Until There Was Us

by Samantha Chase

  Alex’s smile was still in place. “I think you deserve a reward for all of your stress and worrying tonight.”

  “I wouldn’t say I was stressed—”

  “There’s a hot bath waiting for you, and when you’re done, I’m going to give you a massage.”

  She gasped with delight. “Really?”

  He nodded. “I normally do them for much different reasons—you know, as part of a patient’s therapy—but I believe I know how to make it relaxing and sexy.”

  “You had me at relaxing,” she teased. “But the sexy is a total perk.”

  Taking her gently by the shoulders, Alex turned her around and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the bathroom. “Go before the water gets too cool, and I’ll be waiting out here.”

  Megan had only taken a few steps when she looked over her shoulder at him. “And what are you going to be doing while I’m in the tub?”

  “Reading.” To prove his point, he reached over to his nightstand and held up his iPad. “Don’t worry about me. Go and enjoy your bath.”

  It would have been easy to do that—after all, she knew a hot bath would be glorious. Hell, if he hadn’t suggested it, she was going to see if he wanted to spend a little time outside in the hot tub. But now that she thought about it, it was better for them to stay close to Amber. Even with the baby monitor, she knew she’d relax more being close by.

  “Well,” she began hesitantly, “I guess reading is good, but…”

  He arched one brow at her.

  “But the bathtub is big enough for two,” she said, walking toward him. “And I’m sure we can start this whole massage thing in there.” Up on her tiptoes, she gently kissed his lips. “As a matter of fact, I think it would be a great way to help me relax.”

  A slow smile played at his lips. “I think we both know if I join you in the tub, the only massage you’re going to get isn’t going to be for relaxation purposes.”

  “And I can say with great certainty that I wouldn’t mind. You can give me a massage tomorrow. But right now, what I want more than anything is for you to come into the bathroom with me, get naked, climb in that giant tub, and…massage anything you’d like.”

  Taking a step back, Alex whipped his shirt up and over his head and carelessly tossed it across the room, and Megan had to stop herself from laughing out loud. He was unbuttoning his jeans before she could even blink.

  Clearly, he took getting naked seriously.

  “We don’t want the water to get cold,” he said when she hadn’t made a move to take anything off.

  “I was enjoying the show,” she said coyly, turning and walking toward the bathroom. It wasn’t until she was next to the tub that she began to undress. Even without looking, she knew Alex was standing in the doorway watching her, so she decided to remove everything slowly.

  First, she pulled her shirt up and over her head, dropping it to the floor beside her. Then she stretched. Next, she shimmied out of her yoga pants, taking her time peeling them down her legs before straightening and gently kicking them aside. Next came her bra. Bending over the tub, she tested the water and heard Alex groan behind her. Her panties were black and tiny and barely covered her bottom.

  Doing her best to look a little seductive, she straightened and slipped her panties off before carefully dipping one foot into the tub—letting it slide into the water slowly. Then she stepped in and lifted her other leg in before slipping down into the water.

  And man, did that feel good.

  When she finally looked at Alex, he was standing in his boxers, and his erection was beyond impressive.

  “If you hadn’t climbed into the tub, I was going to take matters into my own hands and take you right there as you bent over.”

  She pouted. “Had I known that was an option, I would have waited.”

  It was like hitting the launch button. He whipped off the dark cotton and climbed in behind her. Megan leaned forward to make room for him, and when he gently pulled her back against his chest, he whispered in her ear, “Brace yourself.”

  And then his hands were everywhere.

  His lips were everywhere.

  It didn’t take long for her to start panting his name, arching her back, and begging him for more. If this was what he was capable of in the confines of a tub, she could only imagine how amazing a massage from him would be when they were sprawled out on the bed. Either way, it was making her feel good.

  So, so very good, she thought.

  * * *

  Monday night, Megan was back at her place and took advantage of a little alone time to do some crocheting. Alex had an evening client, and rather than going right to his place, she had stopped at the guesthouse to get a couple changes of clothes together to take to Alex’s. She was deep into a little blue hat when her phone rang.

  Her mother.

  She contemplated not answering it. Not that she didn’t enjoy talking to her, but she hadn’t told her about her relationship with Alex yet and wasn’t really ready to. Mainly because she wasn’t ready to answer any questions about how serious it was or if they were talking about a future yet.

  Yes, her mother was a firm believer in short engagements and long marriages.

  Basically she believed in fairy tales.

  The phone rang again, and Megan relented and answered it. “Hi, Mom!”

  “Megan, I have a somewhat…delicate matter to discuss with you.”

  Oh, Lord, she thought. “Um…sure, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Well, it’s about your Aunt Janice and Uncle Robert.”

  That was not what Megan had been expecting to hear at all, so she was instantly intrigued. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, with everything that happened with Gabriella and the false labor, your aunt is feeling anxious and wants to come back to Portland before the baby is born.”

  “O-kay—”

  “And I’m sure you heard about the awkward incident she had while staying with Summer and Ethan.”

  “Uh-huh—”

  “Well, I guess everyone sort of assumed you would have found a place of your own by now, and no one wants to stay at Zach’s because they don’t want to add to Gabriella’s stress, so…” She let the silence hang for a minute until Megan caught on.

  “Wait, are you saying Aunt Janice wants to stay at the guesthouse?”

  “Yes!” her mother said with a loud sigh of relief. “Oh, I’m glad you said it and I didn’t have to. You understand, don’t you? It wouldn’t be right for her and your uncle to have to stay at a hotel, after all.”

  “Um…no. Of course not. I guess I can stay in the guest room at Summer’s while they’re in town, and then—”

  “No, no, no,” her mother quickly interrupted. “I can’t say with any great certainty, but I think the boys will be coming along soon too.”

  “So what am I supposed to do, Mom? I can’t find an apartment and move out in the next week. That’s a little unreasonable!”

  “Well…I’m sure you could find someplace to stay temporarily—”

  “I suppose I could go to a hotel,” Megan murmured, more than a little annoyed with the whole conversation. If this was going to be an issue, she wished it had been Summer to bring it up to her.

  “That’s ridiculous, Megan. It would cut you off from everyone, and I know how antisocial you can get.”

  “Seriously? Now I’m antisocial? When did that become my thing?” she demanded. Most of the time her mother was one of the most levelheaded people to talk to, but for some reason she seemed a little off tonight. “What is going on, Mom? You’re not making any sense.”

  Eliza sighed. “Okay, fine. Here’s the thing…why would you bother paying to stay at a hotel and being by yourself when you could maybe go and stay with…Alex?”

  Megan immediately began to cough as she gasped at her mother’
s statement. How the heck did her mother even know about her relationship with Alex? They hadn’t talked about it! Not that it was a big secret, but she knew it was something she hadn’t brought up to her.

  She was going to strangle her cousin when she saw her in the morning.

  “Megan? Megan, are you all right? Put your hands in the air. That will make the coughing stop.”

  It took a minute, but eventually she was able to breathe normally again. With a steadying breath, she replied to her mother, “Why would you even suggest such a thing?”

  “Oh, please. I may be your mother, but I’m not a prude. I know you’re dating Alex, and I believe you lost your virginity some time ago, so don’t sound so outraged by what I’m suggesting.”

  “Prude? Virgin? Mom! Seriously, what in the world?” Megan cried.

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” Eliza sighed again. “Honestly, you’d think you’d be happy to have such a hip mother.”

  Oh, good grief.

  “Mom, I love that you’re so…hip,” Megan forced herself to say. “But you’re essentially asking me to ask Alex to let me move in! That’s not hip, that’s a little…brazen!”

  “For crying out loud, like I don’t know that this is the way most young couples are these days? I think it’s wonderful that you’re in a relationship with Alex!”

  “And you know this how?”

  “Unlike you, Summer talks to her mother, and imagine how I felt having to hear about this from Aunt Janice. You’re dating this wonderful young man—who this entire family adores for all he did for Zach—and this is the relationship you choose to hide?”

  Great. Here comes the guilt…

  “I’m not saying you have to move in with him permanently,” her mother went on, “although that would be extremely acceptable and make me happy, but maybe give it a test run for a few weeks and see how it goes.”

  For the life of her, Megan couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. Actually, she wished she wasn’t. “Mom…I don’t think it’s appropriate to—”

  “Are you dating Alex?” her mother quickly interrupted.

  Like she could honestly deny it? “Yes.”

  “Have you…spent the night with him?”

  “Mom…” she whined.

  “I believe I have my answer to that.” Then she paused. “I think it’s the perfect solution to this situation. Right now it’s very important for your aunt and uncle to be close by and for there to be room for your cousins too. This is a big milestone for their family. After almost losing Zach, no one thought they’d see this day.”

  And while Megan knew there was a part of that statement that was true—a very small part of it—she thought her mother was blowing this way out of proportion.

  “And with Gabriella having complications and Summer having an infant of her own, I think it would be best if you cleared the way for their family to be together.”

  “I will talk to Summer about this in the morning, Mom. Okay?”

  “Why? Why talk to Summer? Why don’t you talk to Alex and make it easier on everyone?”

  This was an argument she simply didn’t want to have. She’d talk to Summer and then talk to Alex. There was no way she was going to just go to him first and put him in a potentially awkward position—especially if it was all for nothing. She didn’t mind giving up the guesthouse to her aunt and uncle, but if Summer didn’t mind having her in the house, then she’d rather do that. And if the rest of her cousins came in? Well, they’d deal with that when the time came.

  She looked at the yarn in her lap and sighed. If she moved in with Alex—even temporarily—it would mean outing her hobby. Not that she thought he’d judge, but it was still something that she kind of liked keeping to herself. It wasn’t hard to envision sitting in Alex’s living room with a fire going in the fireplace and sitting on one end of the sofa crocheting while he read and…

  Ugh…how had her sexy dreams of the two of them turned to domestic ones so fast?

  Across the room was the pile of clothes she planned to put into her weekender bag. It was getting to be a bit of a chore going back and forth. Still, it might be weird for her to just come out and ask him if she could stay—

  “Megan? Are you still there?”

  She laughed softly. “I’m here, Mom. Sorry. I just zoned out for a moment.”

  “Well, your aunt is planning to be there this weekend, so…you need to think about this and make it happen so it’s not awkward when everyone shows up.”

  “Trust me. I don’t believe I’ll be able to think of anything else,” she murmured as she put her crochet hook down and tried to think of how she was going to pack up all her stuff.

  * * *

  Alex’s legs were burning, he was sweating, and his heart was beating like mad.

  And it felt great.

  “What’s the matter, Rebat? Can’t handle a little bike ride?” Zach mocked as he sped past him.

  Laughing, Alex let the razz roll right off him. It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue, and he was getting in a ride on one of his favorite trails while Megan was out shopping with the girls.

  “Geez, Alex, if I can pass you, then you’re really off your game,” Ethan said as he pedaled by.

  Okay, that one hurt.

  With a renewed sense of purpose, he picked up the pace, and soon he was waving to Ethan and then Zach as he passed them. The burst of speed felt good, but he knew he was going to pay for it later. Images of spending some quality time in the hot tub came to mind, and then the image of Megan in there with him.

  Alex had already racked his bike on his car by the time Zach and then Ethan arrived. After some teasing, they headed to one of their favorite pubs for lunch. Zach and Ethan rode together, and Alex followed.

  Fifteen minutes later, they were seated in a booth and were grabbing at menus. “I don’t know why we even bother,” Ethan said. “We come here so much that we’ve memorized the damn thing. Why can’t we just give the order as soon as we sit down?”

  Zach laughed. “Because the one time we do that will be the time they’ve added something fantastic to the menu that we’d miss.”

  Alex looked at Ethan and grinned. “True story.”

  They each perused the menu, and when their server approached, they ordered. She looked at them and quirked a brow. “So…the same as usual?”

  “I told you,” Ethan murmured.

  “How are you doing, Alex?” she asked. Her name was Frannie, and she was young and cute, and there had been a time when Alex had been mildly interested. Nothing had ever come of it, but she always flirted.

  “Doing good, Frannie. How about you?”

  She gave him a sweet smile. “Can’t complain.” Then she paused. “Well…maybe I can. We haven’t seen much of you lately. Where’ve you been hiding out?”

  Alex could actually feel Zach’s glare.

  He gave her a charming yet bashful smile. “I’ve been showing my girlfriend all around Portland—doing the parks and hiking and that kind of thing.”

  Frannie’s smile fell a little. “She’s a lucky girl. I’ll have your drinks right out,” she said as she walked away.

  Before anyone else could speak, Alex looked directly at Zach. “Did I answer correctly?”

  Ethan burst out laughing. “Seriously, Zach. You should have seen your face!”

  “He’s dating my cousin and flirting with another woman right in front of me! What exactly did you want me to do?” Zach asked.

  “For starters, you can relax,” Alex replied. “And I wasn’t flirting with anyone. I was merely being polite to the woman who has the opportunity to spit on our food.”

  “Eww…” Ethan groaned. “Seriously, why would you even put that out there?”

  Zach started to speak, but Alex cut him off. “We’ve come here often enough that you’ve seen Frannie t
alk to me like that. This isn’t new information, and it’s not a big deal. I’m not looking for anyone else. I’m perfectly happy with Megan.”

  “Yeah, well—”

  “Here are your drinks, boys,” Frannie said with a slightly less enthusiastic smile. “Your burgers will be out shortly.”

  “You totally ruined her day,” Ethan said as he reached for his drink. “If she’s going to spit, I hope it’s only on yours.”

  “Nice,” Alex said and picked up his own beverage. Beside him, his phone beeped, and he looked down to see a new message from Megan. Smiling, he swiped the screen and found a picture of her holding up a red-lace bra.

  Alex: I hope you’re sharing this because you’re buying it

  Megan: I’m thinking about it :-)

  Alex: You should probably buy more than one

  Megan: ???

  Alex: One in every color they have

  Megan: That can be arranged

  Alex: Buy them now and meet me at my place ASAP!

  Megan: LOL!

  Alex: Go and buy pretty things and I’ll see you later

  Megan: Tell the guys I said hello

  When he looked up from the phone, he saw the smirks on their faces.

  “What? What’s so funny?”

  “So…we get mocked for talking about our wives and babies, but you can sit there with a goofy-ass grin on your face while texting Megan? How is that fair?” Ethan teased.

  “Maybe it wasn’t Megan,” he said and then instantly knew what was coming.

  Before he could stop him, Zach pulled the phone from his hands, looked at the screen, and then cursed, thrusting it back at Alex. “Dammit.”

  “Serves you right,” Alex said smugly, putting the phone screen-side down on the table beside him.

  “Oh, God. Were they sexting?” Ethan asked, a pained expression on his face. “Please tell me there were no pictures!”

  “Let’s just say…nothing and move on from this,” Zach said miserably. He took a steadying breath and let it out. “What are we going to do next weekend? Are you rescheduling your barbecue?”

  Alex shook his head. The plan he’d had to have them all over to his place had fallen through due to weather, and then Amber had a cold and Gabriella wasn’t feeling well, so they had yet to try again. “Megan’s been a good sport about doing all the outdoor excursions I’ve been taking her on. Next weekend she wants to see some museums and walk around the city.”