Page 26 of Alex (Men of Forbidden Temptation #4)

ELISE

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I mumble to myself as I wrap the oversized towel around my body and fling open the bathroom door.

I’m so late.

After drying off my body, I wrap the towel around my hair to keep the excess water from running down my back and head into my closet.

Tonight is my first date night with Alex, so naturally, I’m running late. I should have planned everything already. That way, I wouldn’t be as stressed as I am right now.

I run my hands along the clothes hanging up, stopping when I get to one of the black dresses Alex bought me.

It’s tighter than I would normally feel comfortable wearing, but when I tried it on after his little shopping spree, his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

I lay the dress on the guest bed and grab a black lace bra and black thong to go with the pair of strappy black heels I plan to wear tonight.

Sitting down at the vanity, I lay my makeup out and get started on applying it to my face. I keep it minimal because I rarely wear a lot and because I don’t know where Alex is taking me.

Luck is not on my side because the faster I try to get ready, the more I mess up and the longer it takes.

When I finish blow drying and straightening my hair, I get dressed.

A soft knock sounds on the bedroom door as I am slipping on my heels. “One second.”

I buckle the last strap, rush to the door, open it, and almost run into Alex. His hands wrap around my arms to keep me from falling down.

“I know you are eager to start the date, but you don’t have to run me over.” His voice holds a hint of a chuckle, but is soft and caring.

I laugh and give his arm a playful swat. “I wasn’t going to run you over. I just didn’t want you to have to keep waiting for me. Sorry it took so long to get ready.”

Alex’s gaze roams over my entire body. “Take as much time as you need. I’m not in a rush. You look absolutely fantastic, though.”

My face blushes at his compliment as my gaze locks onto his. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”

To be honest, he is hot and tempting. His black slacks are fitted and tailored to perfection, and his light gray button-up shirt fits him like a second skin.

The top button of his shirt is open, showing just enough of his chest to tempt me.

When my gaze returns to him, he smirks and asks, “Do you like what you see?”

I nod. “You look sexier than sin, and if you didn’t already make plans for us tonight, I’d drag you in here and show you just how good I think you look.”

“Well, in that case, let’s go.” He loops one arm through mine and leads me down the hallway to the garage.

He opens the passenger door for me and when I’m seated inside, he closes the door.

“So gentlemanly.” I say after he takes his seat behind the wheel.

His eyes darken as they lock onto mine. “I aim to please.”

I squeeze my legs together as I imagine just how well he pleases me. When I let out a tiny moan, Alex reaches over to place his hand on my thigh.

“Keep that up and we will be late for our dinner reservations.”

“I’m fine with that.” I tease.

His hand slips under the hem of my dress, moving up my thigh until his pinky finger brushes against my panties.

“Well, I promise to make it worth your while after the date, but first, we need to eat, so we have the stamina for a long and pleasurable night. ”

I stick out my lower lip and pout. “Fine, be that way.”

He leans over and captures my lower lip between his. “I kind of like it when you pout. Makes me want to kiss you until your lips are swollen.”

“I’m not complaining or stopping you.”

He stares at my lips for a few moments before he shakes his head and backs his car out of the garage.

When he drives in the opposite direction from town, I give him a questioning look.

“So, where are we going?”

He doesn’t take his eyes off the road. “To eat.”

I roll my eyes and chuckle. “I already knew that.”

“Then why did you ask?” He glances toward me for a second before returning his gaze to the road.

“I meant what restaurant are you taking me to?”

There aren’t many restaurants this way. Actually, I don’t think there are any on this side of town, but I haven’t ever been over here, so I wouldn’t know where he is taking me.

His fingers lightly dig into my inner thigh. “Who said we are going to a restaurant?”

“Are we not going to a restaurant? Are we going on a picnic in the woods?”

We are past the rich and fancy houses and surrounded by nothing but trees.

Alex grins. “Nope. I’m just teasing you. We’re going to a restaurant. ”

“You’re impossible.” I reach down and place my hand on top of his.

He squeezes my thigh. “And yet you still love, uh, like me.”

Love.

That one word causes my heart to pound in my chest.

Neither one of us speaks for the rest of the trip. He pulls into a dimly lit parking lot. There’s only a few parking spots available.

This must be a popular place since the line is out the door.

I gaze around at the fairy lights wrapped around the palm trees with the ocean waves in the background. “Wow. This is so beautiful.”

“I was hoping it would be the perfect place for our first official date.” He pulls me into his arms and wraps his hands around his waist.

“This is perfect.” I give him a chaste kiss before pulling away. “Let’s go before they give up our reservation.”

Alex and I walk arm in arm toward the front door of the restaurant.

He gives the hostess his name, and she immediately leads us inside to a flight of stairs. We follow the hostess upstairs to a very nice table on the roof that is overlooking the beach.

Unlike other restaurants, she doesn’t give us menus. When we are seated, she says, “Your waiter will be here shortly to deliver your drinks. ”

She gives Alex and me a smile before heading back downstairs.

Looking around at the near empty rooftop, I see other couples looking over menus.

Alex interrupts my thoughts. “I hope it’s okay that I already planned the menu for the evening.”

Alex planned the entire date, including our menu? This has to be the most romantic gesture ever.

“I’m fine with that. I’m not picky when it comes to food.” You can’t look like me and not like food.

The waiter brings two glasses of wine and two glasses of ice water. “Your food will be out in a few minutes.”

I give him a friendly smile. “Thank you.”

When we are alone, I take a sip of wine. “Wow, this is really good.”

Alex takes a large sip of his wine before licking a stray drop off his lower lip.

Damn. I wish I could be that drop of wine and have him lick me up.

Alex’s phone rings, interrupting the date and my dirty thoughts. “Sorry, it’s my dad.”

He mutes the ringtone and heads down the stairs to get some privacy.

I debate messaging Kate to check in on her, but I don’t want to be on my phone when Alex comes back, so I let my gaze wander over to the waves lapping up the beach.

It’s soothing, relaxing, and only adds to the romantic atmosphere .

How did I get so lucky to find someone like Alex?

Someone that cares for me and wants to be with me. Someone that can look past physical looks and wealth. Well, lack of wealth.

Alex comes back upstairs a few minutes later with a grin on his face.

“I have good news.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah?”

He nods as he takes his seat. “Dad was able to work things out with Adam’s dad. There was no tape of the poker game.”

“That is great news. So, Adam was bluffing the entire time?”

“Yeah, and the company merger is still happening as planned. Now we can get back to our date.”

“I’m so happy for you, and I’m glad the past is able to stay in the past.”

If only my apartment and my belongings weren’t caught in the crosshairs.

“Me too. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can move on with my future and start taking over some companies for Dad.”

“You will do great, Alex. I know you can handle anything your dad throws at you.”

The waiter brings our food, and I can’thelp but to chuckle.

“Tacos and margaritas?”

This doesn’t seem like the place to serve tacos and margaritas. Quite the opposite, actually. Lamb roast and fancy wine are more up to par here.

“I told you before that it doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

My heart swells at the memory of our conversation. It seems so long ago that we were discussing our perfect first date and how I wished the traditional first date could be combined with the comfort of tacos and margaritas.

We take a few bites, moaning as the exotic flavors wash over our taste buds.

He takes several sips of his margarita and says, “I never meant for you to get caught up in all of my drama. You didn’t and don’t deserve it, and for that I’m sorry. Truly.”

He’s staring at me with a slight frown on his face. It causes my heart to clench in my chest. I know he didn’t mean for any of this to happen.

“Besides my apartment being burned down, it hasn’t been that bad.”

His eyebrows narrow as the edges of his lips curl up into a small smile. “That bad?”

I smirk. “Well, the longer work hours haven’t been the greatest. Actually, it sucks, but I’ve particularly enjoyed making dinner with you and the late evenings in your bed.”

Not to mention the dozens of orgasms he’s given me over the past couple of weeks.

He growls. “Well, then you will love the last part of this date. ”

“What is the last part of the date? Are we going to be in your bed? Or any bed?”

I hoped that’s where the night would end up. After all, I shaved and exfoliated every inch of my body in hopes of Alex touching and tasting me.

“You’ll find out after we eat.”

The gleam of what’s coming shines in his eyes, giving me hope for a happy ending of this date.

We keep conversation light hearted and off of anything relating to work as we eat our tacos and drink our margaritas.

When we are finished, Alex grabs my hand and leads me downstairs and out the back door to the beach.

“How about a nice walk on the beach before we get to the second part of the date?”

I kick off my heels and cuddle closer to his side as he bends over to retrieve my shoes and wraps his arm around me. “That sounds nice.”

The sand is soft and cool beneath my feet as it squishes between my toes.

I let out a soft sigh as Alex leads us closer to the water. “Can you believe it’s already been eight months since the night I first met you?”

Eight months since Mom died.

I shake that thought away. I don’t want to ruin my first date with Alex because I’m mourning Mom all over again.

Alex links his hand with mine, causing me to stop walking. His voice is husky, yet soft. Deep and lustful, but happy and hopeful .

“How can I forget? That night changed everything for me. I needed to know more about the quiet woman that snuck away from my party without so much as a name, number, or address.”

“Who would have thought that just a few weeks later I’d be working for your dad without even knowing it?”

The corner of Alex’s eyes crinkle as he grins and laughs. “Not me, that’s for sure.”

Standing on my tiptoes, I press my lips to his. Before things can get too heated, I pull on his hand.

“Come on. I’m ready to see what else you planned for our date.”

His face lights up like the night sky on Independence Day. “Let’s go. It’s just a little way down the road. We’ll take the car.”