Not Just Friends (Brookfield) (12 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Alyssa
stretched and tossed the covers back. She needed to get out of bed, but it was
so hard. She’d spent much of her morning laying there daydreaming about Connor.
She was hopelessly falling for him, even though she knew he wasn’t the settling-down
type. He claimed he wanted to be, but she’d known him for years. She couldn’t
remember a time she’d ever seen him with a girl more than a week. So she
supposed she was pretty lucky she’d made it this long. In a weird way, she felt
flattered he had chosen her to be his first relationship. Or perhaps the drama
in her life kept him around. Her sister’s story would make an interesting
romance novel. Either way, she hoped it lasted a bit longer. She enjoyed her
time with him and how he made her feel.

Whenever
he looked at her with that twinkle in his eye, it made her feel as though she were
the only woman alive. And not to mention his flirtatious banter. He also knew
how to make her smile and put her out of whatever funk she was in. And there
was also how incredible he was in bed. She’d never been with such a skilled
lover. He’d certainly ruined any other man for her.

Finally
Alyssa dragged herself from the bed. Tina and her friend had opened the store
and told her not to come in until after lunch. It was funny to be bossed
around, but they knew how busy it had been. And Alyssa really did need the
extra sleep and relaxation. Especially since she’d been putting off the call to
Diane. At least with the new developments, she had a much better idea what was
going on. And by now, Tom was surely back with her sister. Did Alyssa really
need to call? Yes, she did—unfortunately. Besides, if a baby was coming, they
had to put their differences behind them. She’d really like to be an aunt to
the child.

First,
she’d have a cup of coffee.

An
hour later, she sat on the couch with nothing else to do. She couldn’t put it
off any longer. With Zoe curled up in a black ball next to her, getting up
wasn’t an option.

Letting
out a loud sigh, hoping it would wake the cat, she picked up her cell phone and
scrolled down to Diane’s name.

“Hello,”
her sister answered with a groggy tone.

“Hey,
sis. How are you feeling?” Alyssa swirled the cat’s tail between her fingers.

“Like
shit.”

“Sorry.
I don’t know much about pregnancy, so I don’t have any advice. I assume Tom has
made his way back to you?”

“Yeah,
but I threw him out when he came back without Matt,” Diane snapped. “I don’t
understand why Matt won’t come back and why he’s so hung-up on you.”

Ouch!
“It could be because of the way you treat him and others.”

“I
just know what I want. Something so wrong with that?”

“I
guess not. But it doesn’t hurt to be nice every now and then.”

“Honey,
why? I have two men. More than you can say.”

Alyssa
felt her anger begin to boil and she couldn’t hold back. “Why do you think
you’re so much better than me? Who cares that you’re screwing two men? It makes
you look like a slut. And now you’re knocked up and you don’t know who the
father is. Your life is a mess.”

Diane
groaned. “You’re jealous.”

“Oh,
please. I have nothing to be jealous of. You’re bitter and a mean person. And
the only way you can feel good about yourself is to hurt others. Look what you
did to me over a stupid fight on where to take Cody for his birthday dinner.
When he chose my place, you got so pissed off that you stole my boyfriend. You
have serious issues!”

The
line was silent. Alyssa pulled the phone from her ear to see if the call was
still connected and saw it was. Had she really just shut her sister up?

“I’m
so…” Alyssa began.

“No,
don’t apologize. You’re right. I get my feelings hurt and I lash out. It’s how
I got in this whole mess. Matt pissed me off, so behind his back, I told Tom it
was okay. I set it up for Tom to have sex with me in front of Matt.”

Alyssa
rubbed a hand along her face. She had no idea what to say about her sister’s
love triangle. “I think you need to come to Matt then.”

“Why?
If he’d come home, I would make it up to him.”

“Diane,
sometimes you have to make compromises in life. And this is one of those times.
I have no idea how you feel about Matt. But if you want him back, and to make
things right, I think you’re going to have to come to Brookfield and get him.
Probably even grovel.”

“Eeew,”
her sister said.

“Yeah,
it sucks. But it probably has to happen.”

She
was silent again and Alyssa hoped what she was saying to her sister was
beginning to sink in. “Can I see you while I’m in town?”

“I’d
like that.”

“Don’t
tell him I’m coming. Do you know where he’s staying?”

“He’s
with Cody, last I knew. I’ll tell Cody not to say anything, but to make sure he
stays there.”

“That
would be great.” She sighed. “I wonder if Brookfield would be a good place to
raise the baby. Do you think they would accept us?”

“I
don’t see why they wouldn’t. It’s something to think about. I’d love to have
you around and help out with the child.”

“This
is getting way too gushy for me. I’ll text you when I get there.”

Alyssa
laughed. “Sounds good. Talk to you soon.”

“All
right. And thank you.”

“No
problem.” Alyssa ended the call and set the phone down.

That
conversation was one of the best they’d had in a long time. It had been nice to
sit and actually connect. Alyssa was still shocked that Diane hadn’t gone off
on her after Alyssa yelled at her. Now to just hope things worked out with
Matt.

* * * *

Alyssa
fidgeted in her seat as Connor pulled up in his driveway and pressed the button
to open the garage. Dinner had been amazing—as always. Connor really knew how
to woo a woman. And now she was staying the night with him. She was excited,
but also scared silly about it.

As
Connor shut off the ignition, he pressed the button again and the door started
to go back down. No turning back. She looked over at him and he grinned at her,
causing the butterflies to race around inside her.

“I’m
really glad you agreed to tonight,” he said.

“Me
too.”

He
leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her cheek before climbing out. She
followed suit and pulled her bag from the back. As they entered his place, she
gazed around. She was in awe of his décor. He must’ve hired someone.

“What
do you think?” He dropped his keys on the counter.

“It’s
great. Now I’m embarrassed that you’re always at my place and yours looks like
this.”

“Nonsense.
Mine, I don’t feel comfortable in. Maybe it’s why I’m never here. Yours, I
love. I feel at home there.” He wrapped his arms around her waist.

Her
cheeks burned. “Show me around.”

Connor
took her hand and gave her the grand tour. Everything was sparkling clean and
in place. The décor was all black and silver and very modern. The living room
cradled a big T.V. As they went down the hallway, she knew where they were
headed next. They passed a room with a door open. She assumed was the guest
room. Then a room was next to his that was closed.

“What’s
in there?” she asked.

“My
secret.”

“Are
you going to show me?”

“I’m
not sure. You already know my reading habits, but you might think I’m a dweeb
if you see what’s in there.”

“Oh,
please.” She laughed. “My curiosity is piqued. I’m liable to sneak in here while
you sleep.”

He
joined her in laughter. “I believe you would.”

The
door opened and Alyssa gasped. It was filled with a computer, another T.V., and
gaming consoles. The walls were covered in posters. He had a big bookshelf full
of books, as well as another with figurines. She knew he liked video games, but
not to this extreme.

Alyssa
turned back and said, “Wow, you have an impressive room here.”

“You
don’t think I’m a dork?”

“Heck,
no. I love video games.”

His
eyes lit up. “You’re not serious.”

Alyssa
walked over and plopped down on the couch. “Let’s play.”

Connor
sat next to her and handed her a controller. “I think you’ve just stolen my
heart.”

“That’s
been my plan all along.”

* * * *

An
hour and a half later, Connor set his controller down and leaned back into the
couch. “You’re good. I thought I’d kick your ass in that.”

“Perhaps
I have a few secrets of my own.” Alyssa grinned.

“I
guess so.” He pulled her to him. “I can’t wait to discover them.”

She
stared into his eyes and to his surprise, she leaned up and took his lips. This
was the first time Alyssa had initiated a kiss with him. As he tasted her, he
couldn’t help but think about how much she’d come out of her shell with him. He
liked knowing more about her than just her taste in books. And the more he
learned, the more he knew he could never walk away from her or go back to being
only friends. Alyssa had always been more than a friend. It had just taken him
way too long to figure it out.

Taking
control, Connor pushed her until she was flat on her back. Being with her in
this room would be amazing. It was his favorite room in his whole house and
where he spent all his time when he was here.

“You
and I in here, a fantasy come true,” he whispered. “But first I need to get
protection from my room.”

“A
fantasy, huh? How about I pleasure you and you can watch the way I did.”

Was
she talking about…? She winked at him and pushed him off. Oh, she
was
talking
about
that.

Alyssa
began to kiss his neck and her hands explored his chest. He was about to
object, but then her hands played his belt buckle and she went onto her knees
in front of him.

He’d
be insane not to do this. He was a guy, after all.

Alyssa
pulled his pants and boxers down, letting him spring free. She stared up at him.
“You’d better watch, or I won’t let you finish.”

He
nodded. There was nothing else he’d rather be looking at right now. She leaned
forward and her warm mouth guided him in. This was going to be quick, but not
enough. He planned on making love to Alyssa all night in his bed.

Chapter Fifteen

The
big day was finally here. And the line outside The Reading Corner was long.
Alyssa couldn’t believe it. She had a table set up to the side with
refreshments. They had more in the back in case they ran out. Judging by the
line, that was going to happen.

Alyssa
checked the clock and noted Julie and Tracey Peters would be there at any
moment. They would be coming in from her apartment, since the crowd was bigger
than expected. When she’d spoken with Julie earlier, Julie had been over-the-top
with joy. And the author was in a full-blown panic because she had never
expected to become such an overnight sensation. Not only had the author become
popular in the Northwest, but her book was becoming a widespread household
topic all over the country.

The
door leading to her apartment opened, and Julie walked in first, Tracey right
behind. Alyssa suddenly felt all fan-girl and squealed like a teenager.

“Hi,
Ms. Peters, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Thank
you. This is really weird. I’m just a regular person and I can’t believe that
many people are here to see me.”

“Your
work is amazing. Enjoy it.”

Tracey
pushed her auburn locks behind her ears as she eyed the refreshment table. “I’m
going to eat a muffin before we begin.”

“Good
idea,” Julie said. “While you have a snack, I’m going to check out the signing
table.”

Alyssa
followed Julie over. “Everything look okay?”

“Perfect!
You’ve outdone yourself. Thank you.”

“It’s
no problem. Anything I can do to make it easier.”

Tracey
walked over. “Wow, I love this poster thing.” She touched the large photo of
her newest release. “Can I take this with me to my next signing?”

“Of
course,” Alyssa said. “Ready to get started?”

Julie
took Tracey’s hand and Alyssa admired the relationship the two had together.
Tracey nodded and took her seat. Alyssa walked to the front and opened the
door, letting the fun begin.

Three
hours later, the fun was over. Alyssa couldn’t believe the amount of people who
had come and the sales she’d had. Frankly, she had expected people to come and
go. But many browsed and purchased other books. Today was a success. Life was
going great. Things were really going good between her and Connor. Perhaps she
and Diane might patch things up. If she were dreaming, she hoped she didn’t
wake-up anytime soon.