Free Then Came Alexandra (Southern Love #1) by E. L. Todd Page A

face?”
    “Not if you don’t judge me for doing the same.”
    “Deal.”
    They ate their food, getting it all over their fingers and faces. When Alexandra looked at Blaise, she saw the red sauce all over his lips. She couldn’t help but laugh.
    “What?” he asked.
    “Nothing,” she said with a laugh.
    “What happened to not judging?”
    “I wasn’t,” she said quickly. Even when he made a mess, he still looked good. It was hard to believe.
    “You got a little something right here,” he said as pointed to the corner of his mouth.
    She used a napkin to wipe the spot.
    “You didn’t get it.” He moved his hand toward her face, which was covered in sauce.
    Alexandra eyed it, suspicious.
    He wiped it on her face, making her even dirtier.
    “Gross!” Alexandra wiped her face with a napkin.
    Blaise laughed. “You can save it for later.”
    “You’re lucky I’m too polite to my guest to seek my vengeance.”
    “And because I’m your teacher. You would be lost without me.”
    “Aren’t you cocky?”
    “There are a few things I’m exceptionally good at. Cotton growing is one of them.”
    “What are the others?”
    He wiped his face with a napkin. “Let’s keep this PG.”
    Alexandra felt the area between her legs burn at his words. Her cheeks turned red as his meaning dawned on her. She already thought about him in a sexual way, but his words only heightened it, making it a million times worse.
    He carried the plates to the sink and washed them. Alexandra didn’t help him because she was still shocked by his last words. She kept her face hidden so he wouldn’t see how much they affected her. When he dried his hands, he grabbed his bag.
    “Thank you for dinner.”
    “You’re welcome,” she whispered.
    “Call me if you need anything.”
    “Okay.”
    His hands were in his pockets as he stared at her. The tension in the room increased as they stood in the kitchen. Alexandra wanted to find an excuse to get him to stay but she couldn’t think of anything. She was running out of ideas.
    “I’ll see you later.” He opened the door and walked out.
    Alexandra followed him and watched him walk to his truck. “Goodnight.”
    He got inside and started the engine. Bane jumped into the tailgate and barked at his friends, saying goodbye.
    Alexandra watched him drive all the way to the dirt road. When his bright headlights disappeared, she knew he was really gone. She realized her attraction to Blaise was stronger than she thought. She had never asked out a guy before, they usually came to her, but for the first time, she wanted to make a move. Sweet men were hard to find, and Alexandra could tell Blaise was a rare gem.
     

12
    Instead of going home, Blaise drove to a nearby creek. He and his father would fire their guns at targets, far away from homes and pedestrians. It had been a tradition since he was little. Now he came here to think. The sound of the quiet stream calmed his beating heart. Memories of his past flooded his mind.
    He sat in the tailgate and thought about his life. He wasn’t sure what he was doing. His ex-girlfriend still lived with him, even though she acted like they hadn’t broken up. She did everything she could to change his mind, but nothing would work. There was no love there. There definitely wasn’t trust. And there definitely wasn’t friendship. It was a situation that could have been avoided if he had used his brain, not his dick. But he couldn’t get rid of her even if he wanted to. He had the state of the art alarm system on his house, and his presence kept Evan away. If he kicked her out, she wouldn’t be safe. He needed to find a long term solution to the problem, something that gave him his freedom, but he hadn’t found it yet.
    And now he felt even more confused after Alexandra came into his life. As soon as they met, there was a connection there. She made him laugh, made him smile. Everything was easy with her, simple. And she was gorgeous. When she came onto the