Tempting the Tycoon

Chapter 17

Alexios heard the sound of saws and hammers coming from the lounge before he got within sight of it. As soon as he'd received his father's approval to forge ahead with the remodel, he'd wasted no time, just in case Papa had a change of heart. That man had kept to his word, though, and hadn't made an appearance yet. Now he wouldn't recognize the place; it was transforming more every day.

The productive noise brought a smile to Alexios's face. To be honest, everything made him smile these days, he thought with amusement. He'd been grinning like a fool ever since Sydney gave him her virginity.

He'd never considered himself a chauvinist, one of those men who prized being a woman's first lover. He'd tended to gravitate toward experienced partners, because those were the ones that could enhance his own pleasure with no fumbling. He hadn't realized how fun fumbling could be.

Alexios stopped in the hallway as he reflected on his time spent with Sydney. He was having fun, a word he'd never equated with sex before. Erotic, mind-blowing, yes. Intimacy with Sydney was both those things, too. But most of all, it was fun.

For example, last night she found his ticklish spot while they lounged in his bed. God help him, she tickled him mercilessly, making him laugh until his sides hurt. He had to cry "Uncle!" before she stopped, though he sure as hell meted out revenge. It hadn't been him screaming "Uncle!" by then.

Adjusting the sudden tightness of his pants at the memory, Alexios tried to school his face into a businesslike mien, but it was hopeless. Envisioning her as she'd been last night, straddling his hips while only wearing one of his T-shirts, guaranteed a giant smile. And an even bigger erection.

He was amazed at how much he enjoyed being with her. Not just in bed, though he craved her heat just as soon as they climaxed, but even simply hanging out together. Eating Chinese in front of the TV. Loading the dishwasher and snapping each other with the dish towel, or just reading on the sofa with his head in her lap, or vice versa. He'd been sure that once they slept together her allure would abate. It hadn't yet.

"Well, if it isn't Romeo, out and about without his fair Juliet."

Shit. Orrin. His younger pain in the ass. Alexios pasted an older-brother sneer on his face before he pivoted to greet his nosy younger sibling.

"Where is the fairest of us all today?" His brother continued.

"You're mixing Disney with Shakespeare, numb-nuts," Alexios commented, buying himself more time to fend off Orrin's snooping. Since Orrin didn't have a significant other at the moment, Alexios didn't want him living vicariously through his and Sydney's...relationship. Theirs was theirs alone.

Orrin propped a shoulder against the wall and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets. Great, Alexios thought. He's not leaving anytime soon.

"Mama and Papa would be proud, Lex, that you can differentiate between the two. Must be that Harvard education you excelled at--"

"And where you didn't. Does this meetup have a point to it, Orrin? Because if it doesn't, I have a lot to oversee today."

"I wanted to have a peek at the lounge, that's all." His goading tone faded, and Alexios saw a genuine look of admiration cross his younger brother's face. The tension in his shoulders eased. Alexios glanced behind him toward the entrance to the lounge, where workmen were framing in a bona fide entrance to the space. At last, no more cheesy eighties brass rails.

"Sure. Come with me." They fell into step together. "We'll have to pick up some hardhats before going in."

Orrin shrugged. "Hardhats during the day, earplugs at night. I can adjust."