Alphas & Millionaires Starter Set

by Brooke Cumberland

  “You did the right thing, Lane. You fought back. He deserves everything he gets from here on out.” Carissa squeezes my hand, letting me know she’s here for me.

  “Thank you for being here,” I say quietly. She leans in and hugs me tight as the door opens again.

  “Don’t mean to interrupt, but I need to speak with Velaney,” Eric says, walking toward the table I’m sitting on. Carissa squeezes me once more before turning to Eric and wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Thank you,” she gushes into his chest. His eyes light up in surprise as he wraps his arms around her to reciprocate the hug. “Take care of my girl,” I hear her whisper before she heads out the door.

  I keep my eyes on Eric as Carissa closes the door behind her. He puts his hands in his front pockets as he walks over. My eyes get distracted by his tight t-shirt that hugs his biceps just perfectly.

  “Eric…” I stumble to find the words I need to say. “Thank you.” I don’t know what else to say to the one person who continuously saves me. He looks me over before placing himself between my legs. My hands go to his chest, rubbing circles over the muscles that are visible through the fabric. He places a finger underneath my chin and tilts it to look at him.

  “I have never been so fucking scared in my life, Velaney.” The word itself makes me twitch. “Just wait, please,” he begs as I grimace at the F bomb. “How many times do I have to rescue you before you see that we are meant to be together?” The question catches me off guard. I stare intently into his eyes, wishing I could be what he needs…what he deserves.

  “I would never be enough for you, Eric. I see the way you bring girls home…you have needs, needs I can’t fulfill,” I respond, embarrassed.

  “You would never be just another girl, Velaney. You are the girl. The way I feel when I’m close to you—the way my heart races so fast it nearly beats out of my chest anytime I see you—it’s unnatural, Velaney. You’re too damn good for me, and I tried to see you as just a friend, but I can’t.” He takes my hand, opens it and places my palm against his chest. I feel his heart racing. “This is what you do to me, sweetheart. No one has ever done that to me.” I can’t believe the way he’s pouring his heart out to me. No guy has ever said these words to me…well, I’ve never let a guy get this close to me, but Eric is different.

  “Why me, Eric?” I ask weakly.

  “Why not you? You are beautiful. You are gracefully clumsy. You look adorable in your just-rolled-out-of-bed look, and you’re hot as hell and you don’t even realize it. The way you move, the way you work, and good God…that smile. I swear, Velaney. I have never been so drawn to someone as I am to you. And I know you feel it, too.” He places his hand over mine, which is still resting against his chest. “Please say you feel it, too.”

  CHAPTER 12

  With our hands still on his chest, I slowly breathe in and out. This day has been never-ending. The way Eric keeps reappearing in my life, even after I push him away, reassures me of my feelings for him, and that he feels them, too.

  “I feel it, too,” I say just above a whisper, scared to death of what I just admitted.

  He leans in close, placing his palms on my cheeks. “I have wanted to hear those words since the moment I carried you out of your bedroom that first night.” He smiles wide and brings his lips to mine. It’s soft and gentle as he strokes my tongue with his. I openly welcome him as he reaches with one hand around my head and brings me in deeper into him.

  “God, Velaney…” he says as he breaks the kiss, leaning his forehead against me. “Please, don’t run from me again. I couldn’t take it,” he pleads. I nod, letting him know I desire the same thing.

  “I’m going to need some time to process this,” I whisper, breaking the kiss. I hear him let out a small huff. I close my eyes as I wait for the storm to hit.

  “I understand, sweetheart. Just know that I will wait for you. I’m not going anywhere, and I will do whatever it takes to help you see that,” he promises, leaning his forehead against mine. The way he can so easily express himself scares me to death. I can hardly admit my feelings to myself, how am I going to admit them to someone else?

  “I’m so scared of getting hurt, Eric. I’m scared of hurting you. I’m scared of having these kinds of feelings. I’ve never had this before. Never.” He grabs my hands and links his fingers through mine. We’re still chest-to-chest as he continues looking in my eyes. I smile as relief floods over me.

  “We’ll take it slow. As slow as you need. I just want to be able to do this.” He gracefully leans down and brushes my lips with his, flooding my entire body with butterflies.

  “Okay, you two. Let’s keep this PG. You’re in a hospital,” Carissa scolds as she whips the door open and sees our PDA. “However, I’m happy to see you two are finally kissing and making up.” She sticks her tongue out at me, knowing damn well how back and forth I’ve been. “Maybe now Lane can stop moping around the apartment and moaning your name in her sleep.”

  “Oh my God, Riss! I do not do that.” I turn back to Eric, who’s now grinning ear to ear. “I do not mope. And I definitely don’t moan your name in my sleep,” I retort, embarrassed. “You are evil,” I mouth to Carissa, who’s laughing.

  “Are you going to explain all this to me now?” Eric asks, and I cringe and nod, knowing exactly what means.

  “I will, I promise. Just not here. I just want to go home.” He nods and takes my hand in his. He helps me off the table as Carissa hands me my stack of folded up clothes. “I’m just going to change now.” I grab the clothes from Carissa and notice he’s not moving. “So…you need to leave now.” I playfully push him back toward the door.

  “Damn,” he whispers, grinning at me.

  Carissa helps untie my hospital gown, or lack thereof, and I dress while assessing the bruises I have up and down my arms from where Aiden aggressively held me.

  “These will heal,” she says quietly as she helps put my shirt over my head. I hadn’t realized Aiden had gripped me that hard, but seeing the marks all over my body just makes it more apparent that it actually happened.

  The three of us drive back to the apartment and as soon as we walk in, the memory of Aiden’s hands on me floods my mind. I flinch as Eric brushes his arm on the small of my back.

  “Are you all right?” he bends toward me and asks. I nod frantically, hoping he believes me. “Come on. Let’s get you tucked in.” Carissa kisses me on the cheek and heads to her room at the same time Eric leads me to mine.

  “Thank you for being here. For always being here,” I say as I sit on the edge of my bed. If it weren’t for Eric, I can only imagine what that scumbag would have done to me.

  “I want to be the only one to save you, Velaney. I saw red the second I saw him pressed against you. I wanted to kill him, Vel. Like, rip his eyes out, gut his intestines.”

  I squirm just thinking about it. If only my parents had felt the same, listening and taking me seriously.

  “You’re the first person besides Carissa that’s ever protected me. My own parents didn’t believe me.” I look down at my hands in my lap, unable to look at his sad, pity-filled eyes.

  “I will always believe you. You don’t need to worry anymore. That asshat is going to jail now for good.” I bring my head up and smile back at him. He’s looking at me as if I actually matter. Which would be a first for me.

  “Thank you,” is all I can say. I don’t know what to say, what the right words would be, but thank you doesn’t express what I really want to say. He grabs my hand and leads me off the bed. Pulling back the covers, he motions for me to get in. He takes his shoes and sweatshirt off before lying next to me.

  “When you’re ready to talk, Velaney, I’ll be here. Just please, don’t shut me out,” he says, stroking his fingers up and down my arm. He rubs circles around the bruises, making my whole body shiver at his touch. He lowers his lips to my arm and feathers light kisses on each mark, pretending they disappear as if they never existed. It’s amazing at ho
w his touch makes everything better…makes everything worth living for.

  “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, Eric. Just not now. I don’t want to ruin this moment we have together.” I look up at him and smile. Given the circumstances, right now isn’t so bad. He lightly places a kiss on my nose, agreeing to my terms. “However, I do need to do some damage control,” I confess, thinking how I need to let Alex know I can no longer go out with him on Saturday night…or any night.

  “I could take care of that for you, if you wish,” he snickers, squeezing me tighter against his chest. I shake my head at him and laugh. Finally…finally someone who has managed to break thru my walls. Something I never deemed possible.

  “Are you going to tell me now how you keep getting into my apartment?” I ask, smirking up at him.

  “I have a key,” he smiles back.

  “What…how?”

  “The building manager gave me a master key when I moved in, since he knew I was a firefighter.” He smiles at me and shrugs as I playfully nudge his shoulder.

  “This whole time you’ve had a key? Geez, I thought you had superpowers or something,” I tease, chewing my bottom lip. He brings his lips to mine, biting my bottom lip between his teeth.

  “I’m the only one allowed to bite this lip now,” he teases, pressing his tongue deeper, intensifying the kiss.

  It’s Friday night, and I feel much better. The bruises have faded slightly, and I even felt energized to go for my run this morning. However, Eric had other plans when he came over this morning and crawled into my bed, the heat and comfort of his chiseled arms far too irresistible to leave..

  “Ready, kiddo?” Coach yells from a distance, bringing me back. The hockey players are loading onto the bus as I grab my bag and head in the same direction.

  “I’m ready.” I smile and follow him up the stairs. The bus smells, making me cringe. The players are yelling and hitting each other in the arms as they are getting pumped for the game.

  “Velaney, baby, why don’t you come sit next to me?” Andrew flashes a smile, making me laugh aloud.

  “No, I think I’m good up here with Coach. Thanks anyway,” I shout back, shaking my head. I’ve never felt this happy and content before in my entire life. I can hardly believe how much has changed in just the last few days, but I finally feel ready to let those walls down and just let life carry on.

  The bus pulls out of the University parking lot, jerking me from my seat. I grab ahold of the seat in front of me as I balance myself. The ride settles and I finally lean back, awaiting our arrival to the arena.

  My phone chimes and I smile as I see it’s from Eric.

  I miss you already. –Eric

  I miss you too. Coming to the game?

  I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll be watching your every move.

  —Eric

  That’s creepy.

  I make no apologies for watching my girl. —Eric

  I shake my head and put my phone back in my pocket. The ride lasts only a half hour before the bus pulls into another parking lot. Coach stands up and lets me out first, followed by the rest of the team.

  I ended up explaining things to Alex last night, knowing he was still going to be expecting me this weekend. I felt sick to my stomach telling him I was no longer available, but to my surprise, he took it extremely well and said he understood. It lifted a huge weight off my shoulders knowing that I hadn’t hurt him.

  The arena isn’t quite filled yet, only some fans arrive earlier than the actual players do. It’s chilly so I wrap my arms around myself, holding in as much body heat as I can.

  I sit there impatiently waiting for Coach to come back and sit with me. I feel awkward and out of place between all the hockey fans wearing hardcore team gear, painted faces and posters.

  I’m starting to shiver and I regret not bringing a heavy jacket with me. Just as I’m about to get up and warm up outside, a large, heavy coat graces my shoulders. Assuming it’s Eric, I turn around and smile.

  “Alex!” I shriek, not expecting to see him. “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “Trey and Brandon are buddies of mine. I try and go to the big games and see them get their faces smashed in.” He laughs and swings his leg over to sit next to me. “You looked cold.”

  “Thank you,” I say, hoping he senses my sincerity. “I never go to these games. Didn’t realize how cold it would be.”

  “It’ll warm up soon. More people show up, people start getting drunk and yelling and it’s pretty much a bar on ice,” he chuckles. I laugh with him, thinking how strangely similar it actually is to working at the bar on a Friday night.

  Coach finally settles in the seat next to me and pats my leg. “Ready, kid? They’re fierce tonight. Going to see a lot of blood I suspect.”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” I flash a smile. I know I’ll be on duty the minute the game begins. We sit there in silence a few moments more before I hear my phone chime again.

  What the hell is Alex doing next to you? –Eric

  Ah, shit.

  He’s here watching the game. Didn’t know he’d be here, he just came and sat by me.

  I know Eric isn’t fond of Alex for obvious reasons, but I don’t like seeing his jealous side. I look up and try to find him, but the crowd is getting full in the stands and I can’t see him.

  I don’t like him that close to you. Is that his jacket around you? –Eric

  Oh, great. The last thing I want to do is fight…especially over Alex.

  I’ll be moving down by the players as soon as the game starts. Stop worrying.

  Call me crazy…call me selfish…But I don’t want some other guy comforting my girl. You are mine to touch…to hold… to comfort. No one else. –Eric

  I’m his girl?

  I’m your girl?

  Yes. It took me long enough to get you. And I’m not sharing. —Eric

  Wow.

  Hope that goes both ways.

  Abso-freaking-lutely, sweetheart. –Eric

  I look up and finally see him across the way. He’s smirking at me and I can’t resist his devilish charm. It feels good that someone is actually jealous and afraid of losing me. For the first time in my life, someone desires me as much as I desire them.

  As promised, I sit by the players as soon as the game starts. I help rub out knots in their arms and necks as they continue tearing their bodies apart. I typically don’t work on the players until the next day, but knowing they were going to be playing extra hard tonight, Coach didn’t want to risk any of them straining their muscles.

  By halftime, my hands are sore and tired. I tease the guys and beg them to take it easy for my sake.

  “We’re just getting started,” Trey says over his shoulder.

  Craptastic.

  The rest of the game goes surprisingly smooth. The boys wear out the other team rather quickly as we win by a landslide. My hands are grateful for the break.

  “I bet you’re tired,” Alex says, walking up behind me once the game ends.

  “Oh yeah. Looking forward to icing my hands, actually.” I let out a small giggle, feeling uncomfortable that he keeps finding ways to talk to me. When I told him I couldn’t go on dates with him, I didn’t explain why…I didn’t want to lie to him, but I didn’t want him thinking I chose another guy over him. Because, well honestly, there was never any competition in the first place when it came to Eric. Even though I denied it repeatedly.

  Before he can answer, Eric approaches us. “Ready, sweetheart?”

  My face deadpans and I simply nod. I wave to Alex as I link my hand with Eric’s hand. I feel Alex’s eyes on me the entire time we’re walking out of the arena. I feel awful for not telling him the truth, but honestly, it’s none of his business. We’d been on one date and it wasn’t as if I had made him any promises.

  “You looked so incredibly cute sitting next all those huge guys over there. I, for sure, thought one of them wouldn’t see you and would sit on you.” He laughs, squeezing my hand.<
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  “Okay, I might be small, but I’m not that little! I’m five foot six, thank you very much,” I announce proudly.

  “You are five feet six inches of pure gorgeousness.”

  “Are you always this mushy? I’m not sure I can handle the mushy type,” I tease, laughing at his sudden change of his expression.

  “Nope. It’s all you, babe. This is what you do to me. You turn my heart to mush.” He places his empty hand over his heart and gives me sad, puppy eyes.

  “Oh my word, you are insane.” I laugh as we approach his car. “I’m not even sure that was a compliment,” I tease, thinking any sentence with the word mush doesn’t sound too appealing.

  He bends down and lightly kisses the top of my nose before opening the passenger door, leading me in. I could so get used to this.

  I haven’t told Eric everything about Aiden. I suspect he has an idea of what happened based on previous events, but I haven’t been ready to explain everything in detail yet. Part of me is afraid that once I say it out loud he won’t be able to look at me the same. That perhaps he might not want me in ‘that way’ anymore.

  He’s easily figured out now how the F word affects me. It only seems to be when it rolls off his tongue, and I’m not quite sure why, but he tries to avoid it now at all costs. He completely understands that I need to take this slow, which makes me much more at ease about the whole thing. Part of me hopes he doesn’t become impatient with me while another part of me doesn’t want to go slow, either. I know if I rush this I will more than likely feel the urge to run.