Her Lover's Face | Sample Only

Chapter Six

Alex rolled over and was jarred awake when his bed dropped out from under him. He flung his arms out and his elbow connected with a hard surface, causing him to wince. Before he knew it, he landed face-first on the floor. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a sea of blue. He ran his fingers across the carpet. Since when did he have blue carpet in his bedroom?

He propped himself up on his elbows and gave the back of his neck a rub. From his line of view all he could see was the sofa, coffee-table, recliner and a thin ray of sunshine which shone over the sofa.

Birds chirped, greeting the morning sun. Softly and tenderly another sound reached out, wrapping itself around his heart. Craning his ear, he listened carefully. The familiar tune of a country favorite carried through the house. He knew it was her, and all the recent events tumbled into his mind. The need to get her into his territory hit him stronger than ever.

He took a deep breath. The strong rich scent of coffee filled his nostrils. Being lured by the smell, Alex pulled at the pink flannel blanket that was wrapped around his feet and stood up. After doing a few simple stretches to work the kink out of his back, he followed the sound of her voice.

He found Laryssa in the kitchen, stretching to reach something on the top shelf. She wore nothing more than a light pink silk nightgown, with spaghetti for straps. The further she stretched, the more skin she revealed, leaving little to the imagination.

Without turning around, she gestured to the coffee pot. "Fresh coffee, if you want some." She grabbed a chair from the table and placed it below the cupboard. How had she known he was there?

When she went to climb on the chair, he grabbed the chair and took it back to the table. The last thing he needed was for her to get up on the chair with that poor, incredibly sexy excuse for a nightgown. She'd already given him a good view and he didn't need another one. Not when his body decided to painfully remind him of his lack of sexual intimacy over the years. He reached up, grabbed the bowl she wanted, and placed it on the counter.

"Thanks." She leaned down to pull a pan out of the cupboard.

He swallowed hard as he watched her nightgown slide dangerously high, giving him a glimpse of a mound of white flesh. She wasn't wearing any underwear, he thought with a start.

"Are you a tease, Ms. Mitchell?" he asked, leaning back against the counter to enjoy the view. She jerked upright and stared at him questioningly. "You're not wearing any underwear."

Her face went a deep red and she couldn't meet his eyes. "I didn't think you'd be up yet. I came down to get some underwear out of the wash, but it was still wet..." He grinned at her choice of words and watched as a bright crimson color filled her cheeks. "...from the washing machine. So I came here to make something to eat while I waited. Can't you men ever think of anything, but sex." She tried to push by him, but he blocked her with his arm.

She turned to walk the other way, but he enclosed her against the counter, arm on either side, his hands resting on the counter. "Well, with this little flimsy gown being the only thing between me and your body." He captured the silk of her nightgown between his fingers. "What man could resist?" She shivered and her eyes darkened with lust. A heady sense of power coursed through him.

"A man who wishes to have children in the future," Laryssa said with conviction.

Children? Memories assailed him, took him back to a time he didn't want to remember. He let his hands drop and she shoved by him. Without turning to watch her leave, he tugged at the collar of his shirt as panic bubbled inside him, robbing him of his breath. Children, there would be no children. None of his own, never again. Pain spiraled through him, piercing his heart like a knife. A pain so raw, not even a decade diminished it.