Page 39 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

“Lost?” Alex asked, stepping into her space.

She nodded, wishing it wasn’t true, but it was. “Very.”

Alex placed her palms on his chest, then hugged her tightly in his arms. She couldn’t move, her breathing was restricted to shallow breaths.

Weren’t stressed out people supposed to breathe deeply?

Instead, she was pressed against him, her hands and arms trapped between their chests, and all she could think about was keeping air in her lungs.

But not once did it occur to her to tell him to step back.

“Stop fighting it,” Alex said when she looked up at him.

Instead, she placed her forehead to his chest and cried.

Angry tears.

Sad tears.

Embarrassed tears.

Lonely tears.

Frustrated tears.

She sobbed until she was certain Alex’s shirt was a mess, that she’d gone well past the point of needing a tissue to blow her nose.

It was the ugliest of cries.

The kind that ripped your soul from your body, leaving scars.

And when the storm passed, it had been the most cathartic.

But his arms had never wavered, holding her tight.

He held her as she shuddered against him, as she got her breath back under control, as she finally blew out a deep breath.

Alex placed a finger under her chin. But she didn’t want to show her face. Likely covered in red splotches and body fluids.

He let go of her and whipped his shirt over his head, leaving her facing his abs and belt buckle. Gently, he wrapped his T-shirt over his palms and cupped her face. Wiping beneath her eyes and cleaning up around her nose and lips.

“Better?” he asked when she finally looked at him.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

Alex studied her face for a moment, then let go of her chin. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry about your T-shirt. Do you want me to go find you something to wear?”

Alex shook his head. “I’m good. I brought my bag for later. I’ll grab something from it. Let me get you a ride back to the hotel, Rocky. Get some rest. Go work out. Or walk. Or get a massage. Take some pressure off, yeah.”

Her eyes flicked down Alex’s chest. She couldn’t help it, the way the tattoos over his pecs appeared to come to life as they moved. Yeah, exploring them would be an altogether different kind of stress relief.

“Thank you,” she said. “For being there for me. It felt good to not feel quite so alone.”

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