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  With that decided, we talked about the training and about the engineers that would be heading overseas soon. When we arrived at the office, there were still quite a few people there, and I disappeared into my office to do some catch-up.

  It was two hours later when there was a knock on the door, and I looked up to see Ralph. “You ready to eat? Dinner is in the conference room.”

  My stomach volunteered the answer, and it was so loud he heard it from across the room. We both laughed, and I pushed back from my desk, stepping around it. It felt weird to be in the office wearing workout clothes, and I noticed his gaze slip down my body. I really needed to have that conversation with him.

  The office was quiet now, most of the lights off, and I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable to be here with him alone. The bright lights of the conference room quickly removed those odd feelings, but only for a moment as I paused beside my seat and felt Ralph step up behind me, his hand going to my hips and sliding around to my stomach.

  My entire body tensed, and I grabbed his hands. “What are you doing?”

  His mouth nuzzled my ear as he pulled me back against his body. “I’ve been dying to touch you like this all day. You’re a gorgeous woman, Alexandra.”

  “Ralph—” I started to speak, but he cut that off when he surprised me by spinning me around in his arms and kissing me hard. I pushed back against his chest. “Stop!” I hissed.

  He stared down at me. “Do you really want me to stop, Alexandra?”

  “Yes, I do want you to stop. Please let me go, Ralph. This is not going to happen, so take your hands off me right now.”

  He sighed as he dropped his hands. “This is about him, isn’t it?”

  “Him?” I knew who he was talking about but was trying to play dumb.

  He spiked a brow. “You and Alex. Everyone saw the two of you today. I know you were just demonstrating, but there seemed to be more going on between you two.” He paused and then spoke softly. “He can’t give you the security in life that I can, Alexandra.”

  “Security in life? What are you talking about, Ralph?”

  “Financial security, Alexandra. I can give you so much more than he can.”

  My jaw dropped for a moment. “I’m sorry, Ralph, but I didn’t go out with you because of your bank account. I had dinner with you because I liked you, and I wanted to get to know you better.”

  “Then what about Alex? I don’t like to share, Alexandra.”

  “Alex has nothing to do with this, Ralph.” I took a step back so that I could see him better and sighed. “Ralph, I was going to tell you this over dinner tonight anyway, so I might as well do it now.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, preparing himself for the fallout as he stared down at me. At that moment, I knew for sure that it would never work between us. I did like Ralph but as a friend and boss.

  “While I enjoyed our dinner the other night, I don’t think that dating is a good idea.”

  “Because of Alex?”

  “No, because you are eleven years older than me, and obviously you think I’m after your money, which I’m not. You also don’t want children, Ralph, and I do.”

  “If you really want kids, Alexandra, we can discuss that.”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t want to discuss it. I want to be with someone that doesn’t even need to think about having kids. It’s just something that they want.” I stepped forward and touched his arm. “I really do enjoy our friendship, Ralph, and I think the two of us would be better off staying there. We are at two different places in our lives.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw for a moment and then his arms dropped to his sides. “Okay, I get it. You’re right. I really don’t want more kids.”

  “And I really, really do want kids of my own.”

  He smiled. “Okay, so we stay friends?”

  “Yes. I really do enjoy our friendship, Ralph.”

  He nodded and then took me by the shoulders. “Okay, then as a friend, can I tell you that getting involved with Alex Miller is a bad idea.”

  “Who said I was involved with Alex Miller?”

  He chuckled. “I see the way the man looks at you, and I’ve caught you doing the same. He really is a dangerous man, Alexandra.”

  “He might seem like he is, Ralph, but I don’t think Alex is the man you think he is.” I paused. “I actually went to the aquarium with him and his daughter this weekend.”

  He nodded slowly and stepped away, moving to one of the chairs that had food set in front of it. “So, you two have already gone out on a date?”

  “It wasn’t really a date. His daughter asked me to come along. We had fun.”

  He nodded to the chair. “Okay, so maybe he’s not as bad as I think he is, but I still don’t think he’s the right guy for you.”

  I seated myself and studied him. “Are you saying that because you are upset with me for telling you that I wasn’t interested in more between us?”

  “No, I’m saying that because I’m your friend, and friends tell you when you are making a mistake.”

  “Well, I appreciate your input, and I will consider it.”

  He nodded. “Good, now let’s change the subject. What are you working on right now?”

  After that, we discussed work for a while, and things felt normal between us again. I was glad that we were about to put that part behind us. We finished dinner and then went back to our offices to work for another hour before he took me home.

  I was tired as I climbed out of his vehicle and waved goodbye to him. My body was a little sore from the workout earlier today, and it again made me think about taking up martial arts. I was at my mailbox collecting my mail when I heard footsteps and turned to see Alex coming down the hall.

  “Hi.”

  He smiled. “I saw Ralph drop you off. Did you go back to work?”

  “Yeah, I hadn’t expected to be out of the office today and had things that needed my attention.”

  “You hungry?”

  “No, we ate at the office.”

  He nodded slowly, observing me. “Are things okay with him?”

  I approached Alex. “Yes, I told him that seeing each other wasn’t a good idea.”

  “How did he take that?”

  “He understood, although he doesn’t think you are the right man for me.”

  “And what do you think?” His voice was low, husky.

  We stared at one another, and I wanted to fall into his arms. “I think you might be.”

  Alex stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I think you might be right, Lexi.”

  I stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently. “I need to go take a shower.”

  “Can I join you?” he replied with a smirk that made me laugh as I stepped back.

  “I don’t know, can you?”

  “I can wash your back,” he commented with a grin.

  “Oh, I might like that,” I said as I turned to the steps. “I might need a little massage too; I’m a little sore from throwing you around this afternoon.”

  He barked out a laugh as we took the stairs. “You are terrific. I never expected you to know martial arts. Why did you stop?”

  I paused at the landing. “When Will died, I lost focus. I continued for a little while, but I’d lost the love of it.”

  “Could have fooled me, Lexi.”

  I began to climb the stairs again. “Actually, I realized today that I did miss it. I’m actually considering finding another place to take it and continue my training.”

  “I think you should. You have a knack for it.”

  We grew quiet as we approached my door, and I slipped my key into the lock. After we were inside, I set my stuff down and turned to Alex. He was watching me, his gaze already filled with desire that sparked mine immediately.

  Without any words spoken, the two of us came together, and we slowly moved back to my bedroom as we began to remove each other’s clothes.

  Naked and standing at the shower door as I wai
ted for the water to warm, Alex kissed my shoulder from behind. “You know, tomorrow we are going to be shooting. Have you ever fired a gun before?”

  I snickered. “I might have once or twice.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alex

  All afternoon I’d been dying to have her all to myself, and tonight did not disappoint. Making love to Lexi was an incredible experience, and I could imagine us continuing this for years to come.

  The next morning, I had a cup of coffee with her before I headed back to my apartment to get ready. Two hours later, we were all back in the training room, and several guns were laid out on the front table. A few of the people in the class browsed over the weapons and asked a couple of questions, but it was Lexi that I was most interested in.

  I had a feeling that she was going to be pretty good with a firearm, and it wasn’t until we were done with the nomenclature of the weapons that I realized just how good she was. We had asked a few people to volunteer to come up to field strip the guns and then put them back together again. I put Lexi in front of the Glock 19 and watched as she broke the gun down in seconds and then had it back together just as quickly. She grinned as she moved on to the next gun, an M4 rifle. She had no trouble breaking that one down and putting it back together either, and I’m pretty sure she earned the entire class’ respect if she didn’t already have it. Could Trevor tell how proud of her I was when he smirked my way?

  Okay, so she knew weapons, but could she shoot? We’d find that out later this afternoon. I noticed that while Ralph was still seated beside her, he wasn’t showing her as much attention as he had the day before. Was he content with her decision that they not continue dating? Would he try to come between us?

  While I knew what Lexi had told me, I continued to keep my distance from her for most of the day. It was as we hit the range later that day that I had a hard time keeping that distance. Lexi handled the weapons as if she’d been born with a gun in her hand. I was amazed at her ability, and while I did help her once or twice with her stance, it was evident that she knew what she was doing.

  While a few others were shooting, Lexi stood with me near the back of the room, and I leaned toward her. “Where did you learn to shoot?”

  “I grew up on a farm; my father and brother hunted. I killed my first deer at the age of eleven.”

  I laughed, picturing a young Lexi taking down a deer, then I thought about Nica. Would Nica ever want to learn to shoot? Probably not.

  “It’s a good skill to know,” I told her before I went to help someone with a malfunction of their weapon.

  The day hurried by, and before we knew it, we were finished. The next two days of class were explicitly for the members of the group that would be going overseas, and I knew Lexi wouldn’t be there for them. As we got ready to leave, I was able to get a second with Lexi alone.

  “Dinner tonight?”

  “Sorry, I’m meeting with Clare. It’s our regular Tuesday night happy hour.” She smiled.

  “Okay, but we are still on for tomorrow, right? I’d like to take you out for your birthday.”

  She laughed. “You remembered.”

  “Of course, I did.”

  “Okay, then it’s a date. I’d love to have dinner with you tomorrow night.”

  As much as I wanted to kiss her goodbye, I didn’t. Instead, I said goodbye and walked away before the compulsion got the better of me.

  Later that evening, I was sitting on my couch, going over my notes for the next day, when I thought about going down to the tavern. I reconsidered it after a few minutes and knew that I’d at least get to see her the next night. It was almost ten when there was a knock at my door, and I pulled it open to see Lexi looking a little nervous.

  “Everything alright?” I asked as I held the door open for her to step in.

  “Yeah, everything is fine.”

  “Okay.” I closed the door and turned to her.

  She shuffled closer. “I just wanted to say good night.”

  “You could have done that by text,” I told her.

  “I could have, but then I couldn’t have done this.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and brought her body to mine as our lips met. It was like coming home, and I held her tightly to me as I deepened it. She tasted of whiskey, and I drank her in.

  When we pulled back, Lexi grinned at me as I spoke. “No, you could not have done that by text.”

  “You don’t mind that I stopped by, do you?”

  I cupped her cheek. “Are you kidding? I’m glad you did. I missed you tonight.”

  “Yeah, I missed you tonight, too.”

  “Do you want to come in?”

  She shook her head. “No, I need to get some sleep. You’ve worn me out this week.”

  “Okay, then let me walk you to your place.”

  “That’s okay. You don’t need to. Just kiss me again, Alex.”

  I leaned forward until our lips were almost touching. “I’ll kiss you anytime you ask, baby.” We stood for a few more moments, wrapped in an embrace, and I was tempted to shed her jacket from her shoulders and take her to my bed.

  Finally, she pulled back. “Okay, I need to get going before I don’t.”

  “I wouldn’t mind if you didn’t.”

  She touched my lips, her eyes following her fingers as they traced along my jaw. “As tempting as that sounds, I really do need a good night's sleep.”

  “Then go before I change your mind,” I joked.

  “Fine,” she sighed dramatically. “I’m going.”

  I watched her leave, wishing like hell that she wasn’t, but respecting her desire to sleep alone tonight. Tomorrow night was another matter.

  Wednesday, Trevor and I were once again in the training room with our students when Jake arrived, looking upset. Trevor and I shared a knowing look and called a break of the class so we could find out what was going on with our boss.

  “What’s up, Jake?” Trevor asked.

  “We have an issue overseas. The Kendall group that we have over there has met with a little more resistance than anticipated. They are having trouble getting to their location because of rebel forces in the area. Murdock was shot, and now he’s laid up in the hospital and can’t lead them out of the area.”

  Trevor and I exchanged a tense glance. “Is he going to be alright?” Trevor asked what was forefront in my mind.

  “Yeah, he’ll be okay, but I’m going to need you guys to fly over and see if you can move the group on to the next facility safely.”

  I frowned. “When?”

  “Friday, as soon as you finish with your class. I already made flight arrangements. The group is on lockdown right now, somewhat safe, but I need you two to get over there and get them out of that area. I’m working on obtaining an escort since it’s a hotbed of shit right now. I’d send you right now, but I need to coordinate a few other things, and it will take until Saturday to get it all together.”

  I rubbed my face as I thought about that. I hated going over, but I didn’t want to see these people hurt. “Okay,” I responded.

  Trevor acknowledged it also, and we asked a few more questions before Jake said, “Get your affairs in order, guys, and thanks for doing this. I’d hate to lose the first official group we have over there.”

  His comment on getting our affairs in order brought forth thoughts of Lexi. What was she going to say about me going overseas? Would she understand? I’m sure that she would, but I hated leaving her when things were so new for us.

  I knocked on her door a little after six and waited for her to answer. I was a bit nervous about telling her I was leaving, but all thoughts of going anywhere, including dinner, flew right out of my head as she opened the door. Her dark hair was piled high on her head with tendrils curling down around her face that begged me to run my hands through them. Her black dress was low-cut and off the shoulder, and I immediately imagined kissing along her clavicle and lower.

  “You look amazing.”

  She let her gaze dr
ift down my chest. “You look pretty good yourself in that suit.” She held the door open, but I shook my head.

  “If I come in, we aren’t leaving anytime soon. You look good enough to eat.”

  She tossed her head back and laughed. “Dessert, maybe?”

  “Baby, you can count on it.”

  She was locking her door when the one across the hall opened. “Hi, Connie,” Lexi said to her neighbor, who had a small, brightly colored package in her hands.

  “I’m so glad I caught you.” She smiled my way and held the gift out. “Happy birthday, Lexi. I hope you two can put this to good use later tonight.” She winked at me, and I heard a strangled sound come out of Lexi’s throat.

  “Thank you, Connie,” she managed to say as she stared at the box in her hand like it was a grenade.

  I pulled Lexi close to me. “Oh, I’m sure we will, Connie. You have a good night. We need to go before we miss our reservation.”

  “Have a good night, you two,” she called as we hustled down the hallway.

  “What do you think is in this?” Lexi asked softly as we took the stairs down.

  “Open it.”

  “I’m afraid to. I’ll wait until we get in the car.”

  At my vehicle, I opened the door for her and waited while she climbed in. When I got behind the wheel, she was still staring at the box. “Just open it; it can’t be as wild as what Clare got you.”

  She grunted. “I’m not so sure of that. Connie saw what was in that box and told me she wanted to show me her own toys. Oh, my god! I hope she didn’t buy me any of those.”

  “Open the package.” I snickered as she looked fearful and began to tear the wrapping paper. She stared at the item in her hand, her jaw dropping as I began to laugh.

  “Seriously? She got me edible underwear?”

  “Cherry flavored, my favorite,” I commented as she nailed me with a look that should have caused me to flinch, but I laughed harder. “Oh, come on, you know you want to try it.”