A few seconds later, the door swung open. I handed her two of the mints, and she put both in her mouth. “Thanks,” she said. The word was garbled around the candy in her mouth, but I got what she was saying.
“Are you sure you’re okay? That sounded... violent.”
Alex shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she said, “but I’ll be fine. We’ve got a lot of work to do today.” I glanced around at the empty corridor and cupped her cheek. She froze at the touch. “What are you doing?” she hissed, but I noticed that she didn’t push my hand away.
“I’m checking in with my girlfriend,” I said. “She was just throwing up, and I want to make sure she’s feeling okay.”
She smiled. “You’re a little ridiculous.”
“Probably so,” I agreed. “Now, come on. You’re going to take a nap on my couch.”
“I can’t do that,” she insisted. “It’s just a little stomach bug. I feel better after having thrown up, and I don’t have a fever. I don’t need to nap.”
“Yes, you do,” I said. “Please, come with me.” When she tried to resist, I said, “Or I can drive you home so that you can nap in your own bed?”
She sighed and nodded her head. CarrieAnne eyed us when we came through the outer office, but wisely, she chose not to say anything. “Your assistants know something is up,” she said as she settled herself onto the couch.
I shrugged. “So, we’ll get them nice Christmas gifts,” I said.
Alex didn’t rise to the bait to tease. Instead, she dropped her head down on the back of the sofa and sighed. “I seriously feel terrible,” she admitted.
I dropped onto the seat beside her and opened my arms. Alex practically launched herself in my lap. She didn’t feel fever-hot, but she looked so clearly miserable. “Let me take you home,” I said. “Please.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I just need to sit for a little while.” Her fingers played with the buttons on my shirt. She wasn’t trying to twist them open, more like just tweaking them, maybe even admiring them. “This is a nice shirt,” she said. “It’s a good color on you.”
It was a cerulean blue that I paired with my dove gray suit. “I’m glad you like it. I’ll buy twenty more of them, if you want.”
Alex snorted. “You’re too much.”
“What are your favorite colors? I’ll change my entire wardrobe.” I was saying outlandish things to see the smile on her face. It was chasing that sickly look from her eyes.
“I like the clothes you have,” she reassured me. “You always look so good.” She buried her nose against my throat. “You smell good.”
“Alex, please, let me get you home,” I said again.
She shook her head again. “Can we just stay like this?” she asked. “Just hold me.”
I couldn’t deny her anything. “Of course, sweetheart,” I murmured and kissed her forehead. “What am I going to do with you, huh?” I asked. “You work so hard. I’m worried that you’re burning yourself out.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “It’s just practice for later, right? Look at how hard you, Thomas, and Jake work sometimes. This case has kept you chained to Jake’s office.”
She wasn’t wrong. We had been burning the candle bright and at both ends, and we hadn’t been around nearly as much as we liked. “Have we been neglecting you?” I asked.
Alex shot me a look. “Of course not,” she said. “You three always take great care of me.” She touched my cheek. “You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever met.”
Her words made my stomach fill with warmth. “It’s easy to be sweet to you, beautiful,” I told her.
“Why?” she asked. “Why be sweet to me when there are countless women that you wouldn’t have to share with your best friends? You could have someone all to yourself.”
I leaned in and kissed her. Her lips tasted like the mints I’d given her. “I don’t want anyone else,” I told her. “I don’t think I’ve wanted anyone the way I want you.” I kissed her again. “I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you.”
Her eyes went shiny and bright. “You love me?”
Hearing her say the word ‘love’ made my heart gallop in my chest. I had been feeling love for a long time, but I’d never said it to anyone outside of my family before. It felt good to say. “More than I thought I was capable of,” I said.
Her lip quivered. “I love you too,” she said, and that good feeling deepened into something so sweet that I wasn’t sure I could stand it. I leaned in and kissed her again. “I’m feeling better now.”
I looked at her face. The color was back in her cheeks. “Are you sure?” I asked.