Free This Is True Love (Exclusive! #1) by Jamie Wesley Page A

so many levels. Still, her scent clouded his senses. Arousal clawed at him, dogging his steps.
    “Alex?”
    He paused with his hand on the knob. He should open the door and walk outside into the night air that was surely cooler than the air brimming with heat inside the house. He knew he should. Instead, he turned, unable to resist the sound of her voice. Unable to find the control he was so proud of. She stared up at him with wide eyes. “Yes?” he asked.

 
     

     
     
     
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    Fliss didn’t know if she could speak. She didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that she didn’t want him to leave. Not yet. Talking to him, unburdening herself earlier, had felt fantastic. The understanding on his face had nearly undone her.
    She bit her lip, hoping he felt what she felt. A connection that only seemed to strengthen as the seconds ticked away. Drawn to him like a magnet, she drifted closer. He didn’t move away. All she had to do to touch him was raise a hand to his wide chest. Would his heart be beating as fast as hers was?
    Her eyes drifted to his lips. All she had to do to touch them was rise on her toes and press her mouth against his. She looked up. His eyes had darkened. His body was strung tight with tension. Like it was killing him not to touch her. Was he going to kiss her?
    She didn’t realize she’d voiced the question out loud until he said, “No.”
    He spoke so quietly Fliss almost believed she’d imagined it. Except she hadn’t. Only one word, but it ripped her heart open.
    “You don’t want me.” Oh, God, why couldn’t she control her mouth?
    Alex shook his head. “Don’t pull that bullshit on me.”
    “Why is it bullshit?” she murmured. “My own husband didn’t want me.”
    Before she could blink, he’d imprisoned her against the wall with his arms bracketing her. His eyes blazed down at her. “Don’t you ever compare me to him again.”
    Fliss’s hard swallow echoed in her ears. More than just grumpy, he was seriously pissed off now. But she needed to know. “Then why don’t you want to kiss me? Is it me?”
    His expression softened. “Of course it’s not you. Do I have to remind you that the tabloids would have a field day if they found out you and I got involved? Remember what they put you through over the past two years. The innuendoes. The outright lies. Do you want to go through that again?”
    “I don’t care about the tabloids. I do care about how you feel.” She held her breath. How would he respond? Would he tell her she’d misunderstood his feelings for her? Tell her the vibe she felt crackling between them was one-sided?
    She slowly released the air from her lungs. No, he wouldn’t.
    He wanted her. His mouth might not confirm it, but everything else about him did. He practically vibrated with the effort to hold it in. His eyes—the way they ate her up, the unabashed desire pooling in them. The tension in his arms and hands, like he was struggling not to reach for her. The muscle ticking in his whisker-covered jaw. He could use a shave. The errant thought brought a smile to her lips. Slowly but surely, he returned the gesture. Her heart sped up in cautious optimism.
    Haltingly, she reached up and caressed the hard line of his jaw, the prickly hair tickling her palm. Alex didn’t stop her, instead closing his eyes and turning into her touch. She shivered at how right the contact felt.
    Until he grabbed her hand and drew it away from him.
    Fliss’s lungs seized in panic. Maybe she’d misread him. Was he going to reject her after all?
    A hot, open-mouth kiss to her palm calmed her fears and sent arousal racing through her veins. Still not daring to move too fast in case it was all a dream, she reached up with her free hand and pulled his head down to her waiting lips.
    So right. So soft.
    The softness lasted only a second. His masterful lips demanded entry. She willingly complied. As their tongues tangled in an intimate dance, her craving for him