Free Stand Close 1 by Sabrina Lacey

surprises me and I run back in to answer it, unlocking and swinging the door open wide. “I’m so sorry I was…Oh!”
    Alec glances to the street quickly and cuts his eyes back to me. “Can I come in?” He brushes past me before getting an answer.
    “Of course!” I close the door after sneaking a very quick peek to see if my brothers are still out there. The car is gone. My heart is slamming in my chest as I lock the door and turn to look at Alec Gabriel. We stare at each other, and I can feel my breathing change. The way he’s staring at me is so fucking hot, it takes me a second to realize what’s going on. “They don’t know you’re here, do they?”
    A thick lock of hair falls over his forehead as he shakes his head. He pushes it impatiently back, but it falls again as he strides to me quickly with a look in his eyes that makes my body scream. He pins me against the door, bringing my arms above my head before I even know what is happening. We’re inches apart again and I can feel the heat of his body. His breath has the faintest tinge of beer and his eyes are filled with pain. He brings his mouth just short of touching my lips. My breath is coming in short bursts and I tilt my head instinctively. We’re breathing each other’s air and his lips brush mine ever so slightly, sending a shiver down my rising breasts as I crush them into him. With force he releases me and propels himself across the room, holding his hand to his forehead, his back bent and his eyes on the ground. “I can’t. I can’t,” he mutters under his breath.
    Staring at him, stunned, I push myself off the door and run at him. He rises in surprise and his arms open. I fall into them, taking his face into my hands and kissing him hard as his arms encircle me. We kiss like we’ve never in our lives kissed anyone before now. It’s so fiercely beautiful that my heart aches as our mouths explore each other. We’re grabbing at our bodies, pulling each other tighter, mashing as close as we can get and it’s never close enough.
    “Rue?!” Sean says through the door, knocking loudly.
    Panicked, I push off Alec and he stares at the door, panting. I try to sound normal. “Yeah?”
    “Open the door.”

Chapter Nineteen

Rue
    A lec and I exchange a charged look, both of us straightening our clothes and running our hands through our hair. “Hang on! I’m not decent.”
    Sean’s muffled voice answers immediately, “Oh, of course. Take your time.”
    I point to the bathroom. Alec, shaking his head and angry with himself, barrels in with long strides. I run to the front door, unlock it and open it, but not all the way. Sean glances to my dress, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “It was right there, so I just slipped it back on,” I explain with a strange laugh. “Dresses. Only one piece. We’re so lucky.”
    He smiles. “I just wanted to say I saw your face when I left, and I know you felt badly we were going out without you. Like we were trying to get rid of you.”
    With my mind on that amazing kiss, I say on a laugh, “Oh, no. I was fine with it. Really.”
    Sean leans on my doorframe and cocks his head to the side. “No you weren’t. And it was rude of me to tell you we were going out again. We weren’t getting rid of you. It’s just we’re going gambling, and it’s a guy’s club.”
    I blink at this, momentarily surprised. “They still have those?”
    He gives a small chuckle, looking to the side. “Yeah. Anyway, it wasn’t about you. Okay?”
    Touched, I smile at him. I’m trying to take this sweetness in, but the obvious cause for distraction is really making that a challenge. “That’s really nice of you. I’m okay.”
    “We want to get to know you, Rue.”
    “We?” I ask, knowing the answer.
    “I want to get to know you. Jack will come around.” He pushes off the doorframe.
    Impulsively, I grab Sean in a big hug. He laughs and awkwardly hugs me back, which ain’t easy with how I’ve got his arms trapped in