Chapter 82

Lily hadn't expected his sudden kiss and could only stare, eyes wide. Could he please give her a heads-up next time? Alexander, acting impulsively, deepened the kiss after their initial contact. It lasted longer than they anticipated. Lily gasped for air as they pulled away, leaning against his shoulder. Alexander chuckled.

"You need to learn how to breathe," he said, smiling and caressing her back.

Lily was such a silly girl; she stopped breathing whenever they kissed. Alexander was pleasantly surprised, realizing this indicated her inexperience. Nathaniel was an idiot. How could he not appreciate such a gem? It made Alexander dislike him, though perhaps slightly less now.

Still recovering, Lily gasped again at Alexander's words.

"You took all my air! How could I breathe? Why don't you give me some breathing space instead?" Lily placed her hands on her chest, her heart pounding furiously, feeling as if it might leap from her ribs. Alexander smiled gently.

"You're blaming me now? Why don't we try again?" He leaned forward. Lily drew back. "No, we don't have to!"

She still struggled to breathe; another kiss might make her faint. Alexander, intending only to tease, feigned sadness at her reaction. "You're rejecting me?"

Lily felt guilty, observing his handsome, downcast face. She threw up her arms. "No, that's not it. I meant…"

Alexander kissed her tenderly, a gentle kiss that made her heart flutter. Lily shyly covered her face. How was he so sexy?

Her phone rang—a mood killer, yet welcome. Lily needed to calm down. She reached for it, hesitating when she saw the caller ID.

"Hall?" Alexander knew from her expression.

"Yeah," she nodded, answering after a moment's hesitation. "I thought I said…"

Nathaniel, on the other end, interrupted. "If I drop the lawsuit, would you agree to see me?"

"Lily, avoiding us won't solve the problem. We should talk this out," Nathaniel paused. "One last time!"

Lily looked at Alexander, then replied, "All right."