Page 4 of The Heiress Bride
I don’t know why I was holding out hope that Gabe would show up. We haven’t spoken in days. No texts. No phone calls. I know I’m being stubborn, but you know, sometimes a man just has to figure out what’s important to him, on his own time.
I can’t beg.I won’t.
Alex steps into the room, his big body filling the doorway, before I’m in his arms.
Clinging to his shoulders, I lift my lips to his. “I missed you.”
“You didn’t come home this morning,” he grouses, his hands circling my waist.
I’m not entirely sure where home is right now. My apartment, according to him, needs complete remediation. On the list of things that need my attention, it feels quite low.
He, on the other hand, is near the top. There’s a nice little platform there at the top of that list.
I shake my head a little, almost laughing at myself.
“What is it?”
“You’re right. I didn’t come home.” Because home isn’t my apartment or his apartment or the townhouse or even King’s sailboat. Home is wherever they happen to be. “But to be fair, we landed at three.”
His frown turns to a pout. I grin up at him, and he scoops me up, hands beneath my ass. I wrap my legs around him, my soul settling.
“Did you fix things with Gabe?” I murmur, needing details.
Alex goes still as a statue. He won’t meet my gaze.
My heart aches, and I squeeze him tight. “Talk to me,” I whisper.
“We’re working on it,” he says.
Cupping his cheeks between my hands, I force him to look at me. “Are you really?”
For the dozenth time this week, regret thrashes me. Worse. It fills every crevice. Where there was joy and pleasure, angst and fear reside.
“Yeah,” he says. “I saw him last night.”
“And?” I trail a thumb over his smooth cheek. “I don’t want to be a pest, but…”
“You’re not a pest.”
“I feel like?—”
He kisses me. Soft at first. A shut up and kiss me kiss. Normally, I wouldn’t mind at all. I don’t really. But I do want to get to the bottom of whatever this tiff is between the two best friends.
So I pry my lips away just as he turns and presses me against the wall. All those powerful muscles make me melt and lose my head.
“Let’s go shop—” King’s words stumble to a stop. “Morning, Alex.”
With a little growl, Alex lifts his head, drops a kiss to the tip of my nose, and then glances over his shoulder. “Morning.”
“Wildfire wanted me to take her shopping,” he supplies, fiddling with the collar of his shirt.
“Shopping?”
“Big day.”
Alex returns his attention to me. There’s so muchto catch each other up on. Does he feel it? The space between us? I don’t like it. A week ago, my world was clicking into place, and I was finally, finally figuring out where I belonged.
He takes a step back and lets me slide down the wall until my feet touch the floor.
