The last thing he wanted to do was talk. He crossed the threshold and fit his lips over hers, reaching out and tugging her flush against his chest. And damn, the spark wasn’t a fluke. The same heat and need flared to life. Consumed.
Tightening his hold on her, he lifted her enough to back her away from the entry and kicked the door shut, all the while keeping his mouth fused to hers. He spun her around and pressed her back against the door, planting his palms on either side of her head. If he kept his hands off her, he could stop this before the house went up in flames. Probably.
Faith didn’t get the memo. Her fingers drove into his hair and tugged. Her tongue warred with his for dominance and he was damn tempted to let her win. Just for the hell of it. To let himself be conquered for once.
When one of her legs snaked around his hips, drawing his jean-clad erection snug against the apex of her thighs, he groaned and rested his forehead against hers. Tried to breathe. “You’re a sleeper,” he mumbled, head still somewhere in the vicinity of that kiss.
“Sleeper?” she breathed.
God, that voice of hers got to him in ways he couldn’t possibly explain. “Yeah. A sleeper. You seem all reserved and calm on the surface, lying in wait until the moment of initiation, and then you strike.”
Her amber eyes lifted to his, her dilated pupils telling him she was just as affected. “That was a compliment, right?”
He laughed and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. Smelled so good. “Yes, that was a compliment.” He’d come over here for something other than this, hadn’t he? He couldn’t seem to remember.
“So, you’re not breaking up with me?”
He ceased his nibbling on the tendon in her neck and looked at her. Just as he suspected. Insecurity shone in her eyes, not needy attention-seeking manipulation. “Why would I do that?”
She shrugged, one of her hands still fisted in his hair. “You were mad out on the beach when I talked about . . .”
As she trailed off, he stared, wondering how to put into words the emotions she’d brought out in him with her admission a few nights back. He shouldn’t care. If they were nothing more than a summer fling, he shouldn’t care.
She blinked slowly. “You wanted to know about my past. I don’t talk about it very often, mostly because no one’s asked before, but . . .”
She was killing him. “There’s no excuse for what your parents did. You should never feel bad for being put on the back burner because of someone else’s faults. You hear me, Faith?”
Her head tilted, taking in his words. “Lacey was right. You’re mad at my parents, not me.”
She talked about him with Lacey? That was a good sign that she thought about him half as much as he did her.
Her hands dropped to his chest. “I don’t . . .”
“You don’t what?”
“I don’t think anyone’s been mad on my behalf before.”
Killing him dead.
He sucked in a breath and suddenly remembered why he came over. She’d never been to the beach before Mia and Cole hired her, which made it likely she hadn’t traveled at all. “Come with me to New York next Saturday.”
The back of her head hit the door when she startled. “What?”
He removed his palms from the door to cup her chin. “My publisher is throwing a release party I have to attend. It’ll just be for one night, but I can show you around the city beforehand. Have you ever been to New York?”
“No. But why do I need to go, too?”
Alec wondered if she’d ever get out of the habit of questioning the motivation behind others wanting to be in her company. “You don’t need to go. I want you to go. I’d like you there.”
“Oh.”
Again with the oh. “What do you say?”
Her gaze drifted over his shoulder as she contemplated. “Okay. As long as Mia doesn’t need me in town.”
“You don’t work weekends.” Why the hell was he trying so hard to convince her? He never brought dates to release parties.
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem,” she said, staring at him as if wanting to say more. She opened and closed her mouth several times before finally speaking. “If you change your mind about this thing between us, just tell me. I’d like to stay on friendly terms afterward. If you drag it out—”
“I’ll tell you.” A sour sensation formed in his gut, and he had to wonder why the thought of ending things made him sick. “I’m happy with the way things are, for now.”
She nodded and drew in a slow breath, causing her breasts to brush temptingly against his chest. “Is that why you wanted to see me? To ask about New York?”
No. “Yes. How about a walk on the beach before you go to bed?”
Bed. Christ, he wanted her in bed, beneath him, more than he cared to analyze. Some distance was needed. After nothing more than a few kisses, Faith was in his head. Practically all he thought about. Which made no sense because he’d had sex with more women than he could count, had gotten hot and heavy with them, and none of them had him this . . . enthralled.
Maybe Faith was right. Maybe this had to do with how she’d helped him write again.
Or not.
She dropped her forehead to his chest. The move brought out something deep and protective inside him. Before he could scrutinize the sensation she smiled against his chest and straightened.
“Sure. Let’s go for a walk.”
They made their way outside, where the humidity had faded after sunset and the breeze was warm. Once they were past the dunes and walking in the surf, he took her hand. The action surprised even him. He wasn’t a romantic by nature.
“Hi. I’m Alec and I like long walks on the beach.”
That got the desired reaction because she laughed. A smooth, smoky sound that slid over his skin.
“You don’t strike me as the type.”
He wasn’t usually, which just made his conversation with Jake all the more pressing. No matter why or when this ended, Faith deserved to know about his history. She’d shared a part of hers and needed to know what she was getting into, however brief a time they stayed together.
Except he didn’t have a clue how to tell her about Laura. Before meeting Faith, women were just a string of random hookups with whom he had no intention of a repeat offense. Safer that way.
“What’s on your mind?”
Alec smiled. How could he not? Faith had an uncanny ability to know things, read people. Unless it involved herself, anyway. Then she was oblivious.
He paused their walk by tugging on her hand and sat in the sand, gesturing for her to join him. When she complied, he lay back and stared at the stars. After a moment, she laid next to him, their arms and thighs touching.
“The sky looks different like this,” she said, turning her head to face him. “Doesn’t it? It looks bigger. Vast.”
He murmured in agreement. “I take it you never did this. Laid down and watched the sky? Jake and I used to do it all the time as kids. I haven’t in a long time.”
“No, I haven’t. There’s a lot of things I haven’t done, but I’m trying to make up for that.” She turned her head and stared at the sky again. “I can’t help but think that Hope would be disappointed in me for not living.”
Not for the first time, her brutal honesty gutted him. “You can’t think that way. You missed her and followed the routine you were accustomed to living. No one can fault you for that.”
“So that’s not what’s bothering you? My inexperience?”
What? “What?”
“You kiss me like you can’t help it and then back away to cool things down. You’ve done it twice now. I told you I’m not a virgin—”
“Stop.” He held up his hand and turned on his side to face her. “I’m trying not to rush things here.”
The sound of her swallow rose over the waves as she remained focused on the stars. “Do you know anything about constellations?”