Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,3
he interrupts, leaning a shoulder against the locker. “Why don’t you buy me a drink tonight, and we’ll call it even?”
I gape at him, surprised that he made the first move. Somehow, I thought I’d be the one to coax him into going out with me.
“Like a date?” I ask.
“Like a date.”
He studies me, those dark eyes of his not missing anything. I don’t even know why I’m hesitating. A date with Alec was my goal from the very beginning, so why does it feel like I’m agreeing to something life-changing?
“I’d love that,” I say.
He grins at me, so wide and pleased that it makes a dimple appear on his cheek.
We meet at one of my favorite bars downtown. It’s small and cozy, and always packed—they make the best cocktails in the city. I called ahead to book a table, making sure we’ll be able to get in tonight. It’s Saturday, the city buzzing with its usual chaotic energy. The line in front of the bar is long, even in the November chill.
“Shall we?” I ask, gesturing for Alec to step toward the door. He glances at the line but doesn’t object.
I give my name to the host, and we’re quickly seated at a cozy table near the window. The lights from the street reflect inside the bar, creating an ambient atmosphere that instantly relaxes me. We place our order with a server, and he lights the candle on the table before he leaves to get our drinks.
“This is nice,” Alec says.
I nod, unable to stop staring at him. He’s wearing black jeans, much more elegant and expensive that the ones he usually wears to the gym, and a gray cashmere sweater under a soft wool coat. His hair is slicked back, taming the waves. I fight the urge to run my fingers through it and mess it up, making it fall into his eyes as it usually does without any product in it.
“So,” he says, a shadow crossing his face. “Van Dorf?”
He must have heard me saying my name to the host. I was hoping to avoid this conversation for as long as possible. People always get weird when they find out who I am.
“Yup.”
The server arrives with our drinks. I use the opportunity to arrange my scattered thoughts, certain that Alec will have questions.
“Does that bother you?” I ask.
“No. Why would it?”
I lift a shoulder, taking another sip through the straw. “People usually recognize me on sight. If you didn’t that means you don’t usually follow social media gossip. Which means my lifestyle may bother you.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Your lifestyle?”
I take another sip, then let out a soft breath. “I find it hard to keep a low profile when I get tagged in hundreds of posts every day and when my friends also have millions of followers. I’m sure someone will tweet my location tonight, even in a secluded place like this.”
He studies me, his eyes not leaving mine as he takes a sip. “Do you want to keep a low profile?”
The question takes me by surprise. “Sometimes. But being the heir of Van Dorf Media Group, and the son of Dennis Van Dorf, is not a part-time gig.”
Alec frowns. “Do you want it to be?”
I’m taken aback by yet another difficult question I’ve never actually thought about.
“It would be nice if I could go out and not have my photo plastered all over social media afterwards. Or if people would stop making fucking assumptions about me and my life.”
As if to prove my point, my phone chirps. I dig it out of my pocket, unlock it, and open the text my friend Ivan has sent me.
Ivan: Who’s the hunk?
I groan, then turn off my phone and stuff it back in my pocket. “Sorry about that.”
Alec’s watching me as if he can peek straight into my soul. I shift uncomfortably, then point to his drink. “Another one?”
He agrees with a nod. I slurp the last of my own cocktail and signal the server for another round.
When Alec asks me back to his place, I say yes.
He’s gentle. Too gentle for someone his size.
I’m not used to gentle.
I squirm under his touch, trying to make him go faster, touch me harder, take me to that blissful place where I don’t think of anything but his cock moving inside me.
I see the moment he decides to give me what I need.
His fingers dig into my ass as he thrusts behind me, his powerful hips pushing my whole body forward.