Page 73 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

Tiptoeing out, I quietly closed the door behind me, then made a dash for it, breathing a sigh of relief when I reached the safety of my room. I was about to turn my door handle when a voice startled me from behind.

“My shower broke this morning.”

I froze, practically turning into a human statue. He must have possessed stealthy, ninja-like abilities, because I didn’t even hear him approach.

“Thought the spare bathroom was empty. Lights were off, shower wasn’t running.”

I slowly turned around, my breath hitching when I saw him, fully clothed, wearing those glasses. My damp towel was slung over his shoulder, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“Imagine my surprise. There you were, watching me getting turned on.”

I was having difficulty breathing again.

Alec slowly sauntered toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. He stopped right in front of me, making me hyper-aware of my still-wet body, molded to his soaked white shirt. My brain sternly instructed my mouth to say something,anything, but I was incapable of forming a logical thought, let alone a sentence.

“I think you’ve got something of mine.” His voice, low and husky, made goosebumps pop all over my skin. “And I think,” he went on, his hands reaching out to undo those two flimsy buttons, “I’d like it back.”

My skin felt like it was ablaze, every nerve ending on my body screaming and begging for him to touch me. I sucked in a breath when his fingers skimmed my shoulders, easing the shirt off, letting it drop to the floor. The shivers weren’t from the cool air on my skin, but from his warm skin on mine. And because I was now standing stark naked in front of him while his gaze roamed all over me, feasting, the hunger in his eyes palpable.

“You’re beautiful.” His voice was gruff. “Perfect.”

My brain was frantic, waving the Stay on Track Plan while yelling loudly through a bullhorn.He’s interested in someone else. STEP AWAY FROM THE MAN RIGHT NOW!

“We can’t.”

There was confusion in his hooded eyes. “Why?”

“You. Like. Someone. Else,” I whispered, my mouth struggling to get the words out.

Alec stared at me, his clouded eyes fighting an internal battle. “I don’t,” he finally said, as his hands took their time draping the towel around me, grazing my arms and shoulders, sending a raging inferno throughout my body, all the way to my toes.

I sucked in a breath. “What… do you mean?”

His fingers curled, tucking the ends of the towel. “There’s no one else.”

“But… all those late-night phone calls,” I croaked out. “Yousaid you’re interested in someone else… you had your eyes on another girl. Your potential girlfriend. The one that you’re taking things slow with. That cute brunette…”

“I don’t know which brunette you’re talking about.” He skimmed one feather-light finger, a whisper of a touch at the top of my cleavage, and I suppressed a shiver. “There’s no brunette. There’s no one else. I was talking about you. It was always you, Ellie.”

That’s it.I was done for. Fire—or very likely, madness—flew through my veins. I caught his hand while untucking the towel with my other hand, letting it tumble to the floor.

Alec hissed a breath. “What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, I pulled him closer, pressing his body to mine.

His eyes burned hotter than molten lava. He looked like he was holding on to the final shred of his self-control, those eyes asking me,Are you sure?

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Let me be very clear.” His voice was low, throaty. “I’m about to kiss you. And once I start, I won’t be able to stop. If you don’t want that to happen, you better tell me right now.”

My answer was to grasp his other hand and place it over my chest.

That last bit of control in his eyes snapped. With a loud groan, he crushed his mouth onto mine, pushing me against my bedroom door. I slipped my hands under his T-shirt, touching him everywhere, humming with pleasure when I felt him growing harder against my stomach. One of his hands stroked and worshipped my breast, while the other hand—oh God, the other hand—mercilessly teased me down there.

This was unreal. Beyond my wildest fantasies. I was naked against my bedroom door, and an eager participant in a frenzied make-out session with my fake boyfriend, like a couple of hornyteenagers. All I had to do was reach behind me, turn the handle, and we could be on my bed within seconds.

So I did.

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