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“Why are we doing this, Alex?” She really wanted to know

The kiss they shared last night was as unexpected as it was riveting Having hi with her, had been overwhel to converse over dinner when it was clear the only thing going on between them was a little che, Alex surprised her by pushing back his chair and taking his plate to the kitchen Feeling like she had brought the black cloud over their atte up her dishes as well

Depositing theh stopped to look at hierator, she waited

And waited

Instead of talking to her, he apparently decided to ignore her altogether Proven when he opened the beer then continued out onto the back porch leaving her staring after hi he needed a little space, and she wasn’t opposed to the idea either, not to h busied herself with cleaning the dishes and putting the as she hoped and she found herself fidgeting as she looked from the back door then back to the wall What the hell was she supposed to do now?

If she was s Alex to his temper tantrum She should pretend this never happened and do her level best to forget what it felt like to kiss Alex McDer shorts and a tight t-shirt And forget that, for most of her adult life, she had lusted after this man

Since that wasn’t likely to happen, she did what her heart warned her not to do She turned on her heel and storht

“Thank you for dinner” Ashleigh stated as the door clicked shut behind her

She fully intended to tell hioodbye and then be on her ed up frolance her way He didn’t look happy, and that tiny spark was doused the hty then” Shesouess I’ll be seeing ya” With that Ashleigh turned to go

“Wait” Alex’s voice broke the silence and had Ashleigh stopping in her tracks

She had one hand on the door knob, ready to haul ass and pretend this night never happened – pretend the entire day had never happened Instead, she stood there, anticipating what he would say next To her dismay, he didn’t continue, and with a suddenly heavy heart, she knew there was nothing left to say

They had given it a shot, Alex even more so After years and years of the chase, apparently the next step wasn’t all that he thought it would be She turned the knob and took one step inside before she was abruptly pulled backward, Alex’s solid body colliding with her back, his arht was erased from herher against him and all of the pent up frustration burst free when his mouth collided with hers

Lips, firet lost in his kiss Wrapping her ar she had ever held back ca her breathless and aching for thisher hands into the hair at his nape, she let the silky, cool strands caress her fingertips When he backed her against the rough stone of the house, his erection pressing intihio

When he cupped her face in a gentle, tender gesture, Ashleigh fought to maintain control The heat she could handle The inferno erupting between them was familiar, expected, but the way he touched her, held her close, was more than she expected More than she wanted When he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, Ashleigh tried to breathe norainst her cheek

“For what?” She didn’t want apologies, she wanted to go ho this aard”

“Well, I think it’s safe to say it’s not your fault”

“In a way, it was” Alex pulled away, taking her hand in his and walking toward the steps that led down into the yard When he stopped and sat, she had no choice but to follow suit

“I’ve waited a long tih sat er, much warmer one The deep ru over her skin and the re