Page 67 of Adoring Alejandro

Just as he’d already claimed her heart.

By the time she pulled her car up to Happy Jack’s she was thrumming with unspent nervous energy. She was so caught up in her thoughts it took her a moment to realize…that parking lot was empty. On a Thursday night.

“That’s not weird,” she mumbled to herself while getting out of her car. Yeah, it was weird, but AJ said to be there, so there she was.

Dragging in a long, slow breath of humid evening air, she pulled on the handle, opening the door, and striding inside. Shoulders back, head up, eyes wide.

No more hiding.

The place was a ghost town.

Empty.

Except for the gorgeous man standing in the middle of the room.

Dressed in a simple light blue button down, it’s long sleeves barely containing his shoulders and arms. The material stretched across his chest, and was tucked in around his trim waist. His long, thick legs were encased in a pair of dark designer jeans. On his feet were shiny black dress shoes. She dragged her gaze from his hard, tight body to take in the rest of him. And he stood there, letting her look her fill.

His black hair was styled, his naturally wavy locks brushed to one side and a single large curl looped over his forehead. His slight five o’clock shadow framed a face so handsome, she sighed. His green eyes were bright and intense, staring at her, waiting for her.

Tension roiled through her, tightening her chest.

Speak!

“Where is everyone?”

He laughed, rubbing at the back of neck nervously, a coy smile on his beautiful face. “Sly did me a favor. I wanted us to be alone someplace we both enjoyed.”

“Well, um…I’m here,” she bleated, nerves stealing the iron from her voice.

He smirked, taking a step toward her. “I can see that. Thank you for coming.”

“We’re you scared I wouldn’t?”

He took another step closer and chuckled. Warmed by the sound, she took a step closer to him, her body hungry to be near his. Drawn to him as she always was.

“Actually, I was terrified. I had no idea if you’d actually get the email, or that you’d even read it. After all the shit I’ve done to you, how I’ve made you feel, I was almost certain you’d block me and tell me to fuck off.”

Step in step with one another, they finally stopped beside the bar. A lonely box sat there.

Her heart ached for him, his words hitting her deep. He was as twisted up as she was.

“I wouldn’t do that—well, the blocking part. I’ve definitely cursed your name a few times already today.”

He nodded, a wry grin on his face. “I don’t blame you. I’ve wanted to punch myself a few times this week. Thankfully, Blaze and Sly were there to do it for me.”

She snorted, laughing. “Why aren’t there any bruises?”

He chuckled, shrugging. “They’re under the clothes.”

Spears of heat pierced her, filling her with dark want. She knew, intimately, what was beneath his clothes, and from the way his eyes grew heavy, he remembered what was under hers, too.

“Hold that thought,” he said huskily, thrusting the white box into her hand. Startled, she took it, staring down at it with wide eyes. Perplexed and yet utterly curious, she lifted her gaze to his. “I meant to give this to you this last Friday night, but…well, things got a little carried away.”

Remembering just what he meant, her core throbbed. She clenched her thighs together to stave off the worst of it, and barely met his gaze.

When she did, all needful heat rushed from her body.

Fear. Uncertainty. His eyes were glimmering with a vulnerability she’d seen only once before…that first day she’d seen him for the first time. He didn’t know anyone was looking, but she watched him as he watched a newly married couple who were in the office to conference about their home build. AJ looked at them like they had all the answers in the universe. In that moment, Maeve had witnessed him unguarded. Raw, broken.

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