by Jenika Snow
“I think I just want to go to bed.” They all stopped talking to each other and looked over at her.
“Honey, are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Her mother sniffed, and her dad gave her a tissue. Her throat was raw and tender, and when she lifted her hand and rubbed her neck her mom cried harder. Mary knew Lance had left a nasty handprint-sized bruise on her flesh.
“I’m fine, really.” Charges had been pressed, Lance was at the hospital, but would be facing jail time for assault and attempted rape, and she had Alex and her family beside her to give her support. “I really do just want to go to sleep.”
Alex led her out of the reception hall and to his truck. After they left the country club and went back to the hotel room, Mary sat on the edge of the bed. Alex dropped to his knees before her and rested his head in her lap. She speared her fingers through his hair, and was transfixed by the way the dark strands felt like silk. In this position he looked like a defeated man.
“I can’t even tell you the rage I felt when I saw you on the ground with him right behind you.” She didn’t answer, just kept running her fingers through his hair. “I wanted to kill him, Mary.” His voice was soft, but deadly. “I would have killed him, too.” He lifted his head, and the anguish on his face was tangible. “I also felt hopeless.”
“Alex.” She didn’t know what to say. The situation was fucked up. Lance gone, and she wanted to move forward. She didn’t want him running her life any more than he had, and she didn’t want him getting between her and Alex. He swallowed loudly.
They didn’t need to sit down and talk about their relationship. She wanted him. He wanted her. Nothing else mattered. He stood and wrapped his arms around her and pushed her gently down to the bed. She knew he meant to comfort her with his presence, but she wanted him to help her erase Lance’s touch.
“Help me forget, Alex.” He lifted his head and stared down at her. He was going to deny her, because she knew any decent man would think they were taking advantage of the situation, but she needed him to touch her, needed his smell all over her, and wanted his voice filling her ears. “I need you, only you. Please, help me get rid of the way he made me feel.”
“Baby.” He didn’t move for a few seconds, but then lowered his face to hers and kissed her softly. The rest, as they say, fell right into place.
Epilogue
Two years later
“Baby, where do you want me to put this one?” Alex stopped in the entryway of their new home, a big box in his arms, and sweat and dirt covering his face and bared arms. He had taken off his shirt an hour ago, and the way his muscles glistened from how hard he was working, and the fact his biceps looked like mountains of muscles, had every part of her warming. Never would she get tired of the sight of him. In fact, she felt the same butterflies in her belly around him as she had when she first saw him all those years ago. She was just as sweaty and dirty as he was, but had decided to take a small break on the sofa and stare out the bay window. The sight wasn’t all that gorgeous, just a row of small houses across the street and a few trees, but it was theirs. Saying that never got old.
“You mean the one that says ‘Kitchen’? I’m going to take a wild guess and say in the kitchen.” She smirked when he glowered. “I mean, I wrote where I wanted the boxes to go when I packed them up.” She started laughing at the blank look he gave her.
“You’re a smartass, and not funny might I add. I thought these were just old ass boxes with random writing on them. Shit.” He finally lost the sour look and grinned. He turned and disappeared, presumably into the kitchen. She rested her head back on the couch and watched as a squirrel ran across the telephone wires across the street. Their small, two bedroom house wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was perfect for them. After the whole situation with Lance, Alex had become so protective Mary had to sit down and talk with him, and explain that he couldn’t be there at all times, and that yes, she would be all right. It had taken a long time to convince him of that, and even that was only after he made her promise to take self-defense classes, and then proceeded to watch her do said classes. How could she be upset over the fact he just wanted to make sure she was okay? She had graduated last year with her Bachelor’s degree, but decided to go back for her Master’s. After Alex passed his Human Sexuality course, and thus passed his mid-terms two years ago, he finished out the football seasons and graduated with a degree in sports medicine. Now he worked in a rehab facility as a therapist for sports related injuries. She was so damn proud of him, and so proud of herself for rising above everything and moving forward with her life.
After the incident with Lance, it had opened her parents’ eyes. They had changed so much over the past couple of years, and she never thought it would happen, but they actually stated acting like human beings. They realized everything didn’t have to revolve around status and money. Margo was still Margo, but her sister called more often to just talk. Mary thought it had to do with her sister’s eyes being opened to the fact not everyone was who they seemed, and life really was too short to worry about the petty stuff. She hadn’t talked to Lance since the incident, but she had heard he served some jail time, which caused him a lot of problems with the university he attended, and this was a problem his father just couldn’t make go away like she was sure he had done for Lance in the past. Aside from that she hadn’t heard anything else about him, and didn’t care.
Alex came back into the living room and sat beside her on the couch. She wrinkled her nose. “You stink.” He nudged her shoulder with his.
“You think you smell like roses, buttercup?” He rested his head on the back of the couch and turned to look at her, grinning. “But I’d still do you, all day long.” He let his eyes dip to her breasts, ones that were barely restrained by her tank. He had scowled when she first put it on, but it was damn hot, and hell no was she going to move into their home covered from neck to ankle in clothes, which is probably what he would have preferred. “Did I tell you how hot you look?” She smacked him on the chest but grinned. “You do, even all sweaty. I have a major hard-on right now.”
“You’re such a pig.” He chuckled and leaned in, but she moved out of the way before he could touch her. “No way, you stink.”
“Aww, come here, baby. We can stink together.” He made a move to grab her, but she jumped off the couch and ran to the other side of it. “We’re both sweaty, so let’s get dirty together, Mary.” She squealed when he hopped over the back of the couch in one move and had her in his arms before she could make a getaway. “Gotcha.” He started kissing her throat, and she laughed harder. “Mmm, salty, yet strangely still sweet.” She turned so she faced him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
“I love you.” She felt him grin against her mouth.
“I know.” She broke the kiss and smacked him in the chest again. “I’m just teasing.” He kissed her forehead, on the tip of the nose, and finally reached her mouth. “I love you, too, Mary.” He lifted her off her feet and started carrying her through the house. “Time to christen the bedroom.” He walked into their room and shut the door behind him, and that was exactly what they did, over and over again.
The End
www.jenikasnow.com
Other Books by Jenika Snow:
www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Jenika-Snow.html
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Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
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