Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(69)

“I’m worried about her,” I whispered, watching her legs twitch.

Alex’s gaze moved to her fidgety form. Frowning deeply, he shook his head. “She was stupid tonight.”

“You don’t understand her,” I whispered. “She needs…” I bit my bottom lip, unable to find the words to convey why Evelyn did the things she did without making her sound like a slut.

Though I knew Alex was right, she had been stupid tonight, I also recognized how lonely she was, still suffering from the loss of Jami. It was how she dealt with it, using men—using her body to fill the loss. It was how she kept going.

“No,” he said flatly. “I understand her. Jami wasn’t the first guard she hooked up with. And he wouldn’t have been the last. They all talked about her—”

“Don’t,” I snapped, sitting up straight and shrugging his hand off my back. “You don’t get to talk about her like that. You don’t understand her.”

Alex’s hard gaze focused on me. “Lei,” he said gently, “I get it. We all deal with shit differently. But she can’t do this here. She could get hurt. She could put us all in danger. That guy she was with, he was pissed. She should have been up front with him.”

Feeling calmer, I relaxed in his lap, nestling my head in the crook of his neck. “She doesn’t know who she is without a man,” I whispered. “It’s not her fault.”

Again, his hand found my back, traveling upward, higher than before, his fingertips lingering on each bump of my spine. I shivered slightly at his touch, wrapping my arm around his firm waist.

I still felt the same sort of restlessness as when we’d been on the road, itching for something more with Alex. But as he simply cuddled me closer, continuing his gentle exploration of my back, I knew I wasn’t going to get it, not without expressing exactly what it was I wanted. It would mean being bold, more so than I’d ever been before, and taking matters into my own hands, something I wasn’t used to doing when it came to the opposite sex.

“Get some sleep, Lei,” Alex murmured, then dropped his face into my hair. “We all need it.”

“Alex…” I pulled away, glancing up at him through my lashes, suddenly feeling foolish. When he glanced down at me, his gaze questioning, I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. “I don’t want to sleep,” I said, and pressed my fingertips into his skin, willing him to understand. “We’re safe right now.” Glad for the darkness, glad that he couldn’t see the blush I could feel creeping up my neck, undoubtedly coloring my cheeks, I said, “Eve is asleep…”

Alex’s eyes met mine as a small, knowing smile curved his lips. His hand pulled free of my shirt and lifted to the back of my head, cupping it. I leaned forward, eager for his mouth, my own hand digging more deeply into the skin on his side.

Our mouths met softly, too softly for what I was feeling, and I instantly deepened the kiss while maneuvering my body until I was straddling him. The broken chair beneath us tilted precariously but I couldn’t have cared less; I was already lost to him, to what he made me feel when he was kissing me, touching me.

He grew hard beneath me, and the knowledge of that only furthered my want. Of their own accord my lips moved faster, my tongue delving deeper as I pulled his shirt up over his abdomen, then greedily ran my hands over the rippled muscles covering his stomach.

Alex had such a beautiful body, soft but hard, powerful and strong, and I needed more of it, needed more of him than he’d given me yet. Reaching between us, I fumbled with his belt, the desires of my body now overriding any embarrassment I’d felt. Continuing to kiss him, I pulled his belt open, softly rocking my hips over his.

“Lei.” Breaking our kiss, he circled his fingers around my wrists and pulled my hands from his pants.

Breathing hard, I blinked, focusing on his face. “Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t make me stop again.”

Tears formed in my eyes, born of frustration without an outlet. I was instantly embarrassed, but more angry than anything. Twisting my arms in his hold, I tried to free myself, but his grip only tightened.

“Not with Eve in the room,” he said.

“She’s asleep!” I hissed. “She won’t care!”

“She will care,” he said. “You know she will.”

My body went lax, disappointment causing me to sink listlessly against him. He was right; she would care. And after tonight, with her being so careless with a strange man, if she happened to wake up…

“Dammit,” I whispered as a tear slipped free. My body ached while my thoughts spun wildly. I wanted to let go for a moment, to feel instead of think, to get lost in the tornado Alex created inside me whenever we kissed.

“Lei, don’t.” Releasing my wrists, Alex hugged me tightly, bringing me flush against him. I tried to fight him, to pull away, the closeness of him only increasing the maelstrom of need still flurrying within me, but he didn’t relent, pressing my body hard against his.

“Shh,” he whispered, his voice raspy, more affected by our circumstances than I’d thought. His hips raised slightly, pressing forward between my thighs, causing me to whimper as the throbbing ache there grew stronger.

If possible, his hold on me grew even tighter, making my already shortened breaths come faster and harder. His hips retreated and returned as he dragged the length of himself purposefully against me.