are Alec until a dark silver SUV pulls up. I inch my head closer to my car door window as he walks over to the valet stand to say something to one of the attendants. Finally, some of my questions have answers. I know what kind of car he drives, and I know what he’s wearing. A navy, collared, button-down shirt, which is tucked into a pair of dark gray slacks. I didn’t expect to him to be so pulled together, but he is, and that esoteric pang returns in my chest.
Up until this moment, he’s been someone I’ve created in my head—a fictitious character that lives inside my phone and on the computer, but now, seeing him, he’s no longer imaginary.
He’s real.
Stepping out of the safety of the phone and into reality, he never truly existed until now. Because it’s now that I can see him, and if I were standing next to him and took a breath, he’d have a scent. And if I touched him, he’d have temperature.
I slouch down in my seat as I continue to watch his every move. The night’s shadow reveals a slightly unshaven jawline and perfectly styled hair that’s a tad long on top, not the tightly clipped style Landon has.
He turns to walk away from the valet cart, but he quickly stops in his tracks when his eyes find me. I freeze.
Fuck!
I’m paralyzed in mortification, holding my breath and wondering if he can even see me well enough to know if it’s me or just some random person. He stands and stares right at me while he slips his valet ticket into his wallet and then shoves it into his back pants pocket. Only seconds pass, but it feels like minutes, possibly hours as I listen to the thumping of my heart against my chest. I notice the side of his mouth lift in a sly smirk before he opens the door and walks into the hotel.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I release the breath I’ve been holding on to and drop my head into my hands, muttering to myself, “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”
He totally knew it was me, and now I look like some desperate stalker, which is exactly what I didn’t want to look like. And what the hell was that look on his face? He must think I’m as pathetic as I feel right now. I cannot believe I am doing a drive-by this late at night on a guy I don’t even know. I’m a thirty-two-year-old woman acting like a complete idiot. There is no way he’s going to talk to me now that he’s caught me spying on him. I mean, who does this?
I’ll tell you who . . . me. A middle-aged housewife who was desperate for a little bit of fun.
Not five minutes after I return home does Landon walk in. My heartbeat spikes even further through the adrenaline rushing through me, and the heat of fear flushes my face when he looks at me.
Can he see I’ve just done something wrong?
Was it even wrong? I mean, it’s not like I met Alec face to face, talked to him, or even got close enough to touch him. No. All I did was park across the street and watch him. Just a girl having a little fun—innocent fun—that’s all.
When Brooke heads out, I use the high I’m still riding on and sling my arms around Landon’s neck, asking, “How did it go?”
“It couldn’t have gone better.”
“How long until the review comes out?”
“Possibly next week.”
I follow him as he walks into the bathroom and watch him undress before he steps inside the shower. With the excitement from tonight still coursing through me, I strip my clothes off and join him in the shower. He’s been working so hard lately and has been under an exorbitant amount of stress, so I offer him some much-needed relief.
“Not tonight,” he says when I run my hands up his chest, not even giving himself a chance to get in the mood. “I’ve got nothing left in me after the long day I’ve had.”
I could push him, but I don’t want to irritate him, so I step out of the shower to allow him time to unwind.
Landon joins me in bed a while later and falls asleep instantly.
I roll onto my side, away from him, and allow the thoughts of the crazy day I had to keep me awake. My mind drifts to the phone sex, to