Page 85 of Rex

“It’s going to be fine, Aria,” I say while taking her hand into mine. “We’ll get this figured out.”

“It’s not that so much as that poor woman. I don’t think I really took this as seriously as I should have. I figured he was a garden variety type stalker who would mail love letters or steal a pair of undies, not kill people. I never thought of it as a lead-up to murder. I was skeeved out, knowing he was in my home, but murder is a whole other ball game.”

“Any stalking is serious, Aria. It shows mental issues when people can’t separate real life from the world they’ve invented for themselves. They create a relationship that doesn’t exist anywhere but in their head and react negatively when something threatens their made-up reality,” Les says in a quiet tone.

“Yeah, I know you’re right. My brain just didn’t jump from peeping in my window to murder. That’s a big leap,” Aria responds.

“Do you have a gun, Les?” I ask while giving Aria’s hand a squeeze.

“Yes, a couple, in fact. So does Aria. Our dad taught us to shoot at an early age and made sure we were familiar with weapons,” Les answers.

“Good. I hope things don’t go sideways, but it’s better to be prepared just in case,” I say.

“I agree. If you want to spend the night, I’m fine with that,” Les states. “But I have a big meeting in the morning that I can’t miss, so I’m going to bed.”

Looking toward Aria, I see she’s still pale, so I decide I’m staying.

“Thanks, Les. I will take you up on that offer.”

Aria leads me to the guest bedroom, and we climb into bed. I pull her back to my front and keep my arms wrapped around her. She snuggles into me, and within minutes, I’m out.

Waking for no reason, I’m confused where I am for a few seconds. When I realize that I’m at Les’s, I turn my head to find Aria still asleep and cuddled into my side, arm thrown over my abs. She’s so fucking beautiful, I can’t believe she’s mine. I watch her for a couple of minutes before carefully getting out of bed. Glancing at my watch, I realize it’s not quite 6am. I use the bathroom and then make my way to the kitchen. Running my hands over my face and then through my hair, I’m thinking about how bad I need a shower, and I don’t realize I’m not alone at first. The gasp was my first clue.

Dropping my hands, I find myself facing Aria’s mother, Giana. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m only wearing boxer briefs. I was only planning to get a drink of water and then return to the warmth of cuddling Aria. I didn’t think I’d runinto anyone this early. Nobody told me Giana was spending the night, either.

“Oh, hi. How are you doing, Rex?” Giana asks in a polite but surprised tone.

I’m guessing her being raised the way she was, being polite and using manners is her default setting. It dawns on me that I’m staring at her without speaking while she’s looking everywhere but at me. I also notice the redness creeping up her neck and face.

“Oh, hey, Mom. I told Rex he could spend the night since he stopped by so late,” Les says, then laughs. “Oh, and Rex? Our mother is here too, so you might want to cover your junk if you get up early.”

“Thanks, Les. Glad you had my back on that. Good looking out. Good morning, Mrs. Zanetti,” I mutter before turning and walking out of the room with all the dignity I can muster.

Entering the bedroom, I shut the door behind me, lean back against it, and take a breath. What the fuck? Not a good way to start the day or get on my woman’s mother’s good side.

Aria rolls over and slowly opens her eyes. It takes a few seconds, but eventually, they focus on me, and then she lifts her head. Staring at each other, neither of us moves or speaks. After several long seconds, Aria does both.

Sitting up, eyes still on me, Aria asks warily, “What’s happened now?”

“I think I just flashed your mother my morning wood,” I reply in an even tone, suddenly having a lot more respect for Axel and all the stupid things he’s done and owned up to.

Aria’s face freezes, still staring at me. Then, she flops face down on the bed and starts howling. Loudly. Hands balling the sheets up, legs kicking, the she-devil laughs her ass off. After listening to it for a minute, I cross the room, grab her by her hips, and flip her onto her back. She has actual tears running down her face, and being flipped only makes her laugh louder.

“Stop! She’s going to hear you!” I whisper-shout.

“My poor mother!” Aria shouts.

“It’s not funny!”

“It really is,” she howls.

“Wait. What do you mean ‘my poor mother’?” I ask, stepping back and planting my hands on my hips.

“Her husband’s in prison! She’s probably forgot what morning wood is!” Aria states while struggling to control her laughter.

“Have not, thank you very much,” Giana states from the other side of the door. “Do you two plan on coming out for breakfast, or should I just feed Les?”

I cringe hearing her voice and know it’s my face that’s turning red now. Hearing her mother’s words sends Aria back into fits of laughter. I toss my hands in the air, grab my jeans and pull them on, then do the same with my t-shirt.

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