Free Dangerous Temptations by Brooke Cumberland

thankful she was a constant in my life—something I never had before.
    But this…this was something I was going to have to figure out on my own somehow. I was going to have to do everything in my power to avoid Alex. I couldn’t let him get me alone…

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    A few days after officially meeting Alexander Lancaster— Alex —I consumed myself with work, so much so, I was able to almost forget about him moving in… almost .
    By Thursday, boxes of his things started to arrive. He was moving back into his old bedroom, which was across the apartment. Thank god . There was enough space in between to feel like I could easily avoid him—which I’d planned to do. I’d leave for work early in the morning before he was even awake probably and then return at night after dinner. I’d then hide away in my bedroom until I passed out.
    Yes, that was my plan.
    However, the weekend was coming and William was leaving town the next day.
    “That’s everything, ma’am,” one of the mover’s said to me, directing my attention away from my thoughts. William wasn’t home from work yet, so he asked me to pay them before they left.
    I grabbed the checkbook from my purse and wrote out the amount plus a generous tip. As I ripped it out, I said, “Here you are. Thanks so much for everything.” I was pleasant. It surely wasn’t his fault my fiancé thought this was a grand idea.
    He glanced down at the check and smiled wide, shock playing on his lips. “Oh, thank you, ma’am.” He tipped his head at me. “Y’all have a great night now.” I could hear the southern accent in his voice, making me smile at the thought of a southern gentleman living all the way up in New York City.
    “Thanks. You as well.” I led them out of the apartment and cringed. Now it was just Alex and me. William wasn’t home yet and I was supposed to ‘make him feel at home again.’
    That was not going to happen.
    I walked to the kitchen, needing to get dinner ready. William had called and asked me to make a special dinner for the three of us since he’d be flying out early the next morning. I agreed, needing to do anything to distract myself until he arrived home anyway.
    I placed the pan of lemon chicken into the oven just as I heard footsteps coming this way. I tried to act unaffected, bored even, but once Alex rounded the door, all my brain cells bailed.
    “It smells delicious in here,” he said as soon as he leaned up against the breakfast bar.
    “Thanks,” I said softly, keeping my back to him as I cut the potatoes. “I’m making chicken. I hope you like—”
    “I wasn’t talking about the damn chicken,” he said roughly, his voice firm and close. He moved toward me, the hair on the back of my neck sticking up as I realized he was coming closer to me. “However, chicken sounds great,” he continued with amusement, clearly enjoying the situation in which we’ve been put in.
    “Good. It’ll be done in forty-five minutes if you want to go unpack until then.” I felt his body pressed up against mine, his hands gripping the edge of the counter next to me. He fully closed me in, my ass firm against his groin. “What are you doing?” I blurted, dropping the knife on the cutting board.
    “Just getting a better view…” I felt him nuzzle his nose into my hair and inhale the scent of my shampoo.
    “You need to stop, Alex. Back up,” I demanded, trying to sound stern, but I felt him smile against my neck. He was clearly entertained by making me uncomfortable now. “I still don’t remember you,” I reminded him, although part of that was a lie. I had remembered some…
    My body shivered in response.
    “Your body does,” he responded smugly. “And I remember you, Mac. I remember everything . The way you moaned as I sunk deep inside you, the way you gripped my hair when I sucked your clit in between my lips, the way you screamed my name when I—”
    “Stop!” I shouted. I pushed against his chest, but instead of