Page 10 of Sweet Surrender
“You haven’t been in Cherokee Springs.”
“I moved to Miami, with the hopes that if I took my wife closer to her family, things would work themselves out.”
“And they didn’t, I’m guessing.”
“No. They didn’t.”
“What happened to you? You were so in love with Jessica.”
“It takes two people in the marriage to be in love, putting in the hard work, and wanting to succeed, for it to work. When only one of those people are doing that, it’s doomed to fail.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s no biggie.”
“So, what are you still in construction?”
I cleared my throat, trying to eliminate the pride that always rose within me when I discussed my career.
“Yeah. I took my savings and invested in a small startup construction firm a few years back. Things kept growing, and Istarted getting projects here in Georgia, which led me to open another location here. I just relocated in October.”
“So, you’ve only been back what, six months?”
“Six months exactly. My COO is overseeing the operations in Miami.”
“That’s amazing, Judah. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“You must think that I’m a fool. I’ve worked so hard to build this company only to allow it to be used to make a fool out of me.”
“Baby girl, my brother was the fool for letting you get away. Business is business.”
“That’s just it; he didn’t let me get away. He broke up with me.”
“Well, that makes him an even bigger fool. I mean, I knew that nigga was a few cards short of a deck, but I didn’t realize he was dumb as hell.”
We laughed, and she scooped the last of her brownie onto her spoon.
“What was the reason you and Zack broke up, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked, referring to my brother, Issachar, by his nickname.
She lowered her head and muttered, “He said that I was emotionally distant and cold. That I didn’t have the emotional intelligence to maintain a serious relationship. He also might have said some things about my bedroom performance.”
My heart clenched in my chest. I wanted to go drag that nigga from his suite and beat the shit out of him.
I lifted her head again and wiped away a tiny dollop of whipped cream by her mouth. “I hope you didn’t believe him.”
“Haven’t had sex in two years,” she whispered, staring into my eyes.
I covered her lips with mine because I didn’t want to hear those words. Couldn’t believe my little brother had fucked over a woman so badly that he left her damaged and insecure.
My hand rested at the base of her neck, and I ran my fingers over the pulse point there repeatedly. I took delight in the fact that my touch seemed to be increasing the rate at which her pulse beat.
She was sweet and fruity like the champagne we had devoured earlier. Although she had only a couple of sips, it had saturated her mouth with explosive flavor.
Alex gripped my shirt collar between her fingers and tugged, pulling me closer. I wrapped my arms around her back and lifted her onto my lap. Settling down deeper into the couch, I caressed her back, taking my time with her. Although I wanted to taste and experience every part of her, my approach to handling her would be completely different than the one Issachar used.
When she came up for air, I asked, “Am I moving too fast, Alex?”
