Page 92 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

Alexander stood up, and Brandon pushed me to him. “You have to give him a kiss goodbye,” Brandon encouraged. “Mommy said we always have to give hugs goodbye, because if they don’t come back, we won’t have a chance.”

So Lena was teaching him what Mom taught us. That thought was slightly bittersweet since it was a lesson I learned the hard way. The only time I didn’t hug Mom goodbye, it was the last time I saw her alive.

I leaned close to Alexander, the heat of his body instantly flaring desire in me. But there were also butterflies in my stomach and warmth in my chest that alarmed me. I was scared to evaluate that response to him.

As I placed a kiss on his cheek, his subtle five o’clock shadow slightly rough on my lips, I tried to keep some space between us, but his arm wrapped around me, pulling me against his body and his lips found mine. My eyes fluttered shut, enjoying his strength and his taste.

“That is the way to see your husband off,” he murmured against my lips.

I shouldn’t have enjoyed his touch so much. I shouldn’t have liked his kiss so much, but I did. He was just too much. Brandon and I stood at the doorway of his house as he entered his car, and his driver shut the door behind him.

I had no idea where he was going, but this distance was good. It could buy me time to figure out what was the best thing to do. If I knew he was going to travel all weekend, I would have told Maxim and his grandfather I would see their publishing house on Monday. I only agreed to tomorrow because I wanted space from Alexander.

When the sight of his vehicle disappeared, we went back into the house. Our dinner and bedtime were uneventful. Brandon mentioned he missed Alexander already several times and it was like a punch in the gut. Even more ironic was that I missed him too. I wanted to avoid him but then I missed him.

As soon as Brandon was asleep, I dialed up Layla.

“I have been calling you for the last two days,” Layla greeted me, yelling into the phone. “Is that hot husband of yours keeping you locked in a bedroom naked?”

Only Layla greeted me like this.

“Well, hello to you too,” I retorted back dryly. “We just got back yesterday and this was the first quiet moment I had.”

“Tell me,” she gushed. “How was your honeymoon? Did you have your clothes on at any point in time?”

“I did,” I told her. “But no thanks to you. What kind of crap was that packing?”

I remembered all the skimpy clothes she had packed for me.

“I have no clue what you are talking about.” So typical of Layla. “So how was sex?”

“Layla!” I tried to sound undignified but it came out slightly hitched. Just thoughts of sex with my husband caused tingling all over my body.

“What?” she protested. “You guys are like two magnets. Just seeing you two together in the same room, causes friction and sparks fly.”

A deep exhale left my lips. Why did I expect anything else from her? I was hoping for some sanity discussion but all I got was a bunch of nothing.

“Livy, just stop thinking and evaluating.” It was easy for Layla to say that. My every thought these days was consumed by Alexander.

“I didn’t even get to ask my question, so what the hell are you talking about.” I hated when she assumed she knew what I needed.

“But I am right, aren’t I?” She sounded so certain of herself. “You slept with him, sex is amazing. And you kind of like him and we all know he likes you. So stop thinking about it, enjoy the sex and the fact that this man likes you and is insanely jealous at any other man that looks at you.”

If I could have rolled my eyes any harder, they’d be stuck in the back of my head.

“And how in the hell did you gather that he likes me? When you’ve talked to him for all of thirty minutes? Maybe an hour tops.”

“Liberty,” she sounded exasperated. “At the wedding, the man pretty much devoured you with his eyes. When you danced with other people, his eyes always searched you out. Trust me, I might not see signs when it comes to my own men, but I am excellent at reading signs when it comes to other men. And your husband is crazy about you.”

This is real,my husband’s words echoed in my head.Give this marriage a chance.

I didn’t believe that Alexander was crazy about me but maybe we had something. He was incredibly good to Brandon and to me. I realized I never asked him about the trust fund that the judge mentioned. Maybe he was showing us he cares in the way he knew how… by ensuring we were protected and taken care of.

“Alexander said he wants this to be a real marriage,” I told her hesitantly. To give it a chance.”

“I’m not surprised, Livy,” she responded in an exasperated tone. “He is the kind of man that knows what he wants and goes after it. He certainly doesn’t let go once he gets it.”

“But he wanted his grandfather’s publishing house, remember?” I reminded her. “Not me.”

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