Green. Green with little golden flecks. I stared into Alex's eyes, softly gripping the hem of his jacket as he raised his hand to cup my face, gently brushing my hair behind my ear. He hesitated for a moment, giving me the opportunity to pull away, but I didn't want to. My eyelids fluttered shut as his lips connected with mine.
The kiss was innocent and sweet. I could tell he was testing the waters and trying not to make any wrong moves. As far as I was concerned though, there wasn't a single thing he could do wrong. I was sold as soon as I looked into his eyes.
His hand left my cheek, placing itself at my hip as we kissed. I tightened my grip on his jacket, lightly tugging him closer to me, deepening the kiss.
In the soft glow of the twinkling Christmas lights, Alex's living room felt magical. His lips on mine felt magical. I didn't want to pull away but he eventually broke our kiss, breathing a little quicker than before. His hand massaged my side as we stood mere inches apart. He smiled, taking a step back, and I attempted to shake myself out of the trance I was falling into.
"Tonight has been really great," I said with a slight rasp to my voice, clearing my throat.
Again with the generics, Kate.
Alex nodded, sliding his jacket off and tossing it on a nearby recliner.
"It doesn't have to be over just yet." His sweet voice caressed my emotions.
For a split second, I almost brought up the fact that I hadn't planned on spending the night or even staying out passed midnight, though Selena obviously wanted me to. It was after eleven and I was getting tired, but the idea of him driving all the way back to my house in the dark on slick roads didn't sound inviting. I would feel bad if Alex had to drive in those conditions.
"If you want to leave," Alex said, taking a seat on the couch. "I'll take you home in a few, but you're welcome to spend the night."
I was torn between wanting to stay and feeling bad about imposing. Besides, I'd never spent the night with a man on the first date until Jesse. Was I really about to do it twice in one week? It sounded downright slutty when I thought about it. Then again, maybe this time was innocent and I could honestly blame it on the weather.
"Won't your mom-"
"She won't mind." He shook his head, patting the spot beside him.
I started to protest, but his hypnotizing eyes talked me into it. I decided to go ahead and stay. I knew it was going to make me late for work again. It was going to make both of us late. But at the time, I really didn't care. I was enchanted by the home cooked dinner, and Alex's family's beautiful home, and getting to put up decorations with him.
I took my jacket off and sat down next to Alex, who immediately draped his arm around my shoulders. I scooted closer to him, kicking my shoes off and putting my feet up on the couch. I decided to test the waters and rested my back against his warm, muscular chest. He kissed my forehead, his other hand slowly rubbing up and down my arm in a soothing motion.
The fireplace was lit up with dancing flames, and crackling sounds escaping across the room played like a lullaby in my ears as I began to drift into a dreamless sleep against Alex. Only once did I partially awake in the middle of the night when Alex's mom returned home, the closing of the front door briefly making me stir.
When I awoke the following morning, I was surprised to be in an unfamiliar place until I remembered I'd stayed the night at Alex's. I felt something heavy on top of me and glanced up from my sprawled out position on the couch to see Alex lying behind me, asleep, with his arm over my side. The sweet sound of his soft breathing made me want to go back to sleep until I heard the kitchen sink faucet turn on, and it occurred to me that it was morning and it was probably way passed my usual wake up time.
"Alex," I said quietly, nudging his arm.
He didn't move.
"Alex," I repeated, but received no response.
He was out like a light.
"Good morning, darlin'." Mrs. Stephens' cheerful voice came from behind us as she entered the room. "The tree looks lovely. Y'all did such a good job!"
She was smiling brightly and I was relieved that Alex had been right about his mom not having a problem with me sleeping over. The last thing I wanted to do was give her a reason to not like me.
"Thanks," I said sleepily. "We froze our butts off chopping down the tree. It was quite a chore, but I really enjoyed it."
Mrs. Stephens nodded, sipping her coffee. She was still wearing her pajamas. They were fuzzy and blue and made her look like a Smurf.
"He does that every year. It's something his grandpa got him hooked on. They used to do it together before he passed away a few years back. I wouldn't mind a fake tree, but Alex insists," she explained, looking fondly at a picture of an elderly man across the room that I assumed was Alex's grandpa. "Every spring he always plants a new tree to make up for the one he cut down, too."
"That's really great." I loved hearing what she had to say about him. "Is there any trick to waking him up, though? We're definitely running late."
Mrs. Stephens shook her head, rolling her eyes.
"You just wait right here." She held up a finger, heading back into the kitchen.
I heard the sound of pots and pans clanking together and she returned a minute later holding a ladle and a frying pan.
"Now sweetie, you have to do it like this," she said, banging the ladle on the pan loudly, laughing when it scared the daylights out of Alex.
He jumped up, leaping over me and scrambling to gain composure.
I laughed so hard my chest hurt, watching Alex try to calm his rapid heartbeat. His mom grinned in victory.
"And that's how it's done," she told me, taking the cookware back to the kitchen, leaving Alex looking bewildered.
"Did she seriously just..." he groaned. "What time is it?"
I glanced to the small wooden clock on the mantle which read 7:13. I was strongly considering just taking the day off. I wouldn't even get to the office until about ten.
"I'm going to take a shower," Alex mumbled.
Okay, maybe eleven.
"You're welcome to use the guest room to get ready." He pointed up the stairs.
I felt like I was repeating Saturday morning's events at Jesse's, showering and then wearing the previous day's clothing.
"Okay," I shrugged and followed him upstairs to the spare bedroom.
I tried to hurry up, knowing men usually didn't take as long as women to shower. I didn't want to take forever and keep him waiting. I already felt like I'd imposed enough, despite his mother's sweet demeanor.
While I showered, I hoped they replaced the toiletries after guests left, cringing at the thought of who might have used the razor I was shaving with before me.
I'd barely dried off before I started hopping around the bathroom, attempting to yank my tight jeans up my still-damp legs. I could hear Alex and his mom talking downstairs. She was going out to tend to the animals.
When I went back downstairs, it was silent and I almost worried that Alex had left without me until I heard noise coming from the kitchen. I could smell food cooking and my stomach started rumbling as I padded through the living room barefoot. The wood floor was cold but the room was warm, thanks to Alex or his mom getting the fire going again.
I walked in the kitchen, unprepared for the drool-worthy image of Alex standing in front of the stove with only a low-hanging bath towel around his waist that barely left anything to the imagination.
"Um..."
I tried to keep my jaw from dropping. His muscles were larger and more well-defined than I'd expected, and his hair was still wet. I was itching to run my fingers through it. His towel hung loosely on his hips and I bit my lip at the scandalous thought of it falling to the floor.
"I thought I'd make breakfast." Alex flipped an egg over easy from the pan onto a red ceramic plate. "Ham, sausage, or bacon?"
I was ecstatic that he'd decided to make breakfast. I hadn't realized just how hungry I was, and I didn't want to have to stop on the way to work for food, or eat a messy croissant in the car.
"Bacon." I smiled, sitting down on one of the barstools at the island. "Please."
While Alex went to work on the bacon, my mind went to work daydreaming about the absence of his towel. It sounded like an amazing idea to forget work for the day and stay with Alex, preferably in his bed. I just knew Selena was going to grill me about whether or not we'd had sex, and after seeing him shirtless and nearly naked, my hormones were wishing we had. I knew it was too soon, though. Alex seemed like the long-term commitment type and I wasn't sure if I was interested in that. He was also definitely not the one-night stand type.
"Food's getting cold."
Alex's amused voice tore through my daze and I realized there was a plate of bacon, eggs, and hash browns in front of me.
He leaned over the island with his arms folded and I couldn't help staring at the way his muscles flexed as he moved.
"Can I get you anything else?" he asked sweetly.
Yeah. You. With some whipped cream or maple syrup.
"I can't think of anything."
Oh, yes, you can, Kate!
We ate our breakfast, making small talk, and I felt a wave of sadness wash over me when Alex went upstairs to get dressed, although I wasn't complaining about his appearance when he returned in jeans that fit just a little tighter and hung lower on his hips than the last pair. He hadn't put on his flannel yet and only wore a white tank top tucked into his jeans that showed off every inch of his upper half.
It's not polite to stare. Jesse's words echoed in my mind and I realized I was staring at Alex.
"It's snowing again." Alex spoke up, slipping on his shirt.
Damn.
"Oh."
Very intelligent response, Kate.
He sauntered over to where I still sat at the island, and leaned against the cold granite only inches from me. I mentally slapped myself, having to hold back from touching him. I wanted to slide my hands under his shirt.
"It's almost nine. Do you want to get going?" he asked dully, resting his weight on his forearm against the counter.
We were an hour late for work.
I almost didn't answer, getting lost in those damn gorgeous green eyes again.
"Yeah. I guess."
Smooth.
I could feel Alex's breath on my face as he stood in front of me. It was minty and intoxicating.
"I'll go start the truck."
He turned to head for the door. I didn't want him to leave, but I knew I'd be in the truck with him within minutes.
It was in the low twenties outside, thick flakes of snow blanketing over everything in sight. I shivered as we drove away from the ranch toward the main road. Now that I could see everything in the daylight, it didn't seem like we were that far out in the middle of nowhere as I'd thought the night before.
We got stuck behind a snowplow that was crawling along on a snail's odometer until the traffic cleared enough for us to go around. Jersey City came into view forty minutes later, and I groaned at the thought of seeing Nicole.
The second Wednesday of every month, we had a meeting where everyone exchanged opinions and ideas on our work. So far, Nicole had tried to take charge of her first two meetings with us, and I wasn't in the mood to put up with her.
"You're late." Selena pointed her breakfast burrito at me when Alex and I walked in the office. "You're so late and we're about to go in."
"At least give me a minute to-"
She grabbed my arm, pulling me along with her toward the boardroom.
"That means you, too, lover boy." She waved Alex to follow us.
I was almost embarrassed by her graceless actions but chose not to argue with her about it in front of Alex.
"Good morning, my darlings!" Mandy grinned as everyone filtered into the boardroom.
I sat down next to Selena, and Alex looked completely lost, so I motioned for him to sit on my other side. I noticed Joseph was absent, which was unusual for him. Stilettos clanking on the floor signaled Nicole's fashionably late entrance, and Selena and I rolled our eyes when she walked in, taking a seat beside Mandy, who looked unimpressed.
"Alright!" Mandy clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "I want everyone to give a warm welcome to the new members of our team: Jennifer, Melissa, Carmen, and Alex."
She pointed to each person as she said their names.
"We're glad to have you join us! Now, let's get down to business."
I zoned out, uninterested in hearing about Shawna and Karen's upcoming work. Jennifer seemed to be letting them call the shots instead of giving her ideas a chance.
It occurred to me that I hadn't checked my phone yet, and I was anxious to find out if Jesse had called or texted me. I considered looking at my phone in my lap while everyone was preoccupied, but I didn't want to risk Alex noticing any messages I might have from Jesse. I wanted to keep my options open and date around, and I seriously doubted that Jesse or Alex would want to go out with me again if they knew about each other. I didn't want to seem like I was whoring around or cheating on one of them, though the relationship title hadn't been placed yet. Hell, I didn't even know if they were that interested in me anyway, but I didn't want to eliminate the chance that either of them might be.
The meeting went by quickly. It was more of an introduction for our new coworkers than our usual meeting. Alex had talked about some of the local bands he was considering interviewing and Mandy liked his ideas. To my dismay, so did Nicole.
"Next Monday, Kate and I are going to Chardonnay for lunch," Selena told Alex as we walked down the hall toward my office. "Do you want to come with us?"
I didn't mind Selena inviting Alex. I knew she was anxious to find out more about him and try to find more ways to get us together.
"Yeah, I'd-"
"Alex!"
Nicole's high-pitched, overly excited voice sounded as she struggled to run down the hallway in her monstrous heels after us.
"Hi," she said, staring at him like Selena and I weren't even there.
By the looks of it, he was having a hard time holding in laughter. "Uh, hi."
"I'm Nicole!" she giggled, holding out her hand for him to shake. "I was just wondering if-"
"Oh! Would you look at the time!" Selena blurted out, stepping between Nicole and Alex. "Nicole, you're late for that S.T.D. test you do every month!"
She broadcasted it loud enough for everyone on the second floor to hear. I heard faint giggles and gasps from down the hall and almost burst into laughter myself.
Nicole scoffed, stomping her foot as Selena hurried us to my office, Alex looking equally as amused as he was confused.
"Do I want to ask what that was about?" he frowned.
"No." I waved my hand, flopping down in my chair. "You really don't."
"She's a magnet for chlamydia," Selena lied, almost unable to contain herself, and then made an excuse to leave, slipping out the door and leaving us alone together.
Alex walked around my desk, sitting on top of it in front of me.
"I'm really glad you came over last night." His eyes twinkled, reminding me of the tree lights reflecting in his eyes before we kissed. "Do you want me to give you a ride home tonight?"
I'd forgotten he'd driven me to work. Part of me really wanted to let him drive me home because I wanted to spend more time with him, but I didn't want to develop too many feelings for him just yet. I wanted to give Jesse a fair chance, too.
I decided it was better if I let Selena take me home, considering she lived nearby.
"I think I'll just get a ride with Selena," I said. "But thank you."
Alex looked a little bummed at my response, but he shrugged it off. "Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you for lunch on Monday, huh?"
"Yeah," I smiled.
Once Alex left my office, I pulled out my phone. I had two texts from Jesse.
"Hey beautiful." The first message read. I felt bad for not texting him back at the time.
The second text awakened my hormones a bit. "Good morning. Looking forward to seeing you Friday... All of you."
I was looking forward to seeing him, too. Preferably without clothes. Jesse had an amazing body, and upon reading that second message, I was instantly craving being taken by him in his satin sheets again.
I was excited to see the holiday decorations and lights, but I was more excited to see Jesse and hopefully go back to his place again. Friday night couldn't come fast enough for my body's satisfaction.