Page 70 of Alluring

"Wow."

Jack just chuckled.

That night Alexis laid sprawled out on the bed. She was exhausted. After they'd finished eating, Jack took Reese for a tour of the hotel then some other manly things. Alexis took Emily shopping. She had fun splurging on her sister. She could never afford to do it before.

Hank, Alexis's bodyguard, was a constant presence that Emily commented on right away. "What's with the John Cena look-alike?"

Alexis laughed. He did look similar to the famous wrestler. "Jack doesn't like me to go out unprotected. He likes to keep me safe."

Her sister gave her a quizzical look, as if she wasn't entirely buying her story, but she let the subject drop and for that, Alexis was grateful. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to worry about her when there was nothing she could do about her problem.

After shopping, Alexis took Emily and Reese to the pool while Jack did some work. Later, they all went out to dinner then decided to call it a night. It was late, and they'd had a long day.

Jack was in the shower. Alexis was still in her dress and heels. She was trying to work up the energy to change, when Jack's phone, sitting on the end table, dinged a text. She glanced over at it, making sure it wasn't someone important, like Stan, when the words on the screen froze her heart for a few beats before starting again, beating hard and fast in her chest.

Grace: I'm ready whenever you are

The screen on Jack's phone went dark, but she still couldn't manage to pull her eyes away. She stood from the bed, thinking on the way to the closet. She either trusted Jack or she didn't. Simple as that. Jack promised he would never cheat on her. It was the only condition she had given him. The only thing she'd asked was for him to walk away from her if he found someone else he wanted to be with.

Alexis leaned over and pulled off her shoes. He had never once given her any reason to doubt him in any way. He was a man of honor and integrity. He did not lie. She slid down the side-zipper on her dress, slipped it off, and hung it on a hanger. If she confronted him about the text, he would tell her the truth. But did she really want to know? Was it better living in happy ignorance? Of course, it wasn't. What was she thinking? This whole thing was driving her crazy already. There was no way she could let these doubts stew. Better to throw it out there, get it out in the open, so she would stop obsessing over it.

She unhooked her bra and threw one of Jack's T-shirts over her head. She heard the water turn off. She crawled up on the bed and sat, legs crossed, in the center of it. Waiting for him.

He came out of the bathroom, followed by a cloud of steam, a towel tucked firmly around his waist. Water droplets still trailed down his chest. Alexis licked her lips. The sight he presented was not conductive to her having an intelligent conversation.

He walked to the end of the bed, watching her. He didn't say anything, only continued observing her. He knew something was wrong. She looked down at her hands in her lap. She was fidgeting.

He walked around to the side of the bed, sat on the edge and captured her hands. "What's wrong?"

Alexis wasn't sure where to begin. She looked down at their joined hands. A few curls fell over her eye partially blocking her view. What happened if she didn't like his answer? She loved him so much. Would she survive his loss? She'd like to think she would, but he held her heart so firmly, that the thought of losing him made her heart beat faster. Her stomach was in a knot, her breathing was growing more shallow, and her mouth was filling with saliva. She felt as if she may be sick. She swallowed hard and gripped his hands tighter.

Jack leaned toward her, getting in her space. "Sweetheart, you're starting to scare me. What's wrong?"

His words were clipped. A sure sign he was losing his patience. He pulled his hands from her grasp. Her fingers immediately found the end of her shirt, curling into it and twisting the hem. He lifted her chin with a finger, tilting her face to look at him. With his other hand, he tucked her stray curls behind her ear.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly opened them. She needed to see his face when she spoke. He was giving her time to find her words, but by the tensing of his jaw, she knew her time was running short.

This was confirmed by his next growled word. "Alexis."

She decided to throw it out there, read his reaction and go on from there. "You got a text while you were in the shower."

He watched her a moment without moving. His eyes moved to locate his phone on the end table. He released her chin to reach for it. She watched his every move while he picked up his phone, tapped the screen to life, and read the text.

She noticed a slight stiffening of his body, but his face gave nothing away. She waited a full minute before she couldn't take it any longer. "Say something." She pleaded in a whisper, in a voice so desperate, she was embarrassed he even heard it.

His body grew more rigid at her words. That couldn't be good. Right?

He put the phone down and turned to face her. "It's not what you're thinking."

"Then what is it?" Maybe if he had a good enough explanation, she would believe him, and they could move on.

"I can't tell you that right now."

Right now? As in, he would tell her at some point in the future? Will they even have a future? "Do you remember the one thing I asked of you when you said to give you a chance?"

"Yes, Alexis, I remember very well." He stood from the bed, fixed the towel that came lose at his waist, and paced away. He stood with his back to her, running his fingers threw his damp hair. "You don't know how much it frustrates me that you still doubt me.Us. If you could look into my head and in my heart, all your doubts would vanish."

"But I can't! And you can't expect me to trust in you blindly. You need to earn my trust and texts like that," Alexis angrily pointed her finger at his phone even though he couldn't see her theatrics, "don't help my insecurities.

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