“Nick, really. Let’s just talk for now and appreciate this moment.”
He frowned but didn’t move closer, and she smiled at him in amusement as she fixed her dress. Cheeks flushed with pleasure, she let her eyes have her fill looking at him, ready to tell him exactly how she felt about him.
Nick smirked before she could utter the words.
“If talk is what you want, then…”
He moved closer, and kissed her again – softly this time. Then he held out one palm, and a ring glinted inside it.
She blinked in surprise.
“Slide it on now,” he whispered huskily, “So we’ll be engaged and I can have you all I want – starting right now.”
He was proposing to her. He was proposing to her and talking about sex.
Alex’s breath hitched as she struggled with another bout of disappointment. Perhaps this could still be remedied. A dinner, just the two of them. To talk it over.
She took a deep breath and told the words from her heart.
“Perhaps we should talk about this first, Nick.”
She watched his confident look turn into a frown, and knew she’d just said the wrong thing.
---
They were arguing. Logan tried not to listen at the whispers, but they were increasing in volume as time went on. There was something about not having enough time, and dinner, and stringing him along.
And of course, before all that, Alex had been softly moaning, no matter how she tried to hide it.
After a few minutes of whispered arguing, the meeting room opened. Nick came out first, a stormy expression on his face as he went straight for the door and headed out. Alex came out next, looking upset and her clothes in slight disarray.
Logan cleared his throat.
“You should really stop doing personal business inside our business room – be it sex or petty arguing.”
Alex stared at him in shock, as if disbelieving that he actually said it. Logan met her stare, aware he was being rude but really, really disliking her attitude when she was around this guy.
She glared at him. Then she stalked off and slammed the door.
---
Three hours and a pizza later, Alex realized how stupid she was being. Nick proposed. She loved Nick. What the hell was she waiting for?
Steps suddenly light, she skipped going home and headed straight for Nick’s place, which was just across from hers – a very convenient location.
If he wasn’t home yet, then she would wait.
She was excited to give him her answer.
---
The lights were dimmed in the living room when she let herself in, and she had a moment to be puzzled at the half-eaten pasta on his coffee table, and two glasses of wine, before letting the observations pass through her mind forgotten as she headed straight for his bedroom, her heart full. She loved him. She loved him.
That was more than enough.
Hearing his voice inside his room, she quickly opened the door and tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness, holding the box of chocolates he’d given earlier in her hand for their dessert later.
Something died inside her as her eyes registered the sight.
“God, you’re so tight—”
“Nick, faster, fuck me hard—”
Nick was in bed, naked – with his cock inside someone else, and that someone’s legs wrapped tightly around him as he thrust harder, his eyes closed and his face with an expression of complete rapture. He shifted the woman to get a better angle, and the movement caused her face to finally be visible.
Alex dropped the box of chocolates on the floor with a soft thud.
It was Rena.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
She had chosen the large golden fruit, and that decision had catapulted her to a journey unlike any other.
In summary, it allowed her to experience the following things: swim in the ocean to look for the onyx necklace and face the red snake, fly on top of a silver mountain and challenge a black dragon in slumber, steal a document from a palace surrounded by iron guards, and escape a pack of hunting wolves out to tear her apart.
She met a prince, one who offered her the world but couldn’t give it in the end.
She met a thief, one who made her promises and betrayed their friendship.
Lastly, she met a guard, an enemy who became her most trusted confidant – but chose to defend the enemies still.
She was now at the final stage of the game, and in front of her was the wise old master who had been with her from the very beginning – the mentor, the clue-giver, the handler of all sorts of rewards. She was asking him for the final clue, and in sweet, dulcet tones, the old man gave it to her.
Three choices, really: save the prince from a kidnap attempt, retrieve the treasure with the thief, or rescue the guard from the enemy camp?
Three doors appeared in front of her –one gold, one silver, one bronze. A light glowed behind all three, as if beckoning her subtly.
Which did she choose? Who did she help?
She thought it over, long and hard. She took her time going to town, procuring stocks and ingredients for her last journey. She bargained for potions. She haggled for food. When she finally decided, she trekked back to the spot where the three doors were, and gazed one by one at them.
Then, hitching her leather bag, she stepped forward inside one.
---
Her phone was ringing again.
Alessandra Thompson tried to ignore it as she buried her head deeper in her pillows, pillows that were soft and fluffy and smelled of lavender. She loved soft and fluffy things, and she loved the smell of lavender – and it was just too early in the morning to get up and make an effort to pick it up.
The room was dark and her sheets were comfortable. She remembered sleeping late last night, playing Sam’s and her game at a leisurely pace to pass the time. Then she’d switched to StarCross, the game that got them famous as the Sam and Axel duo with the highest recorded scores of all time.
She remembered eating a lot of chocolates, and drinking some fine wine as well – that was after the hefty Chinese takeout that she ordered and finished in one sitting.
Hugging her pillow tighter, Alex kept her eyes closed and tried to get back to her peaceful slumber. Her room was dark, wonderfully so, as if effortlessly beckoning her to keep her eyes closed.
Ring, ring, ring…
Should she make some breakfast?
Ring, ring, ring…
Of course, she needed to take a bath first, which was routine for her every time she got out of bed.
Ring, ring, ring…
Or maybe she should just stay in bed the whole day. That sounded wonderful.
Ring, ring, ring…
The caller sounded like it didn’t want to stop, what’s with the incessant rings after being directed to her voicemail message twice. With a reluctant sigh, Alex blindly felt around for her tiny device, eyes dutifully closed as she finally located it and put it beside her ear.
“What?”
“Good morning to you, too, grouchy person.”
The cheerful voice on the other line belonged to one of her closest girl friends, Tammy, who not only liked to bother her at the most inopportune moments but also loved to wake up very early in the morning. It was her so-called thing, just like gaming during her free time was Alex’s. Alex tried to imagine Tammy already dressed for the day, a cinnamon bagel in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. How her friend could survive without any ounce of coffee in her system, Alex could never figure out.
“How are you doing?”
It was the same question Tammy asked her practically daily, and Alex always had the same typical answer.
“Fine.”
Silence on the other line, with only the sound of munching.
“I have an exhibit tomorrow at our favorite gallery. You really should come,” Tammy cajoled. She had this cool hobby of making sculptures made out of scrap metals and clay, and it had recen
tly garnered some well-deserved attention. Alex couldn’t be more proud.
“Of course I’ll be there,” she replied, trying to put some enthusiasm in her voice.
There was a pause, before Tammy finally said, voice soft, “I really hope you’re alright, Alex.”
It went without saying what she meant. With another put-on enthusiasm, Alex tried to assure her that she was.
Now, if only it were true.
---
Other than Tammy checking up on her (because really, that’s simply what it was called), there was also Lucy sending her a text message inviting her out for lunch, a voice message from Jack with a very warm and flirty invitation to discuss “business”, and...none from Sam.
Sipping her cup of hazelnut coffee and munching on her own breakfast croissant, Alex wondered how he was doing. Her older brother Sam had always been a warm and open person, unlike her cautious self, which made it easier for people to take advantage of him should they wish to. It also made it easier for people to hurt him.
And Rena did exactly just that.
Memories of what she saw flashed in her mind, the sight of her ex-boyfriend Nick on top of Sam’s ex-girlfriend, Rena – only they weren’t exes when it happened, and Nick had just proposed to Alex during that day.
Talk about hardcore betrayal.
Nick had tried to call her since then. Called her, stalked her, and pleaded with her that it was all a mistake. That she was the one he loved, and she couldn’t leave him. But she left, packing her stuff and getting out of her apartment, which was just across from his – where it happened. She’d never looked back, getting a new place as fast as she could and having Tammy take care of the rest of her stuff.
She was pretty sure Tammy exchanged some harsh words with the guy, but they never spoke about it.
Alex also got a new number, to stop Nick – and unbelievably, Rena – from calling her anymore. She also took a break as Sam’s personal marketing rep.
Pathetic, really, if you thought about it. She set the thoughts aside and grit her teeth.
Ring, ring...
Her phone rang again, and Alex swallowed her last bite before picking it up, not bothering to look at her caller ID.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Alessandra.”
The warm, boyish voice had her eyes widening.
“Sam?”
Sam never called her – only once, to say that he’d be leaving for New York to rest after the breakup with Rena and to ask if she wanted to come. She’d assured him she’d be alright here, and tried to comfort him even as her own tears fell.
Now, he asked if she was okay. She assured her that she was dandy. He seemed to hesitate, but she asked him over and over what was on his mind, if there was anything she needed to do to help.
The next words that Sam uttered almost had Alex dropping the phone.
“Alessandra. Rena’s pregnant.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
“How’s Sam?”
The exhibit started in the afternoon, and Alex came early with a congratulations present in hand. She was wearing a simple outfit of slacks and a maroon cashmere sweater, pleased to see the crowd wearing similar. At least she didn’t under-dress. Tammy’s exhibit was right in line with all the other exhibits for the night, a booth containing white lights and carpeted blue floor. The other artists looked like newcomers as well, all vibrating with excitement. The gallery door didn’t start opening until after twenty minutes, and at the moment all that were inside were very busy doing some last-minute setup and adjustments.
“He’s okay,” Alex replied, watching as Tammy artfully adjusted some light strings right behind an art piece that resembled a dog riding a bicycle. It was quirky and very cute. She hesitated, then... “Rena’s pregnant.”
“What? What?” Tammy dropped the light strings and was on her in an instant. “You’ve been here for almost half an hour and you tell me just now?”
Alex shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is a big deal.” Tammy’s eyes narrowed, a growl practically coming out of her throat. “Is it Nick’s? Because I swear I am going to go to his office right after this show and punch him in the balls—”
“Not his. She’s...claiming it’s Sam’s kid.”
“Bullshit,” Tammy replied succinctly, glaring at nothing in particular. “Shit!”
Some nearby artists appeared startled and looked at her warily, but she ignored them as she waved a hand at Alex, her magenta-colored hair bouncing with her movements.
“I’m really sorry, Alex. This is just absolute shit.”
Alex tried to smile. “Well, it is, but let’s not focus on that at the moment, okay? We’ll do your awesome exhibit and celebrate later, what do you say?”
“Fine. Does celebrating include trash-talking some choice bastards?”
“Okay.”
“Do you even trash-talk them, Alex?” Tammy’s eyes narrowed again.
She didn’t, only screamed at them in her mind, but she wasn’t about to get into that. Steering Tammy to a new topic, Alex kept her mood light and entertained her friend until the gallery doors opened.
Their good friend Kieran, also one of their gaming friends, arrived right on time. Big and brawny with muscles meant for kicking ass, he also happened to be very happily gay, and proved just so when he gave Tammy and Alex air kisses with flair. There were some brief words about Nick not being good enough for Alex, anyway (though Kieran only knew about the breakup and not the cause) before his praises turned to Tammy and her art.
Afternoon turned to night, and wine, finger food and conversation flowed. It wasn’t until most of Tammy’s stuff were sold and she was busy making arrangements with the buyers that Kieran turned his attention back to her, eyes speculative.
“So you haven’t been delving in the dating pool?”
“God, no.” Alex shook her head. “Just more men with too much charm and pretty words to fool you.” It sounded bitter, even to her ears.
Kieran didn’t seem to mind, merely glibly took her hand. “Honey, don’t let one handsome snake prevent you from getting down and dirty with the others.”
The words of wisdom had Alex smiling. Kieran grinned, pleased at her reaction. His gaze shifted behind her and his brows rose, eyes gleaming in what could have been appreciation.
“Now there’s a man I wouldn’t mind getting down and dirty with.”
Alex turned around – and saw a man wearing slacks, polished shoes, a tucked dress shirt and a necktie. She only knew one person who dressed that neatly, and when she looked up, she found Logan staring at her in surprise.
“Alex.”
“Hi, Logan. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Translation: I didn’t expect you and Tammy were friends.
The last she’d seen Logan was when Nick had visited their office, and his proposal had ended in a huge fight when Alex turned it down. Logan had then given her a scathing comment about her lack of professionalism. She hadn’t spoken to him since…well, since she hadn’t been back in the office, obviously.
It didn’t matter what he said, because that part of her life was over.
“Tammy invited me,” Logan was saying in reply to her comment, looking around with watchful dark eyes. Since Tammy was still busy, he turned his gaze back to her. “How are you?”
“I’m…” Happy? Awesome? Dandy? “Fine,” she finished lamely. “You know, post-breakup and everything. Everything’s dandy.”
It had to be the most awkward conversation ever. Before she could blurt out more foolish things, a clearing of throat indicated that Kieran was listening and still eyeing Logan.
“So you two know each other,” he crooned.
“Logan West,” Alex said automatically, “Sam’s accountant.”
Kieran held out his hand. “Kieran Nice. I’m the toughest guy in town and I think you’re one yummy piece of morsel.”
Instead of looking at the huge man strangely, Logan gave him a smile – one tha
t had Alex blinking, not used to seeing him do so. It seemed to delight Kieran fiercely that he ended up flirting with Logan with all his might, and Logan seemed out of his zone, but not necessarily aloof.
“Logan! You came!”
A blur of magenta whizzed by and pounced on Logan, giving him an enthusiastic hug. Logan hugged Tammy back, his smile warming as he offered her his congratulations on a successful event.
The exhibit came to a close, and Tammy was already complaining about how hungry she was and how they needed to get to dinner, pronto.
Dinner was a lively affair, with free-flowing wine and abundant Japanese food. Kieran and Tammy kept the conversation animated, with Alex making some side comments and Logan politely listening in (and adding some witty two cents when he could).
At midnight, the free-flowing wine caught up with her as she felt herself sway when they all stood up. Kieran automatically gripped her elbow. “Take it easy, honey. Perhaps we can have our handsome man over here take you home?”
Alex was vehemently shaking her head, but she found that doing so made stars appear in her vision, and it was pointless anyway. Tammy was already steering her in the direction of Logan’s car, and Kieran was asking the guy to promise he’d get her home safe and sound (the winks in her direction didn’t elude her).
Once they were in motion, she decided to simply get comfortable and leaned her head on the car seat. With her inhibitions slightly loosened, she blurted out what first came to mind.
“They’re setting us up and it’s embarrassing.”
Logan shook his head. “They’re just worried about you and wants you home safe.”
“That’s a lie.”
“That’s the truth.”
“You’re a know-it-all.”
“You’re a lightweight.”
“We just drank a lot.”
“If you say so.”
She glared. “Stop sassing me!”
“I’m not.”
“Well then, shut up.”
He scoffed. “Childish.”
“I’m a professional.”
“Maybe you should get back to work, then,” he intoned.
“Maybe I will,” she shot back.
Best Friends To Lovers Romance Series: Complete Series Boxed Set Romance Page 26
