from leaning into him. I rubbed against him like a cat. I actually purred, demanding to be stroked.
“Ready?” he whispered.
I turned my face toward his. “I think the real question is, are you?”
“Think I could get a quick drink?” he asked with a sexy grin.
“I think that sounds like a very good idea. I don’t want you to get dehydrated.”
His hands rubbed down my back before grabbing healthy handfuls of my ass. “Stay,” he said the word as a command.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to break any rules.”
“Stay,” he said again. “Let’s have a drink and then maybe we can go for a swim.”
“I didn’t bring my suit,” I teased.
“That’s right. You didn’t.”
“I’ll stay,” I agreed, feeling a little flustered at the idea of spending the night with the man I had repeatedly claimed was just a friend. A sleepover wasn’t really in the friend zone, but I would worry about that later.
I reached down to grab my dress.
“Leave it,” he ordered.
I turned to look toward the windows, feeling a little exposed. No, a lot exposed. “But, um, maybe you can close the blinds?”
He smiled. “No one can see in here, but if it makes you feel better, I will.”
He moved to a touchpad on the wall and pushed a button. There was a mechanical sound followed by blinds sliding down over the windows. Ah, to be rich.
Chapter 27
Xander
It was beyond strange to wake up with a woman in my bed. I had lain awake for several minutes trying to process everything. Evie in my bed, in my arms. It was not how I’d expected things to happen yesterday when she asked me to go to dinner with her and her father.
Her being in my arms was a little confusing. I wasn’t sure what to think of it. Or what to do about it. Did I have to do anything?
For now, I was going to be cool and casual. Just play it off like I did this kind of thing all the time. Or maybe that was the wrong approach. I didn’t want her to think I did this all the time. I didn’t. Not even close.
That was not the right approach. I would just go with whatever she did.
She sighed and stirred against me. “Ugh, what time is it?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
I looked over at the clock. “Just after eight.”
She let out a long breath again. “I should get up.”
I didn’t disagree. Lying in bed naked was only going to lead us to another sex marathon. “I’ll make some coffee.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.”
She pulled away from me and sat up, keeping the sheet pulled over her breasts. I smiled up at her. “Evie?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’ve seen every glorious inch of you,” I told her. “You don’t have to hide from me.”
“But it’s the morning after. This is always the weird part.”
“Always?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I folded my hands behind my head. “This is normal for you?”
“No!” she exclaimed. “No, no, no. That’s not what I meant.”
“I’m kidding. Do you want breakfast? You don’t have to slink out of here like you are doing the walk of shame.”
She grimaced, running her free hand over her mass of curls while clenching the sheet to her chest. “I am doing the walk of shame, aren’t I?”
“No,” I said, sitting up and giving her a quick kiss.
She slid off the bed, pulling the sheet with her and exposing me in the process. I looked down at my nude body and then back at her. She was a dark shade of red. “I’m going to find my clothes.”
I got out of bed and walked to my dresser to pull on a pair of clean underwear. I walked downstairs to find her shimmying into the dress. I noticed the scrap of black lace that had been the thong she’d been wearing. I grabbed the torn panties and held them up. “I’ll buy you more,” I told her.
Her eyes went wide as she snatched them out of my hands. “Let’s not start doing IOU’s for torn clothing. I think I might owe you more than you owe me at this point.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “You do get a little wild when it comes to getting my clothes off.”
She blushed all over again. “Maybe you should start wearing those Velcro pants basketball players wear. It would make things easier.”
I stepped toward her, cupping her cheek in my hand. “And maybe you should just go commando. It