Burying Water (Burying Water #1)(76)

“No one’s going to hear about this. She’ll lay low. It’s just for the week, man. I promise. We’ll figure something out after that. Just . . . no visitors during that time. Especially not Priscilla.”

“Fuck, you think?” He shakes his head and goes to his room, Licks on his heels.

When I open the door to my room, I find Alex standing in front of my mirror, her pants and shirt pulled away as she inspects the fresh tattoo on her pelvis. “It’s not too much, is it?”

My heart begins to race at the sight of her long, slender torso, bruises and all. “No, it’s definitely not too much.” I step in close behind her, my hands covering hers where they hold her clothing back. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

And I love the way her tongue curls around that word. The way her eyes flicker to mine in her reflection when she says it. The way she’s watching me in the mirror now.

I hate bringing it up, but I have to because I’m still worried. “What do you think Viktor’s going to say about it?”

She turns toward me, her hot breath skating across my neck. “He’ll never find out.” She’s making it damn near impossible for me to restrain myself around her, especially when she does things like that. Still, I keep my hands firmly in place.

“I like what you’ve done with your room.”

I know she’s teasing me. “You know that saying, ‘I rolled out of bed’? Well . . . I do, every day. Literally.”

Her eyes skate over the small, sparse space—white walls, a single dresser, a mattress on the floor. Just like my above-garage apartment, this place is perfect for a twenty-four-year-old guy who needs a bed to fall into. Thinking back to the small part of Alex and Viktor’s home that I saw—designer-decorated and custom everything—almost makes me laugh now.

But she says she wants me. And right now, this is me.

The question is, will she still want this when she’s free of him?

“Damn . . .” Boone moans, leading our way through the door and tossing his keys on the rack. “I could get used to this.”

I chuckle as I kick the door shut behind me, the delicious smell of whatever Alex is cooking today—beef and herbs and definitely Italian—making my stomach growl. We step into the kitchen to find her stirring a pot of tomato sauce on the stove. A strainer full of limp spaghetti sits over another pot. If the pile of dishes is any indication, that sauce didn’t come out of a jar.

“Hey, Alex,” Boone and I chirp in unison.

This is the third night we’ve come home to a set table and Alex in the kitchen, Licks faithfully waiting at her feet. And all I did to deserve it was make a grocery run with a list on Sunday night. Boone’s right—I could totally get used to this.

“I finally see how Licks earned his name,” she announces with a giggle, sticking a sauce-covered wooden spoon out for the bulldog that sits by her legs. He goes after it immediately, his long tongue slurping up every last drop until it’s just wood. “I think he’d lick the grain right off the wood if I let him.” She tosses it into the sink.

“Time for a run,” Boone announces, slapping his thigh on his way to his room to change into his running gear. The dog doesn’t move. I have to nudge him away with my leg as I step up behind Alex.

“You know you don’t have to cook and clean for us, right?” I wrap my arms around her waist and dip my face into her neck to inhale the scent of her skin. I’m addicted to the smell and feel of her. It’s what gets me through long days at work, just waiting until I can come back and be with her again.

“I know I don’t. But I like doing it, and I know you two appreciate it.” Shutting the stove off, she twists in my arms to face me with a smile. Her lip is back to its normal size and the purple in her cheek is fading to green. “Besides, I had enough of my schoolwork and reading.” Alex has had to skip her classes this week, on account of her face, but she’s made a few friends who she’s been emailing for assignments.

Taking a deep breath, I look down at that mouth. Wanting to kiss it so badly. “I’m going to jump in the shower, ’kay?” And not just to wash off the garage. Sleeping next to Alex for the past five nights has been both heaven and hell. And a lot of cold showers.

I feel her eyes on me the entire way down the hall to the bathroom, passing Boone on the way, leash in hand.

“Licks!” The dog’s collar jangles the way it always does when Boone’s hooking the leash around him. “Come on, Fatty.” I glance over my shoulder to see the dog hanging from under Boone’s arm, having refused to abandon Alex’s side. “You’ve ruined my dog!” Boone hollers, throwing a wink at Alex before heading out the door.

I’m still chuckling in the shower when Alex steps into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. I watch her through the glass shower enclosure as she flips the lock. “Is everything all right?”

She pulls her shirt off and tosses it to the floor with my clothes.

We haven’t so much as kissed up until now. I wasn’t expecting this.

I’m instantly hard.

Her jeans come off next, followed by her lacy black bra and underwear. And then she climbs into the shower behind me, a shy smile touching her lips.

Before I have a chance to fully turn around, she edges up behind me, sliding her arms around my waist. Soft lips land on my tattoo.