Promises (5 page)

A
lex stared at the ground for a few seconds and tried to draw together her scattered thoughts. Even in the bright light of day, she felt her treacherous body respond to him. Her fanny was sending out some serious ‘fuck me’ signals, lusting after his dick. And he was her neighbour?
Dear God
, she thought,
I don’t stand a chance. I already want to leap his bones.

Alex
reverted to safety, moving inwards to curb all her sexual urges and carnal lust. She pushed them to the back of her mind, placing them in a box and firmly closing it. There was no way she could go down that route.

“Nice to meet you again
,” she said and tried to slide past him. She was burning in the heat of his body, and his addictive scent rolled over her. “I’m late for work, so if you don’t mind?” She waited for him to fully move away. She needed her space, needed to breathe. He was so close she couldn’t think straight.

“Is that the way you greet all your lovers?” he asked, the words delivered
in a cold snap. His gaze meandered over her, eyeing the slight bumps on her thighs beneath the ugly skirt.

“You’re not my lover
,” she hissed as she glared up at him, her volatile temper igniting. “It was just the once.”

“It was more than once if I remember rightly
.” A wicked grin twitched at his lips as her face coloured a deep hue of red.

“I remember, bu
t it was merely for convenience. We were both there, so ….” Unable to elaborate, she noticed his eyes darken. Was it passion or anger, she mused. “And that was it, one night only, not to be repeated.” She said the words aloud for the benefit of her brain. Willing her body to control the sensations her fanny was creating, she paused and scowled pointedly up at him. She wished he didn’t look so Goddamn sexy. “So, please, I need to go.”

“Where do you work?”
he asked as his blue eyes skated over her dowdy outfit.

“
The library. I’m a librarian.” She waited for his reaction. Disbelief flitted across his face and he raised his eyebrows. She tried to guess what he really thought, then dismissed the idea, turned and walked away. Stemming an urge to run, she checked the time again and hated the way her hand trembled. Christ, how the hell was she going to control her sexual urges living next door to him?

The only reason she’d slept
with him was because of the certainty she would never see him again. She had been able to fulfil her fantasies, release her inhibitions. Put into practice every little thing she’d only ever read about. And now he was living in the Bay?

“Think I’ll have to become a member!” he shouted after her
. Solomon kept his gaze on her as she hesitated, turning slightly as if to say something. Then, with a shake of her head, she continued down the street.

Alex tapped her mobile.
Holding the phone up to her ear, she struggled with the key in the antiquated lock and cursed until the heavy oak door swung open. Leaving the fresh salty air behind, she strode into the musky staleness of the dark, gloomy interior. She flicked the light switch and waited for the glare of light to improve, illuminating the shadowy silence of the room.

* * *

Tanya grabbed blindly for her ringing phone and yawned into the receiver. “Hi, what’s up?” Tanya was fortunate to have the luxury of not needing to work. The daughter of divorced parents and an obscenely rich father who readily shelled out whatever she asked for, Tanya had absolutely no reason to find a job. She lay in soft comfort beneath a large duvet.

“He’s here
,” Alex said. “Solomon!”

Tanya
rubbed her eyes, attempting to wake up. “Who?”

“The man I slept with?
Well, woke up with,” Alex amended as she collapsed onto the hard chair behind the checkout counter. Her legs were weak and shaky, and she waited impatiently for her friend to come alive. Alex didn’t feel guilty calling her early because she knew Tanya would simply roll over and go back to sleep. Alex wished she had parents who were trying to outdo each other lavishing money on their only daughter. And Tanya was savvy enough to know how to work the situation to her advantage, feeding off the guilt they felt over their divorce.

“What?” T
he one word screeched down the phone.

With a grimace,
Alex held the phone away from her ear. “Exactly!” she replied when the screeching subsided. “He’s only my new neighbour.” She needed support to resist the feelings that were rampaging through her body at the moment.

She was more tha
n hot. She was in pure meltdown as she tried to work out how a man she’d met once could ignite such an extreme sexual charge. The sensations smashed through her body. It had taken just one liquid glance at a mouth that was soft and sensual, knowing as she did how he could use it—what delights his tongue could conjure up.

Alex
firmly crushed her thighs closed, attempting to block all memories of what he’d done to her that night.

“I can’t wait to meet him.
Be interesting to see if he’s as good looking as you make out,” said Tanya.

“Don’t even go there
,” warned Alex, hearing the smile in her friend’s voice and knowing intuitively what she intended. She’d only known Tanya for the six months she’d lived in the Bay. The woman was a hussy, a regular man eater. Several times she’d tried to coax Alex on one of her forages into nearby towns, which Alex refused. Alex was more than happy with her plastic friend, and it wasn’t her credit card.

“Ju
st a thought … mind if I come over today? I’d still like to see this Adonis.”

Rolling her eyes
, Alex released a ragged sigh and realized Tanya would come, regardless of what she said. “Yeah, feel free. Meet me over here.”

* * *

Solomon hauled his one suitcase from the car. He didn’t need anything else. The house had been sold fully furnished, another of his requirements. He didn’t intend to stay long, just long enough to satisfy the itch. Seeing how she had been dressed today, he guessed he might be leaving sooner than he thought.

Yet he’d noted with satisfaction the way her hips had swayed
as she walked. Even that ugly garb couldn’t detract from the sexiness beneath.

Ambling inside
, he glanced around before opening the back door, wanting to see how much of her garden he was privy to. He smiled with satisfaction. There were no tall walls or overhanging trees. Perfection. Moving on upstairs, he glanced out a side window and noticed that it centred on a bedroom and a landing. With a brief glance around his room, he threw the small case on the bed, intent on having a look around the village. He needed to get his bearings while he worked out his plan on getting her into bed. So far she seemed less than willing, almost hostile. But he was confident of getting his way.

* * *

It had taken less than half an hour to walk around the small bay. Shading his eyes, Solomon glanced upwards at the tiny cottages nestled deep within a verdant backdrop against the sparkling sea. The water rolled in a dark myriad of differing blues, reflecting the sky above. The seagulls swooped, a flash of colour, their wings tinged charcoal. He sauntered past the beach bar. The metallic tables glinted in the early morning sunshine, large bright coloured parasols waving in the sea breeze.

Dropping his shades
down off his head, he flashed a melting grin at the curious glances thrown his way. Receiving a response of a more sexual nature, he acknowledged them with a brief nod of his head and continued. His status had now changed from intriguing stranger to available man.

* * *

Moving the ladder against the wall of books, Alex wished she worked in a modern library. Then she would have access to computers and wifi, and not be surrounded solely by antiques smelling of dust and polish.

The rolling wooden ladder hitched onto the seasoned bookcase
. The oak roll top desk stood against the wall, its brass handles glowing dully against a row of drawers. Atop its exposed desktop sat an antique Corona typewriter, its keys worn with age. 

She’d
taken this job for two reasons. One was her love of books—hot erotic romances to be exact. Here she could indulge her craving to the hilt. The second was to escape her nagging mother. At this she had been less successful.

Her
six months here felt like six years. How could other people lead such varied and exciting lives whilst hers was lived through the pages of books?
Well almost
, she thought, taking care as she moved up the rungs of the ladder. In one arm she held a stack of dusty tomes; her free hand gripped the rail. She wobbled precariously to the top and with deliberate caution placed the books back into their gaps, evident by the dusty marks left behind.

“I’d be careful if I w
ere you,” warned a deep voice, breaking through the silence and into her thoughts.

“Shit!” she yel
led, and turned too fast. With a strangled scream, she felt herself falling. She landed in a pair of steely arms that held her tight.

“Lucky I was here
.” Solomon’s fingers subtly probed her thighs, feeling for her suspenders and pausing briefly over the slight bumps.

“If you hadn’t snuck up on me I wouldn’t have fallen
,” she snapped, realizing he still held her. “You can put me down now.” She couldn’t help noticing how his muscles flexed. The glorious masculine scent rolled over her, twisting lusty thoughts.

He
lowered her with infinite slowness to the ground, still keeping an arm around her waist. Pulling her close, he dipped his head and the tip of his tongue tracked a path along the contours of her lips, retracing every route he’d travelled.

Alex
relished his taste, fresh and so sweetly intoxicating. She sucked in a breath, then exhaled a soft, ragged wisp of a sigh. Her hand stole up with fevered intensity. Urgent fingers rubbed the base of his neck in a sexy circling dance of wanton need. Shivers splintered down her spine and she could feel him growing hard. She was craving him with an intensity that was burning out of control.

“Hello
,” shouted a disembodied voice. “Alex, where the heck are you?” The words broke the spell.

Solomon
’s gaze sparked down at her, his eyes dark with passion. “I’ll see you later. I think we’ve got some unfinished business.” The words swept out in a hush, his voice full of unspoken promises.

Alex couldn’t speak.
She struggled to nod her head, trying to calm her body’s traitorous reaction to him. She wished she could remain detached, then realized she could. It was her fanny that was causing the problem, experiencing a dull throbbing ache that wasn’t going away. Her kickers were already damp.

Tanya
stood by the desk and raised her eyebrows when she saw the tall, dark-haired man who had to be Solomon. Instantly she patted at her hair, pulled out her compact and, with a brief glance in the mirror, glossed her lips. She adjusted her top, tugging it down so the cleavage of her boob job showed. Then she smoothed her short skirt, skimming it so it fell just beneath her rounded ass.

Tanya
homed in on him, watching him leave. His slim hips rolled in a loose, easy, sexy-assed action. Her eyes steamed hot on his tight butt, the pale denim of his jeans straining across muscled legs. Then she turned her attention to Alex, who looked as if she’d just been fucked senseless.

“That’s Solomon
,” Alex breathed, wearing a silly grin on her face and a creased frown on her forehead.

“I guessed that, but what I want to know is
, what did he do to you?” Tanya’s eyes narrowed to shards of pure jealously. She nibbled on her lip, her gaze still locked on the stud of a man walking away.

“
He caught me when I fell off the ladder. And Tan, if you hadn’t come in, I honestly think I’d be having it off with him between
Sense and Sensibility
and
The Bridges of Madison County
!” She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know what it is about that man, but he’s only got to touch me and I’m like liquid gold.”

“After what I saw
, I’m not surprised,” she agreed, sucking in a sigh of jealous frustration.

* * *

Sol paused and grinned at the tall, statuesque blonde eyeing him up as if she wanted to eat him. If not for Alex, he would have been tempted to dip in for a sample. With a brief nod of his head, he marked her as a possibility for a later date. After he’d been fully sated, had his curiosity well and truly satisfied and was ready to move on. He made a mental note to get her number.

Solomon didn’t intend
to stay around, never did. The idea of fidelity made him shudder. It was the sex he enjoyed. Once a woman mentioned the words ‘commitment’ or ‘relationship,’ it was the last nail in the coffin.

Yet he sensed Alex was different. He wasn’t stupid; he knew there was something unique about her. However,
he was not foolish enough to think it would end any differently. It couldn’t. Four weeks max and he’d be over her; that was his outside limit. Whistling, he dug his hands into his jeans pockets and sauntered in the fresh air away from the library.