Page 2 of Baja
It’s the way he undresses me with those amber eyes, stripping me bare as if he can hear every thought running through my head.
It’s how he makes me feel in a way I have never felt before.
It’s been years since I have felt even a smidgen of attraction toward a man.
Now, here I am, lusting over a man I have no business thinking about in that way. Yet I can’t help but wonder what he thinks and sees when he looks at me.
Is it an attraction? Is it curiosity?I shake those thoughts away.
There is no way a man who looks like Baja could ever be interested in me. I’m too old. Too much of a mess. On top of all that, I’m a convicted felon. Not that Baja or anyone in the club would judge me for that, but I certainly would not be a first pick for a man like Baja when he’s surrounded by young, beautiful women daily. He probably pities me and my lonely existence. But why does the thought of Baja seeing me that way disappoint me?
Lifting my head, I stare at myself in the mirror, studying my reflection, and ask myself who this stranger is looking back at me. Over the years, I’ve lost so much of myself that I no longer recognize that woman in the reflection. The real Alice is inside her somewhere, though. I know she is. And she’s desperate to be set free. But I don’t know how to go about letting her free.
Blowing a breath, I turn the faucet on and let the cold water fill my palm before splashing some on my face. I repeat the process several times until I better handle my emotions. Not wanting Ophelia to think something is wrong and to come looking for me, so I quickly dab my face with a hand towel. After stealing one last glimpse at myself in the mirror, I open the door of the bathroom and come to a screeching halt.
Casually leaning against the wall across from me is Baja. Heat radiates from his eyes, filled with a look I can’t quite decipher. It’s a promise mixed with something else, and that something causes a prickling sensation in my core. Nervously, I run my tongue across my bottom lip and watch Baja’s nostrils flare and his pupils dilate.
2
BAJA
Alice stands in the doorway, unmoving, and I devour her with my eyes, letting my desire for her show. My gaze slowly drifts over her petite frame and how her wavy hair hangs loose around her heart-shaped face.This woman is so fucking beautiful.My dick has been hard since the moment she walked into the clubhouse tonight. We’ve shared heated glances from across the room all evening, igniting a fire in me that only she can extinguish. By the intense look in her eyes, Alice clearly feels the magnetic pull between us.
“Come here,” I murmur, my voice low and thick, my want for her gnawing at me like a caged beast.
Her eyes drift down the hallway, then back at me as I watch the urge to flee burn in her eyes.
I push off from the wall, my heartbeat quickening as I close the distance between us. The hallway is hidden in shadows, but even in the low light, I see every nuance of her face—the flush of her cheeks and the intensity of her gaze, ablaze with a need that matches mine.
I press my hand against her waist, drawing her closer. The warmth radiates from her body like a comforting fire. I peerdown at her, searching for a flicker of doubt. “Tell me you don’t want this…” I challenge, my voice low and rough, “… and I’ll walk away.”
Her eyes reflect the internal battle she’s waging with herself as she keeps her gaze on me. Alice closes her eyes before saying, “I… I don’t know.”
She’s lying to herself.
I know it.
She knows it.
Still, I need to hear the words.
“Look at me.” I close the few inches of gap between us, my hand sliding into her hair, my fingers tangling in the silky strands. I tilt her head back until our lips are almost touching, feeling the rush of her breath against my mouth. “It matters. Tell me what you want, and let me be the one who gives it to you.” I want to taste her so fucking badly but won’t until she says yes.
Alice looks around, fearing someone might see us. “Right now?” she asks.
“Right. Now.What do you want?” I feel myself hanging on every breath she takes.
“I…” she pauses, clearly fighting her own battle. “I want you to kiss me,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper.
The second the words are spoken, my mouth crashes down on hers. I don’t give her time to second guess her feelings or convince herself this is a bad idea. For now, those walls she keeps up are down, and I’m about to show Alice how good things can be when she lets herself go.
And fuck if she’s not magnificent when she does.
The kiss is electric, fueled by the pent-up tension between us. My hands wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against me. The music in the background fades, the hum of conversation burring into nothingness. At this moment, all that matters is her. She is the center of everything, and nothing comes close.
Alice kisses me back fiercely, with a hunger matching my own. Her fingers slip beneath the hem of my shirt, her palms warm as they spread across my abdomen, igniting every nerve in my body. She moans, and I deepen the kiss, losing myself in how she melts against me.
The woman is intoxicating, like a powerful drug coursing through my veins, a euphoric high I never want to come down from.
