Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) (16 page)

"That sounds nice. I can't remember when I last let that happen."

* * *

During the quiet drive home, Andrea was filled with mixed emotions. The evening had certainly not turned out as she had planned. She still had questions to ask Alex. She needed to know why he'd lied to her and to the rest of the world. But at the moment she just wanted to take care of him, which was an unexpected feeling. She'd never really thought of herself as a nurturer. That was a title better suited to her sister or her mom. But with Alex, she felt so many things. He could make her hot, make her crazy, and make her feel incredibly emotional and protective.

She had the scary thought that maybe this was what love felt like.

Glancing over at him, her heart twisted once again. At the moment, he was not rich, powerful and in charge. Instead, he was vulnerable. His shirt was splattered with dirt and blood. The bruise around his eye was puffy and turning a dark purple, and his hand looked as fat as a watermelon in a white cast. He was definitely off his game. The guard walls were down. He might be a sexy playboy millionaire most days, but tonight he was just a man in pain, and she was going to take care of him.

When they arrived at Alex's home, she and Tyler helped a very sleepy and dazed Alex into the house. Fortunately, Tyler seemed to know where Alex's bedroom was, so she didn’t have to waste time figuring out which of the six bedrooms belonged to him.

After they got Alex onto his bed, Tyler said he was going to sleep in the room he usually used.

She followed Tyler down the hall, pausing at the door of his bedroom. She couldn't help noting that the furnishings were very teenage male: a queen-sized bed with a dark blue comforter, a TV on one wall as well as a video game box on a nearby table. A desk with a computer was by the window, and there were posters from Alex's games on the walls.

"Do you stay here a lot?" she asked curiously.

"Once a month," Tyler replied. "I wish I could live here all the time. And not just because Alex gives me stuff. He's just really cool. And he gets me."

She nodded. "I know he cares a lot about you, Tyler."

"He's still going to send me back to the Monroes."

"Well, you can talk to him about that tomorrow. I know that Alex wants to do right by you, and I think you have to trust him to know what that is."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for buying me dinner, Andrea."

"Any time."

"Are you going to be here in the morning?"

She hesitated. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe."

He nodded. "You should stay. Alex likes you."

Her heart turned over at the simple words. "I like him, too."

"Are you sure you're not his girlfriend?"

"Our relationship is complicated."

"If you both like each other, what's the problem?"

She couldn't begin to answer that question. "Goodnight, Tyler."

After shutting his bedroom door, she wandered down the hall, curious about the other bedrooms. Alex had obviously had Tyler's room decorated with a teenage boy in mind. Did any other strays occasionally spend the night in his house?

She found her answer in the next room. There were twin beds with pink and white comforters, white bookshelves and desks, and floral curtains on the windows. It was a dream room for a girl or two girls, and she couldn't help wondering who had occupied this room.

Closing the door, she checked the rest of the rooms, finding nothing but ordinary guestrooms.

She returned to the master bedroom and saw Alex sprawled out on the bed. He didn't look very comfortable in his clothes, but there was no way she was going to attempt to undress him. She could at least take off his shoes and maybe his tie so he didn't strangle himself.

The shoes came off easily. The tie slipped off his neck, and she managed to undo the buttons of his shirt without any problem. When she got to his waist, she pulled the ends of his shirt out of his pants. The belt was a bit more of a challenge. She released the buckle and started to pull it through the loops, but Alex moved, his shirt coming completely open, and she was now staring at his solid, tanned chest. There was a smattering of dark hair covering the well-defined muscles of his chest and stomach, disappearing in a line below his waistband.

She flushed as her imagination completed the picture. What on earth was wrong with her? She had seen naked men before. But this half-dressed unconscious man sent her pulses racing.

Her fingers lingered on his belt buckle as her eyes traveled up his chest, to the strong jaw, the generous curve of his mouth, the amused grin in his eyes, the spark of desire.

Oh, Lord, he was awake
.

"Are you taking off my pants?" His voice was a bit dazed, and Andrea suddenly realized that her fingers were playing with the snap on his waistband.

"I was just getting your belt off to make you more comfortable, so you could sleep."

Alex suddenly shifted, and his good hand came around her back, pulling her down on top of him. The amusement in his eyes faded into something darker and more dangerous.

"Andrea," he murmured, his husky voice turning her name into an intimate caress. "I've dreamed of having you here in my bed."

She stared at him, mesmerized by his tone, the hungry look in his eyes, the pulse working a rapid beat in his neck. She didn't resist when he pulled her face down to his. She was helpless, a victim of her own desire. He kissed her deeply, passionately, sliding his tongue into her mouth, demanding a response as his hand ran down the length of her spine, making her arch like a cat.

He wasn't holding her anymore, but she couldn't move away. Just one more kiss, one more moment, maybe two, and then she would stop.

His mouth worked its magic, his body stiffening against hers, making her aware of their intimate position. She braced herself on her hands and slowly pulled away, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Alex stared at her. "Don't go, Andrea. Stay with me."

It was really tempting, but while Alex was in a daze, she knew exactly what was going on. She also knew that sleeping with Alex with so much unresolved between them was not the right thing to do, no matter how much she wanted it.

"I can't," she whispered.

There was a light in his eyes, almost a fever. It burned right through her, tempting her again, making her want to forget everything but the desire that was pulling them together.

"I need you," he murmured.

"You don't know what you're saying." She sat back on her knees, looking down at him. He dropped his hand from her hair to his side, a look of pain turning his light green eyes to jade.

"Don't leave me. I can't take it. I just can't." His eyes drifted closed, and his breathing changed to one of slumber.

Andrea stared at him, touched by the depth of pain in his voice. This man had been hurt badly in his life. She only knew bits and pieces of his story, but that was one inescapable truth.

She'd been worried about him hurting her, but she could hurt him, too, she realized. She rolled over onto her side, propping her head on her elbow as she stared at his strong, handsome face. She didn't want to think about the article right now or all the lies between them. She just wanted to be with him.

Kicking off her shoes, she pulled up a quilt from the bottom of the bed and covered them both. She would just stay with him for a little while. In case his hand hurt. In case he needed her. Just a few minutes...

Chapter Twelve

The sunlight streaming through the window drew Alex out of a deep sleep. When he tried to move, his body felt bruised and heavy, as if there was a large weight on his chest. He blinked one eye open, then the other. Then he blinked again, unable to believe what he was seeing.

His other senses immediately clicked in. Blond hair tickled the bare skin on his chest. A slender leg intertwined with his, causing an immediate reaction in another part of his body.

Andrea was in bed with him!

It didn't seem possible. It had to be a dream—a bright, vivid dream. But he could smell the scent of her shampoo, see the dark lashes curving down against her cheek, and her expression was that of a sweet, sexy angel.

He shook his head and closed his eyes again, but when he took another look she was still there. A heavy fog filled his mind as he tried to make sense of the obvious. They had gone to bed together, and he didn't remember a damn thing. Why?

He groaned as he moved his arm, and the memories of the past evening came flooding back. He remembered getting into the car after leaving the hospital and that was it.

Somehow Andrea and Tyler must have gotten him into the house and up the stairs. But that didn't explain why Andrea had climbed into bed with him, why she had slept with him instead of going home or just using one of the guest rooms.

He shifted slightly, hoping she wouldn't wake up. Now that he was alert, he wanted to take a better look.

Asleep, Andrea looked a lot softer, less energized, ambitious and determined. She was such a fighter when she was awake, but now she appeared relaxed, content. Her skin was clear and smooth with just a few laugh lines around the corners of her eyes. He smiled, thinking of her open, charming grin, the laughter that would reach her eyes, even when she tried to be serious.

She would hate the fact that he was watching her, seeing her off guard without all her defenses in place. He smiled to himself, enjoying the way her arm curved around his waist. It felt good, too damn good. He didn't want her to wake up. He wanted her to hold him forever. But even as the thought came to mind, she gently began to stir, waking up in slow, uneasy stages that brought indistinguishable murmurs to her lips.

He liked the way she fought off the morning. It was in keeping with the way she resisted him, an inevitable, futile struggle against what was meant to be, although, what was meant to be probably shouldn't be. Andrea had already discovered some of his lies. She wouldn't stop until she'd stripped him bare.

He wanted her to strip him bare, just not that way.

Finally, Andrea's eyes opened, and she stared at him, at first blankly, and then with a dawning sense of awareness and embarrassment. She raised her head and then pushed herself into a sitting position, her hair falling out of her ponytail in wild abandon.

He pushed a strand back behind one ear. "I'm glad you finally decided to sleep with me."

"We didn't sleep together. Well, we did sleep, but nothing else," she muttered. "So, you're awake."

He grinned. "And so are you."

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing in bed with you."

He propped himself up on the pillows. "Actually, I'm just hoping you'll stay."

"I was worried about you. I didn't think you should be left alone. I was just going to rest for a minute, but I fell asleep."

"I'm not angry, Andrea."

"Well, I don't want you to read anything into this."

"Into the fact that we're in bed together? That you were wrapped up around me while you slept? Why would I read into that?"

Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. "I'm always a little restless when I sleep."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time."

"There's not going to be a next time, Alex." She blew out a breath. "How's your hand?"

"It hurts," he said, admitting the truth.

"You probably need another painkiller."

"Maybe a kiss would do the trick."

She frowned. "You never quit flirting, do you?"

Her question drove the smile off of his face. "That's not what I'm doing."

"It's not?"

He stared back at her, wanting to say so many things, but in the end he said nothing.

"I should get up," she said finally.

"Where's Tyler?"

"Probably asleep."

He glanced at the clock by the bed. It was seven. He had promised Tyler's foster parents that he would get him to school. "We have to get up. I have to drive him to school."

"I don't think you're going to be driving anywhere today."

"I can manage with one hand," he muttered.

A door slammed down the hall, and she jumped off the bed. "Tyler is awake."

"Don't worry. He won't come in here without knocking."

"I can't imagine what he would think if he saw me in here. Actually, I can imagine. He already asked me if I was your girlfriend."

"What did you tell him?"

"No, of course."

"Did he believe you?"

She made a face. "Not really."

He smiled. "Smart kid. He knows there's something going on between us—so do you."

"I can't have this conversation before coffee," she said with a shake of her head.

"Why don't you make us both some?" he suggested as she headed toward the door.

"All right. Do you need anything else?"

He sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed, unable to repress a murmur of pain as he did so.

She immediately came back to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Just make some coffee and see if Tyler needs anything."

"All right. I'd tell you to call out if you need my help, but I doubt you would, so I'll save myself the trouble. You're stubbornly independent, Alex."

"I have a feeling people say that about you."

"Well, we're not talking about me." She paused. "I don't think you can take a shower with that cast."

"I've got a big tub."

"Well, try not to fall in the bath. I really don't want to spend another day in the Emergency Room."

"You could join me, make sure that doesn't happen," he teased.

She made a face at him. "I'll see you downstairs."

* * *

Andrea took the stairs two at a time, jogging down to the first floor so she wouldn't do something stupid like get into that bath with Alex. He had a way of bringing out her wild side and to hell with her conscience.

When she entered the kitchen, she found Tyler eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen counter and watching some cop show re-run on the flat screen TV hanging on the wall.

She smiled. "Morning. I see you got something to eat."

"Alex always says to help myself."