Page 25 of My Kinda Mess (Summer Sisters 4)

“I’m already going out. No sense in you putting on shoes to run down the hall and throw out a bag of trash.”

“Well, uh, thanks for stopping by.” OMG, stupid. Why’d you say that!? The look on his face is a cross between amusement and exhilaration. “Well, you know. Sorry about the disturbance.”

Bringing his face close to mine (so, so freaking close), I allow myself the briefest moment of weakness and drink him in. His scent, the lines on his face, the way his lips curl upward just the slightest, and the way his dark eyes devour me from head to toe, everything about him makes me want to stand up and beg.

“I’m not. Tonight might have been one of the best nights of my life. But you wanna know what would make it better?”

Suddenly, too parched to speak, I just shake my head.

“If I could steal a kiss from the prettiest girl in town.”

“You know Mrs. Williams down on the first floor? She used to be Miss West Virginia back in 1942,” I reply, trying so hard to suppress my smile.

“Hmmm, I’m sure Mrs. Williams was hot in her time, but I was thinking of someone a little younger. Someone with brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. Someone who’s feisty, stubborn, lives really close to me, and has a smart mouth. Damn, smart asses really turn me on.”

“Should I be insulted that you called me stubborn?”

“Would you prefer persistent?”

“I’d prefer you not to think of me at all.”

“See, Firecracker, I don’t believe you. Your eyes and the way your throat bobs give you away. I think you like it when I think of you, knowing that you’re consuming my thoughts and monopolizing all of my dreams. Because fuck, Firecracker, I think about you constantly. All. The. Damn. Time.”

“You do?” I whisper, completely enthralled in the conviction of his words.

“Fuck yes, I do.” Straightening up, he looks down at me from his full height. “I’ll see you soon, Lexi. And then I’m going to get that kiss.”

My heart skitters and stammers in my chest, making it entirely hard to think straight. Just the thought of kissing those full lips makes my heart race and my panties wet. Should I be thinking about kissing my neighbor, especially since I’m no closer to being divorced than the last time I saw him? Hell no. Do I want him to kiss me and make me forget about all of the BS that’s weighing me down in my life? Hell. Yes.

Where do I sign up for that?

Before I can throw caution to the wind and my legs in the air, Linkin pulls my door open. Just as he does, a fist raps on his chest, making a weird thumping noise.

“Alexis?”

The sound of my name, coming from the person speaking it, makes my blood run cold and dread fill my body.

“Chris, what are you doing here?”

“Coming to see you,” he says, glancing between me and Linkin.

“Why?”

“I wanted to discuss these papers with you,” he says, pulling a wrinkled envelope from inside his jacket.

“At nearly midnight? There’s nothing to discuss. Just sign them,” I tell him, feeling the tension rolling off Linkin.

“No. I won’t sign them. I don’t want a divorce.”

“I’m sorry, Chris, but I do.”

“We can work this out, Alexis. I know it. Just let me in. I don’t even care if you’ve been…entertaining a friend.” The look Chris gives Linkin makes my stomach turn. It’s full of disdain and hatred. But Linkin doesn’t seem to care one bit. In fact, he sets the bag down on the floor, crosses his arms over his chest, and smirks at him. But it’s not the smirk he usually throws at me. This one speaks of annoyance and indifference.

“No, Chris. You need to leave,” I state with conviction.

“Why? Because you’re seeing someone? You just left and you’re already screwing another man? While we’re married? Were you screwing him behind my back the whole time? Is that it?”

“Blow balls, Chris,” I seethe through gritted teeth.

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