“Hey, little man,” Alex says to Rico as he bends down to give him a high five.
Rico slaps his hand and then moves it lower, holding out his palm. “Down low,” he says.
I already know what he’s planning to do, and I laugh to myself as Alex goes to smack his palm.
Rico pulls it away and yells, “Too slow!”
“You’re such a punk,” I tell Rico.
He spins around and sticks his tongue out at me.
“Frederico,” Rosario says, shaking her head, “where are your manners? We have a guest in our home.” She hands the flowers to Rico. “Put these in a vase with water.” Then, she turns to Alex and places her palm flat on his back, “Welcome to our home, Alex.”
“Thank you for having me. I really appreciate you doing this for me.” He glances at me from under his brows. “For us.”
His words take me by surprise. I push my chair out from the table and join them in the living room. I care about him and hate that he’s hurting this much because of me, his face mirroring the way I feel on the inside.
The reporter from Sports Buzz, Kennedy, has been following him around for weeks. He hasn’t visited a single bar, strip club, or any of the old hangouts he used to be found at in the past. At first, I felt like a stalker by paying her to snoop on him, but I had to know that he was okay without me. Clearly, this breakup has been as hard on him as it has been on me, if not harder. I miss him every day and more so at night when I wake up, calling his name in my sleep.
After Rosario takes his coat, she walks into the dining room to fix our plates, leaving us with some privacy even though everyone can see us from where we are standing.
“Hi,” I mutter, my voice low. “How are you?”
He smiles, and it reaches up to his eyes that appear more gray than blue in this lighting. “Better now that I’m here with you. How have you been?”
“Okay, I guess. You don’t look good. You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”
He steps closer, our bodies only inches apart, and I can feel the heat radiating off him. Or maybe I’m burning up because being this close to Alex sets my skin on fire. We always had an intense sexual connection, but this time, my body is responding to him but not in a sexual way.
“I miss you, Charlotte,” he says, threading his fingers between mine.
I cannot move or speak. Opening my mouth, nothing comes out, and I am utterly speechless.
He continues, “I can’t—no, I don’t want to live without you. I need my coach back.”
The sadness in his eyes and the pain behind his words tear my heart to pieces. Caring for Alex and letting him go has been one of the hardest and most gut-wrenching times of my life. My life has been nothing but loss and constant mourning, and with Alex, I finally felt I could share that part of myself with another person.
“Alex”—I squeeze his hand tighter—“I miss you, too, but…” I jump when I hear a metal serving spoon hit a plate behind me, breaking my train of thought. “Why don’t you sit down? I need to eat, and you look like you could use a real meal. I know you can afford one, so what is your excuse?”
He laughs, and even as our fingers separate, they still touch as we walk toward our chairs. “I don’t have anyone to eat with. See, I used to have this feisty brunette to make dinner for, but that didn’t end so well.”
Feeling guilty, I bite down on my bottom lip, avoiding eye contact with Alex. This was not my decision. Mickey forced it upon me.
I had no idea Alex was taking this so bad. While it was and still is hard for me to let him go, I’d had a rough life, and it had taken me years to make something from nothing. Starting over is not an option.
Alex holds my chair for me as I take a seat next to Jamie and pushes me into the table. Stuffing the bread I left on my plate into my mouth, I take one giant bite and then nibble on each piece as Alex sits across from me, resting his forearms on the table and distracting me with his beautiful body.
How am I supposed to eat anywhere near him without drooling onto my dress?
This man is perfection with those smoldering gray-blue eyes that make my insides melt, his big, strong hands that palmed my ass so many times I can practically feel them on my skin as he taps his fingers on the table, and his abs that scream lick me. His muscles flex beneath his fitted navy button-down shirt, and my mind wanders.
Dear Lord, save me. I’m not a religious person, but I feel as though I need to say a few prayers.
I have avoided him for this exact reason. But our connection was never just sexual. Our emotional bond is what fueled most of our relationship. And that was what I was afraid of most. That he would find a way to use that to get me back. As much as I want him, I can only hope that he will find someone else and forget about me. But I will never forget Alex. Very few people have made an imprint on me, and Alex Parker, unfortunately, is one of them.
“This is delicious,” Alex says. His eyes are focused on me as he chews his food and swallows before he runs his tongue along his lips. “I’m looking forward to dessert.”
My mouth opens wide, and I am a little surprised that Alex has decided to do this to me while we are in the company of friends. But I also allow it to happen.