Page 33 of Burning for Alexander
“Huh,” I breathed, intoxicated by his nearness.
“I’m not straight.”
I reached out a hand to grab the front of his shirt to keep from toppling into him as I leaned the rest of the way forward and shot my shot.
His lips were dry and soft, full and warm. I let out a little noise of apology but also not. Because I wasn’t really sorry.
Maybe I should have been, but I wanted to kiss him so fucking badly. And I wanted to be kissed. And four years was too long to spend in love with a memory.
Kincaid’s big hand clasped the back of my head and held me there while his lips took complete control of the kiss. It was strong and decisive like he was, and I realized then that I’d never kissed anyone like this. Someone who took complete control, was clearly stronger than I was. And who enflamed every fucking part of me from the jump.
When he pulled back, his eyes were dark and intense. “Fucking flammable.”
“What?” I breathed, feeling dizzy and untethered.
“Happy birthday, Marian,” he said as he backed away. “Andnext time you call in an anonymous tip, maybe remember the station house has caller ID.”
I blinked at him.
“Go see your family, Alex. They love you. And not everyone has that.”
I stared after him, face flaming, until he was long gone.
And then I went to see my family.
10
KINCAID
DrunkenPoet:Ever have one of those moments where you’re absolutely sure you’ve met someone before, but they act like they’ve never seen you in their life?
IndexEcho:Story of my life overseas. Everyone thinks all Americans look the same. Why?
_____________________
After kissingthe fuck out of Alex Marian, I quickly realized it was a mistake. Not because there wasn’t a spark there—that spark could have lit up the entire state of Montana—but because this man had already proven fickle once before.
He’d bailed on me in Amsterdam when someone better came along, and I had no intention of putting myself in that situation again. Despite how much I wanted him.
Not only that, but he was also currently under active permit suspension, which meant cavorting with him could be seen asinappropriate in my job. I had no intention of letting a one-night stand fuck with my career.
And it was clear Alex Marian wasn’t interested in more than a quick conquest anyway. He was playing with me, and I didn’t appreciate it.
The reasons to avoid him vastly outweighed the reasons to fuck him. And I needed to remember that.
I lasted one week, and then I decided two could play at his game.
“Please tell Mr. Marian I’m here for an inspection,” I told the hostess.
When Alex came out of the kitchen, his cheeks were already flushed dark pink. I wasn’t sure whether it was due to recalling the kiss or anger at yet another inspection.
In my defense, he was due for a random inspection, but to be fair, it didn’t have to be done by me. That was just a bonus to needle the guy.
“What do you want?” he asked. “Because we’re expecting a very large party for a special lunch event.”
“I’m here to follow up on the vent hood as well as check a few issues that will remain unnamed until after my inspection.” I raised an eyebrow in challenge. You didn’t get to have a list of what I was inspecting before a random inspection. That was the whole point.
He flapped a hand at the kitchen. “Fine. Then just get on with it, will you? We have work to do.”
