at her, she asked, “He wants to meet right now?”
“Yes. He wants to discuss a few points, and he’s aware of the tight deadline to add it to the budget, so are you available? Because he won’t be if we don’t get up there now… he’s got a meeting in thirty minutes and is booked the rest of today.”
“Okay. I need to have Grace reschedule something.” She paused. “What do I need to bring? Never mind… I’ll bring my laptop so I’ll have everything.”
