I descend one level to the party deck and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Spencer Ross strides toward me, a half-full crystal tumbler in one hand and an unlit cigarette in the other. “I was hoping I’d run into you tonight.”
I try not to squirm as he comes close to me. He reeks of booze and tobacco.
“Sorry, I was just on my way to find--”
“Alex?” He finishes the sentence for me.
“Yeah.”
“He’s indisposed at the moment.” He waves the glass in the direction of the double doors which hide the main room from view. “Why don’t you keep me company until he’s free?”
His green eyes drop to the scooped neckline of my black dress.
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass.”
He doesn’t move so I’m forced to turn sideways and shimmy around him in the narrow corridor. I’m careful not to let any part of me rub against him, but he doesn’t make it easy.
The bachelor party is certainly louder than the bachelorette’s going on above. Music thumps so loudly the tinted window panes in the doors vibrate. I cup my hands around my eyes and place my face to the glass, squinting to see inside.
The room is dark, lit only by neon lights running up the walls and against the floorboards. Ken is gripping a stripper pole and roaring with laughter as a friend on an adjacent pole works it like a pro. If only my cousins were here to see this. They’d confiscate every man-card here.
Alex’s hair is so dark against the black light it’s almost invisible. He’s drinking with some guys in nearly identical suits at a little table to my right. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in almost a week. He looks happy, carefree. Not like he did the morning after his parent’s dinner party when we said goodbye. I want to see him, to talk to him, but I can’t bring myself to open the door and risk watching the carefree expression drain from his face. It’s a sad fact that I am currently the cause of all his troubles.
I back away from the door and turn to find Spencer almost exactly where I left him.
“Buy you a drink?” He raises his glass.
I’ve got three options. I can go back upstairs and risk being Paige’s party-pooper, which I’ve proven I’m a crack-shot at. I can go into the room behind me and risk ruining Alex’s one night of unburdened fun with his friends. Or I can go out onto the deck with Spencer Ross and risk getting hit on. At least with the third option, I’ll likely get to participate in some stress relief and kick someone in the balls.
I nod and he leads the way out of the interior cabin and onto a small deck.
Once outside he rummages through a steel cooler and produces a Budweiser. He hands the cold bottle to me. I place the bottle’s neck against the square metal railing and pound my fist on the cap as my other hand pulls the bottle down. The cap flies off and a little foam spills out onto the floor.
Spencer taps a ring against his glass. “Very impressive. Where’d you learn that trick?”
I swig some beer then press my lips against my forearm, soaking up the resulting wetness. “Kindergarten.”
He grins at me. “You’re always on your toes, aren’t you?”
I never feel like I’m on my toes, but I’m not telling him that. “Is Paula upstairs? I didn’t see her.”
He looks confused before the name dawns on him. “Oh right. Paula. We’re not together.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Don’t be. She was a pleasant distraction. Much like you.” His eyes undress me. “So, I heard from a little birdy you and Ramirez are spending time together.”
I bet that little birdy has bleached hair and fake tits. “What’s it to you?”
He places the cigarette in his mouth and unearths a lighter. “Nothing,” he says, lighting the thing. “Word travels fast in small circles.” He blows the smoke out through his nose, turning casually toward the lake. “I take it he’s told you the news about his parent’s place?”
I drink from my bottle, not wanting to let on he may know more than me.
“Shame. The house has been in their family since it was built. But there’s always the Econo Lodge. Or maybe they should think of relocating.” His eyes are like poison. “I hear your family’s got a lovely spot of land over in Harlow.”
My empty fist balls against my side. “I’d stop while I was ahead, if I were you.”
Spencer bows his head slightly. “I apologize. That was rude.”
My fist loosens but my back stays rigid and alert. I turn and grip the railing. He steps forward, stopping next to me.
“You’re a very beautiful woman, Charlie. I thought so the first time we met and that opinion hasn’t changed.”
I don’t thank him for the compliment.
“When I heard about you and Alex I’ll admit, I thought it more of a physical thing.” The railing digs painfully into my hand as my fist clenches. His finger trails the length of my arm from shoulder to wrist. I close my eyes against the shudder it brings.
“But now I think he must really love you. I mean he’s giving up everything to be with you.” He places his face very close to mine and lowers his voice. “You must be absolutely exquisite in bed.”
We’re so near to each other, I can smell the hoppy sweetness of each breath he releases. I look him in the eyes. “Go to hell.”
The remaining contents of my beer spread out like a spider web across his head and shoulders. He jumps back, his glass tumbler thudding against the wooden deck. Soppy hair threatens to get in his eyes. He slicks it back with both hands, his cigarette flame doused.
“Bitch!” Spit follows the word out of his mouth. His face is screwed up in fury at what I’ve done.
I run to the door but he’s too fast. He slams his palm against the wood, preventing my escape. I duck beneath him and feel my way backwards. I really wish I hadn’t tossed that bottle on the ground after pouring it on him. I’d like to have a weapon handy right about now. I eye the stairwell behind him.
He wags a finger at me. “Oh no, you don’t. You’re not going anywhere until you apologize.”
“I’m sorry you’re the world’s biggest douche bag. Can I go now?”
He actually cackles at me. “Funny. That must be your country charm coming out.”
“Go fuck yourself. That charming enough?”
“I think you might need to be taught a lesson in good southern manners.” He takes a step toward me.
“I’m warning you right now, Spencer. You touch me and I will kick you in the balls so hard, three generations of ancestors will disappear from your family tree.”
“You’ve got so much fight in you. I love it!” He’s genuinely enjoying this, which makes it scarier somehow.
“Last chance.”
Spencer makes a move to catch me. Before I can contemplate which direction to go, Alex appears through the deck doors. He glances between us and quickly figures out what’s going on. He grabs Spencer’s jacket and pushes him until his back connects with the ledge.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asks quietly.
“We were just talking,” Spencer replies, meeting Alex’s glare.
“Don’t lie to me.” Spencer looks small compared to Alex’s riled up frame.
“I was chatting with your girlfriend. We were talking about how much the two of you are about to have in common.”
I gingerly touch Alex’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it, Alex. Let’s just go.”
Spencer hangs relaxed and limp in Alex’s grasp, dangerously close to the edge. He wisely stays quiet.
Alex pushes him away violently; his shoulders hunch forward as he points a finger in Spencer’s face. “You don’t ever talk to her again.”
Spencer shifts, straightening his suit. “No problem.” He looks at me, smirking. “I’m not one for slumming it anyway.” He disappears inside and Alex and I are alone for the first time in six days.
He stares out at the water, his hand on his hips. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”
I wrap my arms around me. “Oh, you know. Just getting some tips on insider trading.” My joke lands like an anchor between us. “I haven’t talked to you in a couple of days. How’ve you been?”
He closes his eyes. The happiness on his face when he didn’t know I was watching has been replaced by wariness. Once again, it’s my fault. I walk toward the door, too tired to cry, or stay, or fight.
Chapter Sixteen
Still Seven Days Until Wayne Ties Condoms Onto the Rolls Royce
I take the stairs as fast as possible, glad I threw caution to the wind and wore my cowboy boots tonight.
A gold placard on the wall tells me I’m on the Admiral’s deck. I shove my way inside the double doors and a long buffet table laden in cocktail hors d'oeuvres is set up in the middle of the room. I’m halfway down its length when the door behind me bursts open and Alex comes tearing through. We stand and look at one another for a moment. Then he moves toward me and I run.
I scamper across the room as quickly as I can and end up in the kitchen. Employees who have been engaged in an off-the-clock card game look stunned when I pass them by, apologizing over my shoulder as my hip knocks an empty pan to the floor. The sound of metal hitting tile reverberates across the room. I glimpse Alex’s gloomy face before I’m off again, pushing my way through another door and into a long hallway.
I find a door and lift the handle, throwing my weight behind it. I jump inside and try to pull it closed behind me but meet resistance.
Alex’s superior strength wrenches it from my hands.
I back into a shelving unit stocked with cleaning supplies as he steps in the little room and closes the door behind him.
We’re immediately in the dark. I can’t see him but the sound of his breathing confirms he’s standing close. A light comes on and I blink. He releases the dangling chain connected to a swirly fluorescent bulb and stares me down.
“Why are you running away from me?”
Until this moment I haven’t thought about it. He came, I ran, simple as that. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I just… Why are you chasing after me?”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “I asked you first.”
I look anywhere but directly at him, which is no small feat given the size of the closet versus the size of the man. “Iworumakasteak,” I mumble.
“Charlie…”
“I’m worried you’re making a mistake, okay? I feel like damn tetherball swinging back and forth. When it’s just you and I, things are great and I am excited about where we’re heading. Then bam! Somebody pounds on me, sending me flying through the air and our relationship goes in reverse, right back to where it started. Being together shouldn’t be this hard, Alex.”
“What do you want me to say? That I regret agreeing to that stupid deal in the first place? I do. But I can’t change that, just like I can’t change who my family is. Sometimes life is hard and unfair.”
“You don’t need to tell me that!”
“Don’t I? Because it seems to me like you’re ready to cut and run rather than stay and fight.”
“Hey! Don’t you call me a quitter!”
“I won’t call you one if you stop acting like one.”
We’re so riled up I worry we’re going to run out of air in the confined space. “I’m not a quitter,” I repeat, softly this time.
He crosses one arm over his chest and covers his chin with his free hand. “What am I going to do with you, Charlie?”
That’s the million-dollar question. What
is
he going to do with me?
“I have lost more sleep, been in more fights, and have generally found myself in more trouble since meeting you than I’ve ever experienced in my life.” The space is so small one step brings him flush against me. “You mind telling me why that is?”
I rack my brain for answers. “I’m guessin’ it’s because I’m a handful?”
His dimples flash for a nanosecond. “That’s putting it lightly. You are the most nonsensical, crazy, infuriating woman I’ve ever met.”
Heat climbs my neck and I stamp my boot on the floor. “Well you’re the most confusing, bullheaded, vexatious man I know!”
He tries very hard not to smile. “Vexatious?”
I place a balled up fist on my hip. “That’s right, vexatious. I went to college, remember?”
He grabs the shelf behind me. Trapping me.
“Alright, smarty-pants, then answer me this.” His head is level with mine. “Can you stop being so goddamned stubborn and just kiss me?”
My eyes pass quickly between his eyes and the sly smile on his lips. “Your daddy’s right you know. I am trouble.”
He gives me a wicked grin. “What’s the fun in life without a little trouble to keep things interesting?”
“I may turn out to be more than I’m worth.”
Alex’s moves his mouth so it’s inches from mine. “You talk too much, Davies. Shut up and kiss me.”
Being a good little country girl, I do as I’m told.
His mouth captures mine with a heat that sears me from head to toe. I tease his lips with my tongue before biting them playfully. Alex grabs my hands and guides them above my head. I grab onto a shelf as he drags his lips down, reaching my cleavage. He cups and massages both breasts, earning a gasp from me.
His mouth moves, trailing feverish kisses across my jaw and neck. I wiggle against him and start to drop my hands but he’s quick to push my arms back up in place. He grips my waist and slides those big hands to my ass, squeezing the cheeks once before they move under the hem of my dress and draw it up. He grabs my bare hip, toying with the lacy waistband of my thong, which I threw on last minute as a purely precautionary measure. My belly constricts in excitement as he pulls me to him. He’s hard and grinds against me, caught between restraint and need. I raise my leg. He responds by hooking my knee over his hip.
Every time he pushes against me, I feel myself grow wetter. I place my hand against the outline of his erection as he bumps into me, not wanting to leave a mark on the front of his pants. Alex reclaims my lips, grumbling against my mouth. I keep my eyes open, wanting to watch my effect on him. My hand applies more pressure and I run it ever so slightly up and down. His eyes open. They’re heavily dilated as he watches me looking back at him.
Without question or permission, he grabs my waist and lifts me. I grip the ledge more tightly and wrap both legs around him. His hands grab my ass, pulling me low against his waist. Desire twists inside of me. He uses my position as leverage and leans away to shove my dress up higher. His eyes follow the pad of his thumb as it runs down the length of my slit. I moan aloud, unable to stop myself. He breathes deeply, his chest heaving as he repeats the move several times. My panties are soaked. His hand leaves only to resurface beneath me. Fingers, eager and clumsy, pull aside the thin fabric.