My heart lurches at first sight of her pretty, slightly scowling, totally confused face. I wave a finger at her, indicating she should open her window and she pulls the cord to lift the blinds, then pushes open the window.
“What are you doing?” she whispers as I approach.
“Coming to see you.” I stop just in front of the damn rosebush, suddenly feeling unsure. What if she tells me to leave?
“I do have a front door you know.” She rests her hands on the windowsill, looking cute as hell in a green long sleeved shirt that has a white dove in the center and says Old Navy 2010 in Christmas-y colored plaid across the top.
“Nice shirt,” I tell her.
She glances down. “I’ve had it since high school.”
“Ready for Christmas?”
A flicker of something unrecognizable shines in her gaze. “Not really. I hate the holidays.”
“You do?” I’m surprised. I thought most girls loved Christmas. Tinsel, sparkle, cute little Santas and presents—what more could they ask for?
“Yeah.” She considers me, tilting her head to the side. “I should tell you to go home.”
“Why?” Dread sinks like a stone in my gut.
“It’s late. I’m tired.” She runs a hand through her hair and yawns as if to make a point. “It’s cold out here.”
“No shit,” I mutter. I’m wearing my thickest pullover hoodie and sweats. It’s fucking freezing but I’m starting to realize I’ll do just about anything to see this girl.
Which is scary as hell.
“Aren’t you tired?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“Cold?”
I nod.
“Come back tomorrow then. This is crazy.” She starts to close the window and I make like I’m going to push past the rosebush. I don’t care if those giant thorns that seem to glitter in the night scratch me up. I’m that determined to get in Alexandria’s bedroom. “What are you doing?” she asks incredulously.
“If you’re going to make me hack my way through this fucking rosebush to see you, I’ll do it,” I tell her.
“Tristan.”
“Alexandria.” I grin.
“Oh my God. Let me go unlock the door.”
“Don’t tell anyone I’m here,” I say immediately, stopping her in her tracks. “Do you have another door you can let me in through?”
She considers it. “There’s a weird door that leads to the backyard at the end of the hall.”
“Let me in that way.”
She smiles. “You’ll have to hop the fence.”
I lean back and consider it. It’s tall, at least six feet but shit. I’ve hopped a few fences in my life. “Meet you there in two minutes.”
“You’re insane.”
For you, I want to tell her but I keep my mouth shut. She shuts the window before I can say anything and the blinds drop with a loud thud. That’s my cue to head over to the fence, which I do, contemplating how I should attack it.
Glancing over my shoulder, I make sure there’s no one driving by before I make the leap. Hopefully a police car won’t drive by because right about now, I look like a prowler ready to break in.
Fuck. If she only knew the lengths I’ll go to spend just a few stolen minutes with her…
I haul my ass over the wobbly wooden fence, landing on the ground with a solid thump, jarring my knees. In another life—all through high school—I played football. I was decent, I enjoyed it but the main reason I played? The jocks got all the pussy. And man, did I get a lot of pussy back in the day.
My sneaking around is reminding me of those old days. When I would go see a girl in the middle of the night, slip into her room and make out with her on her bed for hours. Those had been good times—made especially good because we never got caught. I was a lucky son of a bitch.
Tonight, I’m hoping I’ll get lucky again.
The door swings open as I approach it and Alexandria is standing there, waving at me to get inside. I climb the steps and enter the warm house, her scent wrapping all around me, making me want to grab her, haul her in close and kiss her.
But I keep my hands to myself, watching as she quickly shuts the door, turns the lock and then indicates she wants me to follow her. I fall into step behind her, crowding her as we head toward her bedroom. I can’t resist—my hand goes to her waist and she lets me touch her, seems to pause so our bodies can bump against each other and I close my eyes, breathe in the delicious scent of her hair.
She smells so damn good. Feels even better.
We’re in her room in seconds and I pull her to me, kissing her briefly. Too brief.
“I shouldn’t have let you in,” she says, sounding breathless. She takes a step back and I let her go.
“Why?”
“I don’t need the distraction.”
I smile. Well, that’s a hopeful admission. “I’m a distraction?”
“Totally. You do realize I went on a date already tonight,” she says wryly.
“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck, trying to ease the tension. I can’t stand the thought that she was with Steven. The only reason I’m not punching holes into the walls is because of what she told me. “But you said you two decided to be friends.”
“We did.” She nods.
“And that he’s interested in Kelli?” Crazy.
“Yeah.”
“She’s also interested in him?”
“She is.”
“Kinda like how I’m interested in you?”
“Exactly how are you interested in me, Tristan?” she asks.
“Let me show you.” I make like I’m going to grab her and she dodges out of my way, slipping past my fingers. “Come on.”
Alexandria shakes her head. “If you’re going to hang out with me tonight, you have to do it on my terms.”
“And what are your terms?”
“We’re going to watch Sex and the City and snuggle.” The way she says it is adorable.
“Really?”
She nods.
Okay. I’m down to snuggle. I’ve never done it before but for Alexandria, I’ll do anything to spend time with her. But Sex and the City? “You’re going to make me watch that chick show?”
“Yep.”
“It’s old.”
“It’s timeless.”
“They’re a bunch of old bags constantly fucking around.”
“They’re real women with a solid friendship looking for love in a heartless, cruel city,” she explains, sounding downright impassioned.
“You’re not going to give me a choice, are you?”
“Nope.” She shakes her head and waves a hand toward the bed. “Take it or leave it. Snuggle and SATC or you go.”
I kick off my shoes and shove them under a nearby chair, then pull off my hoodie. Alexandria stands in front of me as if she’s frozen, her lips parted, eyes wide. “What?” I ask after I toss my sweatshirt onto the chair.
She shakes her head, snapping her mouth shut. “Nothing. Let’s do this.” She goes to her bed, tosses a bunch of throw pillows on the floor tugs back the comforter, inviting me into her bed. Jesus, I feel like I’ve just won the biggest hand I’ve ever played.
And I’m going to savor every fucking second.
There is nothing better than witnessing Tristan undressing and making himself comfortable in my bedroom. Seriously, when he pulled off his sweatshirt and I caught a glimpse of his flat stomach when his T-shirt rode up? A fan-myself-moment for sure, everything I’ve got perking up and going on high alert. Then when he looked at me with confusion in his eyes and his hair a golden brown mess from pulling the hoodie over his head?
I died a little inside. I may be playing it cool and acting like I don’t care that he’s here but deep down my girl parts are squealing with anticipation.
He climbed into my bed like he belonged there and left me no choice but to do the same. By the time I’d nervously fixed my pillows and settled in, he already had my laptop in his hands and resting on his lap, frowning at the screen.