LITMIR.BIZ

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on her feet.

      What she and Hayes had going on was as simple as it was complicated. Bringing her son into the mix, other than just speaking of him and showing off pictures, was just another layer of intimacy that probably wasn’t a smart idea.

      This was all so temporary. She definitely wasn’t ready to bring anyone home to meet her son or step up to play Daddy.

      “The rain has slowed.”

      Alexa glanced over her shoulder. Hayes came into the room wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. “You lose your clothes in the rain?”

      He hooked his thumbs in his briefs and stripped them off as well. Oh, mercy. That man had some serious confidence, and for good reason. All of those well-defined muscles, lean hips, broad shoulders, the smattering of hair across his chest, and that ink she’d all too happily traced with her tongue earlier... Honestly, if she looked half as sexy as he did, she’d parade around naked, as well. Alas, she had dips and curves and dimples in places that were not attractive. Yet Hayes made her feel exactly the opposite. And desired.

      The man definitely made her feel desired.

      “I put my clothes in the utility room since they were soaked. Figured you wouldn’t mind.”

      “Not a bit.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to calm her heart. “What are we doing, though?”

      He continued coming toward her. “I plan on messing up that bed you just straightened.”

      Those big firm hands slid around her waist. Every time her body lined up with his, she couldn’t help but think how perfectly they felt together. Why did something so temporary feel so right, so comfortable?

      Were her mind and her hormones playing tricks on her? Even though it had been a couple of years since she’d become a widow, was Hayes the rebound guy?

      “I’m not asking for more, but this is all we are, right?” she asked. “After I leave, we’re done.”

      The muscle clenched in his jaw as he lined their hips up and palmed her backside. “But you’re not leaving yet.”

      If he was trying to throw her off by dodging her question, it was working. “Do you ever get tired?” she joked.

      He nipped her lips. “Oh, I’m tired. I plan on crawling into this bed and holding you until I get my stamina back.”

      Her heart ached. She hadn’t slept in a bed with a man other than her husband. “Um...maybe I should sleep in the spare room.”

      And that was really saying something about her fear of becoming too attached or pretending to play house. The man was wearing nothing and she had on only his shirt as he ground against her...and she was making plans to sleep elsewhere.

      “Is that what you want?” he asked, easing back to look her in the eye.

      Alexa swallowed. “I have no clue, to be honest. I haven’t slept in the same bed with a man since my husband died.”

      Something dark slid across his eyes. “I wouldn’t make you do anything. You want to sleep somewhere else, then I’ll get the bed ready. You’re in control here.”

      Was she? Because this all felt eerily out of control and spiraling into something she was neither ready for nor could wrap her mind around. Since meeting him in the stables, everything had snowballed. It was almost like she was watching this all happen to someone else.

      Placing her hands on his shoulders, Alexa stared at the difference between their skin tones, hers dusky and his lighter. They might be completely opposite in their lifestyles, their upbringings, pretty much everything. But Hayes seemed to get her, to understand her need for space, and how could she not find that even more attractive than just the physical package?

      “Why don’t we watch a movie? Could we do something simple like that?”

      Raking his hands up her sides, pulling the shirt with them, he let out a soft laugh before stepping back and dropping the material back in place.

      “Sure, on two conditions.”

      “What’s that?”

      He nodded toward the bed. “We lie right there and you wear nothing.”

      Alexa opened her mouth, but Hayes held his hands up, palms out. “That’s all. Anything that happens beyond that is your call.”

      “You think we’re going to lie there naked and nothing will happen?”

      Hayes leaned forward enough to brush his lips against hers. “I said you were in charge. I never said nothing wouldn’t happen.”

      Yeah, well, there was only so much a woman could take and Hayes had already proven he was well beyond her breaking point.

      “You fight dirty,” she muttered as she turned toward the bed and jerked the T-shirt over her head.

      She was treated with a smack on her bare backside and a deep laugh.

      One hour later, the movie still hadn’t captured her interest. How could it? The man was not playing fair. Oh, he hadn’t so much as touched her. He remained across the king-size bed with the sheet draped over his hips, just low enough to torment her. He’d propped pillows up and crossed his arms behind his head, showcasing ripped arms and a mouth-watering chest.

      But even when the oversize footboard procured a gigantic flat screen at just the touch of a button, she still hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything other than the dangerous game they were playing.

      At the time, she wondered if he was just going to lie there, but he’d put on some new movie she’d never seen and hadn’t said one word. Not one. He hadn’t looked her way or “accidentally” brushed a hand in her direction.

      For the past hour, Alexa had lain on the other side of the bed with an ache. Her bare skin slid over his sheets each time she shifted. She was seriously trying to hold still. The last thing he needed was to realize just how much this little cat and mouse game affected her.

      Fine. If he wanted to play, then she was about to bring her A game.

      Alexa pushed the sheet aside and eased from the bed. As she crossed the room toward the bathroom, she didn’t so much as look his way, but she most definitely sucked her belly in and attempted to look somewhat fit and sexy. Not an easy feat when the only workout she received was chasing her kids in the classroom and giving Mason piggyback rides.

      From the corner of her eye, she noted Hayes’s attention following her as she entered the master bath. Once inside, she stood there for just a moment and simply stared straight ahead at the large soaker tub on the far wall. She had nothing to do in here, but she wasn’t going to just lie in that damn bed and let him drive her out of her ever-loving mind.

      Bare feet slid over the tile floor behind her. Before she could turn, strong arms banded around her midsection. Alexa found herself hauled back against a very chiseled, very firm chest. She couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across her face.

      “I thought I was in control and calling the shots,” she reminded him.

      Hayes’s lips nuzzled her neck, causing goose bumps to race over her skin.

      “Oh, you did call the shots when you strutted by me,” he murmured in her ear. “You lay beside me shifting those legs, trying to ignore that ache. So here I am.”

      She should’ve known he’d see through her. Still, if this was her punishment, she welcomed the discipline...she was on borrowed time, after all.

      Hayes’s hand splayed across her stomach. His other slid up to cup her chin and turn her head just enough to look at him. But she didn’t get a chance before his mouth crashed down onto hers. That hand on her belly went lower and Alexa whimpered.

      The moment he touched her where she’d been aching for the last hour, Alexa nearly slid to the floor. Her knees weakened as every one of her senses was assaulted in the most glorious of ways.

      Hayes

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