“You need to get yourself together, Alex. We’re both under a lot of stress, but you’re unraveling, and I don’t care for it.”
I turned for her and held out my hand, but she quickly rebuffed it, turning and storming off while her long, beautiful hair billowed behind her. Common sense told me to stay where I was because she was pissed, and chasing after her was only going to make matters worse.
I needed to chill the fuck out. I needed a break from the incessant conflict.
A beer in my hand and the TV sounding off loudly as I drank returned me to a sense of calm. Cassie stayed in the room, and when I’d finally had enough of being alone, I slowly walked back there, finding her asleep in nothing but a skimpy pair of panties. I undressed and slid into bed next to her, pulling her close to me.
My only hope was that marrying her would set shit straight. She was right—I was starting to lose it, and I needed my sanity back, or things were going to go south in a fucking hurry.
Chapter 8
Cassie
The night was long.
I couldn’t settle into a comfortable sleep, even after Alex had finally come to bed. Everything was wearing me thin, dragging me through the trenches, and leaving me spent at the end of it all. Now Alex was anxious to get married, and while I didn’t doubt his love for me, or my love for him, I wasn’t sure that it was the best thing for us at the moment.
The fact that he was mentally incapable of the intimacy that I needed was a serious sticking point. Our love had blossomed through an intense lust that we shared for one another. Our physical connection was the foundation that made way for what we had now, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I needed him in that way, and yet, he was unable to give that to me. How was I supposed to promise to be his forever when such a massive hole had settled into our relationship? It was the pink elephant dangling over our heads; the constant reminder that not everything was on the straight and narrow and it worried me more than court-martial or anything else.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling with Alex’s big, muscular arm draped across my midsection and his face buried into my chest. It felt so good lying next to him, skin to skin, that close contact sending even the slightest hint of reassurance my way. I turned my head ever so slightly, my eyes landing just over Alex’s head, to his broad shoulders, and the very top of his back. I saw the very tip of the cross tattoo on his back, and thought of his family. I had no idea what they knew as far as Alex and I were concerned, and the unknown was beginning to make me sweat. He was the prize in his family, the idol, the prodigal son. Now, he was falling and falling fast, and part of that fall was my fault.
Alex began to stir, his arm tightening around my body as he kissed my chest just above my breasts. The electric force that rushed through my body at the feel of his lips had to be quelled because I knew this wasn’t going to go where I wanted it to go, and I didn’t want to set myself up for disappointment.
“Morning, Blondie,” he rasped, his morning voice saddled with extra husk.
“Morning.”
“I haven’t had a night of sleep this good in forever.” He propped himself up on his elbow, allowing his golden eyes to gleam into mine. “I can’t wait to wake up to you every single day. This feels fucking amazing.”
I smiled. Sweet Alex was a real treat, and I had to admit that I enjoyed it when I could get it. He could be a real charmer when he wanted to be.
“Time to get up. We have quite the weekend ahead of us.”
He rolled over and stood, his cock hard as a rod, teasing and tempting me to grab him and just have my way with him. But if he were still in that state of mind, I didn’t want to do anything to further alienate myself where he was concerned.
“Where are we headed?”
He smiled down on me, that impeccably perfect, white smile, matched with the honey hue of his eyes slowly and seductively making me unravel. Alex was beyond beautiful, and he was cocky as hell in the fact that he knew it.
“No questions. Just get up and get dressed.”
“How should I dress?” I figured getting him to tell me how to look would giveaway where we were headed.
“However you want to,” he said, flashing that million dollar smile my way.
Shaking my head, I pushed the covers off, then stood. Alex made his way around to my side of the bed and took me in his arms, pulling me up against his rock hard chest—the erection he was sporting unable to avoid the inner part of my thighs. He kissed my neck, then his moist, plump and wholly delectable lips trailed down my neckline and over to my collarbone. What he was doing felt incredible and unfair. His touch was my kryptonite.
Slowly pulling away, he commanded, “Get in the shower and I’ll make us some breakfast.”
My lips pursed. As much as I knew that he wouldn’t go there, I was hoping that he would, and the fact that he hadn’t allowed a bit of disappointment to settle within me. I tried hard to smile, only able to muster a very faint one, then turned for the bathroom. Alex smacked my ass and turned for the dresser, throwing on some shorts before leaving the room. I wasn’t sure what was going through his head, but my emotions were written all over my face, and he was either oblivious or ignoring them. Either way, I was growing more agitated by the second.
When I stepped out of the shower, the smell of bacon and chorizo filled the house, sending my stomach into a convulsion of movements. I was hungry as all hell, and even though Alex was pissing me off, he knew his food would go a long way to smooth things over. I threw my hair up into a towel, then dressed in a camisole top and some PT shorts. Alex was singing in the kitchen when I strolled in, wearing nothing but a tight fitting pair of PT shorts that accentuated his firm and impossibly perfect ass with every movement that he made.
“Breakfast with a show. I like it.”
He jumped, then laughed as he poured the crumbles of chorizo mixed with eggs onto my plate next to a couple of slices of bacon.
“Yes, you get a show. I could have done so much more if you had just asked.”
Shaking my head, I took a seat at the island and dug into my food. I noticed that we were still alone, and it was well into the morning. Riley hadn’t come home which worried me a little. He was supposed to be heading out with us for the day.
“Have you heard from Riley?”
Alex’s shoulders tensed as he sat his plate down and took a seat next to me. “He texted me last night and said he wouldn’t be able to make it with us today.” His voice was arctic cold, sending a shiver down my spine. The mere mention of Riley’s name had settled an angry shade over him that he was solidly sitting under.
“Did he say why?”
“We already know why, Cassie. Oh-fucking-well.”
We sat in a moment of silence, Alex’s bad aura sucking the life out of the room. I squirmed a little in my seat before I finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Well, we can’t just go off and get married with no witness, and Dalton isn’t available this weekend.”
“We don’t need them. My family can be our witnesses. I need them present anyway.”
My mouth damn near hit the island. His family? Was he serious?
“Alex! Do you really think having your family go is the best thing for us?”