Page 25 of Alex (Men of Forbidden Temptation #4)

ELISE

Sarah, the maid, shows me to a guest room. It’s just down the hall from Alex’s room and has its own huge, modern bathroom.

The bedroom is elegant but cozy and bigger than my entire apartment, with a sitting area on one side of the room. The king sized bed has a white fluffy comforter stretched across the bed and a ton of pillows sitting on top.

It reminds me of the beds you see in magazines and television shows. The beds that look amazing, but no one keeps it that way because it would take twenty minutes to get all the pillows back in place.

I can only imagine how comfortable the bed is. Not that I think I’ll be spending a lot of time here. Alex already said he wants me in his bed.

And who am I to complain?

My gaze wanders around the room, taking in the tiny details that someone worked hard to put together .

The white sheer curtains hang from the entire length of the wall, from the ceiling to the floor, making the large windows look even bigger.

Everything screams wealth and luxury, from the deep paint colors to the extra plush carpet and everything in between.

The large walk-in closet looks like it has been designed by a professional, like it came straight from a magazine.

One wall is nothing but shelves for shoes, while the other three are lined from floor to ceiling of drawers, shelves, and hanging rods.

“Wow, this is ridiculous.”

Who would have enough clothes to fill up a closet of this size?

Rich people like Alex.

I leave the closet and walk over to the sitting area, plopping down on the chaise and stretching my legs out as I lean back.

This would be a great reading chair, if I had any books to read. It’s firm enough to not kill my back, but soft and cozy enough to be comfortable lounging for hours.

Maybe I can slip away from work to go to the library someday soon. I’ll have to see if Alex can give me a ride since we are twenty minutes away and not within walking distance.

I close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to grow up in a house like this.

Would I have finished college and gotten a degree? Would I be expected to work for my rich parents’ business?

A gentle knock sounds on the guest bedroom door.

“Come in.” I call out, not knowing if it’s Mr. Strickland or Sarah coming to check on me.

The door opens and Alex peeks his head inside.

He looks around the bedroom for a moment before turning his gaze to mine. “Can I come in?”

“Uh, sure. You don’t have to ask.”

“This is your room now. I’m not going to barge in whenever I want. You deserve privacy, too.” He steps inside the room carrying an armful of bags.

“I got you something,” he says with a grin.

“Something? That looks like the entire store.”

He shrugs and places the bags next to the bed before walking back into the hallway and returning with another armful of bags.

Oh, my god. Did he buy an entire store?

Alex walks over to me, stopping when he’s at the bottom of the chaise. “You can take back what doesn’t fit, or what you don’t like. I wanted you to be more comfortable here.”

I look down at the leather leggings I’m wearing and rub my thighs together. “These are comfortable. These are my new favorite pants.”

His dick twitches in his pants as if to say they are his favorite, too.

I run a hand up my thigh and he stares like he’s hypnotized. When I get to my hip, I trail my other hand down the opposite leg .

His Adam’s apple bobs.

“Thank you for the clothes. You didn’t have to buy me anything, though. I have clothes.” I motion to my duffle bag of clothes sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Alex’s eyes darken as his gaze travels over my entire body. “I wanted to. Maybe I just wanted to do something nice for you, since your apartment fire is my fault. Maybe I just wanted to buy you clothes, so I can watch you try them on.”

I’m sure he has enough money to buy me a thousand pairs of these comfortable leggings, but that’s not the point. He walks backward to the bed and places the bags on the floor next to the other ones.

“You want to watch me try on clothes?” I ask in disbelief.

Who would want to watch someone try on clothes? It’s not fun or sexy, especially if something is too tight and gets stuck around my stomach.

That is not my definition of a turn on.

Alex is back over to me in a blink of an eye. He plants his hands on the back of the chaise, on either side of my head, and leans in until our lips are almost touching.

“Of course, I want to watch you try on clothes. I want to help you peel each piece off as I kiss every inch of your exposed body. I want you to see how sexy I find you and how hard you make me.”

I try to swallow, but I can’t. My mouth is drier than a desert, and it feels like a lump has formed in my throat.

“If I didn’t have to do something right now, I’d tear those leggings off of you and eat your pussy until you come on my face.” Alex’s voice is husky, but his words cause moisture to gather on my panties.

Holy fuck, this man is going to be the death of me.

He presses a soft kiss to my lips before turning around to leave, but stops to give me one last glance.

I stare at him for a few extra moments, loving the way his eyes are dark and laser focused on me, and the bulge in his pants is showcasing his arousal for me.

When he turns toward the door, I blurt out, “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

My stomach growls like a hungry lion at the mention of food.

He spins around and grins. “Sure. I’ll cook dinner and let you go through the bags of clothes.”

He walks away, getting to the hallway before my voice stops him once again.

“Actually, I meant to go out for dinner sometime this weekend.”

His eyebrow raises as his grin widens. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

My gaze immediately goes to the carpet and I whisper, “No. Yes. I don’t know.”

He stalks over to me, like a predator attacking its prey, and cups my chin. “Elise MacArthur, I’d love to take you out on a date.”

His lips crash into mine, and I moan into his mouth. His amber and woodsy scent assaults my senses, leaving me wanting more.

He pulls away when breathing becomes a necessity. “Do you want to help me fix dinner tonight?”

My lungs burn as I suck in air through my mouth. I nod my head, unable to speak.

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes. I need to swing by Dad’s office first.”

After he closes my bedroom door, I change out of my cozy sweater and throw on a tank top before making my way down the hallway to the kitchen.

Alex is nowhere to be found, so I use this opportunity to look through the cabinets to get better acquainted where everything is located.

When I have thoroughly searched the higher cabinets, I bend over and look through the bottom ones.

It’s pretty similar to how Mom and I organized our cabinets. Pots and pans are in one lower cabinet, and larger appliances like Crock Pots, mixers, and skillets are in another lower cabinet.

Strong hands wrap around my waist, causing me to yelp in surprise. Standing up and turning around, I meet Alex’s hungry gaze.

“God, Alex, you scared the shit out of me.”

“I wasn’t going to scare you, but you looked so damn good bent over with your ass on display for me. I couldn’t help myself. ”

“I’ll remember that next time. No bending over.”

“Oh, you’ll bend over again, and you’ll enjoy it.” His gaze holds the promise that he’s not lying. My heart pounds because I know it will probably happen before the night is over.

Changing the subject, I ask, “What are we cooking tonight?”

“Steak and sauteed green beans.” He grabs the package of steaks out of the refrigerator as well as the bag of string beans.

“That sounds delicious. Will you teach me?” I feel weird in a shy way for asking. “If we have time tonight.”

Alex’s eyes narrow as he glances my way. “You don’t know how to cook?”

“Some things, sure, but Mom did all the cooking when she was alive, and I’m usually working so much nowadays that I don’t have time to cook elaborate dinners.”

“What do you usually eat?”

I don’t want to tell him and see the judgment in his eyes, but I do anyway. “Honestly, frozen meals if I’m not too tired from work, but most nights, I take a quick shower and fall asleep before repeating the cycle.”

“Well, I’ll be happy to teach you, but I won’t let you skip meals anymore.” His eyes bore into mine, like he wants to scold me, but it only comes out as a loving gesture.

He grabs several things from the pantry before coming back to the large island .

“Do you know how to mince fresh garlic?”

I shake my head. “I don’t even think I’ve ever had fresh garlic unless it was at a restaurant.”

He pulls me over to him until I am standing between him and the island. Wrapping his hands around mine, he uses my hands to show me how to peel and separate the garlic cloves.

Carefully, we mince the garlic before pushing it to the side on the cutting board.

If we weren’t holding a huge knife, I would have relaxed more, but having his arms around me felt nice.

Too nice.

Like I was wrapped in an Alex blanket, I felt safe and warm.

He pours olive oil into the frying pan and turns the burner on. “Next, we heat up the pan until the olive oil is thin and loose.”

Here in the kitchen, Alex seems more at home. Sure, he looks good hanging around the office and sitting across from me at the meeting table, but I’ve never seen him this relaxed before.

He moves around the kitchen like this is his domain.

While the oil is heating up, he grabs a bottle of seasoning and coats each side of the steaks.

I pick up the label-less bottle and give the mixture a sniff. “What seasonings do you use?”

“My own house blend.” He grabs another frying pan and heats it up on another eye.

“Is it a super secretive recipe? ”

“No.” He chuckles. “It’s just salt, pepper, and garlic. Try some.”

He grabs a pinch, and I open my mouth to taste it.

“Mmm. That’s good.” Smoke from the stove grabs my attention. “Uh, the oil is starting to smoke.”

Alex pulls away. “Grab the cutting board. It’s time to add the garlic, and cook it until it’s brown.”

Standing behind me, he wraps his hand around mine and teaches me how to cook the garlic.

When he places the tongs to the side, I wiggle my ass and nestle his erection in the crack of my ass.

A deep groan comes from him before he leans down and presses his face into the crook of my neck. His kisses leave my skin heated and flushed.

Pulling away, he adds the green beans to the frying pan with the olive oil and garlic and adds the steaks to the other pan.

The delicious aromas cause my stomach to growl.

He smacks my ass with a spatula, causing me to squeal. He swats my other cheek and I let out a moan.

He turns toward me, smirking. “Did I just hear you moan?”

I shake my head.

“Liar.” He takes a step toward me with a devilish grin on his face.

I try to run around the island, but he catches me. His large hands wrap around my waist and pull me back toward his chest.

Spinning me around, he pins me against the granite island as the steaks and green beans cook behind him.

His blue eyes turn dark as his gaze roams my body. “After dinner, you’re mine, Elise.”