Page 39 of Hard To Stay

She wrapped her arms around the back of my neck. The smell of her floral perfume had my dick coming back to life. The silky material under my hands only made matters worse. “That you are.” She giggled, purposely rubbing up against my new semi.

“So, how much contact do you have with these male models?” I asked, roaming my hands up and down her back.

She laughed, sending a shot straight to my chest. It was so warm and happy and it felt great knowing I was responsible for it. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m not attracted to guys who have to wear makeup and have their hair done. I prefer a real man with a six-pack and strong arms.” She ran her hands from my shoulders down my arms before giving me a tight squeeze making her point.

I took her bottom lip between my teeth. “That’s good to hear.”

“Brad!” Her eyes were wide, and I loved the fact that I could get such a reaction out of her. “You’re going to have my lip-gloss all over your mouth. I would hate to think what the guys at work would say about that.” She started to wipe my lips off with her thumb, but I brought it into my mouth and sucked on the tip.

Her mouth parted and I couldn’t help but stare at it. I could fantasize about that damn mouth all day. She sucked in a breath before she spoke. “You say, I’mtrouble.”

I reluctantly pulled away from her, trying to block out the desperation in her voice. This girl could not be more perfect. “We better get going before I make you late for work.”

She blinked those long, thick eyelashes at me. “Maybe I want to be late for work!”

“You’re going to kill me, woman.” I groaned, pulling on her hand, leading her to the doorway. She grabbed her purse off the table then locked the door behind her.

On our way downstairs, I couldn’t help but think about how much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Whatever this was between us I sure as hell knew that I didn’t want it to end.

Lexi’s phone started ringing in her purse. When she pulled it out, my insides tightened as Garrison’s name flashed across the screen. Without even thinking, I snatched the phone out of her hand and brought it up to my ear. “Don’t fucking call this number again!” I hit end, then handed the phone back to Lexi who was staring at me with her wide blue eyes popping out of her head.

“You did not just do that!”

“I sure as shit did. If he calls you again you tell me, got it?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re lucky I don’t like him.”

I stopped and turned, taking her chin in my hand. “You’re right. You’re lucky you don’t like him or we would have a big problem. I don’t know what you think happened last night, but I don’t plan on you doing that with anyone else.” I warned her. I was already possessive of Lexi as it was, and last night only intensified my feelings for her. She was under my skin and I planned on keeping her there.

She looked at me as if she was seeing me in a new light. “Great.” she rolled her eyes, letting out a dramatic sigh. “Now I have to cancel my date for later.”

I pulled her tight against my side, smacking her cute little behind as we made our way out the door of her building. The morning sun hit my face, making me wish I had brought my sunglasses. She rested her head against my shoulder and smiled up at me. The grin on my face should have been alarming, but I didn’t give a shit. I had her in my arms, looking at me like I hung the damn moon.

As soon as we stepped towards the sidewalk, I felt Lexi’s arms tighten around mine and her body went completely still. I didn’t have to look up to know why she was clinging to me like her life depended on it. There was only one person who could cause this type of reaction with her.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

I lifted my head and met the hard eyes of Colton Hunt. He was standing there with his arms folded across his chest looking like he owned the whole damned city.

There was the typical noise of taxis and pedestrians rushing by and a food vendor blaring salsa music setting up for the day, but everything inside my head went silent. It was as if I was watching everything in slow motion. He took a step toward us and I instinctively placed myself in front of Lexi, holding her tight against my back.

Colton grinned, his eyes were mocking me. If Lexi weren’t right behind me, frozen in place, I would have reached out and ripped his head off his shoulders.

“What do you want, Colton?” The sound of her low, weak voice sent a surge of anger charging through me.

He tilted his head to get a better view of her, which only encouraged me to move her further away from him.

“You know why I’m here, Alexis. I’ve waited long enough. It’s time you come home where you belong.”

Protectiveness swept over me. I wouldn’t allow him to frighten her anymore with his bullshit. “Lexi isn’t going anywhere with you, so you can march your ass right back to wherever the hell you came from.”

His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Detective Morgan, isn’t it?”

“You obviously know who the fuck I am, which means you should know there isn’t a chance in hell that I’m letting her anywhere near you!”

He took a slow, deliberate step towards me like he was struggling to control his temper. This was not the ideal situation for him. A very public scene would only tarnish his already shitty reputation. He was arrogantly pushing my buttons, which could only mean one thing. He was ready to take this to the next level.

“Mr. Morgan, let’s get something straight shall we? Lexi is my fiancée.”

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