Page 65 of Kiss Me Forever

She wondered exactly what Alex had to understand. "All right," she agreed. "I'll make sure he gets your letter."

"Thank you. It probably won't make a difference, but at least I will have tried."

* * *

Alex got home a little after four, having spent a couple of pointless hours at his office before picking up Tyler and meeting with the Monroes. That situation now seemed to be settled, at least for the moment. He tossed his keys onto the side table and walked into his den. He grabbed a beer from behind the bar and sat down on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. His entire body ached from yesterday's fine, and his hand had been throbbing for the last hour. But the physical pains weren't the reason for his frustration and restlessness—that was all Andrea.

It was only a matter of time before she'd be back with more questions. He'd hoped he could persuade her that his past had nothing to do with his present. But since she'd caught him in a lie, her curiosity was even more engaged. She really was a bulldog.

The doorbell rang, as if on cue, and he got up to answer it, knowing that there could be no more stalling. The moment of truth had arrived.

He opened the door. "Andrea."

She gave him a tentative smile. "Hi."

He wished his heart didn't jump every time he laid eyes on her. It would be easier for him if he could see her like an enemy and not like a woman he wanted to sleep with. She'd changed her clothes since he'd last seen her, now wearing skinny jeans and a button-down sweater over a silky top. Her hair flowed around her shoulders and her eyes were bright. He didn't know if it was worry or anger that put the light in her eyes. She was definitely feeling conflicted about something.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

He stepped back. "Of course. I'm glad you came back." Despite the fact that she was here to rip his life apart, he was still inexplicably happy to see her, which told him just how far gone he was.

Andrea seemed to find his statement difficult to believe. "You're happy I'm here? You couldn't get rid of me fast enough this morning."

He tipped his head. "I've had time to think since then." And what he'd realized was that he was going to have to tell her something—enough to satisfy her curiosity so she would stop looking for more lies. He didn't care about most of his past, but there was one part he still needed to protect.

He led her down the hall to his den. It was where he spent most of his time and unlike the rest of his designer house, this room actually felt like home.

"Finally, a room that looks lived in," Andrea commented.

"You didn't see this room when you were snooping around last night?"

"I didn't get this far."

She sat down on the brown leather couch, and he took a chair opposite from her, knowing that he couldn't allow himself to get too physically close to her or he'd lose what little control he had left. She'd already breached most of his walls and the rest of them were starting to crack.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Does your hand hurt?"

"It's fine. I threw a bad punch. Mick is going to be all over me about that."

She gave him a faint smile. "I'm glad you weren't hurt worse."

"I'm happy you weren't hurt at all. I never thought I was putting you in a dangerous situation when we went to get Tyler."

"It all happened really fast."

"So what do you want to ask me now?"

She stared back at him, uncertainty in her blue eyes, and that surprised him.

"Really? I've left you speechless?" he asked.

"I need to tell you something, Alex."

He didn't like the tone in her voice. "What's that?"

"When I was in your kitchen this morning, and you were getting ready to take Tyler to school, you got a text on you phone. It was on the counter, and it flashed right in front of me. I couldn't help but read it.

He stiffened, knowing exactly what she'd read.

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