Lead Player - Alex Grayson Page 0,24

it loaded full of chunks of ham, feta cheese, pepperoni slices, and about half a gallon of ranch dressing, but it’s yummy in my tummy.

After shoveling a bite into my mouth, I grab the remote and switch on the TV to one of my favorite shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Phil Coulson just found out he has alien DNA inside him, so things are pretty tense with the gang. I already know what’s going to happen, because you know, this is my second round of re-watching the series, but hey, I like to pretend I’m still in the dark.

I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, having switched from eating my salad to biting my nails, when my doorbell rings. I’m tempted to ignore it, but I’m expecting a package today. Pressing pause, I get up and go to the door. Unfortunately, it’s not the mail delivery service I was hoping it would be.

Nope. Instead it’s the last person I want to see.

Taking a deep breath, I pull open the door, then stand there like an idiot because that’s all I can do. Worn jeans hug his trim hips, a white button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and delicious hair with a rolled out of bed appearance. The man looks way too good.

I break out of my stupor with a head shake to find his amused eyes on me. He knows exactly what he does, and it apparently delights him.

“What can I do for you, Enzo?” I ask, licking the corner of my mouth to make sure there’s no drool there.

He casually leans against the door frame and crosses his arms over his impressive chest.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.” His smooth baritone does wicked things to my body.

I play ignorant. “Forgotten what?”

With a smirk, he uncrosses his arms and props his hand on the frame, leaning forward. “The book, Alaina.”

“Oh,” I say quietly. “That. You should have called first.”

“Well, since you haven’t given me your number yet, that would be hard to do. But we can rectify that for next time.” He whips out his phone, keeping his eyes on me as he does so. He waits expectantly.

I scramble for a response.

“Uh. I recently had my number changed, so I haven’t memorized it yet,” I lie. “I’ll give it to you before you leave.”

From the look in his eye, he’s not buying my line of bullshit, but luckily, he doesn’t call me on it. I’ll conveniently forget to give it to him later since I have no desire for him to have my number.

“Okay.” He shoves his phone back in his pocket. “You gonna invite me in?”

I grip the doorknob, refusing to back away. “I’ll just go get the book while you wait here.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Alaina. It’s not like I haven’t been here before.”

Heat hits my core at the reminder of the last time he was here. We’re two feet away from where he pinned me against the wall and made my body feel things it’s never felt before.

He presses forward, and I have no choice but to move back or allow him in my personal space; a place I definitely don’t want him.

Closing the door behind him, he turns to peruse my living room. His eyes stop on the TV.

“You’re a Marvel fan?”

“Very much so.”

“Let me guess. Your favorite Avenger is… Thor?”

I scoff and roll my eyes. “While Thor may be a whole lot of awesome, the Winter Soldier is my weakness.”

He looks surprised. “I didn’t see that one coming.”

“That’s because he’s a side character. People don’t favor side characters.”

His eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles. “He happens to be my favorite, too.”

I narrow my eyes. “You’re lying,” I accuse.

“Now why would I do that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you want a repeat from a week ago so you figured sucking up to me would help.”

He takes a step closer. “Sorry, baby, but I don’t need to sucker you into sleeping with me again. That’ll happen all on its own.”

His words are so ludicrous that I laugh. Not a cute lady-like laugh either. It’s one of those ones that’s so forceful you snort at the beginning. He watches with an indulgent smile playing on his lips, like he finds my mirth charming.

I wipe tears away from my eyes when my laughter dies down. “You have completely lost your mind.”

“We’ll see who’s laughing in the end,” he says with a grin.

“Whatever,” I mutter and turn away from him. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

I leave