Seduction (Club Destiny 3)

She’d tried to drown the images out of her brain once or twice – obviously it didn’t work after the fact.

“Nice view.”

Ashleigh stilled. Alex’s deep voice resonated through every single one of her nerve endings, sending a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the crisp afternoon air.

“That was part of the appeal.” Ashleigh said, once again focusing on the water, not bothering to turn around.

“I can’t disagree there.” Alex’s voice grew closer as he made his way to the edge of the deck.

Against her better judgment, Ashleigh did look at him then. The gleam in those emerald green eyes told her that he wasn’t talking about the pond. “What are you doing here, Alex?”

“Putting in a security system.” He said flatly, pretending he was interested in the view.

“It’s a good thing you don’t get paid by the hour.” Ashleigh retorted. “You waste a lot of time.”

“I wouldn’t classify this as time wasted.” The growl in Alex’s rich, deep voice washed over Ashleigh’s senses, sending a warm shiver across her skin.

“I better go check on the movers.” Being close to him was too much.

To her dismay, Alex turned and followed her, reaching the back door and opening it before she had a chance. Ashleigh dared to look up into those glimmering green eyes and saw something sparkle there. With Alex, it was difficult to read him, but his smile was pure seduction and Ashleigh knew it was time to put some distance between them.

“When will you be finished installing the alarm and how much is it going to cost me?” Letting him hear the frustration in her voice wasn’t difficult. Too bad she was more frustrated with herself than him.

“I’ve got two guys working on it now, so it shouldn’t be much longer. And Xavier already paid.” Alex stated, closing the door behind them and then turning that mischievous gleam on her once again.

Maybe she should try that whole drinking herself stupid thing again. It had been years since the last time. At least then if she was going to do something stupid – like say, go all gaga for this guy – she wouldn’t remember it.

Two of the movers walked into the kitchen carrying her breakfast table, and thankfully interrupting the intimate situation that she suddenly found herself in. Being alone with Alex was not smart. No matter how much her body seemed to like the idea.

“How about dinner?” Alex asked, but Ashleigh pretended not to hear him. She’d perfected the art of pretending anytime he was around.

“What?” She turned to face him as though she needed him to clarify his statement. That was a mistake.

The man was so damn hot, Ashleigh’s internal thermostat notched up a degree or two just from looking at him.

Not only was he a massive chunk of eye candy, a man Ashleigh had compared nearly every man she’d ever met to, he was also tall. At five feet eight, she was on the tall side herself, and his size was one of the things she’d always been drawn to.

At least a head taller than her, Ashleigh liked that he made her feel small in comparison. In order to make eye contact, especially when he insisted on crowding her like he was now, she had to look up. Most of the time, although she was mesmerized by his eyes, they were the last thing she was looking at though.

No, she found herself eyeing his broad chest, or his thick, ropey arms, or... well, the rest of him was off limits where her eyes were concerned.

When Alex cleared his throat, Ashleigh realized she’d been doing just that. Ogling him. Again.

“I’ll be glad to go and pick something up for us if you’d prefer.”

Assuming he was again talking about dinner, Ashleigh contemplated the repercussions of having dinner with this man. Knowing her, and the fact that her body had already begun to ache for him, dinner could likely lead to something more. Much more. And quite frankly, her limited experience didn’t fare well for her when it came to taking on Alex McDermott.

No, dinner wasn’t a good idea. But then neither was him being in her house at all.

Not wanting to be rude, her grandfather had raised her better than that, Ashleigh came up with a compromise.

“Why don’t I order pizza? I’m sure your installers are hungry, as well as the movers.” At least if she ordered pizza, she wouldn’t risk being left alone with him.

“Pizza works.” Alex smirked, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Thankfully he didn’t look back, or he would have caught her sneaking a peek at another one of his exceptionally impressive features.

Chapter Four

One week later, settled and having spent more than a few hours a day writing, Ashleigh opted to take a break, which had come by way of an invitation from Samantha McCoy, Logan’s new wife.