Page 45 of Promise Me Ever After
He chewed on his bottom lip, arms snaking around himself. “Um, strictly speaking, no. I mean, I pay rent, but I don’t own it.”
I let the realisation sink in. When we’d come back to the house the previous evening, I’d been impressed, assuming it was a shared placed and that I’d meet his housemates, I was so much more prepared for that than the truth. “You still live at home with your mum?”
“What’s wrong with that?” he said, defences up.
There wasn’t anything wrong with it at all. But it was the fact he hadn’t been straight with me that rankled. I didn’t want another relationship based on lies.
“You could have warned me. Meeting her looking like this—” I gestured to his t-shirt. “Wasn’t exactly the best first impression to make.”
A grin flitted across his face. “I don’t know, you look pretty hot wearing my clothes.”
I tilted my head to one side. “I do?”
He closed the distance between us and pulled me flush against him. I could feel his lazy erection pushing into me. “Can’t you tell? Although it wasn’t meant to work out like this.”
“How was it supposed to go?” I glanced up at him.
“I was going to make you the most fantastic breakfast, and you’d realise how amazing it would be to start every morning like that.” Alex’s mouth turned up in a sheepish grin. “I know, stupid, right?”
“Not stupid at all.” I cupped his face with my hands and pulled him down to me, meeting his soft lips. “I am hungry, although that’s not to say I couldn’t work up more of an appetite.”
Alex’s own hands slid down my back, over my buttocks and under the hem of his t-shirt, sliding in between my legs. My knees shook as his fingers brushed over my clit, every single sensation concentrated there. “Much as I would love that, Mum’s not going to be impressed if she walks in on us,” he breathed.
The last thing I wanted was for Sonya Kane to see Alex going down on me, or worse. With great effort, I pulled away from him. “Then I should go and get a shower. While I’m doing that, you can make me the amazing breakfast you promised, and I guess you should put some clothes on too.” I ran a finger down his cheek, brushing it over his bottom lip. “More’s the pity.” I turned to leave the room and he slapped me on the arse. I let out a yelp but wouldn’t have objected if he’d have done it again.
“Guess I’ll have to come over to yours more often,” he called after me as I started up the stairs back to his room.
Sonya lingered on the landing. I couldn’t be sure whether it was coincidence or whether she was deliberately lying in wait for me.
“You and Alex,” she began. “How serious are you?”
I tugged the t-shirt down. Why did she want to have a sensible conversation while I wasn’t wearing any knickers? “That’s probably a question for Alex.”
“I don’t want to see him get hurt.” She folded her arms across her chest.Such a protective Mumma Bear.
“Neither do I.” That was the honest truth because I didn’t want to risk getting hurt again either.
“How long have you been seeing each other?”
Mentally, I counted up the hours, then decided it probably wasn’t what Sonya wanted to hear.
“Look, Sonya, I’m sure finding me in your kitchen this morning must have come as a bit of a shock, but I’m sure it’s not the first time Alex has ever brought someone home.” After last night’s performance, it certainly didn’t seem like his first rodeo.
She ran a hand through her dark hair. “Not for a while, I have to admit.” Her gaze scanned me from head to toe, studying every mark and blemish on my less-than-perfect body. “And no one like you, either.”
I bit my lip. What did she mean by that? Was she simply concerned because I was a bit older than Alex? Or was there something I was missing?
“Well, you might have to get used to having me around. We should probably make more of an effort to get to know each other.” I paused. “But right now, I need to get a shower and clean up, because if I don’t eat soon, I’m going to pass out.”
Without another word, I pushed past her and into Alex’s room. Leaning against the door as I shut it behind me, I thought about what had just happened. It had been a long time since I’d had to win over the mother as well as the son. And it looked like Sonya was going to take a lot more work than Alex.
20
Alex
Well,that didn’t exactly go as I’d planned. Not that I’d had a plan to introduce Georgie to Mum. I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon though.
I grabbed a pair of sweatpants off the dryer and pulled them on, finding a t-shirt as well. Cooking up a storm in only a pair of boxers wasn’t recommended, hot oil and all. Taking inventory of the fridge, I poked around to find we only had eggs and a small amount of salmon. I hoped Georgie liked an omelette because it looked as if it was all we had. I placed the ingredients on the counter, set about getting out a pan and tossed in some butter.
