Until Cece (Happily Ever Alpha World)

He takes another drink of his tea, and I swallow thickly, my heart pounding at the sincerity in his words, tone, and expression. And then I realize….

“I get it,” I breathe, my brows lowering, and I look at my interlaced fingers. “All night last night, and all day today, I’ve asked myself over and over again if we’re starting this between us too quickly. If we should take it slow, ease into… an us. And over and over, I found myself throwing the idea out the window. I… I don’t want to take it slow with you, Win. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to be with you, and now that I can be, I see absolutely no reason to wait.” I tilt my head to the side then glance up to meet his eyes, which are dark with restrained desire. “A little voice tries to remind me that I need to be careful not to make the mistakes of my past, to not rush into a serious relationship with someone just so they can take care of me. But…” I shake my head, my brows furrowing with conviction. “I swear it’s not like that with you. I’m not wanting to rush this so I can be taken care of. I’ve proven I can take care of myself and my girls if I work my ass off. I’m just ready to finally be yours. And for you to finally be mine. Because I love you.”

And then he’s off the stool and stalking around the island. And the next thing I know, his bulging arms are caging me in, my lower back against the island as he towers over me. But I don’t cower. Not from Winston. Not like I would from Mike when he’d yell at me for not agreeing with the way I did something with the girls or as his perfect Stepford wife. No, I look up at him, my eyes portraying the fire I feel for this man, facing him head-on, my breaths sawing in and out of me, my breasts pressing into his abs. And I’m the one who lifts onto my toes and sucks his bottom lip between both of mine, letting it slide out of my mouth through my teeth, and I hear him growl.

I feel his erection against my belly, and I want nothing more than to take him to my room and show him exactly how little I want to wait to make this thing between us official. And I’m about to do just that, completely overcome by my love and lust for this man that I forget the girls are right upstairs, when suddenly my mom’s loudly sung “Hell-oo-ooo!” echoes from the front door.

My head whips in her direction, and Winston takes one slow step back from me, having just enough time to adjust himself to hide his erection in the waistband of his jeans before she comes around the corner and into the kitchen, Chaz behind her.

My face heats when her jaw drops, and I wonder what she sees when she stops in her tracks, Chaz nearly running her over.

“Well, well. What have we here?” She smirks. “I thought that was your truck out there.”

In this moment, two thoughts rush through my head. The first is the fact that my mom recognizes his truck because of the time he came to Talon’s to find me after the break-in. That was an ugly moment for her to witness, and I hate that that lives in her memory. But the second thought is the memory of last night, the beautiful, touching moment when she herself told me I shouldn’t fight my feelings for this man, who I love with every fiber of my being.

And it’s with that second thought in mind that I stand up straight and give her a genuine smile, deciding right then and there to be open and honest from this second on. “Mom, Chaz, this is Winston. Win, these are my parents.”

As Winston takes a step toward them with his hand outstretched, Chaz steps around my mom to grasp his hand first, and I can tell how tight the grip is by the color of his knuckles. “Winston. I trust, since you’re here, that everything is taken care of at the station.” Even though Win is taller than him by several inches, Chaz looks at him with his chin lifted in a way that says “I could still beat your ass, young man,” and I pull my lips between my teeth to keep from grinning.

“Yes, sir. Not only at the station, but also as far as the divorce papers go. Everything is signed and being expedited because of the… situation yesterday,” Win assures, and Chaz’s expression softens as he lets go of his hand, clapping Winston on his bicep as he nods.