Bait & Switch (Alphas Undone #1)(13)

“That was awfully nice of you.” I blinked at him in wide-eyed astonishment. It wasn’t something many people would do.

“Trust me, I’m very far from being a white knight.” His voice dropped lower and his hand moved slowly along my spine again. “Our relationship sort of evolved from there.”

He didn’t continue, leaving me to guess at the specifics their BDSM relationship might involve.

“What happened to her?” Something must have gone down, if she’d needed Nolan’s help so suddenly.

“Let’s just say she was pretty banged up when I got her.” He went still for several moments, as if he was lost in a somber memory. “She’s safe now,” he added.

It was the kind of heroism I’d expect from a Navy SEAL. Rescue. Relief. I wondered if he’d banged down the door to her ex’s place and made him suffer. A rush of warmth spread through me at the thought.

Nolan glanced at me. “Would it make you uncomfortable to be in my bed, knowing she was just down the hall?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Yes, it probably would a little,” I finally admitted.

He nodded once, as if he was expecting my answer. “I don’t want to talk about Daniella anymore.”

“You don’t?” I murmured, lost in the deep unending blue of his eyes. They were stormy and filled with tension.

Slowly, he shook his head. Bringing one hand up to cup my cheek, he stroked his thumb over my skin. “I think you’re sexy as hell,” he growled. “And Grey was right, that brisket was f*cking incredible.”

I smiled and leaned into his touch as his gaze lowered to my mouth. Running my tongue tentatively across my bottom lip, I felt the air around us change, grow more heated.

“I need to know what you taste like,” he murmured.

I blinked up at him, my eyes still searching his. There were so many things I was unsure about, but the electricity buzzing between us wasn’t one of them.

Leaning forward, Nolan brought his lips to mine and waited, as if to give me a chance to decide. His warm breath ghosted over my mouth.

Accepting his invitation, I stood on tiptoe and touched my lips to his. With one hand still stroking my jaw, his other came to settle against my hip, his thumb running along the bare skin at the waistband of my jeans. He pulled my body close, until I felt the hard ridge of him against my belly. He felt massive. My lips parted in a silent gasp and he stroked his tongue against mine.

Our mouths seemed made to fit together. And the skillful way he moved his tongue provoked thoughts of how else he could use that tongue. My panties grew wet and my breathing ragged as we kissed.

My hands wandered, running over his firm biceps and down the front of his shirt, where rounded pecs waited invitingly.

Sex rolled off of him in waves. No, not just sex. Fucking. I was sure that being intimate with Nolan would be unlike any other experience I’d had. And that excited the hell out of me. Maybe there was something about its forbidden nature that appealed to me too. He’d already been claimed by another woman, and I hated that I saw that as a challenge—but damn, I did. And I wanted to rise to the occasion.

“Sweet Jesus, woman,” he murmured, breaking away from my lips.

I couldn’t disagree. Everything about that kiss felt right. Backgrounds ceased to matter. Messy entanglements forgotten. When I was kissing Nolan, nothing mattered except getting even closer. More, my body begged. For such a strong and intense man, I hadn’t counted on the sweet way he was with me, the deep, yet soft kisses and tender touches. He made me feel safe, and to me, there was no better feeling in the world.

“Just keep an open mind,” he said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

With my lips tingling and the taste of whiskey on my tongue, I gave him a small nod. “I will.”

“Come on. Let’s go catch the rest of the game.”

“Okay.” I nodded again.

Nolan brushed his lips against mine one last time. “We’ll take this at whatever pace you need, okay?”

The sincerity in his eyes, his voice, made it impossible to disagree with him.

? ? ?

After getting home from Nolan’s, my lonely little apartment felt too quiet, so I called my younger sister just to hear her voice. Brynn was away at college but we had remained close, talking on the phone or texting a couple of times a week. At least, until I’d lit out to Texas.

“Lacey, where are you?” Brynn cried before I could even say hello. “Everything that’s happened . . . Troy . . .” She didn’t finish her thought, and she didn’t have to.

“I know. I’m safe. And for once in my life, I might even find something that makes me happy.” Brynn knew all too well that my life so far had revolved around making other people happy.

“You’re not going to do anything crazy, are you?”

I couldn’t help the chuckle that pushed past my lips. I thought of Nolan and all the reasons why I shouldn’t pursue him. And there were many.

“Define crazy.” I pushed my hair off my face and flopped down on the couch. Quitting my job on a whim and not telling my sister I was leaving until I was already gone? Yeah, it was a touch insane.

“Damn it, Lacey. We were raised by a drill sergeant of a father, and you never once stepped out of line. Then shit went down with Troy, and now you’re gone. What am I supposed to think?”