Attachment Strings by Chris T. Kat Read Free Book Online Page A

which had felt so incredibly good on my skin the last time we had been together.
    “I heard you’ve been giving your coworker here a hard time since you saw me last time?”
    I broke out in a sweat. My cheeks felt hot and I didn’t know if I wanted to throttle Alex or Parker.
    I managed to choke out, “Arrogant little prick.”
    Alex laughed, slipped his arms around my waist, and kissed me soundly on my right cheek. “It becomes more and more endearing each time I hear you say it.”
    “You haven’t heard it that often.”
    “We could change that.”
    We could. We really could. I swallowed. “We agreed on no strings attached.”
    “Agreements can be adjusted, and it doesn’t have to evolve into anything serious. We’re here to have fun, right? You’re a good lay, and a repetition of last time won’t hurt either of us.”
    “You’re quite the self-assured guy, aren’t you?” I replied dryly. I locked one arm around his shoulder while I kneaded the enticing flesh of his ass with my other hand.
    “I’m quite the catch, yep.”
    His arrogance should have been irritating, annoying, and repellent. It was, but it didn’t faze me much. The grin on his face and the subtle grinding motions against my hip distracted me from getting annoyed. “You’re a blabbermouth, that’s what you are.”
    “Oh dear, I’m hurt .”
    The exaggeratedly coy fluttering of his eyelashes undid me. Laughter bubbled up inside me and I let it out at once. Alex’s grin grew into a face-splitting one before he tipped his head sideways. With closed eyes he searched for my mouth. When he found it, he pressed his lips against mine, gentle, almost uncertainly at first. I kissed back and all uncertainty fled him. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, causing a sudden fluttering feeling deep inside my gut. Nerves, I told myself.
    Alex stopped the kiss with a shuddering intake of breath. “Fuck, you’re good at that.”
    “I’m good at that fucking business as well.”
    “I’m not totally convinced of that.”
    I growled. I did, honestly—I did growl. What was it with this infuriating, arrogant little prick that got me riled up so easily? “I’d be happy to enlighten you.”
    “I’d be happy to become enlightened as well.”
    “Wipe that innocent look off your face. Before I enlighten you, you’ve got to answer one question.”
    “Shoot.”
    “What were you doing with Parker?” I emphasized my disapproval by firmly squeezing his ass. On instinct, he tried to scoot away from the slight pain, which only brought his pelvis closer to mine. A deep, throaty moan trembled over his lips.
    Alex pressed his forehead against mine before he answered, “Waiting for you.”
    “How did you know I’d be coming? I didn’t know I would be coming until ten minutes ago.”
    “I didn’t. Parker did. He headed me off as soon as I set a foot inside the Lion’s Den .”
    Irritated, I threw a glance over Alex’s shoulder to glower at Parker. The guy didn’t even have the decency of pretending not to observe us closely. He raised his glass in mock salute. I pulled Alex flush against me. Not even a thin piece of paper could have been stuffed between us. “Why did you fool around with him?”
    Alex’s eyes narrowed. I regretted my words instantly. In a lame attempt to save face, I added, “I’m not jealous or anything.”
    “Yeah, right,” he snorted. “You’ve got no reason for jealousy, because we’re simply hooking up for the night. No strings attached and all that. Remember?”
    My own words thrown back at me. Great . He was right, of course, so why did it bother me so much? Why did I even consider taking him to bed—uh, fucking him—again? He still wasn’t my type.
    “What? No answer to that?”
    Time to change the topic, quickly. “Let’s forgo the talking stuff in favor of doing the horizontal stuff.”
    “Same hotel?”
    I shrugged. “Why not?”
    “Think we can get the same room?”
    “Narcissistic much, huh?” I