Rusty, on the other hand, seemed to have other ideas. Grabbing the glass from her hand, he yanked her into his arms and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Miss you, so much,” he groaned burying his face against Alex’s neck.
She stiffened before placing her hands against his chest and giving him a shove. “Whoa. Wait a minute. You can’t just pretend like this is some happy reunion. What are you two doing here?”
So this was how she was going to play it. Cash realized that seeing them would be a shock to her, but she’d been given fair warning that they were coming for her. “Our trip was fine. Thank you for asking.”
Alex rolled her eyes skyward. “Are you kidding me? We’re supposed to stand here and exchange pleasantries like you guys are invited guests? I didn’t ask you to come. And would you two please stop hovering around my living room? It’s making me nervous.”
“Why? You didn’t used to be skittish,” Rusty pointed out.
“I’m a lot of things I didn’t used to be. I don’t know about you two, but frankly, I’m exhausted, and if you don’t want to sit, I will. But, hurry up and tell me what it is you need to say and leave.” She grabbed the remote control from her coffee table and turned off television before flopping down on her recliner.
As much as he wanted to be as impulsive as his brother and take Alex in his arms, Cash reluctantly took a seat on the sofa. He glanced at Rusty who had crossed his arms and for a moment, he thought his brother would dig his heels in, but finally he joined him on the coach with a sigh. “Okay. We’re sitting. Better?”
“Not really. I don’t understand why you’re here. And before you mention it, yes, I received your letters. Both of them. One would think that when I didn’t respond to the first one, you would have taken the hint.” She kept her head down as she spoke but he could hear the underlying hurt in her tone.
“You had to know that we would come for you eventually,” Cash reasoned.
She raised her head, then, and shot him a narrowed eye glare. “You’re kidding me, right? It’s been eight years. If you really wanted to get in contact with me, you had the resources to find me, if you wanted to. I sent you both emails and didn’t hear from either of you. But then again, I didn’t expect to. After all, you got what you wanted. You got to use me your fun and games and discard me when you were done! Sorry but I’m not interested in renewing a friendship that was probably all in my head to begin with and I’m definitely not going back to Bradfordville. Sorry you’ve come all this way but it was a waste of time. And don’t use my grandmother as an excuse either, because I don’t have one according to her.”
Cash, feeling restless, stood up and walked to where Alex sat. He knelt next to her. “Give her a break, Alex. She’s an old woman who realized she made a mistake. She hasn’t been in the best of health lately and wants to see you. Regardless of how things went down, she raised you since you were a baby. She cared for and nurtured you.”
Alex snorted. “She was very good at putting on a show in front of her beloved Bradford family, but the Ida Mae Bryant you knew, wasn’t the one I did. There wasn’t a day that went by when she didn’t remind me how I was going to end up just like my mother. I’m sure she felt justified in kicking me out when it turned out the apple didn’t fall very far from the tree. Well, I’m sorry she has regrets, but I guess she’ll have to live with them. I did for eighteen years.” She stood up, then marched to the door, and opened it. “I’m going to need you two to leave.”
Rusty was on his feet in an instant. “Hell no! We’re not leaving until—”
“Not now Rusty.” Cash shook his head. “We’ll leave, for now. But this isn’t over. Just know that we’re not leaving town until you come with us.”
Alex tightened her lips and tilted her head in the direction of the hallway.
“Come on Rusty.”
“Really?”
“Yeah really. Let’s go.”
“This is bullshit. What the hell did we come all this way for, if not to take her back with us?”
“We will. Just not tonight.”
Rusty flared his nostrils and glared at him before stomping past the both of them. As Cash headed out the door, however, he paused at the threshold to look Alex in the eye. “As I said, we’re not going home unless you’re with us. We’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, he turned to leave but something stopped him. Abruptly, he whirled back around and pulled her against him. He just needed one taste to make it to the next time he’d see her.
He lowered his head and before she could protest, Cash pressed his lips against hers. Alex pressed her hands against his chest with the likely intention of pushing him away, but Cash wouldn’t budge. It had been so long since he’d held her, touched her, and reveled in her nearness. He’d dreamed of this moment for years, imagining how good it would be to have her in his arms again, but the fantasy had not prepared him for the reality.
As he pressed his tongue past the seam of her lips, Cash held her tighter. Her mouth was so soft and tasted like warm honey, mint and her own unique flavor. Exploring the deep recesses of her mouth, he couldn’t figure out how he’d gone so many years without her. Cash knew then, that he’d merely been existing without her. With Alex, his soul had reawakened from its deep slumber.
Alex wasn’t exactly immune to his kiss. She sighed into his mouth as the hands that had tried to push him away, now held a fistful of his shirt. She parted her lips wider, allowing him to deepen the kiss. His cock was strained painfully against his boxers.
“I missed this so much,” he whispered against her lips.
Alex stiffened and twisted her head away. She released the hold she had on his shirt. “No!”
Cash wanted to throw her over his shoulder, carry her back inside and fuck her senseless, but he couldn’t. Though he was sure she wanted him just as badly as he did her, she was still trapped in the past. There were several issues they needed to work through before he could finally make love to her properly. He would give Alex the time she needed to accept that the only way this would end was with him and Rusty. The way it was meant to be.
Reluctantly, he released her and pulled away. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she looked up at him.
“Alex—”
She shook her head and cut him off. “Don’t.” And before he could say another word, she rushed back into her apartment and slammed the door in his face.
Chapter Three
As soon as she closed the door, Alex placed her back against it and slid to the floor. How dare he make her feel the emotions she thought she’d buried so long ago? She was supposed to be over them but with that embrace from Rusty and kiss from Cash. She was eighteen all over again, so madly in love and caught up in something she knew was wrong but felt so right. She’d never meant to fall in love with either one of them, let alone both. But she had and because of that, she’d allowed herself to act on those forbidden feelings, and her life had been destroyed in the blink of an eye.
After Rusty had kissed her, she found herself in Cash’s arms. Alex probably would have allowed them both to go on kissing her but two things happened: she remembered the conversation she’d had with their mother days earlier, and they were still in school. Anyone could catch them even though the halls were empty. She made her excuses and got out of there as quickly as possible. She hid in on one of the classrooms until she was sure they weren’t looking for her.
Later that night as she tossed and turned in bed, the realization hit her that she had feelings for them, but not the friendly, brotherly-sisterly love she once felt for them when they were kids. Alex wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she was certain it was wrong to have feelings for two guys at once. It just wasn’t normal. Yet, Cash and Rusty had acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She shuddered as she imagined what her grandmother would say if she knew. Grandma would probably call her a loose woman and make her go to church to pray at the alter until her knees bled.
Most of the girls at school alread
y hated her because of the friendship she had with the Bradfords, and Mrs. Bradford didn’t think it was a good idea that she hang out with her sons in case people got the wrong idea. The older woman had even intimated that things would be difficult, if her grandmother found herself unemployed. The threat had been clear. It was why she had been avoiding them these past couple weeks anyway. She wasn’t sure why they had to go and complicate things further. She thought these newly formed feelings for them were just a simple school girl crush like her love for her favorite boy band, but this was so much more intense.
By time she finally drifted off to sleep at the first light of dawn, she was determined to strengthen her resolve and keep away from them. What happened at school was simply an aberration that could never happen again.
When she got to school the next day, she found that she didn’t have to avoid them. They stayed out of her way. In class, Rusty didn’t even look her way. Although it was what she had told herself she wanted, it hurt a little that he didn’t at least acknowledge her.
After school as she was gathering her books from her locker, she noticed Rusty pass by her and on his arm was Tabitha. And from then on, whenever she saw one, the other wasn’t far behind. It was sickening to her how he could kiss her one day as if he meant it and then go run into the arms of her sworn enemy. As for Cash, he kept his distance, which wasn’t as difficult for him since he was two grades ahead of her. Whenever she’d see him in the hallway, sometimes he’d nod in her direction like she could have been anyone off the street. Other times, he wouldn’t acknowledge her at all.
The only perk from the Bradford brothers ignoring her was that Tabitha and her cronies left Alex alone. Things got a little easier when Cash graduated and went off to college but not by much.
By the time her senior year had rolled around, Alex couldn’t wait to graduate, and go to college far away from Bradfordville. But then, something happened that no one could have predicted. Mr. Bradford suffered a massive heart attack that had killed him instantly. Alex didn’t interact with him that much because he had always been at the factory but he had always been kind to her. Practically the entire town had attended the funeral. The church didn’t have the capacity to hold it, so the funeral had been held in the high school’s auditorium.
Alex attended alongside her grandmother who balled as if it were her own son who had passed away. It was the first time she’d seen Cash and Rusty together in a while and to her chagrin, her heart pounded as she remembered those stolen kisses. As the family lined up after the service, she offered her condolences and would have moved on, but both Rusty and Cash gave her a hug that seemed to last a little longer than it should have, much to the apparent annoyance of their mother who looked on with disapproval.
Cash had taken the semester off from college to help his mother sort through their business affairs. Whenever she would see him around town, she’d run off before he could get the chance to ignore her.
One day as she sat in the back of the local diner where she worked, studying during her break, Cash walked in. Alex quickly lowered her head and pretended she didn’t see him; sure he would probably act like he didn’t see her, either. Instead, he pulled out a chair across from her.
“Hi, Alex.”
She glanced over her shoulder and looked around the diner before pointing to herself. “Are you talking about me? You can’t be, because we don’t know each other.”
He sighed. “I deserve that. You look busy, so I’ll leave you alone. I just wanted to talk to someone who doesn’t have a hidden agenda.”
She could hear the sadness in his voice. Upon closer inspection, he had dark circles under his eyes. The guy had lost his father a couple months ago and here she was being a bitch. Alex grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. Don’t go.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Are you sure? I don’t want to disturb you. Looks like you have quite the workload there.”
“I, uh, I’m just studying for finals. They’re coming up in a few weeks, and I want to do well. I mean, I’ve already got my dream, been accepted at the university of my choice, but I have the opportunity to earn this scholarship I’d like to apply for. I have to finish my school year with a certain grade point average in order to qualify for it.”
A faint smile touched his lips. “I’m sure you’ll do well. You’ve always been smart.”
She could feel her cheeks warm at his compliment. It was dangerous that this boy—no man, had the ability to make her blush like a little girl. Alex decided to steer the conversation to more neutral ground. “So, are you hanging in there?”
“As well as could be expected, I guess. I miss Dad, of course, but I’ve been keeping busy with factory business. My father left his stock to the three of us; evenly divided. But, Rusty and I won’t have control of our shares until we turn twenty-one. In the meantime, I hope my mother has the good sense to leave everything in the hands of the current business manager because she’s more interested in spending money than making it. My mother hasn’t done a hard day’s work since ever, so I guess we’ll see what she’s made of. I just hope the workers don’t suffer because of it.”
That was one of the many things Alex had always admired about Cash, he always seemed to put other people’s needs before his own. Some would think that as someone growing up in the wealthiest family in town, he would be spoiled rotten, but not him. “I’m sure she’ll do fine. What about your Uncle Roger? Doesn’t he own shares in the factory?”
“He does, but he just prefers to collect a check. He left Bradfordville with the intention of never coming back, but I guess he decided to hold on to his stock for the steady income. And since my father had bought out most of our other relatives a while back, Mom, Rusty and me have the controlling interest to make the decisions for the company.”
“So you plan on coming back to run the factory?”
He shrugged. “I guess it’s always been expected of me so I haven’t really thought of anything else.”
“Do you want to do something else? You shouldn’t let this place anchor you, if it’s not your dream.”
“To be quite honest, Bradfordville is my home. Don’t get me wrong; when I’m away at school, I love it. City life is exciting and there’s always something to do. One day, I plan on traveling and seeing the world. But, there’s nothing like coming home.” To her surprise, he reached across the table and took her hand. “Alex, look, I want you to know how sorry I am for the past couple years. It killed me to see you and not be able to say anything.”
Her breath caught in her throat and her pulse raced. “Then, why didn’t you?”
“Because—”
“Alex, your break is over,” Della, the head waitress, yelled from across the diner.
She wasn’t sure what Cash was about to say, but she wasn’t sure if it really mattered. “I’ve got to go.” She attempted to pull her hand away, but he held it fast.
“Can we talk later?”
“I guess so. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.”
***
Later as she walked home after her shift, she was surprised to see Rusty waiting for her. He leaned against his pickup truck. “Need a ride?”
“I had planned on walking.”
“Your house is three miles from here and it’s getting dark. Come on, get in. Besides, I think it’s time for you and me to talk. Cash told me he saw you earlier.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. We need to clear the air about a few things.”
Alex wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. It still hurt to know he was dating the girl with whom her nightmares were made of. “I don’t think your girlfriend would like it if she found out you were giving me a ride.”
“Fuck her. Besides, she’s not my girlfriend.”
This was news to her. It was true she hadn’t seen Rusty and Tabitha together that much anymore but she hadn’t heard about them breaking up. That news would have been all over the school, if it had happened. “Fuck her?”
<
br /> “Just get in, okay?”
“Are you asking or are you telling?”
He took a deep breath. “I’m asking. Please.”
Against her better judgment, she slid in the truck with him and they took off. “It’s been a while since we’ve been together like this.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
When he pulled away from the diner, he was quiet for a few moments.
“Well, are we going to talk or ride in silence?” Alex prompted.
“I didn’t mean for things to happen the way they did. I thought I was doing the right thing but I realize, maybe, I should have handled things differently.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.”
“The Tabitha situation. You have no idea how much I despise that girl. The girl is rotten to the damn core.”
“Are you referring to your girlfriend, Tabitha?”
He slammed his hand against the wheel. “She’s not my goddamn girlfriend!”
“Okay…she’s not your girlfriend. But according to her and everyone else in school, she is. If you two aren’t dating, then what are you exactly? You escort her to school dances, and take her around town. You even brought her into the diner a few times. It was like you wanted to humiliate me. So pardon me if I don’t believe you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just…she’s good at manipulating people to get what she wants.”
Alex looked out the window and noticed that he missed the turnoff to her house. “Hey, you just passed my street.”
“I know. We need to talk and I’d rather it be in private.”
“We’re alone now. I don’t understand why you can’t tell me what you have to say here.”
Instead of answering, he continued to drive until they were on the outskirts of town. She knew better than to keep asking where they were going because once Rusty dug his heels in. He could be hard to dissuade. He was one of the most stubborn people she knew, but from that stubbornness was born a determination, the trait of a man who didn’t easily give up. He was loyal to a fault, which is why it had hurt when he started dating Tabitha when he knew how awful she had been to Alex.
Taming the Alpha Page 63