Page 117 of House of Deceit

“I might have looked in your fridge last night between rounds when I was getting us some electrolytes.”

“Bacon would be great, thanks.” He smiles at me, more at ease than I ever saw him in the house. “You might want to put on pants!” I call out as he makes his way down the hallway to the kitchen. I giggle as I hold the blankets to me, happiness pouring out of me into the morning light.

Throwing back the blankets, I move to take a quick shower, my body sore in the best ways. Still a little damp, I tie my robe around me.

Between rounds last night, Alec told me how Parker had booked a hotel room with two beds, just in case I wanted to boot Alec out on his ass. They had left their suitcases in the car. Before he left, Parker set Alec’s in the hallway, texting me to let me know it was there.

Grabbing my phone, I move to sit on the well-used bed.

“You’re up early,” Parker says, his voice thick with sleep as he answers my call.

“Thank you for bringing him back to me.” There’s nothing else I could say that will convey the depth of my gratitude.

“Anything for my fake girlfriend,” he jokes. “And…for my real friend.”

Taking a breath, I make a gamble. “You deserve to be happy, too, Parker. Even if that means moving on, you deserve to be loved. If you want to find her, ask her what happened, I’ll help. But either way, I want you to be happy.”

We sit in silence and I listen to him breathe for what feels like an eternity.

“I’ll think about it. Either way, thanks for the offer.” He hangs up after saying a quick goodbye and I sit for a moment more, watching the day outside my window.

I pad out into the living room and watch my wrangler. Alec has my floral apron on, a compromise to needing to cover his manhood but not wanting to put on pants, and nothing else. He is pulling the bacon from the pan and setting it on a paper towel covered plate. Music plays from his phone and I move into the kitchen.

“Will you dance with me?” I ask him as a slow song plays about the singer’s first love.

He smiles at me before setting everything down and sweeping me into his arms. He spins me around the kitchen, kissing me like he’ll never get enough.

“This looks amazing,” I say looking around at the food as we continue to move. I give his bare ass a tap. “So does this.”

“I could say the same about yours, but it’s currently covered by those inconvenient shorts,” he says, slapping my ass, adding to the collection of stings.“Grab some plates. The pancakes and eggs are in the microwave,” he instructs as the song ends, always bossing me around.

I grab some glasses from a cabinet and pour orange juice into each, knowing Alec doesn’t drink coffee, but not having any tea in the apartment. After I’ve placed those on the table, I grab plates before moving to the microwave to pull the eggs and pancakes out as Alec brings the plate of bacon over. He sits in his chair, keeping the apron on.

I grin at him before piling pancakes and bacon onto my plate, suddenly famished from the vigorous nightly activities.

“Thank you for cooking,” I say, kissing him.

“Of course, babe.” Alec says, grabbing my chin. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I say, not used to the novelty of the words yet.

We take a second, grinning stupidly at each other and our confessions. Everything in me is light and bright. Without his hands on me, I would float away in the cloud of happiness hearing those words from his mouth.

“Will you move to California to be with me?” Alec asks, hope shining brightly in his beautiful eyes. “I know that’s asking a lot. I’m asking you to leave your family and Courtney and that’s a lot, but I want to give this a shot and with my job, it’ll be hard to have a bi-coastal relationship.”

I smile. I want to make him squirm, play with him a bit, but I don’t have it in me. I’m too happy.

“My parents are retired and I now have enough money between the show and my brand deals I can fly them out to see me. Same with Courtney. Hell, maybe I’ll just try to convince her to move her family, too. I would have to fly back to New York periodically to meet with Samantha Conn for my book.”

He grins at me. “I knew she would get you to do it. And?”

“Of course, I’ll move to be with you, but there will be some stipulations if I’m going to keep you around,” I joke.

He looks up at me, love and humor lighting his face, remembering our talk in the hotel room what feels like forever ago.

“Yes, to whatever you want. So long as I have you, I’m coming out the winner.”

He stands, pulling me with him and presses a hard kiss to my lips before picking me up and spinning me around, a happy laugh echoing around my apartment.

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