A sense of normalcy followed in the next week. I was welcomed back to Coral Brews by many concerned coworkers, but we were all back to the normal rhythm of things soon enough. I knew Alex was keeping an eye on me throughout the week, but other than flirting and making out time or two, we didn't do anything.

I don't know what his opinion on period sex was, but personally, I hated it.

And then there we were on Monday morning, staring on a run together, something we hadn't done with each other in weeks. It felt really fucking good to just do something normal again.

Well, almost normal. Given that we had started sleeping together since the last time we went on a run, now as we ran together side by side, we could actually acknowledge that we were checking each other out.

At least for the first mile. After that, I just had to focus on not passing out. It had been a long time since we had run together, but it had also been a long time since I had run at all.

"Not going to make me carry you back, are you?" Alex teased me when we finally stopped to get coffee.

I glared at him between panted breaths. "You wish," I huffed. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you seem to take every opportunity you can find to pick me up."

Alex took a step closer to me. "You don't seem to have a problem with it when I do," he said, his voice low, as he ran two of his fingers down the bare skin of my arm.

I put my hand on his chest and shoved him back slightly, smirking as a turned around to enter the coffee shop, putting a little extra swing in my hips as I walked.

After we got our caffeine, we strolled down the main street. It was honestly too hot to be drinking coffee, the air thick with humidity that made the baby hairs around my face and at the back of my neck curl up into ringlets.

"It seems quieter than usual," Alex commented.

I shrugged. "There are always random lulls in the season," I told him. "We just can't predict when they'll be."

We had reached the end of the street where Alex and I usually parted ways. I lingered for a moment, deciding how forward I wanted to be.

I decided on my usual amount.

"Should I come over tonight?"

Alex grinned and reached for my hand, pulling me toward him as far as he dared given that we were in public. "Why wait?" he asked quietly, the glint in his eye sending shivers up my spine and heat down into my core.

"Alex, you and I are both disgusting right now," I pointed out. Between the run and the humidity, I was stickier than duct tape.

"What, you have a problem with my shower?"

Touché. I stood there for a moment longer, processing his words, and then I pushed passed him, heading toward his house. I didn't even need to look back to know he had a smirk across his face as he followed.

Part of me thought that the reaction my body had to Alex and the thought of him touching me in every way possible would eventually die down. That as we continued having sex and exploring each other's bodies, I would become satiated and be able to move on.

As we entered his house and he grabbed my hand, practically dragging me up the stairs, I knew that day had not come.

"You seem eager," I teased him. He led me into the bathroom shutting the door behind us and immediately backing me up against it.

"What, and you're not?" His voice was almost at a whisper, his lips just above the skin on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath as he pressed his body up against mine.

And then his hands moved and in one smooth motion, he had my tank top over my head and falling to the ground behind him. A moment later, his shirt was gone, too.

Yeah, we were both kind of sweaty and gross, but as Alex finally met my mouth with his and pressed his bare skin up against me, I had to admit, it was kind of hot.

Okay, it was really hot. Maybe seeing Alex all hot and sweaty did things to me I hadn't realized before.

With a groan, Alex tore himself away from me to turn on the shower, and I hooked my fingers into my waistband, eager to get rid of my shorts. But before I could get anywhere, Alex's hands covered mine, and he guided them away.

"Let me," he said. Slowly, almost painfully, he dragged my shorts over my hips and down my legs, lowering himself to his knees and kissing down one of my legs.

I let out a shaky breath and leaned my head back against the door, eyes closed. "You like undressing me, don't you?" I asked, opening my eyes as he stood back up.

He just nodded and ran a finger underneath one of the straps of my sports bra. I took his hand and guided it behind me, where he unhooked the band and let it fall off my shoulders.

Alex's eyes feasted on me as I stood almost completely naked against the door. But I loved it. I had never felt so comfortable naked in front of a man, and Alex's eyes shone with desire. Desire for me, desire for what he was seeing.

"I'm sure the water's ready," I finally said. With much less suspense, I took a few steps over to him and took off his shorts and underwear at the same time. I headed to the shower first, but it wasn't long before Alex came up behind me, sliding my panties down before I could step under the stream of water.

Heat coursed through me in multiple forms as I felt the hot water hit my skin and Alex's mouth cover mine as we stumbled into the shower. Shivers went up my spine as my back pressed up against the cold tile, Alex's hand running up from my hip and along my side, eventually stopping as he cupped one of my breasts with his hand.

"God, you taste so fucking good," Alex said in between kisses.

I smirked against his mouth. "That's because I just drank a bunch of coffee," I replied, trying to keep myself from laughing.

But Alex couldn't. I felt his mouth curve into a smile and then a chuckle broke from his lips. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

I put my arms around his neck and he pulled back enough so we could look at each other through the falling water. "I know I'm funny," I replied, still managing to keep a straight face.

Alex just laughed again and planted a slightly sloppy, open-mouthed kiss against my lips. I pressed my hands flat on his chest and pushed him back. He watched my every move with laser focus as I silently picked up the soap bar and turned it over a few times in my hands.

His eyes followed my soapy hands as I put them back on his chest, working the soap down his body and over each of his arms. I shifted around him, giving his back the same treatment, inhaling sharply as I watched his muscles flex at my touch. As the water washed the soap away, I pressed kisses against his shoulder blades and the back of his neck, letting my hands move up his shoulders and then down his arms.

I moved back to face him and saw that his eyes were closed and his lips parted. He looked at peace.

The lower part of his body is where things got a little more interesting. I crouched down, painfully aware of his arousal but avoiding it all the same. When I stood back up, I saw that his look of peacefulness was still there, but his eyes were open, dark and filled with desire.

Without a word, he took the soap bar out of my hand, and I felt a tremble of anticipation move through my body. Slowly but surely, his strong hands worked their way across my body, cleaning off the morning's run and leaving peace and relaxation in its place. Every stress, every piece of tension, melted away as Alex ran his hands across my chest, stomach, back, arms, and legs.

It was by far the most sensual thing I had ever done.

"Clean enough, for you?" Alex asked, bending his head and trailing kisses on my shoulder and up the side of my neck.

I reached behind me and turned off the water. "It'll do," I told him.

Shaking his head, Alex opened the shower door and stepped out, grabbing a towel and quickly drying himself off. "Come here," he said after he wrapped the towel around his waist. He grabbed another one and waited, expectantly.

There was no point in arguing, and honestly, I wouldn't mind having his hands all over me again. So I stepped forward, water running from my skin and hair, and watched Alex carefully as he mirrored his earlier movements with the soap bar except this time with the towel.

I bit back sighs of pleasure as he moved the soft fabric over me. I could still the heat from his hands through the material. As he stood behind me, he squeezed out my hair, sending tingles through my scalp, and then wrapped the damp towel around me, securing it before turning me back around.

I knew the look on his face, and I knew he had no plans to stop any time soon. "Alex, what—"

I didn't have a chance to finish my question. I let out a small shriek as he scooped me up and then laughed as he carried me to his bed. "Alex," I said again.

Another shriek as he half-tossed, half-dropped me on top of the mattress, and then, oh God, he was there, pressing all of his weight on me, his chest all hard muscle. His mouth and tongue met mine, and my body arched up against his, the towel around my chest loosening, only serving to give me more skin-on-skin contact. I couldn't get enough.

I gripped his shoulder with one hand and the other went into his wet hair, clenching it in my fist and pulling him toward me, forcing him to kiss me harder. I felt his hand on my thigh and then travel up my leg, pushing up the edge of the towel. I had been aroused ever since he suggested showering together, but the water had washed away any obvious signs of that arousal. Now, however, I felt the warm wetness return as my lower body ached for him.

My stomach decided to take that moment to let out a huge rumble.

Alex and I both froze and he lifted his head up. We both tried to keep it together.

We both failed.

Alex and I both started laughing at the exact same moment, and we couldn't stop. "Breakfast?" he asked me, his face lit up.

"Apparently," I replied.

He leaned down to give me another quick kiss. "Coming right up." He pushed himself off of the bed and went to his dresser, rummaging around for clothes. "Take whatever," he said after he pulled on a pair of sweatpants. "You know I like you in my clothes." And with a wink, he left the room, heading for the kitchen.

Everything felt good. Literally, every single part of my body felt relaxed, calm, happy. With a sigh of contentment, I sat up and went over to dig through Alex's clothes. After grabbing one of his t-shirts, I put my own shorts and panties back on before heading downstairs to hopefully get some actual food.

"It's a really nice day," Alex commented as he saw me. His eyes traveled over me, braless and in his shirt, and a shadow of a smirk crossed his features.

I hopped up on his counter and he handed me a piece of toast with peanut butter spread on it and tossed me an orange. "It'd be a good beach day," I agreed, taking a bit out of the toast. "Especially with the lull in tourists."

"Do you want to go?"

I flicked my eyes up at him. "Like, right now?"

"I mean, I take you'd want to change," he teased. "But yeah, today."

I realized I had basically inhaled the toast, so I started on the orange, trying to eat more like a normal person. "Uh, sure." In reality, I really loved the thought. But I was trying to be cool.

"Good."

Silence fell, but then I jumped off the counter, popping the last piece of orange in my mouth as I did. "Then, I should get going," I told him. I went over to him, putting my hand against his still bare chest and standing on my toes to give him a quick kiss.

"You should," he said. "Sooner you go, sooner you get back."

I gave him a wry smile and then headed to the door. He didn't say anything else, but I had a feeling he was watching my ass as I left.

I kinda liked that.