But those touches left me aching and needful because I knew that whatever it was that Alex was showing me now would be only a fraction of what he could show me when we were alone.

My door opens and Alex holds his hand out and I take it. He walks me across my sidewalk and up my porch, where I notice that my light to the right of my door is burned out. It causes the light on the left to cast dark shadows across half the doorway. As I reach the top step, Alex releases my hand and I move in front of him to unlock my door.

I’m so nervous now my hands are shaking, and it’s a miracle I pull my keys out of my purse on the first attempt. Just as I’m about to insert my key into the lock, I feel Alex step up right behind me, and my hand shakes harder. He steps in even closer and places his hands on the door, palms flat and just to either side of my head, effectively caging me in.

We’re not touching anywhere but I’m profoundly aware of everything. Heat radiates off of him and the subtle smell of freshness from his body wash hits my nose. I can practically feel the planes of his chest and abdomen touching my back, even though there is still a void between us. Alex doesn’t move, doesn’t say a word, and his stillness causes my pulse to slam harder, my imagination to kick into overdrive.

Will he be soft or demanding of me?

As if sensing my need for some type of answer, he steps in closer until his chest is whispering against my shoulder blades. The contact causes a shiver to run through me, and I know he can feel my reaction because he lets out a gust of breath against the back of my head.

Ever so softly and still so very silently, he drops his right hand from the doorway. With utter assurance and no second-guessing how much I’m willing to give him, he slips his fingers up under the hem of my shirt, skimming over the waistband of my jeans until his palm rests flat and so very hot against my stomach.

Another shiver runs through me, and my breath releases through my teeth in a shaky pant.

Alex gently pushes against my stomach, forcing me backward until my entire backside rests against the front of him. Now I can feel every single detail of his body, from the thick cut of his pectoral muscles, to his iron-hard stomach, all the way down to the erection that is now pressing into my lower back. Alex lets out a soft groan when our bodies touch.

The minute I feel his hardness and I understand just how much this magnificent man wants me, I become completely overwhelmed with lust and desire. My head falls back against his chest and I whisper, “Oh God.”

I wait…poised for Alex to make a sudden move. The sexual tension between us is so thick, it’s almost suffocating. I feel tight like a stretched rubber band, poised to snap at the first movement he makes. It’s a moment when two people might launch themselves at each other in a fury of lust and pulsing need.

But rather than a frenzied attack to release the pressure that seems to have built to straining proportions, Alex leans his head down to the side of my own, placing his lips just near my chin. He then does nothing more than pull backward, running his lips and the stubble of his own chin along my jawline, deliciously scratching my skin.

When his lips reach just below my ear, he presses a light kiss there. Left palm still lying flat against my door, he presses on my stomach lightly with his other hand, pushing me back just a fraction harder onto his erection. Pressing another kiss to my jaw, he moves his lips to my ear and says softly, “Good night, Sutton. I had a great time with you today.”

Before I can even process his words, Alex releases his hold on me and steps back. I turn quickly to face him, almost reaching out with my hands to grab hold and draw him back. He’s staring at me with heated eyes but a soft smile.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he says, taking one step down off my porch while keeping his eyes pinned to mine. “Now get inside and lock the door behind you.”

“But…I don’t…” I falter for the right words, because I’m so completely stunned that he’s leaving after practically giving me an orgasm with just his hand on my belly. “Did I do something wrong?”

Alex’s body actually jerks and his eyebrows shoot up quickly. With a soft smile, he steps back onto the porch and walks up to me, taking my face in his hands. Focusing on my gaze, he stares hard at me, making sure I’m looking at him and listening to what he’s getting ready to say.

“You are doing everything right, baby,” he tells me and plants a soft kiss on my forehead.

“But why are you leaving…I thought you wanted…I mean, I just assumed you felt the same…” My words stutter and falter, and I have never been so confused or tongue-tied in my life.

Bending down and holding my face firmly, Alex pulls my face to his and he gives me a swift kiss with an open mouth, pushing his tongue roughly against mine. He kisses me deeply, darkly, and my muscles clench across my entire body. When he pulls back, his eyes are dark, appearing almost black in the shadows. “I want to f**k you so bad I physically ache, Sutton. It actually hurts. But I’ve always given in to my base desires, and slaked my lust without a care in the world as to who I was with or how fast and hard I’d give it to her. I don’t want that with you. I want something more.”

“And what’s that?” I murmur.

“I want a connection,” he tells me, and his voice holds such longing, I know that when I look back on this moment later in life, it will be a defining moment because it’s when I decided that my heart had already become deeply involved with Alex Crossman.

“We have a connection already,” I point out, still wanting him to come inside my house with me so we can make love. And the hard and fast thing he mentioned before also sounds quite good to me. I’m sure we have time for both.