Ignite (Explosive) by Tessa Teevan Page A

cheeks redden slightly when she catches me checking her out. She quickly licks her pink lips, and I wonder if she even knows what she’s doing to me as I feel a tightening not only in my jeans but in my chest as well.
    Ryan puts her down and she shyly lowers her eyes away from mine. She turns her back to me to say something to Sierra, and I inhale sharply as I take in every single one of her curves. My eyes shamelessly fall down her back to the tiny waist before her hips flare out slightly. When I get to her ass, my mouth doesn’t know whether to go dry or to start watering. Alexa was always a curvy girl, and I loved that, but her body now? It could send a grown man to his knees. I need to chill the fuck out before I embarrass myself. If I’m acting this way with her backside, what the hell will seeing those breasts again do to me? I loved them when she was seventeen, so I can only imagine how much my dick’s going to react when I see her from the front. Her back is still to me, and I’m fighting a war inside my head of whether or not I should approach her. She didn’t give any hint of emotion when she saw me other than the blush of embarrassment as my eyes raked over her. I mean, I’m pretty sure she was checking me out, too, but that could just be wishful thinking. God, when did I turn into such a chick?

    I rub my sweaty palms on my jeans as we walk up to the bar. I’m hiding behind Jeremy’s back like a freaking coward as we go through the door. Before I know what’s happening, someone has me swept up in his arms, calling me a very unoriginal Sexy Lexi. I look down and of course, only Ryan Harper would call me that. My arms are tucked firmly into my sides where I can’t return the hug.
    I look around the bar and immediately spot him. Holy shit, he’s even more gorgeous than before, I think as my eyes roam over him. My heart races like I’ve just run miles to get here, and my eyes cannot move from his. He looks just like Jace, but not the one I remember. He’s older, and rugged, not quite like the high school senior I remember. My eyes widen as I take in the bicep I’m pretty sure I couldn’t wrap my hand around. Hello muscles, I think as I try to force away the image of him hauling me up into his big arms and having his way with me.
    I shake the thoughts away as I sweep my eyes over the rest of him. He’s wearing a plain black t-shirt that showcases the definition in his arms, and I can’t look away. I swear he flexes a little when he sees me looking as I witness a thick vein stretching across his forearm. I can see the beginnings of a tattoo peeking out from under his right sleeve, and I’m dying for further inspection. His dark hair is buzzed short in a standard military-style cut and his jaw is more squared than I remember. His full lips attract my attention as he wraps them around the beer bottle he’s taking a drink from, and I involuntarily shudder at the memory of where those lips have touched me.
    His blue eyes penetrate mine as he’s watching me, but his face is blank, so I have no idea if he even recognizes me. Bullshit, he knows exactly who you are. His eyebrows are drawn together, and I watch him take a deep breath as he plays with his beer bottle. Ryan sets me on the ground, and I take this chance to look down and turn away from him. I barely register what Ryan and Jeremy are talking about when Sierra grabs my hand and drags me to the bar.
    “Hey, it’s Christmas in July, so she needs the Three Wise Men. Now,” Sierra says to the bartender before turning back to me. “That was intense. You guys were eye fucking each other. I wonder if anyone else felt that heat wave that rolled across the room just now.”
    I roll my eyes, trying to act like my heart isn’t beating out of my chest. “We were doing no such thing. We barely made eye contact.”
    “Oh, whatever, Lexi. He was undressing you with his eyes, and I was waiting for you to start licking your lips as you took in those big