Page 21 of Hearts Colliding
“Is this what you want?”
But whatever answer Alex had faded as Ryan crushed his mouth to his. Desperate to feel the warmth of another, for a connection if only for the briefest of times, he pressed his body against Ryan’s as the man kissed him with a heat and fervour that made his blood sing, his heart soar, his—
Alex gasped as he was shoved backwards. The rustle of the breeze, the crash of the waves, the shrieks of night birds, all rushed back in, but none was loud enough to drown out the scream of his shame as Ryan stared down at him, moonlight glittering in his eyes and illuminating the hard smirk lifting his lips.
“You need to be careful, out on the moor at night. You never know who you might meet. Goodnight, Alex.”
CHAPTERTWELVE
“Fuck. Fuck.Fuck.”
Alex glared at his phone. No signal, why was there never any damn signal? The rain battering against the roof of the car, and the wind rocking it from side to side, laughed at him.
He slumped back and rubbed at his sore eyes. Three nights of broken sleep since the public meeting — broken because he’d been jolted awake. Heart hammering, breathless and sweaty, his lips tingling from a hard kiss as the remnants of vivid and disturbing dreams fled, just out of reach… What hadn’t been out of reach had been his swollen, throbbing cock.
He stared out into the gloom, but couldn’t see much beyond the rain lashing at the windscreen. It’d been a bright, clear day when he’d all but run from the house, hours before, heading he didn’t know where, knowing he just needed to breathe. He’d forgotten how changeable the weather was in the West Country. Maybe Ryan had been right, about being away for too long. His lips pressed into a hard line. No,too longcould never be long enough.
Grabbing his Barbour from the back seat, with the other hand he pushed open the car door. The wind wrenched it from his hand and snatched at his coat, making it all but impossible to put on, but why bother when the second he’d stumbled out the torrential rain had soaked him.
Not one flat tyre, but two, and no way of calling out the breakdown service. What the hell was he going to do? Dotted around on the upland moors, hardy sheep munched on the tufty grass, oblivious to the rain tumbling from the storm grey sky in a biblical torrent. A passing car would surely give him a lift back to the New House. He screwed his eyes up against the wind and rain and looked back down the winding road that wasn’t much more than a rough track.Whatpassing car?
Scrambling back in, Alex checked his phone again. Still no signal. His options were to walk, but the house was a good ten miles away, and in the pounding rain and with the sky growing darker by the second, it was no option at all. All he could do was wait.
Switching the engine back on he set the heater to maximum, but it was losing the battle against the cold seeping into his bones. He shivered. Christ, it was supposed to be summer. Dragging his Barbour over him — at least the inside was dry — he closed his eyes. No option but to wait it out. Despite the cold, despite being wet through, his head slumped and rolled on the head rest as sleep stole over him.
Hard, loud banging forced its way into his jumbled, broken dream, dragging him awake. Alex swung his head from side to side, unsure for a moment where he was. The blinding headlight from a vehicle behind his flooded the car’s interior, making him scrunch his eyes against the glare. The banging on the roof turned to a rat-a-tat knocking on the steamed up window.
Somebody, thank god, had stopped, but Alex couldn’t make out who they were, their face hidden by a hood pulled up close around their head. He brought the window down.
“I’ve got a couple of flat tyres. Is there any way you could give me a lift to the New House, in Love’s Harbour?”
The coated, hooded figure huffed. “Get in.” They didn’t wait for a reply as they ran back to their vehicle.
Alex’s stomach knotted. He should say no, he should say he’d wait out the storm and make his own way back, he should— He gritted his teeth at the impatient blast of the horn and a rapid flash of headlights. “Fuck you, Ryan.” But as another gust, heavier than the last, assaulted his car, choice was something he didn’t have.
Ryan waited behind the wheel of the Land Rover. With the engine running, and his fingers drumming the steering wheel, he was impatient to be off.
Buckling up, Alex cast a glance at his saviour. He snorted. Like it or not, that’s exactly what Ryan was.
“What?” Ryan barked.
“Nothing.”
Without a further word, Ryan eased his way around the sports car stuck on the side of the narrow, upland road.
Alex kept his gaze fixed in front of him, determined to not let his eyes slide across to Ryan. His racing thoughts weren’t so easily harnessed.
That kiss. It was impossible not to think of it when the man was sitting just a hair’s breadth away… Alex bit down on his lower lip, closing his eyes for a second, reliving the moment his heart had soared, until Ryan’s cold eyed and knowing smirk had sent it crashing, leaving him belittled and exposed. If Ryan wasn’t going to mention what had happened up on the hill, then nor would he. But, there was something he did need to say, because he wouldn’t let Ryan throw it in his face.
“Thank you for stopping. I couldn’t get a signal on my phone and I was facing a night in the—”
“Simon East’s the local mechanic. If you’re incapable of changing a tyre he’ll sort you out.”
Alex bristled. “I’m more than capable.” But even as he said it, he wasn’t sure he was. “And anyway, two of the tyres are flat. Changing just the one would have been pointless.”
“Then it’s lucky I was passing, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was. And I have said thank you.”
