by Mari Carr
She laughed as she pulled away enough to lift her face to his. “The idea of giving you shit about this would be more satisfying if you didn’t look like the cat who ate the canary.”
Alex chuckled and kissed her forehead. “It was a hell of a blow job.”
“Dammit.”
Alex awoke and glanced around the living room, then at his watch.
It was just after midnight.
He and Charley had come back to her place after their hockey game, and she’d made a big pot of spaghetti and garlic bread. After which, they’d hit the couch, clicking on some rom com she’d been wanting to see.
He looked over and realized she’d fallen asleep too.
He’d been back in Wisconsin four days, and so far, they’d seen their parents twice, both of them slipping off their wedding rings before leaving the apartment.
As far as both of their families were concerned, they’d reunited after eight years in Vegas, then hooked up at the wedding. Bella referred to Alex as Charley’s rebound guy, then pulled Alex aside, warning him to keep the affair short, and promising retribution if he hurt her best friend.
Alex tried not to take offense in Bella’s comments. After all, his track record when it came to romance and relationships was…well…nonexistent.
As crazy as it was to admit, these five days with Charley were the longest he’d ever spent with any woman—the previous record was three days, and that was only because he’d gotten snowed in—fucking blizzard—with Rebecca, and while the bloom had been off the rose by day three, he’d figured it was better to keep fucking her, considering the alternative meant talking to the boring woman. He’d followed the first snowplow out, driving on treacherous roads, just to get away from her.
While he tried to tell himself Bella was right to have concerns, it still chafed when she acted like he was a total dick.
Charley was different from his usual hookups because she was a friend. A friend—and wife—who knew the deal.
She’d agreed to a two-week honeymoon.
Fourteen days.
Five were already gone, which meant they were now in single digits.
With Rebecca, he’d been watching for the snowplow.
With Charley…he was dreading the end.
“We must’ve fallen asleep,” she said, her voice quiet in the dark room. The only light came from the television.
“Movie was shit,” he murmured.
She snickered. “So much for your romantic side.”
Alex reached out and she took his hand, letting him pull her toward him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, loving the way she nuzzled into him. Everything with her felt so easy and natural.
“I’m romantic,” he said, feeling as though he should defend himself. Her words, combined with Bella’s warnings, were getting to him.
Charley, who never let him get away with anything, laughed.
“Seriously,” he protested.
“Fine. What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?”
Only one thing popped into his mind, but it wasn’t something he was willing to say out loud.
He figured the most romantic thing he’d ever done was whisking her off to that chapel in Vegas, giving her the wedding of her dreams. Even if it was just for shits and giggles and not the real deal.
“I…”
Dammit.
He really couldn’t think of anything else.
That probably wasn’t a good thing.
“Wow,” Charley teased. “Don’t strain so hard, Alex. You’ll break your brain.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to reveal his lone romantic act just to teach her a lesson, but Bella’s warning drifted through his mind once again.
He’d be smarter to start pulling back a bit, trying to find a way to put some more distance between him and Charley.
“Very funny,” he said, standing up and stretching. Charley followed suit. “We should probably head to bed.”
“To sleep or to…”
She let him fill in the blank. Charley was the only woman he’d ever been with whose sexual appetite matched his. She was as insatiable as he was.
Hell, she might be even more insatiable.
And as tempting as it was to drag her back to her bed and lose himself in her body, tonight he craved something different.
Something that felt infinitely more dangerous.
“Get a handle on yourself, sex maniac.”
He took her hand, and the two of them stopped by the bathroom to brush their teeth.
She grinned at him through their reflections in the mirror, the casualness of their actions, the way it felt right when he slid his toothbrush into the cup next to hers when they were finished, shaking him to the core.
They made their way to the bedroom, both of them stripping off their lounge pants and tees. They slept naked.
Crawling beneath the sheets—him on his side, her on hers, another thing that felt right—he pulled her close once more. Charley rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist.
Neither of them sought to do more than that, content to simply share each other’s space.
It was companionable.
Comfortable.
Romantic.
Alex closed his eyes, trying to shut down this unfamiliar feeling.
He couldn’t be in love with Charley Matthews.
Could he?
Chapter Twelve
Charley caught the football and managed to dodge two of Alex’s brothers before his twelve-year-old nephew, Mike, grabbed the flag from her back pocket.
She’d been around the Stone family all of her life, which meant she knew exactly how cutthroat their flag football games were.
Actually, for a lot of years, they played tackle.
The flags were only added in the last few years, after Alex’s oldest brother, Reggie, broke his arm one summer during the game.
From that point on, Mrs. Stone insisted they would play flag football at her summer picnics, or they wouldn’t play at all.
It was funny to see Alex, and his equally gigantic brothers and father, bend to the will of Mrs. Stone, who was five foot nothing.
Despite being stopped by Mike, she’d managed to move the football a fair distance down the yard. One more good pass and they’d score.
Alex was quarterback to her running back. They got in the huddle with his father and Bella’s boyfriend, Josh. “Okay. This is it. I can smell the burgers, which means this is our last play of the game. We score. We win. Same play, Charley.”
Josh started to protest. “Why do you keep throwing to her?”
Alex shot Josh a “really?” look. “Because, unlike you, fumbler, she knows how to catch the ball and score.”
Josh grumbled. “I only fumbled twice. Besides, blame your sister. That top of hers—”
“Josh,” Mr. Stone said. “You’ve dated my daughter long enough to understand that in this family, it’s sports first. Save your ogling until after we’ve wiped the floor with those guys.”
“Sorry, Mr. Stone,” Josh said.
Charley loved Alex’s family.
They all spoke just two languages—sports and sarcasm, and they never took anything too seriously.
They’d always included her in pretty much everything they did, piling her into their station wagon along with Bella and Alex whenever they went on ice cream or Happy Meal runs. As an only child, she’d always been covetous of the craziness, the loudness, the endless siblings/playmates the Stone family offered.
Glancing over, she saw a scene that was as familiar as her own face.
Of Mrs. Stone and her mom—who had been best friends since before Charley was born—setting out the food, while Bella and Charley’s dad flipped the burgers at the grill. Alex had six nieces and two nephews, running through the sprinkler, laughing and squealing loudly.
This was the first year she and Alex had made it home for his mom’s summer picnic at the same time in eight years.
&nb
sp; The first four summers, she’d spent her entire summer break serving as a camp counselor.
Then the next two years, Alex had missed due to NHL obligations.
Last year, she’d missed because she and Ben had taken a trip to Niagara Falls.
This summer, they were all back together again. Something that seemed to please Charley’s mom and Alex’s too much. She’d caught the two women glancing over at them constantly, hopefully.
Charley felt bad about misleading them, making them believe that what she and Alex were doing would last beyond the end of next weekend.
Then she realized she was really screwed.
Because there was a very large part of her that felt as hopeful as they did.
Alex had remained with her the entire week, and this morning, they’d spent an hour or so packing for her trip to Baltimore with him.
With each passing day, she worried less about him calling things to an end early and instead allowed herself to look forward to the trip to Maryland, the exhibition game, the fancy shindig where she’d get to rub elbows with some of her favorite players.
So yeah.
Screwed.
“What’s taking so long?” Reggie called out. “Come take your ass-whooping like real men.”
Charley laughed when no one bothered to correct Alex’s brother about her presence in the huddle.
In the Stone family, she was destined to forever be “one of the guys.”
Except that tradition was broken when they started to take their places in the formation.
Alex reached for her hand, tugged her toward him, and…kissed her.
It was a pretty bold show of affection, something they’d kept safely hidden away in her apartment.
And there wasn’t a soul in the backyard who hadn’t seen it.
Now that she thought about it, it felt like all eyes had been on them ever since they’d arrived a couple hours earlier.
Her mom and Mrs. Stone actually high-fived, and Dad must’ve made some funny comment about them because Bella rolled her eyes and laughed.
Charley started to pull away from him, but Alex tightened his grip.
“You’ve just opened one hell of a can of worms,” she warned.
While she’d been very aware of their surroundings and the fact everyone was watching them, she got a sense Alex had actually been oblivious to it until she spoke.
He looked around, then grinned.
“Score this touchdown, or I’ll take you over my knee tonight and spank your ass.”
She slapped him playfully on the cheek. “If that’s meant to be an incentive, it sucks. I thought you wanted to win.”
Alex released her hand, only so he could grasp her waist to pull her even closer.
She’d pointed out their audience, so she had to surmise he didn’t mind letting his family—or hers—see them like this.
“Fine. Score this touchdown and I’ll take you over my knee tonight and spank that cute ass of yours.”
The budding hope she’d been trying to keep a lid on escaped, and suddenly, she didn’t just have a rose, she had a whole damn bouquet.
Alex released her, and as she turned away, he slapped her ass, true teammate style.
“Let’s do this,” he called out to the rest of their team.
The ball was snapped, and Charley darted toward the end of the yard designated as their end zone. Reggie was hot on her heels, but she was younger and faster. She turned just as Alex threw the ball. Reggie managed to get his fingertips on it, the football wobbling precariously.
For a second, Charley thought he might intercept it, but she was able to grab it before he could.
“Woooooooo!” she yelled, spiking the football. Josh and Mr. Stone reached her in seconds, high-fiving her and each other, hooting loudly.
Alex sprinted across the yard, picked her up, and spun her around until she was dizzy.
“Put me down, you crazy lunatic,” she said, laughing.
“Not sure why you’re celebrating,” Reggie, the sore loser, grumbled. “Said right from the start the teams were uneven. You and Charley should never be on the same team. It’s not fair.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Not sure what you’re bitching about. We took Josh. If that’s not a handicap…”
Josh lifted his hands out and shot Alex a WTF look. “Um. I’m standing right here.”
Charley laughed.
Bella had dated Josh for nearly a year, and what the guy lacked in athletic ability, he definitely made up for in personality.
Bella’s family loved him, though it was clear that given their druthers, they would have added another “teammate” to the clan rather than a comedian.
“We’re doing a rematch after dinner. And this time,” Reggie pointed at her, “Charley’s on my team.”
Alex shook his head, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in a proprietary way. “Arm wrestle you for her.”
Reggie scoffed, then muttered, “Competitive fucker,” as he walked away.
Everyone else ambled away as well, heading for the cooler to grab either a beer or bottle of water.
Charley started to follow, but Alex tightened his grip on her, holding her in place.
“I feel like I’m not getting enough credit for that stellar throw. Couldn’t help but notice all the cheers were for you.”
Alex had ego to spare and she’d made it her mission back in elementary school to never feed the beast.
“Excuse me? Your brother almost picked it off. The only reason we won was because I saved us from your shitty toss.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Alex said, turning her in his arms until they were pressed breast to chest. “You are going to pay for that.”
“Might be a good time to let you know that the only way you could hurt me is to withhold sex. And we both know you won’t go that far.”
Alex laughed loudly, then started tickling her. “Dammit. I’m getting tired of losing to you.”
She tried to escape him, but her feet got tangled up in his and she started to fall backwards. Alex reached out, going down with her, twisting at the last minute so that she fell on top of him.
Going vertical to horizontal didn’t impact his attack.
Instead, it seemed to reenergize him, and he drove his wicked fingers into her side, as she laughed uncontrollably and tried to fight him off.
“Get a room!” Reggie yelled from the picnic table.
“Alex,” she protested.
“Say uncle,” Alex demanded.
Charley refused to relent, so he doubled his efforts, until she was gasping for air through her laughter.
“Uncle,” he insisted.
She held on a few seconds more, but it was obvious escape was impossible.
“Uncle,” she murmured before adding, “Asshole,” just to make herself feel better.
Alex stopped tickling her, grinning. “You’re adorable.”
After nearly a week with Alex, she was getting used to and spoiled by his compliments.
Adorable was not a word that had ever been used in regards to her—she’d come out of the womb too tall, too gangly, too rough.
She shook her head, even as she smiled, pleased. “God, I love you.”
The words fell out unbidden, and she instantly regretted them when Alex’s face—his whole body—froze.
Shit.
One second became five, then ten.
“I…” she started, uncertain how to mitigate the damage she’d just done.
Before either of them could find their voices, Bella plopped down in the grass next to them. “Reggie is piiiiiiiissed. Determined for a rematch.”
Alex sat, helping her up as well.
“Hey, Alex!” Josh yelled across the yard. “Help me grab some more beer from the garage and ice it down.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah. Back in a minute.”
Maybe it was just in her head—because panic was seriously taking over—but his voice sounded wooden to her.
Forced.
&nbs
p; Bella had been oblivious to her state until Alex was gone and she let out a long, shaky breath.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just told Alex I loved him.”
Bella’s expression told her she wasn’t wrong to be upset. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Fucking oh. What’s wrong with me? Why would I say that?”
Bella gave her a sympathetic smile. “Because you feel it?”
Charley glared at her. “Not helpful.”
Though she’d seen Bella a few times since their return from Vegas, the two of them hadn’t been alone once—Alex always present.
“I was hoping to steal a few minutes with you today, just so I could ask you what the hell is going on between you two. While Alex is the king of hookups, you’re not. Of course, my big brother also isn’t known for six-night stands, so I’ll admit I’ve been confused. Guess I know now.”
“I’m the world’s biggest idiot. I mean…Jesus…if it wasn’t bad enough my boyfriend of three years cheats on me, then dumps me, I manage to go one further by falling for a man who’ll never love me back. What’s wrong with me?”
Bella reached out and took her hand. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Just the guys.”
“You realize one of those guys is your brother.”
She glanced toward her family.
Her oldest two brothers appeared to be engaged in a chugging contest, belching loudly and crushing the cans once they were done. “I stand by what I said.”
Leave it to Bella to find a way to make her laugh, to make her feel better. That was something she and Alex seemed to have in common. Neither one of them held back on the humor or the sweet words.
Unless, of course, it was the L word from Alex.
Then it was radio silence.
“I made a huge mess of this.”
Bella shook her head. “No, you didn’t. It might take several hundred gallons of ice cream and a dozen or so cases of wine, but I’m going to get you through this. And once you reach the other side, we commence with the original plan. Operation Perfect Guy.”
Charley had forgotten about that plan. Forgotten about all those characteristics she’d listed for her ideal man.
Then she considered Alex.
He loved it whenever she snorted, watched hockey with the same insane fervor she did, told her her nickname suited her, matched her shot for shot when it came to tequila, and never gave her shit for her foul mouth.