A Game Of Temptation

I was going to go crazy.

I was very positive that I was going to go crazy.

Alex had made it his life’s mission to push me over the edge and right into the ever welcome hands of insanity by seducing me mercilessly.

Because that was what this was. Seduction. There was no other word for it.

I wasn’t even sure if I was just making it up in my head or if it was real, but everything he did recently was with an extra level of sensuality. The way he walked, talked and even ate.

He didn’t just turn me on and then do nothing about it; he flat out ignored me, doing a damn good job of pretending like he didn’t see me.

It. Pissed. Me. The. Fuck. Off.

After the little incident at the bar and specifically after our talk, I’d expected him to be all over me. I mean, he’d tried to stake his claim when he’d caught the bartender flirting with me. That had to mean that he had been getting attached, right?

Naturally, I’d expected him to be a little pissed off. I’d expected him to make it obvious that he was mad at me in hopes that it would make me acknowledge him. What I hadn’t expected him to do, was ignore me so thoroughly that I had to pinch myself once just to make sure that I was actually flesh and blood and not a ghost.

One time, I’d walked out to sit on the deck for a bit and I’d found him swimming. I must have walked out at the exact same moment he’d been about to leave the water-or maybe he’d done that on purpose-because no sooner had I stepped onto the deck when he rose out of the water.

Unable to look away, I’d watched the droplets of water running down his body, wishing that I could lick them off him and maybe also a bit jealous of them that they could touch him while I couldn’t.

Well, I could if I wanted to, but… well, you get the point.

A few days ago, he’d walked into the kitchen shirtless-apparently, he was an early riser just like me-and leaned against the kitchen counter while be made his coffee. I’d been sitting on one of the island stools and I’d thought that he was going to make small talk, but after the ‘Good morning’ which I’d responded to, he’d said nothing else.

Balery had picked up on the strain between us and she’d asked me what was up, but I’d brushed it off, saying that there was nothing wrong. She didn’t believe me, that much had been obvious.

She’d also asked me what happened at the bar, but I’d told her the truth.

Well, some of it.

I’d told her that the only reason Alex put his hand around me was because he thought the bartender had been trying to make a move on me. Balery refused to believe that he was ‘just trying to help’, but I shrugged and told her that was it.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame her for not believing me. The whole thing had “Lies’ stamped on it in caps.

Alex might have been ignoring me, but he was seducing me. And, damn it, he was doing a damn good job of it.

Right now, he had the entire length of his body plastered to mine under the pretence that he was helping me get the box of cereal I was reaching for in the kitchen cabinets.

“Here,” he offered the box to me as he finally, after what had seemed like a million years, took a step back.

I gulped in a huge breath and accepted the box with shaking hands that I hoped he didn’t see. “Thanks.”

He gave me a nod and turned to walk out of the kitchen, but I stopped him.

“I know what you’re doing,” I said to his back, leaning casually against the counter. To him, it was what it looked like-a casual stance. What he didn’t know was that my legs were weak from his presence next to me and I needed something to lean on.

He turned to me with a raised brow. “What?”

“You know what.”

He feigned a look of surprise. “I don’t but apparently, you do. Care to enlighten me?”

I wanted to snap at him, pour out all the frustration that had mounted over the past few days on him. But I was tired. I was horny and I was tired and I wasn’t in the mood to fight at all.

I could hardly believe it, but I was considering waving the white flag. As long as it meant that he would touch me, put his hands on me, and make me come in all the possible ways that he could.

I would be more than willing to reciprocate, of course.

“You’ve been ignoring me,” I started and before he could interrupt, I continued. “You haven’t even spoken to me once ever since that night we all went out. At first, I thought you were just trying to make everyone see that there’s nothing between us, but you do it even when we’re alone. You do it on purpose.” Weakly, I said, “You want me to come to you.”

His eyes burned with an emotion I wasn’t very sure I wanted to put a name to, and his lips parted on a breath. I steeled my spine as he closed the distance between us, those long legs eating up the space until we were standing toe-to-toe and I had to crane my neck to look at him.

Dark green eyes roamed my face, searching for what? I didn’t know.

“I thought we already agreed that we were going to come to each other when we feel those urges.” He murmured, his breaths ruffling my hair.

He pressed further into me, making me feel the hard ridge of his erection as it dug into my stomach and an ache settled inside me at the feel of him. Long and hard and so very ready.

Fuck, I wanted him inside me so bad.

He lifted his hand and ran the back of his palm down my face, causing my breath to stutter. I told myself that the only reason I was allowing this to happen was because Drew and Jake were out and Balery and Jack were huddled up in their room with zero plans of coming out anytime soon.

“Yes, but…” I trailed off, losing my train of thought when Alex cupped my nape and sifted his fingers through my hair softly.

The feeling was divine.

“But what?”

“I-Nothing.” I shook my head, staring up at him with parted lips. “I assumed you were going to come to me.”

His expression softened. “I’m always here, love.”

There was that endearment again. And why did that sound like a promise?

“Stop calling me that.” Despite my best efforts, the words came out all breathy. Embarrassing.

A deep from settled on his brows. “Stop calling you what?”

“Love. That.” Thankfully, the words came out strong, and I shifted to the side, stepping away from him. “I hate it.”

Endearments were for people in relationships-or at least people that gave a fuck about each other. Endearments weren’t for people like us.

His eyes hardened and he nodded sharply. “Sure.” He pushed away from the counter. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”

He’d sounded professional. Like we were talking about a business deal and mot making out.

That was exactly what I wanted, right?

But as he walked away with tense shoulders, I wasn’t exactly sure what the answer to that question was.