Chapter Seven
*** ~~ *** ~~ *** ~~ ***
Alex refused to pace. Yet he was pacing.
Damn it.
Returning to the kitchen, he checked the bread warming in the oven before heading out to the back patio to check on the steaks. He expected Ashleigh to arrive any minute, and he wanted everything to be perfect.
Using his best dishes – he could thank his mother for those; one of the few things she’d ever given him – he had set the table and retrieved a bottle of wine.
Now if Ashleigh would show up, he’d have it made. Instead, he was awaiting her arrival like some love struck teenager who had yet to go on a real date. That was so far from the truth, Alex almost laughed. For a man who’d had his share of women over the years, he should be used to this by now.
But this was Ashleigh Thomas. The woman he had resisted for as long as he could remember on principal alone. His friends liked to hound him about it, giving him shit almost every day about the way he lusted after her, but had yet to go after her. Well, he was proving them wrong now, wasn’t he?
The doorbell rang, and Alex steeled himself. Where the hell was the confidence he normally exuded?
When he opened the door, his breath hitched in his chest. Replaced was the woman from this morning – filling out a pair of running shorts like no one could – with the stunningly beautiful woman before him. The woman must have a penchant for tight jeans that hugged her curvy hips, and those damn tight t-shirts that lovingly clung to her magnificent breasts.
He’d never envied a t-shirt until now.
“Hey.” She greeted him and Alex realized he’d been staring at her like an idiot.
“Come in. You’re just in time.” Stepping back so she could enter, Alex inhaled as she passed by, once again, damn near getting high from her intoxicating scent.
“I didn’t know what to bring, and I didn’t know what you were making, so… here.” Ashleigh thrust a bottle of wine at him.
Alex reached for the bottle, their fingers touching as he took it from her. Once again there was an electrical current of awareness that passed between them. There was no way she didn’t feel it, but from the look on her face, it hadn’t fazed her the way it had him.
“Thanks.” Alex turned the bottle so he could read the label.
“My brother said you like wine, and I’m not an expert, but I’ve heard that’s a good one.”
“One of the best.” Alex said, still shocked that she had gone to this much trouble. The wine she brought was hard to find, and since he hadn’t given her much notice, she obviously had it on hand.
Tipping the bottle in the direction of the kitchen, Alex pointed the way. “Dinner’s almost ready. As a matter of fact, I better check the steaks.”
Alex left Ashleigh in the kitchen where she was sitting her purse down on the bar and openly eyeing his space. He hoped she liked what she saw because Alex had worked hard for his home. Mainly physical work because he had designed the house himself, hired the subcontractors, and after many hours of blood, sweat, and tears – his own – he’d finally accomplished what he was going for.
The result was a three bedroom house that he could guarantee was unlike any other in his small neighborhood. Sitting on three acres, he had the privacy he desired, along with a view to rival them all.
Similar to Ashleigh’s house, Alex’s had an open floor plan and a large manmade pond behind it. Since he hadn’t wanted to block his view, he had forgone a fence, leaving remarkably little privacy should one of his neighbors behind him choose to break out the binoculars.
A pool had been a must, due to the hot Texas summers, and he had creatively managed to block the view of prying neighbors by strategically placing various plants and trees. Not that he had needed any privacy thus far, but if Ashleigh was going to be a regular guest, Alex knew all bets were off.
Flipping open the lid on the grill, Alex checked the steaks before removing them from the grate and sliding them onto a nearby plate.
When he reached the kitchen, Ashleigh had donned an oven mitt and was pulling the bread from the oven. His eyes raked over the woman performing a mundane domestic chore, and another surge of lust zipped through his veins. What was it about her that made him go up in flames?
Setting the plate on the table, Alex returned to the stove to get the roasted vegetables he’d cooked earlier, before following Ashleigh into the dining room once again.
Waiting until she sat, Alex poured the wine then took the seat across from her. He realized he’d never invited a woman back to his house for dinner, and having Ashleigh there was making him nervous. There were so many things to think about – were the steaks cooked right? Did he forget anything? Did she like wine or did she just bring it?
Disgusted with himself for being obnoxious, Alex took a deep breath before filling his plate. He wasn’t allowed to be nervous. He wasn’t a damn teenager.
“This is great,” Ashleigh commented, breaking some of the tension.
“Thanks.”
“I didn’t realize you cooked.”
Alex glanced up from cutting his steak and noticed the mischievous gleam in Ashleigh’s eyes. Was she teasing him?
“I bet you didn’t know that I went to culinary school either, did you?” Alex taunted her.
“Actually, no.” Ashleigh’s eyes widened like his statement was the most absurd thing she had ever heard.
“Well, that’s not surprising since I didn’t actually go to culinary school.”
Her smile lit up the room, and that seductive laughed warmed him from the inside out. How he had managed to stay away from her for so long was beyond him. Other than the random company party that Ashleigh would attend, or an impromptu invite to Xavier’s house, Alex had managed to keep Ashleigh off his mind. But the moment he saw her again, no matter how much time had passed, he’d spend days trying to get her out of his head.
That had all been up until he had kissed her. Since then, there was no erasing her from his mind. She was a permanent fixture at this point.
“Dylan tells me CISS is branching out.”
Alex took the opportunity for what it was.
“That’s the plan. XTX is still our biggest client, but we’ve seen an abundance of interest lately. Cole Ackerley attended a vendor’s conference in Vegas earlier in the month which seemed to have drummed up some business.”
“How’s Dylan doing with all of this?”
It was no secret that Ashleigh and her brother were close. Alex also knew she was concerned about Dylan and the way he’d been coping with his wife’s death eight years prior. He wasn’t normally one to share personal information about the people he knew, but he knew Ashleigh only wanted to know because she was loved Dylan.
“He’s coming around.” Alex told her as he placed his fork on his plate and reached for his wine glass. “I think now that he’s close to Stacey, and Nate is doing better, it’ll get easier for him.”
“He’s had a hard time since Meghan died.” Ashleigh admitted, a sudden sadness etched into her beautiful features.
“It’s been a long time.” Eight years to be exact. And though they had all given him a wide berth, it hadn’t been easy. Being his friend, Alex had considered interfering on more than one occasion, but thought better of it. Dylan had been devastated after losing his wife and Alex figured it wasn’t his place to determine when he should put the past behind him and move on.
“He’s been cooped up for years, running that ranch and essentially living in total seclusion. I don’t see how he could get out from under the memories even if he wanted to.”
Ashleigh watched him, her brown eyes full of emotion. “When he tried to talk me into moving back,” she began, “I told him that the only way I would come back was if he did. That resulted in a couple of long discussions, but I think in the end, it all worked out.”
“How does it feel to be back?”
Ashleigh picked at the food on her plate before turning her attention to him. “I didn’t think I would ever want to, but I’ll be the first to say it’s been good for me.”
“How so?” Or better yet, why hadn’t she wanted to come back? That wasn’t a question he was willing to ask her yet.
“Dylan isn’t the only one who’s been isolated. And just like my brother, I brought it on myself.” She told him, sipping her wine. “Last night’s party? That’s the first time I’ve been out for anything other than book signings or one of my author groups.”
Alex could totally relate. “Don’t feel bad. Other than work, I don’t venture out much. Logan’s always trying to get me to hang out, but now that he’s married, it isn’t the same.” Alex and Logan had been known to tie one on every now and then, but since the man up and got married, Alex hardly saw him.
Other than the party Ashleigh was referring to, Alex hadn’t gone out much lately either. Not even on a date.
Ever since the word had gotten out that Ashleigh was thinking about moving home, Alex hadn’t found much interest in dating. What that said about him, he didn’t know.
“So, tell me about this book writing business.” Alex said, encouraging her to open up more.
~~*~~
Ashleigh had to hand it to Alex; he was trying hard to make this as uncomfortable as possible. It wasn’t working.
From the moment she pulled into his driveway, she wondered what brought her to this point. Not to dinner specifically, but to Alex in general. For years Ashleigh worked to avoid him and he’d returned the favor.
If only she had forgotten about that one night the same way he had, she might just be able to sit at the dinner table, carry on mundane conversation and not feel as though she were not supposed to be there.
She could go on and on about writing, or any other topic he seemed to be interested in, but in the end, where would it leave them?
“What are we doing?” Ashleigh finally asked, sitting her fork down and pushing her plate away.
“Last I checked, this was called dinner.” Alex commented slyly, but the concerned look in his eye told Ashleigh that he was thinking the same thing she was.
“Why are we doing this, Alex?” She really wanted to know.
The kiss they shared last night was as unexpected as it was riveting. Having him show up at her house unannounced, spend two hours running with her, had been overwhelming, to say the least. And now, here they were attempting to converse over dinner when it was clear the only thing going on between them was a little chemistry.
Ok, a lot of chemistry.
Instead of answering, Alex surprised her by pushing back his chair and taking his plate to the kitchen. Feeling like she had brought the black cloud over their attempt at a date, she followed behind him, scooping up her dishes as well.
Depositing them alongside his on the counter, Ashleigh stopped to look at him. Watching as he pulled a long neck bottle from the refrigerator, she waited.
And waited.
Instead of talking to her, he apparently decided to ignore her altogether. Proven when he opened the beer then continued out onto the back porch leaving her staring after him.
Figuring he needed a little space, and she wasn’t opposed to the idea either, not to mention she wasn’t sure what to do next, Ashleigh busied herself with cleaning the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.
That didn’t take as long as she hoped and she found herself fidgeting as she looked from the back door then back to the wall. What the hell was she supposed to do now?
If she was smart, she would grab her purse and walk out the door, leaving Alex to his temper tantrum. She should pretend this never happened and do her level best to forget what it felt like to kiss Alex McDermott. Forget how sexy the man looked in running shorts and a tight t-shirt. And forget that, for most of her adult life, she had lusted after this man.
Since that wasn’t likely to happen, she did what her heart warned her not to do. She turned on her heel and stormed out onto the back porch.