Seduction (Club Destiny) (6 page)

But they had
come too far for him to turn back now. Considering their history, and her
uncanny ability to keep him at a distance, Alex considered this progress.

Twenty minutes
later they were pulling into one of the gravel parking lots. At the crack of
dawn, only the very determined were out, so they weren’t going to have to worry
about finding a place to park. Selecting a spot closer to the trails entrance,
Alex pulled in and shut off the engine.

If he didn’t
know better, Alex would’ve thought the truck was on fire based on the way
Ashleigh bolted. After she took a swig of her water, she set the bottle in the
console between them, grabbed her iPod and was out the door.

He followed
suit, joining her at the front of the truck where she proceeded to stretch her
legs, continuing not to look at him.

He’d never been
the type to be self-conscious, and considering he had on a shirt, shorts and
shoes, he felt he was presentable. But the way she was avoiding him, he was
beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with him.

Insecure much?

Instead of
wondering what was bothering her, Alex did as he normally did. He asked.

Taking her
slender arm in his hand, he turned her so she was forced to look at him. When
the tips of her breasts brushed against his chest, he sucked in a breath,
realizing how close they were and the image of their kiss from the night before
replayed in his mind. Instead of giving her space, he crowded even closer,
inhaling her clean, fresh scent. Tipping her head toward him, Alex forced her
eyes to meet his.

“What’s wrong?”
He asked.

“Nothing.”

He might’ve
believed her if she hadn’t been so quick to answer.

Gently cupping
the side of her neck with his hand, he enjoyed the soft feel of her skin
against his fingertips. The gentle pulse in her neck was faster than he expected,
giving him a momentary rush. Despite her attempt to disguise her reaction, Alex
knew he affected her.

“Then why won’t
you look at me?” Keeping his fingers on her chin, his other hand cupping the
back of her neck, Alex fought the urge to kiss her right there in front of God
and everyone.

~~*~~

Ashleigh stared
back into the greenest eyes she’d ever seen.

Her reaction to
him was ridiculous on a grand scale. As though it hadn’t been hard enough to
make it through the night without dreaming about his hands on her, or the firm,
gentle stroke of his tongue in her mouth, he’d had to go and show up at her
house.

During the
drive, she’d had to accept that she was pleasantly surprised to see him, and
that had pissed her off. She didn’t want to look forward to seeing him, yet
here they were and once again, he was touching her.

After the
explosive chemistry that ignited between them the night before, she didn’t have
any illusions about what would happen between the two of them if she would just
give in. The way he stood in front of her now, his body so close, his hands so
gentle where they scraped against her skin, she knew that given half a chance,
she would probably do just that.

Her first
mistake of the day had been agreeing to go with him. Her second... climbing
into the small cab of his truck and breathing in the intoxicating scent of the
man. With his sinful voice washing over her as they drove, her body had come
alive, and for the first time in her adult life, she found herself wanting
something she knew she shouldn’t want.

But the whopper
of them all was standing here, her body pressed against his, their eyes locked
on one another and his presence consuming her.

 “I’m just
preoccupied.” She lied. She wasn’t looking at him because she wasn’t sure she
could control herself if she did.

Clad in a tight
black t-shirt and gray running shorts, Ashleigh was gifted with a view of the
man she hadn’t had before. Seeing so much of him should be off limits. Between
those powerful thighs and his thick, sinewy arms, Ashleigh had wondered briefly
if she would even be able to run. Every muscle in her body had turned to gooey
noodles, offering her very little support.

She dared to
look him in the eye, and the moment she locked onto those glowing emeralds, she
knew why. Along with the heat she saw reflected there, she also saw genuine
concern and to know that she had caused it didn’t make her feel any better.

“I’m fine.
Really.” She said unconvincingly. “It’s just…”

Just what? What
was she going to tell him?
It’s just that I can’t stop thinking about that
kiss? I can’t help but want to touch you. Everywhere.

Ummm… no.

She couldn’t
tell him that because Alex would likely play to her weakness and she would find
herself in his bed – or hers – only to end up wanting something she could never
have. Considering she could never say no to the man, she could in no way give
him the impression that she wanted him.

“I’m just
excited about the trail.” Wow, even she didn’t buy that one. “You ready?” She
pulled away from him.

Breaking the
contact was like unplugging from an electrical socket.

“Ready as I’ll
ever be,” he answered, looking somewhat disappointed.

Forcing her ear
buds into her ears, Ashleigh set out at a relaxed pace, needing to get warmed
up. Although thanks to Alex’s wicked touch, she was already pretty damn warm.

Later that
afternoon, Ashleigh was sitting on her back patio, her laptop in front of her,
and her mind drifting to places it shouldn’t be. The morning run had left her
invigorated, a restless energy pulsing through her. Alex had allowed her to
keep up with him, and although he tried to tell her that it had been the exact
opposite, she knew better.

They’d managed
the full nine miles in just under two hours, and Ashleigh was so wired, she
could have gone another nine. Instead, they had walked for a solid ten minutes
before returning to his truck.

When he dropped
her off at the house, they still hadn’t done a lot of talking. The energy had
been throbbing inside the small confines of the truck, and Ashleigh had been
forced to ignore it. And him.

Thankfully, when
they reached her house, Alex simply pulled into the driveway, shot her a
beaming smile that had her insides quivering, before telling her that he’d see
her later. And if she had been at all disappointed, she ignored that too.

Now as she sat
in front of her computer screen, desperately trying to keep her focus, her mind
kept wandering. The most pressing item on her mind – how Alex had forgotten
they had a date.

Although, for all
she knew, he could have figured the early morning run counted, but as far as
she was concerned, that wasn’t normally how dates went. Ok, so she didn’t have
much experience in the dating arena, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t how
they normally went. Having gone on her fair share, Ashleigh had had more first
dates than follow ups, so she certainly wasn’t an expert.

And it wasn’t as
though she were sitting there pining away for the man because she wasn’t. She
wasn’t! What did she care if this morning had been their date? It was nice.
Fun. Not what she expected, but it was what it was.

Alex was a
complex man, she knew that from experience. He was also busy with his company
and remarkably few people came before his precious CISS. Not that she blamed him
because he’d worked hard to build the company and if it meant to him what her
writing meant to her, she guarded it with her life.

So maybe he
hadn’t forgotten, maybe he was just busy. She should’ve been too, so what was
she sitting around complaining for? Could it be that she was anxious to see him
again? That would’ve been the complete opposite from how she felt just a week
ago.

Toggling back to
her Word document, she tried to focus on the words, tried to get her mind on
the story. It took only a few minutes before she was immersed in a new chapter,
fingers furiously flying over the keyboard.

So when her cell
phone chimed, signifying an incoming text, Ashleigh damn near came out of her
chair. Excitement fizzed through her veins as she anticipated who it might be.

Grabbing her
phone like it would run away, she used the touch screen buttons to get to the
text. Her chest bubbled up with anticipation when she saw the unfamiliar
number. Normally it would register the caller based on her address book.

She touched the
envelope to open the text.

We still on for
our date tonight?

Ok, so maybe he
hadn’t forgotten.

I thought this
morning counted as our date

Yes, she was
playing hard to get. Sue her. She waited impatiently for his response.

Not hardly

Unsure how to
respond to that, Ashleigh waited for him to continue.

Dinner sound
good?

Yes and no, she
thought. Yes, she was hungry. No, she didn’t think she could eat if she were
anywhere near Alex. He caused her body to flare up, and her insides to churn
which wasn’t conducive to digestion.

Since she
couldn’t very well tell him that, she simply answered
yes.

Good answer.

His reply made
her smile and her insides to riot.

You have two
choices.

Not what she
expected. Ashleigh didn’t want choices. If he gave her an out, she was likely
going to take it because in all honesty, Alex scared the bejesus out of her.

Dinner at my
house.

Ashleigh waited
patiently for the
or
. That option certainly wasn’t her first choice.

You get to
choose whether you drive over here or I pick you up

Well, hell. What
did she say to that? She’d already agreed to dinner, she couldn’t very well say
something had come up. Going to his house was definitely not a good idea. Too
many temptations.

The only option
would be for her to drive herself. At least that way, she would have the
opportunity to run out if things got too hot. Which she undoubtedly knew they
would.

I’ll drive
.

Committing to
what she knew would be the biggest mistake of her entire life, Ashleigh waited for
him to provide her with his address. She didn’t have to wait long before he
gave her the information that would get her there, as well as the time she was
expected. An hour.

Damn the man was
optimistic.

Although she had
showered earlier that day, she had yet to do anything with her hair or makeup.
If she was smart, she would throw on a pair of sweats and head over there as
is. That would teach him.

But no, she
wasn’t smart when it came to Alex, so she snatched up her cell phone and laptop
and high tailed it inside. She didn’t have much time.

***
~~ *** ~~ *** ~~ ***

Alex refused to
pace. Yet he was pacing.

Damn it.

Returning to the
kitchen, he checked the bread warming in the oven before heading out to the
back patio to check on the steaks. He expected Ashleigh to arrive any minute,
and he wanted everything to be perfect.

Using his best
dishes – he could thank his mother for those; one of the few things she’d ever
given him – he had set the table and retrieved a bottle of wine.

Now if Ashleigh
would show up, he’d have it made. Instead, he was awaiting her arrival like
some love struck teenager who had yet to go on a real date. That was so far
from the truth, Alex almost laughed. For a man who’d had his share of women
over the years, he should be used to this by now.

But this was
Ashleigh Thomas. The woman he had resisted for as long as he could remember on
principal alone. His friends liked to hound him about it, giving him shit
almost every day about the way he lusted after her, but had yet to
go
after her. Well, he was proving them wrong now, wasn’t he?

The doorbell
rang, and Alex steeled himself. Where the hell was the confidence he normally
exuded?

When he opened
the door, his breath hitched in his chest. Replaced was the woman from this
morning – filling out a pair of running shorts like no one could – with the
stunningly beautiful woman before him. The woman must have a penchant for tight
jeans that hugged her curvy hips, and those damn tight t-shirts that lovingly
clung to her magnificent breasts.

He’d never
envied a t-shirt until now.

“Hey.” She
greeted him and Alex realized he’d been staring at her like an idiot.

“Come in. You’re
just in time.” Stepping back so she could enter, Alex inhaled as she passed by,
once again, damn near getting high from her intoxicating scent.

“I didn’t know
what to bring, and I didn’t know what you were making, so… here.” Ashleigh
thrust a bottle of wine at him.

Alex reached for
the bottle, their fingers touching as he took it from her. Once again there was
an electrical current of awareness that passed between them. There was no way
she didn’t feel it, but from the look on her face, it hadn’t fazed her the way
it had him.