Page 51 of Unexpected
“Maybe another night. I have a ton of work to catch up on,” she said, shutting me down.
“Is this about Kate?” I asked. “Are you jealous?”
“Jealous?” She scoffed.
I stepped closer, invading her space. “It’s okay if you are.” I placed my hands on her hips, sliding them over her ass. “It’s actually kind of sexy. But really, there’s no need. Kate is like a little sister to me.”
I pulled her closer, wanting her to feel how turned on I was. “This—” I ground against her, enjoying the way her eyes darkened “—is whatyoudo to me. No one else. You.”
She opened her mouth to say something, when Sophia called, “Mommy. Are you coming?”
Alexis backed away from me, and I could feel the distance between us grow with every step. “I have to go.”
I nodded, unable to stop watching her, even as she walked away. Alexis didn’t strike me as the type of woman to get jealous. Which made me think something else was bothering her, something she wasn’t telling me.
I walked over to the pool house and sat staring up at her bedroom window for a long time. The light was on, and I wondered if she’d stay up all night working. Or if she even was working. And I debated what to do as I drank one beer then another. Then another.
Finally, when she switched off the light, my decision was made.
I crept across the yard and climbed the trellis to the balcony outside her room. Though she hadn’t been pleased with my last appearance as Romeo, I hoped this time it would be better received. I also hoped none of the neighbors would call the cops.
I was about midway up when my foot slipped on one of the rungs. “Shit.”
I found my footing once more. And I finally made it to the balcony, hauling myself over the metal railing. She’d closed the doors, but they weren’t locked. I pushed one open, only to realize that her bed was empty.
Light filtered in through the door to her bathroom, and I crept closer, wondering if this was a bad idea. But then I saw her staring at herself in the full-length mirror—naked—and all other thoughts fled my mind. She was fucking stunning.
But as she turned from side to side, tugging at her skin, trying to lift her breasts, the skin next to her eyes, there was a pang in my chest. She was looking for flaws, picking apart her beautiful body. She slumped forward, bowing her shoulders as she placed her hands on the marble countertop.
“You’re so beautiful,” I said, hoping she’d hear the sincerity in my voice, feel it in my gaze.
Alexis startled, jumping back from the sink and grabbing a makeup brush, which she brandished like a sword. When she glanced up and realized it was me, her shoulders relaxed. I laughed a little, feeling pleasantly buzzed.
“Preston.” She held a hand to her chest. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I wanted to see you. I wanted to be with you, to hold you.”
She yanked her robe off the counter and wrapped it around herself. “Well, you scared the shit out of me.”
“I didn’t like how we left things earlier.” I stepped closer. “Life’s too short to have regrets.”
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears, and I wondered what she was keeping from me. What was really going on.
“Talk to me.” I traced the line of her jaw, smoothing my hand over her shoulders. “I want to know what’s bothering you. Is this about Kate?”
“It’s not about Kate, damn it,” she said, her voice rising. “It’s about what she represents.”
I frowned, trying to follow her thoughts. “And what’s that?”
“Youth. Vitality. Not—” she sighed, her movements agitated “—sagging breasts, a C-section scar, and gray hair.”
“Is that what you see when you look in the mirror?” I asked, spinning her to face the full-length mirror. I placed my hands on her shoulders, gently rubbing up and down her arms.
“Because I see a woman who is tough, strong.” I circled her, coming to stand so I was in front of her. “I see a woman who is loving and nurturing. Who carried a child and would do anything for her.
“And I see a woman who is so beautiful inside and out, it takes my breath away.” I used my finger to lift her chin, forcing her to look me in the eye. “All I see is beauty and strength.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and I knew I’d struck a chord. How could she not see how gorgeous she was?
