Dying Forever (Waking Forever Book 3) (15 page)

The two women’s eyes met, and Alison was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to kiss the beautiful redhead. Swallowing the tightness in her throat, she managed to refocus her attention back to the conversation at hand. “Why?”

Bryce was silent for several seconds, her eyes fixed on Alison. “His beauty is a mask, a lie. He’s rotten and tainted inside from years of sin.”

Alison was surprised by how
adamant Bryce sounded. “Sin? I’m surprised you used that word.”

Bryce reached for the book, removing it from under a copy of
A Room with a View
. “I just mean the selfishness, the unchecked lust and greed.” Standing up, the woman looked down at Alison. “I don’t mean to assign a moral value to his actions, but he clearly thought only of himself and that hurt the people around him.”

Alison stood and faced Bryce, who
was looking intently at the book in her hand. “There wasn’t a right or wrong answer. I was curious, that’s all.”

Bryce looked
up, her brow furrowed, and Alison waited, thinking the woman was going to speak. But after a few awkward moments, Bryce laid the book back on the stack and walked to the sofa. “I’ve managed to get through a few movies since we first met.” Pointing to the cabinet the television sat on, Bryce picked up her glass of wine as she sat on the sofa. “They’re in there.”

Amazed at her friend’s ability to change conversation topics at will, Alison
scooted on her knees the few feet to the cabinet. “A few movies?” The two shelves inside the cabinet were lined with DVDs, barely leaving room for the DVD player itself.

“I bought some I haven’t had a chance to watch yet.” Bryce took a drink of her wine.

“
Cool Hand Luke
? Did you get this because of my referencing it the other day?” Alison pulled the DVD out and examined the case.

“Yes
.” Bryce said simply.

Alison pushed herself up to her feet, and carrying the DVD, walked back to the couch. “I should think of other ways to use that power.”

Bryce’s eyes narrowed. “What power?”

Sitting down next to the woman, Alison grinned. “The power of suggestion.”
The nearness of Bryce, and the coziness of the space, made Alison not want to leave the apartment. She had a rush of contentment at the idea of simply sitting with the woman and talking or watching a movie. She handed the DVD to an amused Bryce. “Would you be disappointed if we stayed in and watched a movie instead of going out?”

Bryce frowned. “You want to skip the bowling?”

Alison shrugged. “I kinda suck at it, and hanging here with you would be far less damaging to my ego than humiliating myself in public.”

“But it’s league night.” Bryce looked very serious, and then a gradual smile began to form on her full lips.

Alison teasingly nudged her shoulder. “I’ll pass on the pitchers of beer and overweight, middle aged guys in ill-fitting bowling shirts.”

Bryce laughed and reached for the DVD.
Their fingers touched as Bryce took the DVD case from Alison, who was reminded how cool the woman’s hands were, and how smooth they had felt the few times Bryce and she had touched. Bryce got up and inserted the DVD, after pressing several buttons on the remote. Alison was thrilled when Bryce sat back down next to her and not at the opposite end of the sofa.

“Would you like some popcorn?” Bryce’s eyes were focused on the screen as she spoke.

“Not now. Maybe later.” Alison settled in, resting her glass of wine on her knee.

As much as Alison enjoyed most anything Paul Newman was in, particularly a young Paul Newman, she was having
difficulty focusing on the film. She wondered if she had miscalculated the out-and-about option as Bryce’s leg was just a few inches from hers, and the tension in her chest from wanting to touch the woman to her left was growing uncomfortable.

In contrast to Alison’s nervousness, Bryce seemed engrossed in the film as she casually sipped from her wine.
This whole thing is entirely in my head. Tragic and desperate.

“Are you not enjoying the movie?
Should we have gone bowling after all?” Bryce interrupted Alison’s mini pity party.

Realizing she must have been sitting there with a scowl on her face, Alison forced a smile. “I’m enjoying
it.”

Bryce frowned and shifted so she was facing Alison on the couch. “You look unhappy. Have I done - or more than likely -
not
done something?”

Alison couldn’t help but grin at Bryce’s candor. “You’re fine.”

Bryce looked suspiciously at Alison as she put her wine down. “I don’t believe you.”

Alison’s eyes widened. She was fine with candor, but Bryce’s tone verged on accusatory. She could return the favor or actually tell the woman the truth. “Pause the film
, please.”

Bryce reached for the remote to her left and hit the pause button. Putting the remote down, she turned her full attention to the anxious blonde next to her. “What’s wrong?”

Chewing nervously on the inside of her cheek, Alison took a deep breath. “I had really thought I was a better person than this. That I could be friends with you even though I’m really attracted to you.” Disappointment slapped Alison in the face as she watched Bryce visibly tense. Holding her hand up in front of her, Alison wanted to reassure the woman. “It’s fine. I’m not going to act the fool, but - I can’t be your friend. It doesn’t seem honest.”

Standing up, Alison walked to the kitchen and set her empty wine glass in the s
ink. She was angry with herself that she wasn’t able to strike a balance with Bryce between what she felt and what the redhead wanted. She needed to be alone to swim in the self-loathing. “I’m going to head out. Thank you for the wine.” Her frustration and embarrassment were pushing tears to the back of her eyes that she was trying desperately to abate. Bryce sitting silent and motionless on the sofa wasn’t helping Alison’s anxiety. “Right - so, I’ll see you around.”

She
was halfway to the door before Bryce stood up and walked around the sofa. Grabbing Alison’s hand, the woman turned her around so the two were facing each other. “I - I don’t want you to go.” Bryce’s voice was low, and her cool hand wrapped firmly around Alison’s. Before she could respond, Bryce had pulled her into a full on hug, her arms wrapping tightly around Alison’s waist and her face buried in the side of the stunned woman’s neck.

Once the initial shock of having Bryce’s body pressed to hers wore off, Alison managed to bring her arms up and wrap them around the woman’s shoulders. The coolness of Bryce’s skin was evident through her thin blouse, as was her intoxicating scent.

Bryce leaned back so she and Alison’s lips were inches apart. Her eyes were a vivid green as she looked intently at Alison. “Stay - please.”

Bringing her hand up to the smoothness of Bryce’s cheek, Alison closed the remaining space between them and kissed the woman. Tentative at first, Bryce tensed under Alison’s touch
; but seconds later, and to Alison’s delight, Bryce’s hand cupped the back of her neck, and the woman intensified the kiss.

At the first tentative touch of Bryce’s tongue to hers, a quiet moan escaped Alison. Her head was spinning as the sound of her drumming heart pulsed in her ears.
Then it stopped.

Nearly falling forward as Bryce took a sudden step away from her, Alison’s eyes fluttered open. “What’s - what’s wrong?”

Bryce turned her back to the confused woman, her shoulders tense. “Nothing. That - that was amazing. I just can’t go so fast.”

Alison thought she must be a complete harlot, because she felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace
. She wanted Bryce naked and under her on the sofa ten minutes ago. “Okay. We can take things slow.” She closed the space between her and Bryce, putting her hand on the beautiful woman’s surprisingly firm shoulder.

After a few seconds, Bryce turned around. “Thank you.” She reached for Alison’s hand and pulled the woman to her. “Everything you said about being attracted to me, I feel the same way about you.”

Unsure what the issue was if they both wanted to take the relationship to the next level, Alison suppressed the urge to question Bryce. Clearly, she would share whatever was causing her to hesitate in her own time, as she had eventually talked about other aspects of their relationship.

“I
can be incredibly patient.” Alison smiled as she tucked a loose strand of Bryce’s auburn hair behind her ear.

Bryce cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “
That word doesn’t come to mind when I think of you.”

Alison was poised to argue her point, but thought better of it
, knowing Bryce was right. “Thanks. What words do come to mind when you think of me?” She had used her most flirtatious tone and could tell from the grin on Bryce’s face it had worked.

Looking up at the ceiling, Bryce took her lower lip between her teeth. “Let me see. Funny, beautiful, then there’s smart, and kind - and - ”

Alison’s kiss cut Bryce’s litany of compliments off. In spite of the pleasure and warmth Bryce’s kiss sent shooting through her body, Alison
had
heard the woman’s concerns about how quickly she wanted to develop the physical aspect of their relationship, and because of that, Alison did one of the hardest things she had ever had to do.

Pulling back from Bryce,
she took a deep breath. “I’m going to go while I can still exercise free will.” She ran her thumb across Bryce’s full bottom lip. “Can we have dinner tomorrow night?”

Bryce nodded, her eyes fixed on Alison’s lips. “Yes.”

Forcing her feet to move, Alison took a step back toward the door. “I’ll text you details.”

Nodding
, Bryce reached around Alison and opened the door. “We didn’t finish the movie, but I’m not complaining.” The woman smiled broadly before leaning in and giving Alison a quick kiss on the lips.

Alison knew she was grinning like a fool, but couldn’t help herself. She hadn’t expected the evening to take the turn it had, but she was thrilled that Bryce and she were finally on the same page about their relationship
- even if they hadn’t agreed on how quickly they wanted to turn to the next page.

“I’ll see you late
r.” Alison hugged Bryce, feeling she would never get tired of being close to the beautiful woman.

Reluctantly turning away, Alison walked back toward her car.
Sliding into the driver’s seat she started the engine. After nearly five minutes of contemplation and judging herself for being sappy, she decided she needed one last kiss to tide her over. As she opened the car door, she heard several loud women’s voices echoing from the apartment complex breezeway across the street.

Unable to understand what the women were saying, Alison hesitated. She had to go through the walkway to get
back to Bryce’s apartment at the back of the complex, but the last thing she wanted was to be in the middle of a domestic altercation. Deciding to close the door, crack her window, and wait for the women to disperse, Alison leaned back in the driver’s seat and looked at her phone, thinking she would call Bryce instead. The battery icon was red and flipping the lid on the center console’s storage drawer, she remembered she had left her car charger in her mailbag.
Shit.

“
Do you have her or not?” A woman’s high pitched voice caused Alison to jump and turn her attention back to the apartment building. To her horror, she saw two women carrying an unconscious Bryce by the shoulders and feet.

Alison’s first instinct was to lunge from the car and demand to know what was going on. Her pragmatism kicked in as a third woman
wearing sunglasses and an unseasonably warm trench coat, her head wrapped in a black scarf, emerged from the walkway, and Alison took stock of how outnumbered she was. To her dismay, Alison recognized one of Bryce’s assailants.  The woman holding her feet was Christine from the parking garage and locker room.

None of what she was seeing made any sense to her, but she had to do something or risk
Bryce becoming a kidnapping statistic. Picking up her phone, Alison dialed 9-1-1 as the three women violently flung Bryce into the trunk of a black Lincoln Town Car. Alison gripped the steering wheel as shock and anger coursed through her.

“San Antonio 9-1-1
. What’s your emergency?” The operator’s voice had a nasal quality that tickled Alison’s ear when she spoke.

“My name is Alison Bailey
. I’m at 67 Cadence Street, and I am witnessing a kidnapping.” She took slow steady breaths, but her heart rate was ramping up as she watched the three women get in the car. She didn’t want them to leave with Bryce, but she didn’t have a way to stop them. Squinting, she tried to make out the car’s license plate, but it was too dark, and the plate wasn’t illuminated.

“Hello? Hello?” Alison pulled the phone away from her ear to find it had discharged.
Alison felt heat and panic building at the base of her neck as the car pulled away. Alison put her car in drive and, leaving her lights off, slowly pulled out of the parking space. Performing a U-turn, she waited until the car took a right onto Broadway before she turned her headlights on.