by Evelyn Sola
“Technically, Dr. Dupree, I’m not going to the wedding with you since you never asked me. I was invited by the bride, and Ananda is my plus one, remember?” Her eyes twinkle with mischief.
No longer caring where we are or who’s watching, I capture her mouth in an earth-shattering kiss. We’re both breathless by the time I reluctantly take a step back.
“I don’t need to ask, darlin’. You’re always my plus one.” I step back, slap her ass and walk out the door, nodding to Doyle on my way out.
CHAPTER 24
ALEX
“He won’t be here for another hour, so we might as well go.” I shut down my computer and check my phone one last time to make sure Jason hasn’t texted again.
The three of us walk out of the office and take the elevator to the first floor, eager to get downtown and find dresses for the wedding.
The first floor is packed with office workers leaving for the day. Since I’m the shortest, I find myself walking between Mellie and Ananda, our arms linked. I resist the urge to skip out the door. Partly because I’m too old for that, but mainly because I don’t want my friends to remind me how stupid I was to think I was meant to be with someone other than Jason. We’re all laughter and excitement about the upcoming weekend on Martha’s Vineyard, but as soon as we step outside, we practically bump into John Doyle. We step around him so he can reach the door to get inside, but he calls my name.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asks. Months ago, or even weeks ago, my heart would be beating out of my chest at his request, but right now I feel nothing as I look at him.
Mellie sucks her teeth and crosses her arms, while Ananda arches her eyebrows, a smirk on her face.
“Uh, sure. We’re in a hurry though, so make it quick.” He tries to grab my arm, but I move out of his reach before he could make contact. He leads us away from Mellie and Ananda, probably to ensure they don’t hear what he has to say.
He doesn’t speak right away. He stares into my eyes instead. A few months ago when we met, I wanted to drown in his blue eyes, but all I can do now is think of brown eyes instead. Or those big hands that like to explore my body. His warm lips as he kisses between my breasts.
“Alexandra, I—”
“Alex. I prefer Alex.” I try to keep the frustration out of my voice. I check my Apple Watch, hoping he’ll take the hint and get to the point.
“I just want to tell you I’m sorry about how things ended between us.” He stops speaking, probably waiting for me to say something, but I don’t. I stand there, arms crossed, waiting for him to continue. “I had a good time with you, Alexandra. Things were complicated back then but aren’t anymore.” He takes a step closer to me, but I step back and over to the side, not liking his intentions.
“It was a long time ago and nothing really happened, so no apology necessary.” He opens his mouth to say something but Mellie and Ananda approach.
“Come on, Lex.” Ananda grabs my hand and pulls me away. Without another look or a goodbye, I walk away from Doyle.
“That asshole is still standing there looking at you, Alex. Don’t look back,” Mellie says.
Looking back was never a possibility. I’m about to open my mouth to tell her that when I feel my phone vibrating.
“That fucker wants you now that someone else has you,” Ananda says. I shake my head at her and answer my phone, signaling for them to shut up.
“Hey, babe.” We continue walking toward the Charles/MGH red line stop. “We’re headed downtown.”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.” Mellie and Ananda smirk at each other, but they laugh when I stick my tongue out at them.
“I want you to go back home with Mellie tonight. The forecast is calling for rain overnight and I don’t want you alone in case of a thunderstorm.”
“You’re so bossy. I liked it better when you were mute.”
He lets out a loud, carefree laugh. “We’ll spend some nights over at your place when we get back from the wedding. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good. Let me talk to Mellie, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
^^^^
The first text came the next morning. After a fun evening of shopping with my girlfriends. To my surprise, Mellie pulled out Jason’s credit card and paid for all our dresses. I argued, but Ananda told me to shut up and to accept my boyfriend’s largesse. She had no problem letting him buy her dress. After shopping, we have a fun dinner at a Mexican restaurant where we order one too many drinks. The entire evening, I never even give Doyle another thought.
When I wake up in the middle of Jason’s king-sized bed, I reach over for my phone, expecting to see messages from him.
Good morning.
That’s all it said, but it wasn’t from Jason. It was from John.
One exasperated groan later, I flop back on the bed. The next text message I get definitely puts a smile on my face, and one hour later, the reason for that smile is waiting for me outside my favorite café.
I collide with his strong chest, and he lifts me off the ground with just one arm, kissing me until I’m breathless. Hand in hand, we walk inside the café.
“You’re glowing, Alex,” Tina says as she offers us menus. Knowing exactly what we want, we both decline. She brings coffee for me and sleepy time tea for Jason. “When did this happen?” She gestures between me and Jason. “Was it when you were both in here a few weeks ago?”
“It started way before that for me.” I smile at his words. He lifts my hand off the table and kisses it.
After taking our orders and dropping them off at the kitchen, Tina comes back to sit at our table, demanding to hear how we got together. We tell her the entire sordid tale. From Jason seeing me right here in the café, to him losing the ability to speak when we bumped into each other. Tina gets a kick out of Ananda and Mellie tricking me into going to Jason’s party, and she swoons when we tell her we took things to a whole new level that night.
“I saw the chemistry right away.” The door opens, and a big group walks in. “Oh, I have some new pictures of Owen. I’ll be right back.” She pulls out a stack of photos from her apron and tosses them on the table.
“Isn’t he adorable?” After looking through the pictures several times, Jason takes them from me and puts them back in Tina’s apron as she serves us our food.
“He is adorable, but you are drop-dead gorgeous, and I can’t wait for us to get out of the city.” He kisses my neck, causing goose bumps to erupt all over my body. “I’ll have obligations as the best man, but after the wedding, I’m going to take my time and love every inch of you.”
“I can’t wait.”
After a long moment, he bumps his nose with mine before turning back to his food.
CHAPTER 25
JASON
We need to talk. When would be a good time?
I type the word never, but delete it, deciding against being that immature. I do what I promised I would. I ignore the text and block the number.
“Come on!” I quickly walk to the back of the house toward Mellie’s room. The door’s wide open and the room looks like the day after a tornado. Clothes are strewn everywhere, and I trip on a shoe in the middle of the room. “Are you fucking kidding me, Mellie?”
She ignores me, zips up another bag full of shoes and throws it over her shoulder. While Ananda and Alex look through her closet, I kick the clothes and shoes out of the way.
“Can I pry you ladies away from Mellie’s designer knock-offs long enough so we can get the hell out of here?” I step behind Alex, who’s holding a long dress against her body. Of course, the dress being Mellie’s means it’s much too long for my Alex. I take the dress from her and hang it back up. I wrap one arm around her and lift her off the ground before walking us out of the room.
Her polka dot wrap around dress hikes up, revealing her smooth thighs.
“I have everything I need. If you two aren’t in the car in two minutes, you can drive yourselves to the V
ineyard.” I know I’ve gotten their attention when I hear their heavy footsteps following behind me.
I don’t put Alex down until we get to the garage. Instead of opening the car door for her, I press her against the car and pull down the V-neck of her dress, getting a view of her large breasts. I know my girl. I know her body, and even in the hot garage in the middle of July, her breathing changes. She slides a hand under my shirt and slowly slides her hand from my abs to my pecs. Her cheeks pinken as her eyes darken in desire.
I let go of her dress, tilt her chin up and kiss her plump lips. It was only meant to be a soft kiss before getting on the road, but I grab her face with both hands and ravish her with my tongue.
I leave her face and grab both of her breasts, squeezing them gently. She moans in my mouth and caresses the back of my head with her soft hands. One hand leaves a breast and travels down to her ass, cupping it and pulling her against my groin.
“Ugh. Jason, get your tongue out of Alex’s mouth and hand off her ass.” I hear a snicker, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.
“And get your hand off her huge-ass boobs.” This from Ananda. By the time I pull away from Alex, I have to will my body to cool down.
A few minutes later, we’re cruising on I-93 to Route 3 toward Cape Cod. I rest my hand on Alex’s exposed thigh. “I can’t wait to get there and check out the men,” Ananda says. “I need a double dose of dick ASAP.”
I shake my head as Alex and Mellie laugh.
“A double dose, Nand? Is that one in the snatch and one in the ass?” Alex laughs at her question.
“Who knew you were so filthy, angel? FYI, I don’t share, so you’re only getting a single dose of dick, albeit it will be on an as needed basis.”
“Yes, Doctor.” Alex lifts my hand from her thigh and licks the tip of my index finger, and I feel it all the way down in my balls.
“Please, stop you two. Alex, he’s my brother. I already need therapy. Anyway, I can’t wait to check out the guys there. Sandy is so hot, so hopefully she has male cousins who are just as hot.”
“And I’d totally hate on Sandy,” Ananda says, “but she’s so nice, I can’t hate her. And for your information, a double dose means one dick, but a back-to-back dick down.” I ignore their rant and focus on stroking the soft inner thigh of the sexy woman next to me.
“In that case, Alex already had a double dose today. She almost had a triple, but we’re on a schedule. By the way, Ananda, I hear that Dr. Doyle is single.”
Ananda shrieks with laughter, Mellie pretends to vomit, and Alex blushes.
“Look at my brother giving zero fucks about the competition.”
“Shut up, Mellie,” Alex says.
“Competition? Who? Doyle?” I look at her through the rearview mirror. “That’s funny, Mellie.”
“That’s good considering he pulled your woman to the side the other day for a private conversation.”
The car goes deathly quiet. Traffic has increased, so I steal a quick glance at Alex. The color on her cheeks confirms what Mellie just said. The look she’s throwing at Mellie would scare anyone else but not my sister.
“Have you ever heard of girl code, Mellie? Damn.” Ananda turns and stares out her window, clearly disgusted with my sister.
“Girl code is null and void when it comes to my brother.” Mellie is unapologetic in her loyalty to me. That’s new, and I find that I like it. These friends she’s made mean a lot to her, but not as much as our newly formed relationship with me.
“It was nothing.” Alex speaks fast, much faster than usual. She squeezes my hand. I look at her, and I see panic in her eyes. “He apologized for what happened between us and started to give an explanation. I told him it didn’t matter, and I left to go shopping with the girls. To go to this wedding with you. You should also know he texted me the next day just to say good morning. I didn’t text back. It wasn’t a good morning. It was a great morning because I woke up in your bed, wrapped in sheets that smelled of you.” She raises my hand to her lips and kisses it softly. Then she lowers her voice and says, “That smelled of us.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t hiding it, Jay. It was inconsequential, and I was focusing on getting ready to come on this trip with you. It meant absolutely nothing to me, and it completely slipped my mind. I’m sorry for not telling you when it first happened.”
Ananda and Mellie whisper in the back seat, oblivious to this conversation.
“I’m all in, angel. Are you? If you’re not, tell me now.” I want to hold her gaze, but I focus on the traffic ahead of me, changing lanes to get away from a slow driver.
The last thing I want is another repeat of the relationship I had with Natalie. Looking back, Natalie was a convenient excuse. She was always in the background, helping me keep other women at bay. The truth is, I hadn’t met anyone I wanted long term, until now.
“I’m all in too, and I never wanted to make you feel like I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be here with you otherwise. I’m not interested in Doyle, and I’m kind of embarrassed that I ever was into someone who treated me like I was nothing.” She kisses my hand repeatedly, and I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“Good, but I’m so going to kick that guy’s ass one day.”
This time, it’s Alex that visibly relaxes at my words and exhales. Just like that, the tension between us is gone.
“What’s the itinerary looking like, babe?”
I decide to give in to her attempt at changing the subject.
“The white party is tonight. The guys are going fishing tomorrow, then we have the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I want you to come with me tomorrow night. You three can entertain yourselves during the day while I’m with the guys. All the men in the wedding party are supposed to keep the groom company tomorrow night. Keep him from climbing the walls. I’d rather be with you, so I’m sneaking out.”
I squeeze her inner thigh. As I look in the rearview mirror, I notice that Ananda and Mellie are so busy having another discussion that they’re not paying any attention to us. I slide my hand higher until I reach her tiny panties. I pull them over to the side and slide my hand across her lips. Her moan is so soft, and she closes her eyes as I caress her folds, but all too soon she grabs my hand and pushes it away.
“Behave,” she mouths, “you can have it tonight.”
“And have it I shall.”
CHAPTER 26
ALEX
Approximately three hours later, we walk into a luxurious hotel suite, complete with a living room, separate bedroom, and view of the ocean. The bedroom has a king-sized bed with a white canopy. In the middle of the bed is a welcome basket from the bride and groom. Like a little kid, I dive on the bed and start rummaging through it. I find an apple and take a huge bite.
Jason follows behind me, carrying all our bags. After dropping them in the middle of the room, he drops himself onto the bed next to me, snatches the apple from me and finishes it in three bites. Neither one of us says a word as we lie, fingers intertwined and our hands resting over his heart. I turn my body slightly and look at him. He catches me, and I smile shyly at him as I feel myself blush.
I lift our joined hands and kiss his, wondering how I ever lived a day without this man. How I ever thought I should be with someone else for even a second after meeting him.
I’ve never been so cared for by a man. Never felt so protected, wanted, and safe. Whether we’re together or apart, he makes sure I’m taken care of. I’ve spent practically every night at his house, whether he’s home or not. One of the few nights that I spent at home, I was surprised by a knock on the door. When I opened it, I found Mellie, Ananda, and two pizza boxes. When Mellie pushed her way into my condo, she shoved her phone in my hand.
It was Jason on FaceTime, telling me he didn’t feel right about me spending the night alone.
“Hey,” he says, breaking me out of my reverie. I look into his eyes. “I’m really glad you’re here w
ith me.”
He reaches over and runs a hand through my hair, which is smooth now that it’s been straightened.
“I am too.” He moves closer and pulls at the neckline of my dress, slides his big palm inside my bra and grabs my breast. When he pinches the nipple between his fingers, my loud moan fills the room. I move closer to him, eliminating all space between us. Instead of taking my dress off, he pulls away. Unable to keep from touching him, I start to unbutton his shorts, the anticipation causing liquid to pool between my legs.
“You’re beautiful, do you know that? I don’t just mean how you look. You have this glow. This way about you. I think that’s what attracted me to you when I saw you that morning. Even then, I wanted to be near you. To protect you.”
When he finishes, I look away, my vision blurring at his words. He takes my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes.
“I don’t need protecting. I’m a big girl.” My voice is strained, and I clear my throat after speaking.
“I know all of that. What I mean is, I want you to be happy, and I want to be the one responsible for your happiness. The absolute last thing I want to talk about when I’m with you is John Doyle, but he was the biggest fool for not realizing what he could have had. Too bad for him.”
“I’ve come to realize Doyle was never the one for me, but you’re right. He’s the last person I want to talk about.” I trace my finger down his arm and say, “After losing my mother, I was incredibly unhappy, but I channeled her strength. She would never want me to be miserable or depressed and knowing that helped pull me out of the darkness. I wasn’t unhappy when we met, but I wouldn’t say I was happy either. But since being with you, I know I’ve never felt this way. I couldn’t imagine ever feeling this way with anyone else. You’re my bae, Jay. Oh my God, that rhymes.”
“Alexandra Francine Malone, poet laureate.” When we both start to laugh, I roll over and straddle him on the bed. When his hands slide up my thighs, I pull the neckline of my dress down, exposing my bra.
