Page 68 of The Maxwell Brothers

I pulled the car in front of her building and headed straight up to her apartment. I’d only been here twice before, but I’d been so focused on Lexi that I didn’t properly inspect it. This time, I looked around with a critical eye. I liked that the building had a doorman, even though there were always strangers going in and out as they pleased. Did she have a security system?

I took the elevator up to her floor and knocked on the door. She immediately opened it, eyes wide.

"I'm almost done," she said before I even had the chance to say hello. “I need to find my toiletries bag, which I packed with great care, and I have no idea where I put it." She dashed away from the door.

"Hey, I don't even deserve a kiss?" I called after her.

"After I find my toiletry bag," she called from inside the apartment. "Come in. Make yourself comfortable."

I was preparing myself to wait for a while. Whenever Paisley said she needed a bit of time, it took forever. So I went to the living room, sat down, and looked around. It was a comfortable apartment but on the small side. Remembering my security question, I glanced at the front door. It didn't look like she had an alarm.

"I'm done," she said, coming in a few minutes later holding the toiletry bag in front of her like it was a prized possession before stuffing it in the luggage next to the front door. She grinned, looking up at me and making a come-here motion with her finger. "I'll give you that kiss now if you're still up for it."

I strode straight to her, pinning her against the wall. I needed to kiss her just as much as I needed my next breath. I couldn't explain it, but my need for her was buried deep inside me. As soon as I kissed her, I knew it wouldn't be enough. This wasn't going to satisfy me, not even close. I pressed my hips against her, deepening the kiss. My cock stirred, hardening by the second.

Lexi moaned, rolling her hips before pulling her head back, laughing. "Wow. That's what I call a kiss. But I meant what I said, mister. I want us to get to the vineyard while it's still sunny outside so you can give me a tour."

I took a step back, rocking from my heels to my toes, legs wide apart, hands in my pockets. "Okay, then. Let's go."

She looked at me suspiciously.

"If I come any closer, Lexi, I'll kiss you again, and this time, I won't stop at that. I need to make you mine. It's a need I don't understand, but I feel it every single time we're together."

Her breath caught. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, taking two steps back. "Okay, then we'd better go before I tempt you too much."

"You're a walking temptation for me, Lexi, no matter what you do." She grinned, moving to grab her bag, but I was there first, clapping my fingers around the handle. "I'll take this."

"Oh, such a gentleman. Thank you. Let me lock up. Now, where is my key? Oh, here it is."

"Do you have a security system?" I asked as we went out of the apartment and she locked the door.

"I think I do."

"What do you mean, you think you do?"

"I've never used it. I have this fancy box next to the door, but I don't know what functions it has."

I groaned. "Lexi, you're killing me. Open the door so I can look at it."

She laughed, and instead of opening the door, she finished locking it before turning around. "You, sir, said it's my job to make sure we get out the door on time. So let's go. You can look at my alarm system another time."

"Lexi, I want you to be safe."

Her eyes softened. "Fine. I promise I will let you look at it at some point, but now we should go. Come on. I'm eager to start the weekend."

I agreed reluctantly, and we took the elevator down. Once we were in the car, she buckled her seat belt and started chattering. "How is Paisley?"

I loved that she thought of my daughter so often. It proved how right she was for me.

"She's over the moon. She loves spending the weekend at Gran's since she's going to be spoiled from early morning until late in the evening."

Lexi laughed softly. "Yes, she will. I'm glad you're aware of that. So, tell me a bit about the house."

"Well, it's been in my family since I was a kid. I grew up there. We rebuilt it a few years ago, so it doesn't look anything like the original house.”

“And it’s on a vineyard, right?”

“Yes, but that’s a small one, one acre. I bought other vineyards in the area that are much bigger.”