A Time for Hope (Lexi, #3)(9)

It had been fun picking out wigs and creating a new look. Taylah had treated the undertaking with extreme enthusiasm, insisting we give it a test run at a club tonight.

“You look…” Alex raked his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Beautiful? Sexy? Hot? Any one of those would be an acceptable answer.” I warned knowing he was less than pleased with my alter ego.

“Baby, of course. You are all of those things.” His voiced softened, “Could you maybe be that with a little more clothes on?”

“Alex, you aren’t seriously getting caveman on me? I would have worn something like this when we first met. You didn’t seem to mind then.” I smoothed the fabric on the racy Versace dress that was hugging my curves.

Sure, I’d probably admit it was a little bit more risqué than what I usually wore but what fun is it to have an alter ego if you can’t go all out with the dress up. Besides, it was really starting to piss me off that people assumed that because I had been sexually assaulted I was no longer able, or more to the point, allowed to be sexual. That shit was not cool and I was done with the guilt for feeling like a woman and if I wanted to walk nude across the Brooklyn Bridge it was my right to do so without highbrow ignoramuses judging me. Well, they could judge me but I would just no longer care.

“I thought the idea of a disguise was not to attract attention? I can tell you right now - you, looking like that, not inconspicuous. ” Alex studied me carefully, his eyes sweeping over my exposed skin.

“Just because I’m in disguise doesn’t mean I can’t look good. I’m still allowed to be sexy.” I tried to hide the agitation in my voice.

“Lexi.” Alex’svoice was a low growl and his eyes darkened, “Are you deliberately trying to make me insane? Because if that is your intention, I’d say your objective has been met.”

Wait! Alex wasn’t antsy because I was going out wearing next to nothing. He was fighting another emotion. I felt a pull in my lower belly as his words washed through me. He was trying to deny it but as confronting as my barely there dress was, it was sexy and he was turned on.

“I’m not trying to make you insane.” I blinked, realizing that perhaps he had been struggling as much as I was with our distance.

His eyes raked up and down my body as he slowly circled me. His body tensed almost as if he was ready for a fight. His searing gaze was hungry, and he seemed to be fighting some kind of internal war. His lips parted as he took slow steady breaths but he said nothing.

The air was thick with emotion. My skin prickled with the anticipation of being touched but Alex remained still, locked in place. The rise and fall of his chest was his only movement.

“Alex, I love you and I need you more than I will ever be able to tell you.” I moved closer to him so that my newly “enhanced” breasts brushed against his naked chest. “But I’m doing this and I’m not asking for permission.”

He reached out and traced his fingertip along my exposed collarbone and down my naked shoulder. “You’re coming home to me.” There was no question in his statement.

“Of course Alex, I live here. Where else am I going to go?” I half laughed, though humour right now was the furthest thing from my mind. No, it was anything BUT funny what was welling inside me.

“No.” His finger trailed down my arm sending shivers down my spine. He leaned closer as his lips brushed the top of my ear. “To my bed,” he clarified.

This whole time, these were the words I had wanted to hear and he was saying them to me now?! As I was about to walk out the door? I was equal parts furious and elated as his hand continued to move over my exposed skin.

“You’re not playing fair,” I protested as I tired to focus on what I was saying. Who was I kidding, I was lucky if anything coming out of my mouth was making any sense right now.

“So that makes two of us then.” Alex’s smile curled at the edge of his mouth. “D stays with you the entire time you are out.” He held his hand up to silence my anticipated protest, “He will keep his distance. Don’t argue.” He leaned in and allowed his lips to brush up the length of my neck.

“Alex,” I whimpered, no longer wanting to go out or be doing anything else other than Alex.

A loud knock at the door threw cold water on the scorching heat that was permeating the air.

“That will be Taylah,” I almost apologized as I continued to stare into his eyes.

“Then you should answer the door,” Alex arched his brow but made no effort to move.

There was another knock. Right, I was going to have to answer the door. Unless I could work out some way to Jedi mind trick it open, I was going to have to actually walk away from Alex and open it. In my head I started to invent new expletives as I tore myself away from him and stalked out of our bedroom.

“Coming!” I called out as I half ran to the entryway. It was challenging enough that I was wearing a pair of ridiculously high heels but add to the equation I was now seven different types of “bothered” the whole one foot in front of the other was almost beyond me.

“Took you long enough!” Taylah smiled as I pulled open the door. “Wow! If I didn’t know any better I would have totally walked past you. I would have probably made some snide comment under my breath, cause you know that dress is barely within the confines of being decent, but other than that… Wow… Just wow.”