CHAPTER 14

They walked toward the water, and Valerie’s heart sped up with every step. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and she pulled it out to check it. She had a weird text. The kind that was sent from a computer and you can’t tell who it’s from.

It’s just a matter of time, Darling.

Valerie was surprised he could tell. It was dark already, but the moon was pretty bright. She tried to compose herself. This was really freaking her out now. Still she shook her head. “Nothing.”

Alex stood in front of her. “No, Val. It is something.” He looked down at her phone. “You’re trembling.” It was more of an accusation than a statement.

There was no hiding the concern in his eyes. “Last night you were almost in tears when I startled you. Is that guy still bothering you?”

She shrugged in an attempt to play it down. “It’s just a text.”

With a razor sharp stare he asked, “A text that drained the blood from your face and has you shaking?”

Alex wasn’t going to drop this. She’d have to get creative without lying. But he didn’t need to know everything. She hated getting tangled in lies. She’d never been good at it. Alex was still searching her eyes for answers.

“Yeah, well, it’s the first I’ve got on my phone, so it freaked me out a little.”

Alex’s stare seemed unyielding for a moment, and then he glanced back down at her phone. “What did it say?”

Even with all the fear and apprehension she felt about sharing this with Alex, she couldn’t help be distracted by his incredible arms and shoulders. Instead of telling him, she showed him the text.

*

Every muscle in Alex’s body tensed as he read the text in Valerie’s small trembling hand. “Is this the same guy from the club?”

She shrugged. “It’s not his number, but I’m sure it’s him.”

“A matter of time for what?” Alex remembered how adamant that guy had been about taking Valerie outside that night. What could he tell her outside that he couldn’t in the club? Or worse, what was he planning on doing to her?

He could tell Valerie was contemplating whether she was going to tell him or not, but he sure as shit wasn’t dropping this. This guy was threatening Valerie. He wanted to know everything.

“C’mere, sit down.” They sat on the sand. Her dainty leg brushed against him alerting all his senses. “Tell me, Val. What’s going on?”

She stared straight ahead into the ocean and took a deep breath. “It’s just like I told you. I got involved with this guy a while back, and he’s still not over it.”

Valerie wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all Alex. There was more to this. “What about the matter of time part? What’s that about?”

“A matter of time before he gets what he wants.”

“And that would be?”

Valerie put her hand on his leg, “Can we not talk about this now? It’s such a beautiful night. I don’t want to ruin it because of this jerk.”

Alex exhaled sharply. He held back all the questions he still had. But he didn’t hold back the urge to put his fingers through hers. He held her hand tight and she let him. His half-baked bonfire idea was turning out okay after all. He did have other things he wanted to talk to her about, but he would definitely get back to this later.

Alex let that simmer for a moment. There was a hint of apprehension in her eyes, like there was more. She turned away again. “I didn’t even start dating him until after the shower. I lied about seeing someone that day.”

He waited until her cautious eyes were on his again. “Why?”

“Because I was afraid of getting sucked back in, Alex. The pain of walking in on you and your tutor was still so raw. I didn’t even realize it until I saw you at the shower. It was safer to just lie and keep you away. I never want to feel that kind of pain again.”

“You won’t. I promise.” Alex could feel his heart speeding up. If he patched things up with her now, he’d make sure he never screwed up again. He was never going to be away from her now. Ever. “When did you break up with him?”

“It’s been almost two weeks. We tried to keep it discreet, and as far as I know, nobody in the office knew. That is until Bruce, the jerk from the club, started calling the office and telling anyone that answered.”

“That’s why you stopped seeing Luke?” This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Did she still have feelings for the Luke?

Valerie shook her head and put her hand on his thigh. “No, I was going to break it off anyway. It was going nowhere. I felt nothing for him. Only reason I even went out with him was… to try to get over you.”

Despite the elation he felt, he needed to ask something that might kill the evening. Something that had burned in him ever since Angel mentioned the lingerie conversation with Sarah. He had to know. “Did you two ever…?”

Her eyes searched his and then they opened wide. She immediately shook her head.

“No,” She said softly. “Never.”

The relief was immeasurable. He’d been tossing and turning for weeks about it. She was his and the thought of any other man with her, especially one she saw on a daily basis still, absolutely killed him.

He stared into her big eyes and he couldn’t hold back anymore. He leaned over and kissed her gently, and she let him, even parted her lips inviting his tongue in. He pushed her back softly until they were both lying down. It had been so long since she’d been underneath him. “Valerie,” he whispered in between kisses.

Anger and shame crept up Alex’s spine. She was close to tears because of him. He couldn’t even bear to think of how much he’d made her cry in the past. “Baby, you got it. I was going to wait until later, but I’ll put it out there now. I want you to move in with me.” Then he stunned himself by adding. “I love you, Val. Always have.”

Valerie stared at him her lips slightly parted but said nothing. Alex wasn’t done he was going for it all. With a sudden urge to make up for all the hurt he’d caused her or die trying, he declared, “Or marry me. Either way, I don’t want to be apart from you ever again.”

She finally blinked, but her stunned expression didn’t waiver. “Alex, you can’t be serious.”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.” He could hardly believe he’d just asked her to marry him, but he meant it. He wanted nothing more than to have her in his life forever so why not? “What do you say?”

Valerie seemed thrown. “Alex, you’re all I’ve thought about since the shower. I’ve dreamt of nothing more than being back with you. But moving in? Marriage? That’s a big leap. We’ve never even been able to work out a steady relationship. How do we know—”

“Trust me, sweetheart. I know.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I don’t want to go another day without you. I can’t, Val.”

Up until the moment the words had flown out of his mouth, Alex hadn’t even given marriage a thought. But he’d never been surer of anything in his life. He wanted Valerie to be his in every way. He understood now why Angel had been so anxious to make Sarah his wife. If that’s what made him feel whole, made him the happiest man alive, why not make it official?

Valerie stared at him and then down at her small hand that Alex still held firmly. She bit her lip. “Alex, can’t we just start off slow?” She paused when Alex pressed his lips together. “You have to understand. Just allowing myself to open up my heart to you again is terrifying enough.”

Alex hid the incredible disappointment. But he had to admit she had a point. He’d have to prove himself first, and he would to do whatever it took. At least she was willing to give him a chance. That was far more than he expected coming here tonight.

He pulled her too him and hugged her. Feeling her in his arms again was overwhelming. He squeezed her tight and whispered in her ear. “Whatever it takes.”

His hands caressed her back. And he leaned in to kiss her. She let him. When he felt her tongue slip in his mouth, it was all he could do to control himself. Every inch of his body yearned for her, his muscles taut with anticipation. He’d felt lust for her before, but this was entirely different.

Alex would just have to be patient. The last thing he wanted to do was push and have her think he was only anxious for one reason. Although that part of his anxiety had reached the frantic stages. He buried his face in her hair.

The urgency had changed. Strangely, the thought of consummating the relationship as it never had been before, in an exclusive, no qualms, everything out on the table relationship was more overwhelming than anything. It occurred to him he’d never actually had one of those relationships. She’d been the closest he’d ever gotten. All those years he’d managed to screw things up every time things were beginning to really get serious, all because of his stupid pride. He was determined now to show her that all he wanted was her and her alone. She was all he’d thought about since the shower, and he wasn’t going to blow it now.

“We’ll take it as slow as you want, Val. I just hope you believe me when I say that nothing would make me happier than to know you’ll be mine, forever. I’m just sorry it took me this long to figure that out.” The thought of making her his wife and sealing his future with her for good was beginning to sound better and better. It amazed him now that he hadn’t thought about it sooner. But then his hopes for getting her back in his life were frail at best. He pecked her lips. “If I can make you half as crazy as I am about you, I’d be the happiest man in the world.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “Alex I can’t believe all those years you didn’t see that I was. Ever since we first started seeing each other back in high school, you pretty much ruined it for every guy I went out with after that.”

Alex frowned. The last thing he wanted to think about now was her with anyone else. “I doubt that.”

It was her turn to frown. Any trace of tears was gone. Humor now danced in her eyes. She leaned in and spoke right in his face. “Alex Moreno, you knew I had a crush on you before I even met you. Sarah told you. From the moment we met you always had the upper hand, and you knew it.”

“No I didn’t.” He put his forehead against hers. “Remember from the very beginning you’re the one that made it clear you just wanted a physical relationship. No strings attached.” He clenched his jaw. “I went along with it, because I was so busy with school, and what guy in their right mind would pass that up? Then you went and let Romero kiss you.” He gnashed his teeth before going on. “Really? Romero? He was so scrawny and stupid back then. You have no idea what a blow to my ego that was. I thought for sure I’d made no impression on you at all. Sure, you may have been into me, that is until you got to know me. From then on, I never knew what to think.”

Valerie seemed more stunned now than when he’d asked her to marry him. “You still remember that?”

“Of course I do.” How could he forget? It was the first time in his life he’d ever felt real jealousy. For the longest time, he thought it was just an emotion Valerie brought out in him because he’d never felt it for anyone else. Now he knew better. Good or bad, he’d never even come close to feeling any of the emotions Valerie brought out in him for anyone else.

A smile finally broke across Valerie’s face. Alex stared at her plump lips as she licked them. “You’re unbelievable. You wasted all that time not knowing how hopelessly insane I was about you.”

Alex hugged her again squeezing her with a groan. He still couldn’t believe what an enormous weight had been taken off his chest tonight. Valerie was coming home with him, and she was never leaving. There was still the issue of Bruce. He’d get back to that soon enough, but at the moment he just wanted to enjoy his long-awaited reunion with his future wife. Normally he’d be filled with raw anticipation but now an overwhelming tenderness consumed him.

When they got back to the bonfire, the first to make eye contact with him was Sal, and he smiled. He saw that Alex held Valerie’s hand firmly in his. The second they stopped walking, he waited only for her to slip on her shoes before wrapping himself around her from behind. He loved that she always wore the highest heels she could find, even for the beach. Her sandals must’ve been at least three inches tall. She looked so damned sexy in them.

Valerie unwound his hands from her waist and pulled him toward their chairs. Leaning over, she said something to Isabel after sitting down. Alex took the seat next to her, never once letting go of her hand. When Valerie finished chatting with Isabel, she leaned over and whispered. “Of course she’s okay with Romero taking her home.”

Alex glanced over at Isabel and Romero. Romero pulled Isabel to him and whispered something that cracked her up. He hadn’t seen Romero so well behaved at a gathering with alcohol in… well, ever. He’d always been the fun loud and loaded guy at these kinds of gatherings. He was so distracted with Isabel now he wasn’t even drinking.

He would’ve never put those two together. They were completely different. But there was no denying they were enjoying each other. Alex just hoped Romero wasn’t toying with Valerie’s roommate. He knew how much she meant to Valerie.

They hung out for what seemed like an eternity before making their exit. As discreet as he thought they’d be, there was no hiding the looks he got from all the idiots including his own brothers. Sal bounced his eyebrows at him when Alex tossed him his keys.

He drove back to his place and even though Valerie’s car was a stick, he wasn’t able to keep his hands off her the whole way.