“Sure thing.” Kane disappeared for a moment before returning with a glass tumbler filled with liquid gold.
“Thanks.” Alex took the glass and turned back to the floor, his eyes immediately zoning in on where Tag and Ashleigh were dancing much too close for Alex’s peace of mind.
He wondered how Sam was taking it. For the last couple of months, Tag had signed on to be the third in Logan and Sam’s relationship and from the bits of gossip Alex had received, the three of them were having more fun than ever. Apparently being a third lacked the jealousy associated with being in a relationship, or so it would seem.
Alex wouldn’t know because he didn’t share his women. Ever. His friends were all into the threesome thing, and that was all good and fine where he was concerned. To each his own and all that. But Alex couldn’t do it.
He didn’t share well. Which was another reason he and Jessie hadn’t lasted more than a few months. There had been a brief time during the marriage that Alex wondered if he should actually try to make a go of it. They might’ve gotten married so Jessie could get out of her abusive father’s house, but it had been a monumental step for Alex.
That brief thought had died a painful death when Alex learned Jessie was sleeping with a couple of Alex’s buddies. Since she had been seventeen at the time, Alex had vowed not to touch her, regardless of whether they were married or not. His friends didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
And now, leaning against the bar, watching Tag hold Ashleigh close, he knew he’d never be able to share her. Having another man’s hands, lips, or any other body part on his woman didn’t do it for him. Logan got off on it, big time, but Alex didn’t want her anywhere near another man.
The red haze was damn near blinding him, but he had to remind himself that Ashleigh wasn’t his. It didn’t matter that they had sex. It didn’t matter that he knew she had been a damn virgin that very first time, even if she hadn’t told him as much.
The thought still made his dick hard. He was the only man she’d ever been with and up until a few nights ago, he’d planned to keep it that way. But Jessie had to go and interfere, answering his damn phone, and now he didn’t even have a chance to explain because Ashleigh wasn’t having any of it.
Not that he blamed her. He’d been on that side of the fence a time or two, and he hadn’t listened to any explanations either. If you stepped out on the one you were with, you deserved to be left. But he hadn’t. He never would either.
A cold blast of fury raced up Alex’s spine when Tag leaned down and kissed Ashleigh on the lips, a laugh breaking loose from the man’s chest as the two of them walked back to the table.
“What’re you hanging out over here for?” Cole’s deep voice broke into Alex’s thoughts.
Alex turned to look at him, but didn’t say a word. He wasn’t sure he could speak at the moment. When Cole turned and looked back to see what Alex was looking at, he knew.
“It’s nothing, man.” Cole told him. “Nothing at all.” Stepping in front of Alex, Cole crossed his arms over his chest.
“What?” Alex tried to play dumb, but Cole wasn’t having any of it.
“He’s trying to get her to smile. Something’s obviously wrong, and she needed a little cheering up.”
Alex knew something was wrong. She wasn’t answering her damn phone, that’s what was wrong. He needed a chance to tell her what was going on.
“Why don’t you join us?” Cole asked, then turned to Kane. “I’ll take a beer and get Alex another one of these.”
Alex looked down and realized he’d downed his drink entirely. Too bad the whiskey wasn’t numbing him the way it should.
“Come on.” Cole said, handing Alex the drink before turning back the way he’d come.
Alex followed behind him, his stomach tightening in knots at the thought of what he’d just witnessed.
When they approached the table, everyone glanced up. Everyone except Ashleigh.
“Hey.” Sam greeted, smiling as she leaned into Logan. “Where’ve you been?” She asked, glancing from Alex to Ashleigh and back again.
“At home.” He told her, unable to take his eyes off of Ashleigh. Even pissed, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her long, glossy hair hung down to the middle of her back, board straight and begging him to run his fingers through it. Or better yet, to wrap it around his fist and pull her to him.
Alex shook off the thought. Thinking about the last time they’d been together, in his office, still made his dick throb in eager anticipation. Admittedly, Alex hadn’t expected Ashleigh to give in to him, and when she did, she’d blown his mind. Since then he’d thought of very little else besides all of the things he wanted to do to her.
Not that it mattered at this point; she wouldn’t even look at him. Side glances darted between everyone at the table. The tension was obvious, and Alex could damn near taste it.
He just didn’t know what to do about it.
~~*~~
This was the very reason Ashleigh hadn’t wanted to go out tonight. She knew with as many people as were getting together, Alex would show up. The only person missing at the moment was Dylan, and she suddenly wondered where her brother was.
“Has anyone heard from Dylan today?” She asked, glancing at Cole and then Logan. She wasn’t about to ask Alex, although if anyone knew, it would be him.
“I saw him at the office earlier this morning, but I didn’t have a chance to talk to him.” Sam offered.
“He’s supposed to be here.” Alex contributed, but Ashleigh didn’t look at him. She could feel his heated stare on the back of her neck, but she wouldn’t turn to look at him because she was pretty sure she was too weak to resist him, no matter how pissed off she was.
“How’s it going, Alex?” Logan asked, apparently oblivious to the tension at the table, or speaking up because of it, Ashleigh didn’t know.
“It’s going.”
Ashleigh grabbed her glass, downing what was left and then stood from the table. She needed another drink. And a moment to breathe. “I’ll be back.” She said to no one in particular and then walked away, not making eye contact.
When she approached the bar, she sat her empty glass down and smiled at Kane. “Belvedere and Sprite, please.”
“You gonna ignore me tonight?” The dark, seductive voice slid down her spine and made her hands tingle. Why did he have to follow her?
“No.” She told him, then making the mistake of looking at him. Those brilliant green eyes saw more than she wanted him to ever see. “I was planning to ignore you forever.” With that, she turned back toward Kane, who was sitting her drink on the bar.
Grabbing a five dollar bill from her pocket, she dropped it in the tip jar and thanked him before she turned away.
She’d intended to go back to the table, at least there she could pretend not to notice Alex, and she could certainly ignore him better, but when he put his warm hand on her arm, she almost dropped her drink. Glancing down at the spot where he touched her, she trailed her eyes back up his exquisite body until she locked eyes with him once again.
“We need to talk.”
“We don’t have anything to say to one another, Alex.” She told him, doing her best not to pull away. She needed to show him that she didn’t care. If only it were that easy.
“I need to explain –” He began, but she quickly cut him off.
“There’s nothing to explain. I get it. You’re bedroom has a revolving door. Since I’m not interested in sharing, unlike my friends,” Ashleigh tilted her head in the direction of the table Sam and Sierra were occupying, “I don’t have anything more to say to you.”
When she tried to walk away, he gripped her arm more firmly. “I don’t know what you thought, but honey, you’re wrong.” His tone was laced with a hint of anger which only fired her up.
“Thought?” She said turning to face him fully. “I didn’t have to think anything, Alex. Your girlfriend was courteous enough to tell me how busy you were. In
detail.”
Ok, so maybe that was a little lie, but the woman had told her Alex was in the shower. She’d also hinted that he was busy and that if he had time, he’d call her back.
“That woman is not my girlfriend. She’s my ex-wife.” He bit out, still holding her arm.
“Even better.” Ashleigh’s stomach plummeted to the floor in one fell swoop. That was the last thing she expected.
Chapter Eighteen
*** ~~ *** ~~ *** ~~ ***
Ok, so that definitely didn’t come out the way he wanted it to. “I’m not seeing anyone, except you, Ashleigh.” He told her, trying to recover the inadvertent derailment of the conversation.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Alex. You aren’t seeing me. Not anymore.” She stared down at his hand on her arm before shrugging him off and walking back to the table.
Before he could follow her, Dylan walked up.
Perfect fucking timing.
“Woman troubles?” He smirked before edging up to the bar and ordering a beer.
Alex wasn’t about to go into it. Not even with Dylan.
“What’s Jessie doing at your house?” Dylan asked, surprising Alex.
“What?” How the hell did he know that?
“I called the other night. She answered your phone. Please tell me you aren’t seriously seeing her again.”
“Fuck no.” Jessie was the last woman Alex wanted to be with. If he’d been smart, he’d have cut ties with her all those years ago. Instead, he’d tried to do the right thing, and he was beginning to think she was taking advantage of him.
“You might want to let her know that.”
“It’s not like that. Her fucking boyfriend beat the shit out of her again, and she called me. I brought her home from the hospital, and now she’s refusing to leave.”
“Well, I suggest you don’t leave your phone unattended.” Dylan said, taking a deep pull on his beer. “You’ll have hell to pay if Ashleigh gets wind of this.”
Alex looked down at his glass and then away.
“Fuck.” Dylan didn’t need an explanation. “She knows?”
“She won’t let me explain. Jessie answered the phone when she called too. I have no idea what she said to Ashleigh, but your sister’s as hard headed as they come. She won’t give me the time of day.”
“That’s Ashleigh. She’s not big on second chances.”
If that wasn’t the damn truth.
Dylan sauntered off toward the table and Alex followed. Shit, he didn’t have anything else to do. Might as well get the cold shoulder while he could. By the end of the night, she’d have to hear him out.
Two hours passed, and Alex wasn’t making any headway with Ashleigh. She was still refusing to look at him, but he did notice she’d had more than her fair share of alcohol, and she was in no shape to drive. Alex had cut himself off after the drink Cole had gotten him earlier. He knew he needed a clear head if he expected to talk to her and have any chance that she would listen to him.
When Logan hauled Sam out on the dance floor, Alex decided to make his move. No way was he letting Tag get his hands on Ashleigh again. Not if he had anything to say about it.
Walking around the table, he came up beside her and took her hand when she wasn’t paying any attention to him.
“Dance with me.” He told her, pulling her until she slid from her chair. She was reluctant, but he could tell she was trying not to cause a scene.
A slow song came on, which was right up his alley. Alex didn’t do that hard core, body grinding shit. But this he could do. Within seconds, he had her pulled flush against him, and his body was fighting a losing battle not to be affected by her nearness.
Tilting her head so she had to look him in the eye, Alex held her gaze. What he saw there was so unexpected, his chest constricted. She was close to tears, and the sight of her glassy eyes hit him like a punch in the solar plexus.
Leaning in, he kissed her gently on the lips. She didn’t pull away, which was a surprise, but she didn’t kiss him back either. Sliding one hand into her hair, he cupped the back of her head and kept her face turned toward him.
“I’m not with Jessie. Or anyone else, for that matter.” He told her, hoping she wouldn’t pull away.
“It doesn’t matter, Alex. You can see whoever you want.”
“I’m having a problem on that front.” He told her, keeping her pressed against him. “The only one I want is you, and you’ve been ignoring me.”
“It’s obvious I can’t handle a man like you.” She said, but Alex barely heard the words. He didn’t think she meant to say them out loud.
“What?”
“You were right. I’ll never be enough for you.”
What the hell was she talking about? When did he ever say anything like that? If anything, Ashleigh was more than he deserved. “Who said that?”
“You did.” She told him, then turned her head away, but she didn’t pull away.
“When did I say that?”
“It was a long time ago. It’s no big deal.” She said, trying to shrug him off.
Taking a step back, Alex had to pull her off the dance floor and out of the path of the other dancers before they were trampled. He took her hand and led her to the darkened hallway where at least it was a little bit quieter.
“What are you talking about?” Alex crowded her against the wall, blocking out the people walking in and out of the restrooms behind them.
When she looked up at him, she looked far away. “You came to the guest house that night, and you told me I would never be enough for you.”
Alex didn’t remember the night she was referring to and for the life of him, he didn’t remember ever going to the guest house.
“I’m sorry.” He said, knowing it wouldn’t change a damn thing, but if he’d ever said anything of the sort, he couldn’t blame her for trying to keep distance between them.
“You remember?” She asked, sounding both hurt and hopeful at the same time.
“No, baby. I don’t.”
“Of course you don’t.” Ashleigh sighed. “You kissed me that night.”
Alex dug deep into the dark corners of his memory but didn’t remember ever having kissed Ashleigh before recently. He was sure if he’d had those sweet lips on his, he’d have remembered it. But he didn’t doubt what Ashleigh was telling him.
“But it doesn’t matter, Alex. I think you’re right. I’ll never be able to handle you.”
Alex thought back to the first time he’d had her or the many times after... she hadn’t had any problem handling him then.
“Up until recently, you were treating me like I’d break. I don’t want a man who’s going to hold back from me.”
Alex was pretty sure they’d gotten past that part because if the other day in his office, when he’d fucked her ass like a wild animal, was anything to go by, he wasn’t holding anything back. And neither was she. Before he could tell her as much, she pulled away.
“I really need to go.” She said, but then she swayed when she pushed away from the wall.
“I’ll drive you.” He insisted, knowing she was far too drunk to drive.
“No. I’ll drive... whoa.” Ashleigh put her hand on the wall to steady herself. “I’ll have my brother take me home.”
“I’ll take you home, Ashleigh. No arguments.” Alex was not going to let up on this. He was taking her home.
~~*~~
Her muddled brain told her this wasn’t a good idea. She should argue; she should go back to the table and insist that Dylan take her home, but when Alex put his arm around her, it felt too good to resist. As much as she wanted to be angry, Ashleigh couldn’t deny that her heart hurt and being near him soothed that ache, even if it was only temporary. Leaning into him, she allowed him to walk her back to the table as he said their goodbyes.
Ashleigh’s eyes met Sam’s and she saw the other woman’s concern. She hadn’t asked if something was wrong, but there was no way her body language would have foo
led anyone. And now, she looked like a complete idiot, one who lacked a spine, allowing Alex to take her home.
When he pulled her along beside him, she put one foot in front of the other, although the room was beginning to spin. She definitely shouldn’t have had that fifth drink. But by the third, she was beginning to feel no pain.
Alex helped her into his truck, even buckled her seatbelt while she sat back and closed her eyes. That was worse. Forcing her eyes open, she tried not to focus on any one thing for too long because her stomach began to churn.
Oh, God. She was going to be sick.
“Alex.” She warned him, but then thankfully he pulled over to the side of the road immediately, and she pushed open the door and vomited right there in the grass. Her stomach heaved, the alcohol pulsing through her blood until she was puking again, then dry heaving when there was nothing left.
Alex, bless him, had come around to her side of the truck and managed to help her back in; got her resituated before once again climbing behind the wheel. “We’ll be home in a few minutes, baby. It’ll be ok.”
With that, Ashleigh did close her eyes, and she willed sleep upon her. There was no way she would live this down.
The sun crept through the slats in the mini blinds, teasing the edges of Ashleigh’s vision and making her want to cover her head with a pillow. Reaching out, she felt the bed beside her and thankfully she was alone.
That would be the last time she drank. Ever. Well, the last time she indulged in hard liquor anyway.
At least Alex wasn’t there to watch her relive it. Her head was throbbing, but not as bad as it would have if she hadn’t choked down the aspirin he insisted she take before she passed out in her bed.
And now, she had to go to the bathroom and that was going to be hell in and of itself. Pushing up from the bed, she walked lightly across the cold, wood floor to the bathroom before closing herself inside. Maybe a shower would help.
Fifteen minutes later, she felt like a different person. Before she had gotten in, she’d downed some ibuprofen, and that had taken some of the heat from her headache. The next item on her agenda was coffee.
Seduction (Club Destiny) Page 14
