Page 75 of Mutual Discord

More importantly, was what I had with Alex worth destroying my friendship with Caitlin over? I hated that the answer wasn’t as clear-cut as it should be.

After arriving home, I quickly unpacked and then straightened the house. I kept a tidy space normally, especially after I was laid off and spent the majority of my time within my home’s four walls, but tidy wasn’t good enough for Alex’s first visit. So while I didn’t have time for the deep clean I would have liked to embark upon, I did take more care ensuring the house shined. Then I made sure I shined, hopping in the shower for a quick wash and applying fresh makeup.

As the clock on my stove turned to seven, I felt confident. The house looked great, especially because I lit the candles that were arranged in the wood-burning fireplace and flipped on my candle lamps, giving the living room and my bedroom a cozy, welcoming feel. I poured myself a glass of wine and grabbed my phone, sinking onto the love seat to sort through my notifications just as the chime of my doorbell jerked my head up.

Padding to the door, I threw it open, finding Alex on the doorstep.

“Hi,” I breathed, stepping aside to let him enter.

His intoxicating scent teased my nose as he slipped past me, and when I closed the door, I gritted my teeth before I turned to face him.

Alex was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark blue hoodie with the Scorpions logo on it, his glasses perched on his nose. He looked comfortable in a way I’d never seen him, and I was flattered he felt relaxed enough with me to let down his guard. He also looked so hot I wanted to rip down his sweatpants and devour him.

“This is a lot larger than I thought it would be,” Alex murmured, turning on his heel as he surveyed my living room, which opened to the kitchen on one side and led to the three bedrooms on the other.

I spun, too, trying to see the space through his eyes. The warm beige walls filled with tapestries, mirrors, and an eclectic mix of frames featuring prints of my family and the island. The knitted throw blankets and fluffy pillows. The woven rugs that added warmth to the old hardwood floors. The collection of various houseplants scattered throughout. “It’s much smaller than the McMansions you can find in the east or west valley.”

“Well, considering this home was built in the fifties?” He paused, and smiled when I nodded. “I’m sure this was large for the time. I mean my apartment in Manhattan was six hundred square feet, and my current condo downtown isn’t even nine hundred.”

The corner of my lips tipped up. “It’s not fancy, but it’s comfortable. I’ve been very happy here.”

“It feels like you. It’s stylish and colorful, and also inviting and homey.”

“You think I’m homey?” I snorted. “You make me sound like an old lady.”

“Not at all.” Alex raised his brows. “When I say homey, what I mean is that I feel at home whenever I’m with you. And this place is infused with your spirit.”

Time seemed to stand still in the wake of his words. Every single beat of my heart was both earth-shattering yet a simple second in time. All I could do was stare at Alex and endeavor to breathe.

“Sofia,” he whispered, his voice clipped and gravelly, “show me to your room.”

Oh God. Desire roared like a flash flood through my blood, and my core clenched at the sinfully authoritative tone of his voice. Forcing down a swallow, I silently walked to my room, pausing just inside the doorway.

I had always thought my bedroom was rather spacious. Although there was room for a king-sized bed, I had selected a queen so I had room for the stationary bike that sat in the corner. But Alex’s presence in the doorway dwarfed everything around him, and I shivered as he advanced closer.

Alex glanced around my room, his dark eyes taking in the decor before he studied the suede upholstered headboard and the colorfully stitched bedspread that I had procured the last time I visited San Juan.

After assessing the details of my most private space, Alex turned his attention to me. His heady gaze felt like a caress, and I resisted the urge to rub my thighs together.

“Come here, Sofia.”

Wetness flooded my panties, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from whimpering. Since the beginning of our acquaintance, Alex had been easygoing. Quick to laugh. And during our time in his hotel room in Tucson, he had been content to let me hold the reins.

But this Alex was a different beast altogether.

I skirted around the footboard of the bed until I could tilt my head back and meet his gaze.

With an aching slowness, Alex raised his hands to my face, his palms running along my jaw to my hair, where his fingers knotted in my curls. His pupils were so large they almost swallowed his irises when he finally leaned down and kissed me.

His mouth moved over mine as if it had done so for a millennium. As if his lips—his hands, his body, his beautiful mind—had been designed to fit perfectly with mine long before we met.

What you have with Alex is temporary…

Gripping the front of his shirt, I pulled him closer, wrapping my arms around him and molding my body to his. No. I refused to let that thought keep me from relishing my time with Alex.

Unlike the previous morning, when Alex had been satisfied to taste and touch me for stolen minutes on end, this time he was impatient. His hands smoothed down my back to grasp my ass, hitching me close as his hips moved against mine. He was already hard, and my mouth watered as he stroked his cock against my core.

“Fuck, it was so hard to be close to you today. To laugh and joke with your family as if I don’t know what it feels like when your pussy clamps on my cock as you come.”