I tilted my head back to look at him. "You'll obviously have to apply for the position."
"I'm sure I have the proper skills," he murmured, smoothing his hand in slow circles across my lower stomach. "Consider this my audition."
"Mmmmm, I don't know. I can be pretty demanding." I could feel him pressed against my lower back, making it clear he was enjoying his work. His hand dipped below the mound of suds around us and I moaned with pleasure when his finger slid inside me. Tilting my head so I could find his lips, I gripped the side of the tub, rocking my hips against his hand that was taking me to the edge.
"I want you, now," Alec whispered against my lips. He stood suddenly, pulling me to my feet. We stepped over the side of the tub onto a plush bath mat where he scooped me off my feet and carried me to the large bed. Neither of us cared about the water and soap dripping from our slick bodies.
I waited on the bed as he prepared himself before climbing on top of me. He slid slowly inside, filling me completely. We stared intensely into each other's eyes as he moved. The emotions of the last few days welled up inside me, bringing me on the verge of weeping. I'd been trying to hold back my feelings for him, but they were screaming to be expressed. We were so close and I couldn't help crying out. "I love you." The words spilled from my lips as we both found our release.
I closed my eyes, waiting with bated breath as his body stalled. I wasn't expecting him to return the sentiment. We were in the early stages of a relationship. Hell, in my own books I had always put my characters through trials and tribulations before admitting their love for one another. I had just blurted it out unexpectedly in the throes of passion. It was too soon. We hadn't suffered enough to feel love yet. I was rushing our story. If I could have retracted the words, I would have, but they were hanging in the air like giant neon signs. Obviously, I needed to stick to writing other people's love stories since I was failing at my own.
Alec still hadn't responded and my self-loathing turned to panic. My mind searched for a way to save the situation. I could make a joke of it. Tell him I was referring to something else. If I had time, I could have asked Olivia how to take my foot out of my mouth. The problem was I had said, "I love YOU." Not, "I love the bed," or "I love that sexy mole on your shoulder." There was no disguising what he had heard.
I watched with hooded eyes as he stood up and walked away, which wasn't anything new. He always went to the bathroom after we made love to dispose of things. It would be what he looked like when he came out that would determine his state of mind.
I knew the moment he opened the door, fastening the jeans he had worn before we climbed in the tub together. Suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed, I dragged the sheet up to cover my naked body as I scooted against the headboard.
Alec stood in the doorway with indecision written all over his face. In a sense, I felt bad for springing my feelings on him, but I hadn't planned for it to happen that way. Now the only emotion I felt in my thudding chest was anxiety. I waited without saying anything.
"Nicole..." His voice trailed off and he raked a hand through his hair, searching for the words.
Unable to wait any longer, I jumped in to add an explanation. "Look, I'm not asking you to say it. It's fast. I realize that, but I also can't help the way I feel." Listening to my own words aloud, it sounded like I was trying to defend myself, which I hated. There was a fine line between offering an explanation and defending your actions. The second made me feel like I had done something wrong. It wasn't that big a deal. I told him I loved him. So what? He could take it or leave it.
He moved to the edge of the bed and sat down. As he looked into my eyes, I realized it was a big deal to him. I could have written the next words that would leave his lips. They were spelled out in his eyes and in his actions. The way he held himself, the way he no longer reached for me said everything. "Nicole, those words change everything. I'm not in a place in my life where I can reciprocate something of that magnitude." He sounded so wounded, I nearly wept.
"You don't need to reciprocate anything. Just because I feel a certain way doesn't mean you have to." My words sounded desperate, which was worse than sounding like I was defending myself.
He made a move to touch my hand, but I pulled back before he could reach me. "Nicole, that wouldn't be fair to you. You deserve better. If I wasn't a selfish bastard, I would have stuck to my rules and never started this in the first place. It's not your fault. This sits entirely on my shoulders."
"Great, so we fuck and now I get pitied. I suppose you regret all of it, right?"
He shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying. I just think you misinterpreted what was happening between us. I shouldn't have misled you."
I looked at him incredulously. Alec had revealed the chink in his armor that so many other guys possessed. "Alec, it sounds like you misled yourself. It's funny that I was the virgin you felt you had to tiptoe around and yet, you don't seem to know shit about women." He tried to speak again, but I interrupted him. "Like all guys, you think you can have both sides of the coin. Fuck me as much as you want, and expect me to feel nothing. I mean, come on. I tell you I love you and we're over? How fucked up is that?" Explaining myself no longer became important. He had pissed me off.
He sighed, scrubbing the light fuzz on his chin. "It's for the best. If we kept this up, your feelings would keep getting stronger. It would make it even harder when whatever this is comes to an end."
I snorted. "The 'THIS' that you keep referring to is a relationship, and I'm pretty sure I can control my feelings." I wanted to sound resolute, but my argument held no water. If I could have kept my feelings in check, we wouldn't have been having this conversation. We'd be naked, snuggled up in bed together rather than ending things. Tears of anger threatened to spring to my eyes, but I willed them back. I would not cry.
He opened his mouth to reply, but the ringing of his phone distracted him. Taking a peek at the screen, he jumped from the bed to answer. "Candace?" He sounded concerned. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was almost ten p.m. Way too late for a casual chat about Lily. "When?" I could faintly hear Candace through the phone. It sounded like she had mentioned something about a hospital. Alec's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone.
Climbing from the bed, I opened the dresser drawer and pulled out some clothes to throw on.
"I'll catch the first flight home." He paused as Candace spoke over him. "It doesn't matter. If Lily is asking for me, I'll walk over fucking glass to get to her. Hell, I can drive it in six hours. Just tell my girl I'll be there soon."
He hung up the phone and jerked his suitcase from the closet in one fluid movement. "What happened?" After our fight, I was apprehensive to ask, but I truly cared.
"Candace took Lily to the park after work tonight and she fell from the top of the jungle gym. She broke her arm and has a concussion," he said, throwing clothes into his suitcase with little regard for neatness. "The hospital is keeping her overnight for observation." He wouldn't look at me when he spoke, but continued to toss his belongings into the suitcase. "She's asking for me."
I gasped, placing my hand over my mouth. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I'll come with you," I said, grabbing my own bag from the closet.
He looked up from zipping his suitcase. "You can't. You have the signing tomorrow."
I paused. The event had totally slipped my mind. "So, this is an emergency." I barely had to give the decision any thought. Family came first.
He turned to face me. "Nicole, you can't do that to your readers. They're excited to see you. Especially considering Wicked Lovely is doing so well. It's important for you to stay here. You need to keep your face out there. This week more than ever."
I bristled slightly at his words. I knew I needed to be here. This signing could be the most important one of my life. Wicked Lovely was still sailing up the charts, and I was absolutely floored by the amount of support that had been pouring in. All of that aside, I wanted to be there for him. I could tell he was worried, and I wanted to be his rock for once.