Chapter 34

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Rose

I MANAGED TO HANG out with my coworkers long enough to make it appear like I wasn’t pining over the fact Alex was probably in bed with Tina Wellington, but inside my head, I was obsessing big-time. So, after having a couple drinks, feigning a few laughs, and pretending to be interested in their conversation, I decided to call it a night. I hadn’t looked at my phone since I’d sent him that text, hoping when I finally did, I would have a reply.

When I stepped outside the bar and finally found the courage to pull my phone from my purse, disappointment washed over me once again. I walked a few blocks and tried to shake it off. Why was I feeling so distraught? This never happened to me, but the truth was, there was never any other guy I really cared enough about…until now. Maybe I should have laid it all on the line with him and told him how I was feeling instead of leading him right into bed with Tina big boobs Wellington. After walking too many blocks to remember and not going in any particular direction, I finally flagged down a taxi. I got in and was just about to blurt out my aunt’s address, but instead Alex’s rolled off my tongue.

I didn’t think about how insane I was behaving until I was standing in front of his apartment building and the taxi had pulled away, but I had come this far, I wasn’t going to turn back now.

I was thankful for the lack of security when I managed to blend in with another couple as they entered the building. I took the elevator up with them, pretending like I belonged there, giving them a quick smile when I reached his floor. My stomach was on the upward descent of a roller coaster, and the closer I got to his door, the closer I was to going down that hill. I wasn’t even sure what I would say if he answered, but I was running on pure adrenaline, unable to stop myself from tapping on the door. My face heated and my legs trembled, thinking the worst—what if he brought her back to his place? I was out of my mind, setting myself up for a double dose of humiliation and heartbreak. I had to get out of there. I wasn’t going to do this to myself. I heard the elevator heading up and walked as fast as my two feet could carry me, waiting to step inside and have it take me back to some form of sanity.

“Alex!” I wasn’t sure which of us was more stunned when the doors opened up and he stepped out.

“Rose? What are you doing here?”

My throat tightened, and my eyes burned as I looked him over and surmised what had just happened. His undone tie hanging loosely around his neck and the unfastened top button on his shirt were a good indication.

“I…umm…I…” I battled the tears. I couldn’t do this to him. I wouldn’t make him feel guilty, just because I decided to change the rules. I cleared my throat and pulled it together. “I texted you earlier—”

“Oh yeah, I was gonna text you back, but my battery died. What’s up?”

My eyes studied him, inflicting torture on myself once again as I imagined his lips on hers, wondering if his kiss was intoxicating to her as it was to me. Did she even notice how beautiful his eyes were and how they changed colors based on his mood? Did she find his sexy sarcastic side, the one I loved to hate as adorable as I did? Did she hear the way his Southern drawl became more prominent when he was angry or upset? All these things I had learned in the short time of knowing him that may have seemed so insignificant to others were big things to me. Tina Wellington, the woman I idolized for her multimillion-dollar business, now had something much more valuable. I pulled in my bottom lip, wanting to tell him the premise of the text and be on my way, but my heart betrayed me.

“I’m too late, aren’t I?”

“What?” He creased his eyebrows in confusion.

“You slept with her, didn’t you?” My voice faltered.

“What are you talking about?”

“Tina Wellington.” I slowly snapped out of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here, and I shouldn’t be questioning you. I’ve got to go.” I stepped on the elevator, turning my back as the tears streamed down my face.

“Rose!” he shouted, pushing his way in just as the doors were about to close. He placed his hand under my chin, tilting my head up, forcing me to look at him.

“I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to come here and—”

“I didn’t sleep with her. I didn’t even meet up with her.”

“You didn’t?”

He shook his head and moved my hair from my face, never taking his eyes from mine.

“I lied. I can’t go back to the way things were before because I really do like you…a lot. I know I’m totally going back on my word to you, and I’m so sorry. I just needed to get it out. Please don’t feel like you have to—”

He placed his finger over my lips. “Rose, will you please stop talking so I can kiss you?”

“Really? You…you want to kiss me?”

My heart soared from my chest over the depth of the smile that spread across his face just before his lips crashed into mine and our tongues clashed together. I was so turned on when his hands explored my body that I was ready, willing, and able to do it right there on that elevator. That was until the doors came open, and we broke ourselves from our embrace just long enough to come face-to-face with his next-door neighbors and their obnoxious little dog. If the woman didn’t already hate me enough from our last encounter, I was pretty sure she did now.

“Oh my God! Really?” She looked me over with pure and utter disdain as their little yippy dog carried on like it wanted to rip our heads off.

“Have a great night.” Alex smirked and put his head down, grabbing my hand as we stepped off the elevator and maneuvered around her little beast on the leash.

“Such a lack of class these days,” the woman remarked to her husband, but loud enough so I could hear.

Alex tugged at my arm, trying his best to make me move forward and halt me from replying, but I couldn’t control myself. Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned back around to face her just as she and her husband were readying to enter the elevator.

“And just so you know, he’ll have no problem getting it up tonight…and we will be having sex!”

I turned my attention back to Alex, and we both busted out with laughter.

“I like the sound of your plans.” He grinned.

“Me too.”

The short time it took him to unlock his apartment door seemed like eternity. I was longing for him more and more with each passing second. He kicked the door closed and pushed me against it while our tongues continued with their familiar dance. I unbuttoned his pants and they dropped to the ground along with his boxers. Both of us wasting no time, needing to put the cat and mouse pursuit that had been going on for the past week to an end.

“We have all night to take it slow, but I need to feel you inside of me now.”

My admission seemed to turn him on even more. He lifted my skirt and pulled down my panties, pausing for a brief moment as I waited in angst. “I need to get—”

“No,” I whispered.

“I thought you just said—”

“I do more than anything, but you don’t need to get anything. I’m on the pill.”

He seemed deep in thought, having an internal moral battle with himself, no doubt.

“Trust me, Alex, I am. The last thing I want is to get pregnant. So, will you please stop killing the mood with your doubts and get on with it?”

All of a sudden, the switch flipped, and any reservation on his part faded away. He grabbed the back of my thigh and eased himself inside of me. I closed my eyes and threw my head back against the wall, concentrating on the moment. Each movement became a little deeper and more intense, taking my body into a pleasurable realm from which I never wanted to leave. My hands worked feverishly through his hair, both of us pacing ourselves to make it last a little longer, until it became impossible to hold out anymore. With one final thrust, we both reached our breaking point, leaving us breathless and satisfied—yet still wanting more.

Our bodies remained connected while he stared down at me, his eyes emitting so much emotion it made my heart flutter. Gently caressing the side of my face with his fingertips, he lowered his head and placed his lips on my forehead. I had entered a new place in my life, never before experiencing the sense of intimacy I did when I was with him. I was both elated and scared at the same time. If I didn’t know it before I certainly knew it now—Alex Andrews was unlike any other guy I ever knew, and I was feeling for him in ways I never imagined were possible. Everything had changed.