Promises After Dark (After Dark #3) by Kahlen Aymes

and turned to rinse off his body, away from her so maybe she wouldn’t see the reaction of his body at her mere presence. Not that he needed or wanted to hide it, necessarily, but they had reservations, and tonight was important. He didn’t want to be late by starting something he would need to finish. “Are you feeling okay about tonight?”
    By now, Angel had placed an overnight bag on the vanity, flipped it open, withdrew a small, pale pink bag filled with her makeup, and was putting some sort of moisturizer on her face. She was beautiful, without a stitch of makeup on, but when she made herself up, she was stunning. He couldn’t wait for the first seconds of his father’s reaction.
    Alex’s thoughts raced back to their first night together; the near backless dress that had given him a perpetual boner the entire evening and later. He groaned inwardly as his erection bloomed full and hard, throbbing and bobbing as if it had a mind of its own. Fuck , he mused. He shut off the water and grabbed the towel he’d hung over the top of the shower, waiting for his use.
    “I’m a little bit on edge. I can’t decide if I’m anxious or excited.”
    Alex stepped out of the shower, his hair dripping, water cascading down his muscled arms, broad shoulders and chest, and the towel hanging on and supported only by his dick. He grinned at her, and Angel’s brown eyes slid down his body. The corner of her mouth lifted, and her eyebrow cocked simultaneously.
    “Looks like you’re the excited one.”
    “Yeah, but we can’t,” he said regretfully, running the flat of his hand down her back, over the curve of her butt, stopping to squeeze playfully. “I was remembering our first night together. After Tru.” He bent to kiss her shoulder, lingering over the soft, scented skin; he ran the tip of his nose along its line. “Mmmm… you smell amazing.”
    Angel watched them both in the mirror that was half-fogged over with steam; a shiver running through her and making goose bumps pop out on her arms. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the reflection.
    He was so beautiful. Physically perfect with that gorgeous face, but also so loving and protective. She heard it in his voice, could see it in his green eyes as they smoldered over her, and felt it in his briefest touch. His lips moved up the curve of her shoulder to the cord of her neck, his hot breath mixing with the soft sucking of his open mouth, and a shiver skittered over the entire surface of her skin. She leaned into him slightly and closed her eyes. It felt right, being here with Alex. Her heart overflowed, and she wanted nothing more than to melt into him and disappear. “I love you,” she stated softly.
    Alex’s gentle nuzzling stopped suddenly as he lifted his head to look at her, but the hand at her hip pulled her tightly against him. God, were more absolute words ever spoken? Angel was still facing the mirror, and Alex watched her profile. Her hand came up to cover his in a gentle squeeze.
    “Yeah. This is it. Us, I mean.” There was no hesitation or question in his voice. He commanded this as he did everything else, except it didn’t sound or feel like it to Angel. It was a simple statement of the inevitability that was Alexander Avery. If she didn’t have a choice; it was because of God or fate or the revolving of the planets as much as it was Alex’s subtle demands.
    This is it. Thud. Angel’s heart banged against her chest with the strength of an atomic bomb. It was true. She knew it, too. She was going to grow old with this man. Her eyes burned and her throat ached. Alex’s hand wrapped around the back of her neck, his thumb rubbing beneath her ear as he used the hand at her hip to turn her fully into his embrace. His eyes burned, into hers, his hard cock pressing into her stomach; she couldn’t help herself, her body leaned into his, pushing against his erection as her arms slid up his arms and over his shoulders to hold him back.
    His breath rushed over