Taming Alec(5)

When I felt his fingers under my chin, I sucked in a shocked breath. He lifted my face so that I was staring at him again.

“You’re easily embarrassed, aren’t you?” He glanced down my body and then back up to meet my eyes. “Let me guess. I bet you work at a church or do something saintly like that.”

“Why would you think that?”

“You hit me as the saintly type. Plus, if you wore any more clothes, you could be a nun.”

I glanced down at my outfit. It was the same thing I’d worn to work—a white button-down shirt with loose-fitting dress pants. I didn’t think I looked saintly. Professional? Yes. Saintly? No.

“What’s so saintly about my clothes?” I asked defiantly.

“There’s just so many of them.” He grinned. “So, am I right about your job?”

I stuck my chin up in defiance, and he let go of me.

“I’m a teacher.”

He whistled softly. “Damn. If teachers looked like you when I was in school, I might have shown up to class more often.”

I rolled my eyes, unable to stop myself. “That has to be the dumbest line I’ve ever heard.”

“But I bet you’ve heard it before, haven’t you?” he asked.

“Actually, I haven’t. I don’t normally talk to guys long enough to deal with this kind of crap.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” he mumbled.

I sighed in defeat, realizing just how dumb Arie’s plan was. There was no way I could flirt with a man like this.

“Look, I just wanted to apologize. Now that I have, I’m going back to my apartment. We’re neighbors now, and I didn’t want things to be awkward.”

I turned to leave, but he reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Why don’t you come inside and have a drink with me?”

My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Well, I kind of need to go. I have to be up early tomorrow, and I didn’t get much sleep last night.” I gave him a pointed look, letting him know that he was the reason I was sleep deprived.

He grinned. “Come on, one drink isn’t going to take that long. I’m curious to know more about you, Rebecca.”

I hesitated before finally nodding. “All right, one drink, but then I’m gone.”

“Fair enough.” He released me and stepped back.

I walked past him, and I looked around his apartment as he shut the door behind me. I was careful not to even glance at his couch because I knew my cheeks would flame the moment I looked at it. His apartment was set up exactly the same as mine. Even our furniture was the same. I grinned when I saw his white appliances.

My mother wouldn’t approve.

He walked past me and into the kitchen, motioning for me to follow him. I couldn’t help but stare at his ass as I walked behind him. It seemed like my mind would go straight to sex every time I laid eyes on him. I shook my head to clear it as he opened the fridge.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Huh?” I said, my mind still in an awkward place.

He turned to look at me, and if his smirk was any indication, he’d obviously noticed my red face. “To drink. What do you want to drink?”

“Uh…soda is fine,” I mumbled as I sat down at his kitchen table.

He frowned. “No alcohol?”

I shook my head. “I don’t really drink.”

He turned back to the refrigerator. “Again, why am I not surprised?”

I watched as he grabbed a soda for me and a beer for himself. He walked over and sat directly across from me at the table.

He popped the top on my soda and slid the can across the table to me. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

We stared at each other. I felt more and more awkward as the seconds ticked by. I had no idea what to say to him. When it came to one-on-one conversations, I wasn’t good with people, especially men.

“So,” he started, “tell me about yourself, Rebecca.”

I loved the way he said my name. With his deep voice, he could make anything sound sexual, even a word as simple as my name.

“There isn’t much to tell,” I said before taking a sip of my soda.

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

As I bit my lip, I noticed that his eyes settled on my mouth. I wanted to grin. Maybe flirting wouldn’t be that hard after all. It seemed as if his mind was always focused on sex.

“Well, you already know I’m a teacher. I just graduated last spring. My parents are divorced. My dad is a lawyer in Washington State, and my mother is a doctor. She lives in Morgantown, too.”

“What do you teach?” he asked.

“History at the high school.”

“How was your first day?”

“Um…okay, I guess.” I had no idea why he even cared. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you have a job?”

“Yeah, I own a bar a few blocks away. I’m usually the one behind the bar. From time to time, I also sing and play guitar on stage. I like working there, but it has shit hours. Plus, the boss is a dick.” He grinned.

For some reason, I wasn’t surprised that Alec was a bartender or that he was a musician. Both suited him and his personality. He could work while picking up women, allowing his ego to thrive all in one place. But I was shocked to learn that he owned the bar. He didn’t look like he was much older than me. I had no idea how to run a business, but I knew it couldn’t be easy.