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Were they flirting? It felt like flirting. And he liked it.
Hell, he’d always been a sucker for the girl who was just out of reach; she didn’t need to make it ten times more difficult by being sexy, too.
Erik’s advice rang in his head like a gong and he pulled back even though there was something captivating about Alexis—and he wasn’t just talking about the sweet rack she was sporting.
“You’re going to get me into trouble,” he said with a chuckle as he rose from his haunches. “You know your brother has it in his head that you’re this fragile thing who might break if handled too roughly.” He waited a heartbeat, then asked with a sly grin, “What do you think about that?”
She met his grin with a saucy one of her own. “I think I’m a big girl and I don’t need my brother to run interference for me.”
“That may be true, but I’m not the kind of guy who would go behind a buddy’s back to get at his sister. You know what I mean?”
“That’s admirable,” she admitted with grudging respect.
“And why does it feel the opposite when you say it like that?”
She laughed and the sound tickled his bones like fingertips dancing down his vertebrae. “I told you, you don’t have to stay. I’ll be fine.”
“I gave your brother my word. I’m not going anywhere.”
There was the slightest, most minute, almost indiscernible hitch in her breath, and that sexy little sound almost caused an immediate erection to tent his jeans. Ah hell, this was going to be the hardest test of his life. For crying out loud, they’d only just met, but there was electricity bouncing between them that was hard to ignore, and if she didn’t stop looking at him as if he were the choicest cut of beef, he was going to have a helluva time keeping to his word.
“Tell me about this guy who did you wrong,” he said, moving to sit beside her on the sofa. Act like a friend. Not a hungry wolf ready to pounce. “According to Erik, he was a douche.”
“He said that?”
“Well, not in so many words, but I got the impression he hadn’t thought much of him.”
She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but beneath that negligent shrug was the faint show of heartache that surprised him. Alexis gave off the vibe that if anyone was doing the heartbreaking, it was her and not the other way around.
“What can I say? I’m a terrible judge of character,” she said.
“I don’t believe that.”
“No? Well, I can’t deny that I’ve been drawn to the worst sort of guy. My track record isn’t the best.”
“We all have unfortunate hookups in our past,” he said. “It’s called live and learn.”
Alexis laughed and adjusted the ice pack. “Yeah, well, until I get through with my master’s degree there will only be one kind of learning going on.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.”
And it was. So why did he want to make her break it?
4 (#ulink_a4c02ba3-839e-5282-abff-1992984e6c85)
CIRCUMSTANCE WAS A funny thing. Alexis stared at her ankle, amazed at how much could change in the blink of an eye. Last night she was lobbing objects at Layton’s head and today, she was noticing how nicely his cropped, dark hair set off the masculine cut of his jaw. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if Layton played nursemaid after all. Even if she had the very best intentions to keep her hands to herself, she could certainly enjoy the view.
And the view was quite spectacular. Muscled chest and arms, solid abs narrowing to a trim waist and hips... Yes, indeed, Layton had the goods.
“Okay, so tell me the real reason you volunteered to stay behind,” Alexis said, putting Layton on the spot, trying to make things interesting.
“What makes you think I wasn’t being completely altruistic in my offer?”
“Were you?”
Layton paused, then that little glint in his wondrously dark eyes gave him away. “Okay, full disclosure...you’re a beautiful woman and I happen to have a weakness for women like you, but even with that said... I promised your brother that I wouldn’t do or say anything inappropriate.”
“Such a gentleman,” she murmured as her heart rate did a little jump at his admission. Was it terrible that she was already imagining him naked beneath her? Good grief, her hormones were out of control.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said ruefully. “I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that keeping my thoughts on the straight and narrow has already proven to be a challenge.”
She smiled, enjoying that she wasn’t the only one thinking about inappropriate things. “Seems we have more than my brother in common,” she returned.
“Careful, those kinds of comments are dangerous.”
“To whom? Because I’m an adult and don’t need a chaperone.”
He laughed. “I promised your brother.”
“That was your mistake.”
“Hot damn, Erik warned me about you and it seems he was right on the money.”
“Did he? And what exactly did he warn you about?”
“Just that you have a taste for trouble and that I ought to steer clear.”
She pouted. “That’s not flattering at all. Makes me sound like a kid.”
“You are definitely no kid,” he said, his gaze feasting on her ample breasts. If there was one asset she knew she owned, it was her impressive cup size. He cleared his throat as if he realized that he was staring and actually made a concentrated effort to look elsewhere. “But I’ve gotta hold on to a shred of integrity, you know?”
“So noble.”
He smirked. “Well, I respect the hell out of your brother. He’s a good man. I’m not about to start looking at his sister like a piece of meat.”
“Is that one of the lesser-known ‘Bro Code’ rules?” she teased.
“Call it what you want, it’s just how I operate.”
“You’re playing into that firefighter-hero stereotype pretty hard,” she said with a mischievous smile, enjoying their banter. “I wonder if there’s a bad boy lurking underneath that polished exterior.”
He chuckled, the sound tickling her senses. “You have no idea.”
Was she completely wicked that she suddenly had a desperate hunger to find out just how bad Layton could be? Probably. Particularly when she’d made a pact with herself to keep on the straight and narrow until she had her master’s. It was a good plan at the time. Now? Seemed stupid as hell.
“What would you say if I told you I was attracted to you?”
He held his easy smile, but something in his gaze changed and her body tingled with awareness. “Then I’d say that you’d better keep that on lockdown because things could get awkward.”
She could call his bluff. Alexis knew when a guy was into her. Layton was throwing off signals that a person would have to be blind not to see, but she felt a bit like a predator chasing after a poor doomed gazelle. He was plainly telling her it wasn’t going to happen and she respected that—to a point—but his gaze was also throwing sparks that were bound to catch fire at some point.
Alexis sighed dramatically, leaning casually against the sofa, idly gazing at her injured foot. “Well, the truth of the matter is the fact that I want to give you a tongue bath must mean that somewhere, deep down, you’re defective.”
He startled with a laugh. “I think you just insulted me, but for the life of me all I can think of is that tongue bath.”
“See? It’s hopeless. Let’s be honest, we’re both adults and we’re both attracted to one another. We also both know that we shouldn’t act upon the dirty thoughts in our heads. So...it’s probably best that you go home before something terribly unfortunate happens between us.”
“Unfortunate?”
“Yeah, like all our clothes flying off and landing on the floor.”
He swallowed and she privately delighted in the way the thought made him stutter a little. “Are you always this blunt?”
“Pretty much. My mom says I’ve always suffered from a lack of tact, but my dad says I don’t seem to suffer from it at all.”
Layton laughed with a slight twinkle in his eye that she found highly alluring. “Okay, well, not leaving. I made a promise to Erik that I’d stick around and make sure you stayed off that foot, so you’re just going to have to deal with my company.”
Alexis held his gaze for a moment then shrugged. “Okay, but I can’t be held responsible for what may happen between us.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” he said with amused laughter. “You don’t quit, do you? You’re like a dog with a bone.”
Alexis shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“How about this? You pick the movie and I’ll scramble up some eggs and bacon for breakfast.”
She perked up. The only thing capable of jarring her one-track mind was the introduction of her second favorite distraction: food. “You can cook?”
“A necessary skill when you live with a bunch of other guys several days out of the week. Yes, I can cook. Any requests?”
Oh, how could she not take him up on that offer? She hated to cook but she loved to eat. “A Denver omelet would be fab,” she admitted. “I think we have everything you need in the fridge.”
“Denver omelet coming up,” Layton said, going to the kitchen. “And while I’m making breakfast you can throw out movie ideas.”
On the surface, that sounded well and good, but Alexis didn’t want to sit around the house all day. She spent so much of her time studying that she needed a physical outlet. Her gaze drifted to the window where soft snowflakes fell lazily from the sky. The storm hadn’t hit yet. There was probably just enough time to get the lights up before the snow really started coming down.
Maybe she could convince Layton to help her string the lights? But how to do it was the question.
She wasn’t above using her charm to get what she wanted and she had a feeling Layton wouldn’t mind fresh air...once he realized that spending too much time cuddled up on the sofa wasn’t a good idea, particularly if he was determined to keep things Disney-rated.
Before too long, Layton returned with two plates of omelets and toast, and Alexis’s opinion of her brother’s friend went up a notch.
“Did you pick out a movie?”
“No, I did something better,” she said around a bite of omelet. “Oh, that’s good. You’re a handy guy to have around. Cute, built like a Roman god and can cook? Okay, just level with me, what’s your hidden defect?”
“I have a weakness for pretty, sass-mouthed women,” he admitted wryly as he shoveled in his food.
“How much of a weakness?” she asked, curious.
Layton leveled a wry look her way. “Enough of one. Eat your breakfast.”
“So bossy.”
“Has anyone ever successfully told you what to do?”
She affected a serious expression. “My dad.” But she couldn’t keep a straight face for long, laughing as she said, “But you’re not my dad so don’t even try to boss me around.”
“Duly noted.” He gestured to her plate. “Good?”
“Fan-freaking-tastic,” Alexis openly admitted with glee. “You’re quite a catch. So tell me, Layton, do you chase the ladies or do the ladies chase you?”
Layton gave her a sideways grin that showcased a nice row of white, even teeth. The man could audition for a toothpaste commercial without an ounce of reservation. “I’ve chased my share, but I’ve been chased, too.”
“It’s all about the chase though, isn’t it? Once you’ve gotten what you want...where’s the mystery? Where’s the thrill?” She couldn’t help a twist of hidden bitterness to shape her words. Maybe she was still smarting from her last boyfriend. He’d been all about the chase, too.
But Layton frowned, shaking his head. “Some guys are like that. I’m not.”
Alexis barked a laugh, not believing him for a second. “You don’t have to put on an act for me. I know guys are all about getting laid.”
“When I’m with a girl, I only have eyes for her,” he said with such seriousness that she paused for a moment, thrown off track. How could a man who looked like Layton be a one-woman kind of guy? She didn’t buy it. “Seriously?”
He shrugged as if he didn’t care if she believed him or not. “The chase is fun, don’t get me wrong, but the real good stuff? That happens after you get to know each other. Never underestimate the value of being able to be yourself with your partner.”
“Whoa there, Dr. Phil,” Alexis joked, a little uncomfortable with how quickly things had gotten serious. “I was just kidding.”
But she wasn’t entirely. Riker had screwed up her internal sensor so badly she wasn’t sure it worked any longer and she didn’t trust her own judgment. Sure, Layton seemed like a good guy, but didn’t they all in the beginning? It was better to keep things superficial than risk getting hurt later. She’d happily step over the line and break her own rule for the opportunity for some hot blow-your-mind sex, but that’s where it stopped.
“For what it’s worth, you don’t have to try to convince me that you’re not a player. I don’t really care one way or the other.”
“Why is it so hard to believe that I’m a good guy?”
“Because I’ve known too many guys like you to know better,” she quipped.
But Layton set her straight with a quiet “Something tells me you’ve never met a guy like me.”
He said it with such confidence that for a split second Alexis stopped to wonder if he was telling the truth. But wasn’t that the problem? She always thought they were being truthful until that terrible moment when she discovered otherwise. She was done with being played. “You can drop the act, buddy. I’m not interested in the game. I mean, I’m down for a little fun, but I don’t need the white lies to smooth the way.”
Layton frowned, shaking his head with faint irritation. “Boy, Erik wasn’t wrong. You must’ve been screwed over big-time to be so jaded at such a young age. So, for the sake of every other man that happens to cross your path, why don’t you tell me what happened with this other dude so I can assure you that not every guy is like that.”
He wanted to listen? Alexis covered her surprise with an airy laugh. His comment hit too close to home for comfort. Riker’s betrayal still stung. But she didn’t feel like opening up her chest and revealing her broken heart to a complete stranger. Sex was one thing—being vulnerable was another.
“Okay, Mr. Wonderful...why don’t you have a girlfriend?”
Layton leaned forward to put his plate on the coffee table. “Guess I’m taking a break from it all.”
“What do you mean?”
“The dating thing. I’m over it.”
