Page 43 of Steamy Proposal (Alphalicious Billionaires 8)

“I don’t know, but it’s going to be worse than all of those. It’s going to involve cakes and feeding them to him after.”

“You just said that because there’s a cake mix sitting on the kitchen counter. How original.” Alix rolled her eyes. She pointed to the door. “Go! Close it on your way out!”

“Next time close it yourself!”

“I thought you said you didn’t want there to be a next time.”

Chance let out an aggravated sound that wasn’t entirely human before he stalked out of the room and slammed the door. A minute later, the bang of the front door reverberated through the house.

“Jesus,” Alix muttered. Her cursing had really got worse since she’d come back home, but she couldn’t actually find any shits to give in the moment. She threw off the comforter and got down next to Ross. She looped her arm around his heaving shoulders. “Are you okay? God. What can I do? Do you need an icepack?”

“I think an icepack would freeze them right off. Have you ever had frostbite on your nuts?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Neither have I. There should definitely not be a first time for everything.”

She had to laugh. It was a small, horrified laugh, but it was still a laugh. Ross groaned. She slipped her palm between his bare shoulder blades. He was warm and damp with perspiration. He was huge and feral and shaped so perfectly and beautifully that it made her want to weep. This was Ross. Her Ross. Her. Ross.

“I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “Chance can be such an asshole.”

“I’m well aware.”

She hooked her hand under Ross’s arm and helped pull him up. He wavered, but she led him over to the bed and watched as he pretty much fell into it. He swung his legs in, breathing hard at the effort, and groaned as he curled into a tight ball on his side.

“Fuck, that shit hurts. Never been kneed in the bare nuts before.”

“Yes, well, first times are a real bitch.”

She sat on the edge of the bed and covered Ross up with the comforter. She stroked his hair gently, amazed that he was still there and so was she. He hadn’t peeled himself on the floor and bailed on her. He was there. Naked. With her. Still. He’d been doing things with her. Willingly. Gladly. He was just as hungry for her as she was for him. And this time, there was nothing sad between them, nothing forced, no threats, no deals, no impending doom. He was with her because he wanted to be with her. This time, it was right. Or at least it had been until Chance burst in on them.

“Can I get you anything? Really? Some water? Your clothes?” She kept smoothing her fingers through his hair and his breathing slowly changed from the sharp barks of pain to something that resembled normal. “Do you want to leave?”

Ross tensed. She tensed too. Her hand stilled in his hair.

“Do you want me to?” he finally rasped.

“No!” Alix ducked down so she could see his face, not just his side profile. “No. God. You’ve had the worst time. You came here for a restful day and this happened.”

“It was pretty good before the whole knee to sack thing happened.”

A smile wobbled over her lips. Ross’s turned up at the corners too. “I’m sorry what I said. About the whole love thing. I just wanted Chance to leave. I figured that was pretty much the only way to get through to him.”

Ross’s eyes darted away. Her hand was still resting on his hair, which was impossibly soft. Softer than she ever would have thought it could be.

“Don’t be.” His voice was so soft that she had to lean in to hear him. “You pretty much told me as much on the water tower.”

“The whole word doesn’t have to know.”

“It’s okay,” he breathed. “Really.”

Alix swallowed hard. “I’m going to get you a glass of water and some vitamins. In case you really are coming down with something. Or maybe just so- you know- I heard vitamins help cells regenerate faster or something.”

“My balls aren’t going to regenerate,” Ross half groaned, half chuckled. “I hope they won’t need to.” He reached over and set his hand on her knees. “You’re naked. It’s cold. Get some clothes in case Chance comes back. If he sees you naked ever again, I’ll kill him. And anyone else who tries.”

His words, half joking, half serious, made her so warm inside that she felt like she was going to turn into a puddle of goo and slide off the bed.

“Right. I’ll- I’ll go get some Advil too. I’ll be right back.”

Ross didn’t stop her. She knew he watched her though, while she grabbed her robe from the back of the door and threw it on before she scurried off to the kitchen. She was amazed that her bones were even still there and that her body was functioning all together as a unit, walking, thinking, talking, still breathing.

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