Author's Note: Huge thank you to my beta, TheWolfHourx for helping with the story.
Warnings: Incestuous themes and descriptive sexual acts.
Enjoy Jalex!
Compartmentalization
Justin always did well in his studies in both school and Wizardry. However, the answers didn't always come instantly to him. He excelled because he spent hours of time trying to find every bit of knowledge he could. Being able to highlight the key components of a subject while mentally categorizing them was a challenge. One he welcomed, of course.
His ability to compartmentalize subjects or aspects helped him keep everything in its designated space. From casting spells all the way to trigonometry, everything had its place.
Well, almost everything…
Justin sighed softly, looking at the ceiling of the family lair as he lazily brushed his fingers against the skin of Alex's back. Looking down he saw her relaxed expression as she lay upon his bare chest. He marveled at her, trying to etch every inch of her into his memory.
Forgetting her when they were in Puerto Rico will always be his worst fear. Even years later, he could still feel the void he felt when she disappeared from his mind. It was how he imagined drowning to feel. As if his memories were a life line and she was the oxygen he needed to breathe. Justin knew the comparison was highly illogical, but that didn't change how he felt.
It was easy for him to get lost in his thoughts, especially when it came to Alex. So he focused on her letting his fear slip away. With a small smile, he noted that it was moments like this he never wanted to forget.
While looking down at her, he noticed the smudged Magic Marker upon the skin of his ribs. He wasn't exactly sure when it happened, but even without the spell broken he felt at ease. Sure, he knew this feeling could disappear at any moment, but right now everything felt right.
Through the night he had dozed off a little here and there, but ultimately couldn't still his thoughts. There was too much in the air right now. Now that they both knew this was more than physical attraction or even in the off chance everything that's happened between them was accidental, they needed a plan more than ever.
At that moment he felt Alex stir enough to curl into him even more. While doing so, he felt her pulling her knees up under the small throw blanket and attempted to pull him closer. He watched the small crinkle of her nose and the frowning of her brow signaling she was waking up. With an amused smile he continued trailing his fingers against her.
"Seriously, Justin," she mumbled against his skin with her eyes closed. "When do you sleep?"
Her question made him chuckle while she stretched her unclothed body against his. With his free hand he brushed hair from her face before she looked up at him. There was a softness to her expression that made him lean down to kiss her.
"Mmm…" he could feel her smile and hum against his lips.
Justin felt her deepening the kiss with a soft sleepy sway of her lips. Slowly he felt her lifting her right leg upwards while she shifted against him. In the process she'd managed to position him against her slightly damp center. The second he felt this he groaned into the kiss.
Pulling back, he met her soft sleepy stare before he felt her reach down between them. With her soft touch, she guided his semi-hardened member into her warmth. They both moaned softly at the feeling as he slipped inside her without breaking their gaze.
He didn't need words to tell her how good it felt to be with her. This wasn't sex, this was more. Everything about their movements was slow and soft. Taking his left hand, he pulled her knee up and placed it beside his hip.
Their soft thrusts met each other as they listened to the gentle rhythmic sounds of their movements. With their lips brushing, Justin focused on the warmth building in his abdomen. Shaking his head, he knew he needed to focus on her first.
With that thought, he guided her body into the couch and shifted them so that she was under him. As he did this, he could hear her familiar pouting sound when he pulled out of her.
In hushed reassuring murmurs against her skin, Justin started to kiss down the length of her body. He started at her neck, pausing at her breasts before continuing on to her stomach. He trailed his fingers against her skin and moved past her hip.
"Justin…" He heard her whisper his name while he made his way between her thighs.
Then he gently lifted her right leg over his shoulder and held onto her leg. Justin paused, taking in a deep breath to settle his nerves. It wasn't that he didn't have all the right knowledge or the ability to please her, because he did. It had to do with him wanting this to feel good for her. The way she made him feel.
Pushing aside the nervous feeling, he shakily brushed his lips against the inside of her thigh. Leaning in, Justin proceeded to dip his head forward. He listened to Alex moan when he first trailed his tongue against her. Then he felt her spread her legs more as he licked between her lips.
She tasted sweet and yet a little salty which he didn't mind. Repeating his action, he could tell by her breathing and whimpers that she was nearing an edge. Dragging his tongue up he found her clit and she gasped. Quickly, he felt her hand slide into his hair as he proceeded to suckle and twirl the tip of his tongue in a circular pattern.
With his free hand, he then pushed a finger inside her opening and found a slow rhythm. After a few more experimental thrusts, he increased his pace. Then she came, softly calling his name and arching her back.
With one last lazy swipe of his tongue, he removed his fingers and let go of his hold on her. When he looked up at her, as her breathing slowed, he couldn't help but smile a little. Then she looked down at him and guided his face back to hers. With her encouragement he moved himself up and back between her legs. Quickly with her help, he slipped back inside her. The moment he did, he knew he wouldn't need much help.
In three lazy thrusts and a brush of their lips, he came. Feeling her warmth around him he slowly stilled his movements.
After a few moments she looked in his eyes and he mumbled a soft, "Good morning."
"Mmm, it's too early to call it morning," she spoke softly.
"This is true, but you consider waking up before noon too early Alex," he chuckled. She smirked at that.
"And I still stand by that statement," she said with a slight lift of her shoulders.
"I hate to say it, but I think we should move to our rooms before anyone wakes up," he sighed.
Justin couldn't help but chuckle when Alex groaned at his statement. With a feathered kiss upon her forehead he slipped out of her. Leaving her the blanket, he reached for his clothing on the ground beside the small table and couch.
"Do we have to?" Looking at her while she pouted, he stood and pulled on his boxers and sweats.
"Technically, no," he shrugged, as she peered at him with a small twitch of her lips. "However, you do need to get dressed."
A pinched expression quickly replaced the momentary bit of satisfaction she had. With pursed lips and brows drawn together she shot him a half hearted glare. Which he returned with his own squinted expression after pulling his t-shirt on.
"Oh, fine ," she huffed. "I left my wand in my room. Where's yours?"
Justin shook his head as he pulled his wand out of his sweats and handed it to her. He looked away as she continued to lay on the couch, using it to get rid of their evidence.
Justin couldn't stop himself from feeling a slight twinge of guilt as he bent down to collect her clothing. Instantly, he recognized the feeling because guilt wasn't something foreign to him. He'd actually familiarized himself with it over the past few weeks, but today was different. He knew he should be feeling disgusted at the thought of being intimate with Alex, but he didn't. The guilt he felt was because he couldn't give her what he knew she deserved.
Pushing the thoughts into their designated space deep within the recesses of his mind, Justin turned his attention back towards her. Pursing his lips when he looked to see her still laying down after placing his wand on the side table. She looked right at home in his eyes as he lifted an eyebrow at her skeptically. He received a distinct eye roll from her as she sat up and reached for her things.
Clearing his throat, Justin made his way to the other side of the couch as she pulled on her shirt. They needed a plan and definitely some rules put into place if they were going to continue this. He knew she wasn't going to like that part as rules had never been Alex's forte.
"So I've been thinking..." He sat beside her while she wiggled into her panties and shorts. "As I've said, we need a plan on how we are going to approach this going forward. Which after doing some research on the subject-"
Alex proceeded to interrupt him with a snort and repeated his words, "Research on the subject ?"
"I-" Justin huffed as she shook her head. "Yes, I looked up studies about our situation. Apparently, uhm… what we're experiencing is more common and accepted in the Wizarding World. But obviously we don't live there."
"You mean you looked up wizard incest?" She snorted and tilted her head sideways. The word made him wince.
"Yes, thank you, Alex ." He hoped she could tell by his sarcasm that he felt uncomfortable by his dislike for the word. "That being said, I think some ground rules need to be put into place while we try to understand this."
"Ugh," she scrunched her face and groaned. "And here I thought this conversation might be more entertaining."
"Alex," he paused and the way he said her name seemed to have caught her attention. "Rules will help keep us in check-"
She cut him off with a sigh and this confused him. "Why don't we just use my method?"
"Doing nothing isn't a plan anymore, Alex." He couldn't stop himself from saying it with a scoff and noticing her rolling her eyes.
"I know that, Justin ." She mocked him a little and continued. "I'm referring to some brief mental steps I made for myself. Though, I haven't exactly been good at following them yet, but maybe that's where you come in."
"You made yourself rules to follow?" He couldn't stop himself from smiling. "About us?"
His smile grew even more when her expression fell flat at his comment, he even noticed a slight pink color in her cheeks. Quickly, she shook her head making a pshh sound and tucked her hair behind her ear.
" What , no..." She said with a tilt of her head before rolling her eyes. "Not rules, steps . They're more relaxed."
"Steps?" He repeated, and found her flustered expression rather cute.
" Yes , Justin." She huffed following with a pouted sound. "It's too early for this much thinking."
"I know, but tell me about these steps you made," he asked and couldn't help but feel proud that she'd spent time thinking about this.
"Right, so think of them like guidelines with wiggle room. It's more fun that way." She adjusted in her seat to turn towards him. "Step one, simple but a little hard: act normal around each other."
Justin nodded agreeing this was something he knew he needed to work on. After yesterday's incident with cursing, he needed this one.
"Step two: keeping some distance. Though, this one I've been sort of failing at." She shrugged, motioning to him.
Justin nodded, also noting this was another thing he needed to work on as well. Turning to look at her closer, he rested his right hand on his face. Every time she addded something he could feel himself smiling. All he wanted to do right now was kiss her, but instead he focused his attention as she held up three fingers.
"Step three: no touching or staring. Which is something you need to work on," she said before dropping her hand. "That's all I got."
"I have to say, I'm impressed. Those are all really good," he said, watching a smile form on her lips.
Justin then lowered his hand and proceeded to take hers. Looking at their hands together, he sighed. Then he took the opportunity to brush his thumb back and forth against the back of her hand.
"Like you said, they will be difficult to follow. But now that we both know them, we can keep each other in check," he added, before turning his attention towards her. "Though, we have to keep in mind these steps are only a temporary solution while I do some more research."
He watched her roll her eyes, again , and shake her head. Then she looked at him and sighed.
It felt like minutes as they started into each other's eyes. It was her to first break their stare by fluttering her eyes. The fact that he had years to study her allowed him to notice the small things about her. Like the fact that her breathing momentarily stuttered as she parted her lips and looked away.
"Okay great. Now that that's all sorted, can we go back to sleep now?" She sighed again, dropping his hand before shifting towards him.
Justin leaned back into the couch while lifting his arm up and around her while she scooted closer to him. Pulling her tightly against his chest, he felt her resting her head against his upper left shoulder. Everything about this felt right, even if he knew it should feel wrong.
"It seems we're already failing these steps together," he hummed in satisfaction.
Taking a deep breath, he noted the faint scent of her strawberry shampoo. He then felt her nod in agreement against his chest. With her lack of words, he could tell that she was starting to get sleepy again. Feeling relaxed, he started to brush his thumb against the side of her arm.
"Hey Alex," he said her name softly and she hummed. "How would you define what we've been doing?"
There was a moment where both remained still, just feeling the other breathing. He felt her adjusting against him in order to get a better look at him.
"I feel like we're still, us ." She proceeded to give him a sleepy shrug. "We just know the depth of each other's feelings."
The explanation made him feel warm and like he could finally put what they've been experiencing into words. In that moment, Justin leaned down and kissed her on her lips. It was short and sweet. When he pulled back, he smiled.
"I feel the same," he whispered and looked over every inch of her face. "Following these steps may be difficult while living together, but it's worth it. We'll make it work."
Justin felt her stiffen at those words before she started to pull away. He mentally attempted to fight the emptiness he felt when she put distance between them. He straightened his posture. Searching her face, he noticed her brows stitched together and pursed lips.
"About that," she paused meeting his eyes. "I've been meaning to tell you something."
Blinking twice, he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees.
This is it… she's going to say that she can't do this anymore. Justin pushed the thought away as quickly as it came.
Mentally he had to remind himself that the thought wasn't deduced from facts or even logic. There was no evidence that she was about to end things. He knew the thought was built on a fear that everything between them could be taken away at any moment. All it took was the wrong person finding out.
He stopped the rushing thoughts in order to listen to her explanation.
"I may have, sort of promised Harper I would move in with her. Since we graduated a few weeks ago." She spoke slowly and instantly Justin felt his muscles relax. "Justin?"
He shook his head and reached for her hand. "I'm going to be honest, not what I was expecting. But this might help make following the steps easier for both of us."
"You're not upset?" She tilted her head and gave his hand a small squeeze.
"No, I'm not. Though, at first I thought-'' He sighed, "I thought you were about to change your mind. With wanting this..."
Her face scrunched in amusement and she snorted. The reaction she had to his words made him smile.
"Psh, no. You're going to have to be the responsible one here. Not me. I'm not going anywhere." She laughed, "Well, aside from moving out. If mom and dad say yes. But other than that, you're stuck with me."
Justin quickly sat up straight while looking at her. Reaching out, he brushed stray hairs from her cheek and used his fingers to gently guide her face towards his. Without hesitation, he watched her close her eyes. It was easy for him to savor the soft sway of her lips against his. Mentally he noted the feeling of her hand following the length of his arm and into his hair. He took the opportunity to brush his tongue against her lips and felt her sigh.
Allowing himself to get lost in the kiss, he started to lean towards her and in the process guided her onto her back. In need of air, he opened his eyes to look at her.
"It's like I told you," he smiled as she opened her eyes. "I'll never leave you Alex."
"You'd better not," she warned with a playful glare. "Dork…"
Two Weeks Later
There were very few things in life that got Alex worked up and determined at the same time. Normally, she would brush people off without a second thought. Because honestly, caring is a lot of work. However, she always found herself trying to prove someone wrong. That someone was Justin.
Which, if she were to count how many times proving him wrong actually worked, she could do it on one hand. Not that she would admit this to him. Especially when he was right. Which was all the damn time.
Over the past two weeks, once they put The Steps into place, things were rather difficult for her. Justin seemed to be following them with ease which frustrated her even more. All she wanted to do was kiss him, touch him, and just be with him. Between getting money for the move and packing they hadn't been able to get one moment alone. But as of today she was officially done waiting.
She needed to think of a plan on how she could get them alone. Which might be difficult, because her plans don't always work as smoothly as she'd like. However, instead of throwing together a plan haphazardly, she was determined.
"Alright Alex, now I normally do not condone the use of magic," Harper paused looking away from their new front door. "But since your family's gone, and it's just us, could you possibly help set up the room?"
Alex held a neutral expression before furrowing her brows, "But Harper… I've always wanted to set up our new apartment together. Normally."
Harper's eyes widened, and Alex knew it was either shock or dread. Because of her friend's expression, she couldn't stop her amused smile before she ended up laughing. Which caused Harper to put her hands on her hips with a glare in response.
"You think you're so funny, Alex," Harper scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. Even you have to admit, me doing physical labor again… But like willingly? That shit's amusing," Alex laughed loudly. "I've done enough moving things to last a lifetime."
Alex grinned and pulled her wand from her boot.
"Oh, I know," Harper sighed, "I was there for your little bet with Justin. Which is why I asked. Because it wasn't just you who suffered that day."
Alex's laugh trailed off a little as she rubbed the back of her neck. Just thinking about that day made her knees weak and lightheaded.
Emphasis on the weak part , Alex thought as she slowly sat on the couch beside her. Focus, Alex. You need to find a plan.
"Speaking of, I never did get to ask what happened between you and Justin that day." Alex avoided looking at her friend. "You sort of got all quiet, which wasn't like you."
"Mmm, yep." Alex stood up as she pushed the thought aside. "Okay, so where do we want the beds?"
In an attempt to change the subject, Alex looked around the room. She really hoped Harper would drop it.
"I know when you're changing the subject Alex," the redhead crossed her arms while Alex winced.
"Fine, yes." Alex looked upwards in order to paint a 'family friendly' explanation. "We got into a uhh… heated argument. And I was done being bossed around, so I took back my wand."
"Well I ask because when you both get into an argument, you're usually both extremely vocal about it." Harper crossed her arms. "Come to think of it. You both got quiet… Did something happen?"
Alex was usually quick to redirect people. Unfortunately right now, all she could think of was there was no normal reason for their behavior. Then she was saved by the front door being thrown open.
" Oh thank, God," she whispered and slipped her wand back into her boot.
Looking over to see none other than Justin there with a rather smug expression. She only hoped he was here to divert her previous conversation and not create a new one.
"Harper… Alex…." Justin greeted them individually while looking around the room. "I'm actually impressed by the apartment you two found. And so quickly too."
Alex rolled her eyes, knowing that there had to be a reason why he was here. She knew him better than anyone and she had a feeling it wasn't to chit-chat. When she looked back at him she met his searching grey ones. The look he gave her almost made her forget to breathe and heartbeat faster.
"What can we do for you, Justin?" Alex lifted her right brow and crossed her arms.
All she wanted to do right now was kiss him. The idea of him surrounding her before proceeding to fuck her senseless made her feel lightheaded. With him standing so close, she realized just how long two weeks felt. As she looked at him, it was all she could think about. The thought made her shiver while he crossed his arms.
"It's nice to see you too, Alex. Settling in okay?" His expression was curious.
Tilting her chin upwards, she squinted while looking at him. She had to mentally remind herself it wasn't just the two of them alone.
"We're doing just fine," she said and looked at her friend briefly. "Aren't we Harper?"
"Well it's nice to see you too, Justin," Harper added and Alex looked away from him. "We are doing fine. Though, it's funny you're here. We were just talking about you."
Alex felt her eyes widen before looking at Harper. In that moment, she wanted to pull Harper away from him as if she was embarrassingly talking to her crush. Shaking her head, Alex pushed away the thought and gave a breathy laugh.
"Oh really?" His voice was definitely amused and intrigued.
"Yep, it was about how glad I am to be moved out," Alex quickly fibbed, but knew he wouldn't buy it.
"No, we were talking about the bet you two made." Harper rolled her eyes.
"Thanks for the correction, Harper." Alex shot her a pointed look.
Alex found his eyes again, only this time there was an emotion she couldn't place. She felt her skin prickling the longer they looked at each other. Which, after a moment, Alex looked away when she remembered they weren't alone.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help. It's pretty obvious there's some unresolved tension between you both." She shrugged and Alex blinked in confusion. "I'm not the only one who's noticed. I've had multiple strangers make comments to me about you two being young and in love. Which was weird considering you were arguing about random things."
Swallowing thickly, Alex watched his eyes widen in understanding and his lips pursed.
"Hey, Harper! Not to cut you off, but I actually just remembered why I came by. Zeke, wanted me to tell you something about staying the night - or something?" Justin paused, while Alex narrowed her eyes amused. "You should give him a call! And talk to him about it."
" Ohmygosh ," Harper said, "Okay… did he say tonight?"
Alex watched Justin's panicked expression as he looked towards her with a pointed look. She couldn't decide if she felt guilty that he was covering for her again or if it was enjoyment. With raised brows she decided it was definitely more amusing.
"Nevermind, I'll just call him." She quickly made her way out the front door and Justin remained tense until the door shut.
Quickly, he spun around to face her with a glare. One that made her stomach tighten and her heart beat faster. Until a month ago she hadn't noticed how attractive he got when he was angry.
"Way to go, Alex. " Even the way he said her name made her feel warm. "You almost had Harper asking questions about - about... well you know. Things she can't ask about!"
Rolling her eyes, she guided herself into sitting position onto her couch again. "Believe me, I was trying to change the subject. Alright ?"
"We-" He was about to rant, and as attractive as he was right now, Alex needed him to take a breath.
"Oh, will you calm down..." she waved her hand up at him. "Remember step one? Act normal. Though this freaking out thing is normal, you still acted like we have something to hide!"
With a huff she stood up and watched his expression soften while tilting his head. When he nodded slowly chewing on his lip she rolled her eyes.
"You have a point," he said without looking at her.
"Thank you, genius ." She walked closer towards him when he finally looked at her again. "Remaining calm when asked questions is part of acting normal. Because if you panic they usually know there's something to hide. I would know."
"You know that actually makes sense." He furrowed his brows momentarily before relaxing his posture.
"Mhm, so let's not talk about what happened the day of the bet." She encouraged him while she squinted at him.
"Oh, you mean the bet I won?" He asked while redirecting the conversation calmly.
"Oh, please. You won by default," she scoffed with an eye roll.
"Default?" He repeated the word and pursed his lips while folding his arms across his abdomen.
" Chyeah ," she tossed him a look.
"Hmm," he hummed, rubbing his mouth in thought. "I don't think so."
"Mmm, then I think you misunderstood," she laughed slightly while narrowing her eyes.
"I won the bet Alex," he said with a shrug. "You said the words: 'Give me my wand '. Meaning you gave in first."
Alex felt herself smirking knowing that if he wanted to go there, she could. When Justin noticed her smirk, she knew he was suddenly regretting the direction of their conversation. Without a second thought, she walked over to him and stopped less than an arm's length away.
"Oh, so we're gonna talk about what was said right after you fucked me," she said, knowing he could see the gleam in her eyes.
Alex watched the immediate shift in his features as realization hit him because of her particular word choice. Quickly, he reached for her without a second thought in order to place his hand over her mouth. She could see the brief wave of panic in his actions as he looked towards the front door. They remained in the quiet for a moment before he looked down at her. His face was flushed and the color in his cheeks was apparent. Alex found his reaction rather amusing.
"Okay, fine. Neither of us won," he whispered. "But you shouldn't say things like that. Harper could have heard you."
He relaxed his hold and lowered his hand from her mouth. Alex found herself smiling at his reaction. Really, it only made her want to do it again. But she didn't want him getting in a tizzy over it.
"We would notice the door opening, Justin...but fine." She crossed her arms.
"Good," he reached up with his free hand to run his fingers through his hair while he looked around the room. "I'm surprised you haven't already used magic to set everything up."
"Well, I was about to when you threw open our door." She shrugged before pulling her wand out of her boot again.
"Do you know what spell works best?" He wondered and she shot him a glare.
"I can unpack things out of a box, Justin," she huffed and waved her wand. " We've been working all day, help us unpack these boxes so we can play."
Immediately a light filled the room before all their things ended up on the floor. Groaning out loud, Alex held up a hand in his direction when she noticed him about to talk.
"Don't-" She glared at him "-Say it."
Justin attempted to hide his smile by covering his mouth with his hand and Alex sighed. Thinking of spells is so complicated...
" All our things are taking up too much space, help us organize and decorate this place," Alex tried again and everything started to glow.
Magically her and Harper's apartment flashed. Everything transformed into a colorful yet tastefully decorated mix of their things. Looking at Justin, she saw him nodding in approval. Which was when the door opened and Harper entered.
"Oh my gosh!" Harper gasped, and Alex looked at her redheaded friend taking in their transformed apartment. "It looks so good! Did Justin help?"
Alex huffed, "Well thank you Harper, but no. He did not."
"Really?" Harper looked at Justin who nodded in agreement. "Oh, sorry Alex. I was just..."
"I don't always need Justin's help to do magic correctly," She argued, sticking her wand back in her boot.
"Well, I mean, he does get you out of a lot of messes." Harper shrugged a little. "Oh, thanks Justin for the heads up. At first Zeke was confused, but then he remembered. So it looks like I'm going up to his house to spend the night."
Alex watched Justin smile and nod before she tilted her head.
"I'm sorry, can we just circle back to the 'Justin cleaning up my messes' thing?" Alex narrowed her eyes. "I don't always need help and I've helped fix his messes before. So it's not like I'm the only one here."
Harper shrugged with pursed lips while Justin looked away from both of them.
"Oh, I see how it is," Alex crossed her arms turning to Justin. "I'll prove it to you both. For the next twenty-four hours, Justin will not have to fix or clean up any mess. And if anything does happen, I will take care of it by myself."
"Although this does sound intriguing, I don't know if you would make it that long." Justin scratched his head in hesitation.
"Oh, please. You're just worried I won't need your help," she said and raised a challenging eyebrow. "It'd bruise your fragile ego."
"Uhm, no. I just don't think it's a good idea after our last bet." He narrowed his eyes.
"Where you cheated?" She knew this was dangerous territory with Harper here, but couldn't bring herself to care.
"What? I didn't-" He stopped with a huff. "You know what, fine."
"If I win, I get that two hundred dollars you mentioned." Alex grinned, while he lifted a brow and nodded.
"Okay, and if I win you'll have to do what I say..." He spoke factually while Alex reminded herself to breathe. "That includes being nice or helping with something."
Knowing Justin, he most likely had no hidden meaning to his choice. But that didn't stop her curiosity as she wondered what he was thinking when he decided his reward. After taking a moment to assess his expression and steady her breathing, she fluttered her lashes while looking at him. This was her opportunity.
"For how long?" She lifted her chin towards him.
"Two hours of my choosing." He smiled at his own notion. "I will only ask things you're comfortable with."
"Remember what happened last time you both made a bet," Harper chimed in and Alex returned his smile ignoring her comment.
"Deal." She reached out and shook his hand. "I have to say Justin, I'm flattered you value my time at one hundred dollars an hour. That's a pretty decent amount you're willing to lose."
"Oh, don't you worry Alex," he smirked and looked her up and down briefly. "I'll put your time to good use."
Alex couldn't stop the feeling in her stomach as he looked at her. Mentally she wondered if he realized how suggestive that came across. Knowing him, he probably didn't, but that didn't stop her from tossing out her own suggestive retort.
"Mmm, I'm sure you will. Oh, and before you go Justin," she smiled sweetly. "I think you could agree that I've helped clean up your messes before. At least, once or twice."
Immediately she saw his eyes flicker momentarily with understanding and he inhaled deeply. Seeing his reaction, she smiled wider in amusement. Then she turned her attention toward Harper who was shaking her head.
"I'd better not hear either one of you complaining when one of you loses. I warned you guys both times now." She raised her both hands up in surrender and rolled her eyes. "Especially, because of the party you planned for tonight, Alex."
Alex bit her bottom lip and looked at Justin who didn't even try to hide his amused expression.
I can work with this, Alex was extremely amused at how everything was falling into place.
"Looks like winning just got even easier." He nodded at his words. "See you tonight, when something inevitably goes wrong."
Alex glared after him as he walked to the door. When he left, she turned towards Harper with a glare.
"Seriously, Harper! He wasn't supposed to know we were talking about him behind his back like that!" She huffed, trying to make it seem like she was more angry than she really was.
"Oh, my bad," she grimaced and Alex shook her head.
If tonight went her way, The Steps would be long forgotten. Well, at least for the night...