Free Alone With Alexa (An Erotic Romance) by Virginia Wade

Chapter One
     
     
     
    The first time I met Ryan…
    My mother approached me in the kitchen one
evening. “Alexa, I want you to meet someone special. I want you to
meet Ryan.”
    “I figured.”
    “He’s…really wonderful.”
    “Cool.” It was about time she found someone.
My positive reaction pleased her because her smile broadened.
    “I wanted to make sure before I brought him
home.”
    I’d only met one of her other boyfriends
before, and he hadn’t lasted more than two months. “You seem happy,
mom.”
    “I am. He’s a really nice man, Alexa. He
never had kids because his wife couldn’t and then she had that
illness.”
    “I’m not exactly a kid anymore.”
    “No, honey, you’re not. Your birthday’s
coming up. I still have to plan your party.”
    I shrugged. “Don’t make a fuss. Ice cream
cake is all I want.”
    The doorbell rang. “Oh! That would be
him.”
    Alarm raced through me. “He’s here now?”
    “Ah, yes. I…he’s a little early. He was going
to take us to dinner.”
    I didn’t know I would be meeting Ryan at this
very minute. “Okay. Whatever. Bring Mr. Fabulous in.”
    She laughed and hugged me. “Oh, you’re gonna
love him. He’s amazing.”
    “If you say so.” I followed her to the door,
where a tall, dark haired man stood behind the screen. His hands
were in his pockets, and a smile was on his face. He was younger
than a lot of the other men she dated, although I had never met
most of them. I frequently overheard her discussing her love life
with her girlfriends.
    “Come on in.” She pushed open the door. “I
want you to meet Alexa. Alexa this is Ryan.”
    He held out his hand. “Hi. It’s good to
finally meet you.”
    I was struck dumb. As I gripped his warm
skin, my mouth parted slightly, the words of greeting on my tongue,
but I couldn’t get them out. My tummy flipped over and tingled,
which was odd. His was the most pleasing male face I had ever seen,
the strong jaw, the perfectly proportioned nose, and deep blue eyes
that blazed with humor and interest.
    “Well, this isn’t a good start, now is it?”
His smile grew.
    “I…um…h-hi.” Omigod! I’m such a dork! He withdrew his hand, which was a shame. It had felt strong and
warm and…soft.
    “I don’t bring a lot of men over,” said my
mother. “She’s a little flustered.”
    “We have a six-thirty reservation at the
restaurant. We’ll get to know one another better over dinner.”
    He smelled incredibly good; the citrus,
woodsy quality of his cologne teased my senses. I stared up at him,
noting that his height made the room seem small. Our little
townhouse hadn’t seen a lot of male company, especially someone
with such broad shoulders. I didn’t realize I was staring, until he
pointed it out.
    “I’m not what you were expecting, huh?”
    “How do you mean?” Mom glanced at me
sharply.
    “You’re kinda hot for an old guy,” I
whispered.
    A peal of laughter escaped him. He grinned,
flashing straight white teeth. “Thanks.”
    My mother gave me a look.
    From the first moment of our awkward
introduction, I knew my life would never be the same again. The
feelings I had experienced on that initial meeting had grown,
plaguing me, haunting my waking dreams and stirring my desires,
which frequently kept me up at night, burning with need. And now a
year later, I was a confused and jumbled mess, wanting something
that wasn’t mine, and worse, utterly forbidden.
    I loved Saturday mornings because I would
slip into mom’s bed and squirm my way between her and Ryan. She
found it annoying, but I used the opportunity to get close to him,
sometimes snuggling right into the warmth of his chest. He would
groan slightly and turn his head. This allowed me to stare at the
side of his face. I loved the way his chin looked with the little
cleft in the middle and a day’s worth of stubble darkening the
skin.
    “God,” moaned my mother. “What time is
it?”
    “Eight.”
    “Ugh.” She threw her leg