Take a Bow (The Perfect Plans Series Book 2) (32 page)

“I couldn’t do that if I tried,” he whispers huskily, setting me down on my feet against the wall before grabbing my face in his hands. His kiss is paralyzing.

I ache to touch him, to feel him again, but I can’t move. I’m lost in the dizzying, slow, erotic brushes of his tongue, the delicious taste of him. I want him. Need him.

Gravity twists at my spiraling haze as he pulls back to look into my eyes, his cradling of my forced gaze in his hands seemingly holding me upright. I brace my hands back against the wall in desperate search of support, afraid that if he let’s me go I’ll fall.

“God, I’ve missed you…” he grabs my hands, pinning them up in his hold, his lips crashing back to mine.

I moan into his kiss, my body arching against his, the erotic pull too strong for my will. I couldn’t fight it if I tried.

Releasing my hands, he grips my thighs to lift me, groaning as I wrap my legs around him, his arousal brushing my core in the movement. “Fuck, Aby,” he whispers, wrenching me against his erection with a repeated sensual, rolling grip of my ass.

“Oh, God,” I moan. The absence of his lips is too much, and I grab his nape to force the return of his tongue as he carries me effortlessly to the sofa. I grind into him, our bodies unlinking as he lays me down. I can’t get enough of him. My primal need to feel him inside me is savage at the hands of my drunken arousal. I’m drunk from the consumed alcohol. Drunk from the love I feel for this man.

My hands devour his strong back, reaching for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up in desperate need to feel his flesh. His assistance in leaning up to grab it from behind and pull it off gifts me with the delicious view of his incredible abs and chest, my fingers greedily consuming every ripple. The perfection of him is sinful.

I’m unable to contain my moans as he grinds into my core, my legs gripping him, begging for more as he glides my shirt up, bending to lick along the exposed flesh. He palms my breast through the lace cup of my bra, massaging it in his grip as his lips find mine once more.

“I’ve been thinking about this for two long weeks,” he mutters, moving to lick and nip along my neck, his words clipping the aura of my euphoric daze.

I’m suddenly falling, crashing down to earth, shattered reality rearing its ugly head. The image of him leaning into Julia’s ear, the flirty smile his whispers evoked flash repeatedly behind my closed eyes, forcing them open to escape the nightmare of what I’ve lost, only to see it head-on laying over me. “Why are you doing this?” the question escapes in my desperate plea to understand.

Confused pain fills his gaze as I attempt to push him off of me.

Tugging my shirt down into place, I sit up, my hands reflexively crossing my chest in protection of my heart. “I know about Julia,” the admission escapes on a whisper.

“What?” he pulls back to look into my eyes.

“I know you chose her.”

“
Chose
her?” his body recoils as though stung by the words. “Aby, there wasn’t a choice to make. You think that after everything that’s happened, knowing how I feel about
you
, that I...”

“Don’t…” I stand to distance myself from him. “I saw the pictures.” I shiver from the visual, from the pain of knowing that even after the choice she made, I lost him to her anyway. “You were holding her closely at your side, smiling at each other…” I look away from him, the images in my mind morphing into the reality of his presence before me.

“You see a few photos of Julia and I, and you draw the conclusion that we’re back together? Aby, that’s ridiculous.”

Ridiculous
? The word slaps me, his use of it reigniting the heat of my alcohol infused blood. “Oh, it was a lovely collage that led to said
conclusion
, particularly the one of you leaning into her ear - the smile she wore from the
sweet nothings
you were whispering may have sealed the deal.”

“And what is it that you think I was saying to her, exactly?” he asks, standing, gripping my arms gently to force my gaze.

“You left the door open for me to think anything my breaking heart wanted to.
Perception is everything
, right?” I bite.

“Jesus, Aby, how little do you think of me?” he searches my held gaze. “It was a peace offering - a negotiated agreement to save face with Julia and the agency before the announcement of my new publicist. Fuck,” he releases me, turning away, running his fingers through his tousled curls before retrieving and donning his shirt.

Feeling suddenly lightheaded, I turn to make my way back to the sofa.

“You
were
with Andrew,” his realization stops me in my tracks.

Oh, God
.

My ambiguous exaggeration of the silly, meaningless kiss jolts through my hazed memory, and I brace myself to face him. “It wasn’t like I made it out to be,” I cringe at the image I portrayed at the club, my body wracking with an extra shiver at the realization that he didn’t believe me at that moment - he would never believe I would do that to him.

“You thought I was with Julia, so you ran to
him
?” The pain in his gaze almost breaks me. “To get back at me?”

“No! It meant nothing.”

“It means something to me,” his body jerks as though I’ve stabbed him with the need to remind me. “Jesus, Aby, what the hell?” he turns to pace the room.

“I haven’t heard from you in two weeks! What did you expect me to think? The photos, the lack of contact…Alex, you didn’t even
try
to call me.”

Guilt flinches in a ripple through his body before he replies, “I
should
have called. I was wrong not to, but I thought I was protecting you from all the shit I was dealing with.”

“Protecting me?” I snicker. “From what? You making a choice between Julia and me? You know what? You’re right, I wouldn’t want to
deal with
that shit
with you.”

“I can’t believe you even thought there was a choice to be made, Aby! After everything we’ve been through,
now
there’s a question of trust? I’ve never once made you question my love for you.”

“You mean, up until the day you left me on the curb?” I question, seething despite his flinch of anger or pain - possibly both.

“Ironic, I know exactly how that feels,” he pauses to take a calming breath. “The difference is, I came back.”

“You’re right, you did come back. However, I remember very clearly how you weren’t able to confirm whether you did, or didn’t still love Julia.”

“Fuck, Aby. I didn’t know what I was saying that day…I could barely think straight. I was emotionally battered. And do you think I couldn’t see the hurt in your eyes? I was trying so hard not to pull you down with me. I was trying to protect you,” he searches my eyes. “Clearly, I failed, and for that I’m sorry,” he looks down, running his fingers through his hair. “My natural instinct was to protect…was yours to
hurt
when you went to Andrew?” his gaze rages a war between anger and pain.

“It wasn’t like that. It just happened. It was a kiss, just a stupid silly kiss...” my words trail off as I witness the pained twist in his gaze at the hands of the visual I’m unintentionally painting.

He can’t even look at me, his jaw clenching, his eyes closing on an intake of breath. “You have no fucking idea the hold you have on me. The last thing I ever thought, with all the shit that I was dealing with, was that you wouldn’t be there at the end.”

Oh my God. How did this get so twisted?
“Alex, I…”

“I have to get out of here before I lose it,” he turns to leave.

“Alex,” I call, chasing after him. He doesn’t turn to face me when I reach the door. “Please, try to understand, I thought we were over. I was hurting…there was alcohol involved,” I mumble the latter, not sure this is the best time to include my current, identical state. “I don’t know what else to say. It was a mistake. I thought…” I trail off.
What did he expect me to think?
“You left me, Alex…”

“You were always mine, Aby,” he spins on his heals, shaking his head. “A short break in time to deal with my shit doesn’t constitute leaving you.”

“A
break
? This isn’t a Goddamn sitcom. I thought I’d lost you!” I scream, my defenses taking over.

“Are you taking the piss right now?” he stares at me, the darkened blue hue of his irises permeating the anger in his eyes.

Having no idea what to say to that, I decide to hold my punches, folding my arms at my chest - undoubtedly pouting at the entire turn of events at the loose hand of lingering inebriation. My head is spinning. “How did all of this happen?” my thoughts come out on a whisper.

“Perception is everything right, Aby? You seem to like throwing that back in my face. And, since
you’re
so good at seeing the
real
picture,” his sarcasm is biting, “…allow me to enlighten you,” he continues through his clenched jaw. “Those
sweet nothings
that I whispered to Julia were my avid warnings that if she ever comes within five feet of you or I in the future, I’ll sue her ass faster than she can fucking blink.”

“Alex...” his name slips out on a quiet, shocked murmur, my arms falling in defeat to my sides.

Grabbing my nape, he bends to my ear, “The irony is brilliant don’t you think? If only I had known how little it would take for you to run to another man faster than
I
can fucking blink,” he adds on a whisper, before walking out the door.

Fear twists into defensive anger, and I grab the closing door to yell, “Perception my ass! You-
You
were an ass to presume and assume.”

He spins around at his car to face me in question, his jaw clenching.

“Two weeks without a word, Alex? Maybe you shouldn’t preach about something you so easily take for granted yourself,” I slam the door quickly, leaning against it, sliding to the floor.

“NEW BEGINNINGS ARE often disguised as painful endings.”

“What?”

“Oh, shit. Wrong quote. What do you want from me? I’m drunk, woman,” Stacey, fumbles with her phone, searching for this quote she swears will make me feel better. “What is the point of pinning the damn thing, if I can’t fucking find it when I need it! Ugh!” She tosses her phone down on the bed.

“How hard can it be?” I sit up to grab it. “You have so much shit in here. How many Pinterest Boards can one person have?”

“As many as I want. Oh! I have a quote for you, right off the top of my head! ‘Stupid is as stupid does’,” she shoves my cross-legged knee with her foot.

“Ha ha. What does that even mean, anyway? Wait…Are you referring to me, or Alex?”

“I’m thinking you’re both wearing the same shoe, pumpkin. And if the shoe, fits,” she shrugs.

“I thought you were looking for a quote to make me feel
better
?”

“The truth hurts, pookie, but it’s good for you. Besides, add that to the tequila you just threw up, and you’ll be feeling better any time now,” she flashes a playful smirk. “Unless you start crying again. Please don’t,” she pleads playfully, “Or at least wash the rest of your mascara off first. You’re starting to look like a Marilyn Manson video.”

“You suck,” I throw a pillow at her.

“Yes, and very well,” she winks. “And on that note, did you happen to stub your camel toe on his dick before the shit hit the fan?”

I grimace, throwing her glaring daggers. The thought of how easily and close we came to losing ourselves in our familiar tropical storm of passion jabs instantly between my legs - right before ricocheting up for a stab to my heart.

Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head, “I just don’t understand why you told him about Andrew.”

“It wasn’t me,” I scowl. “It was our friend, tequila, remember?”

“Riiiigggt…Whatever, Abs. You wanted to hurt him the way he hurt you.”

“The way I
thought
he hurt me,” I correct her, feeling the well of tears threaten to build once more.

“Yeah, that too,” she purses her lips.

“Why are you here, again?” I tease sardonically, attempting to waylay another cry-fest.

“Besides the fact that I’m getting married in less than two days?” her eyes bug out dramatically for effect. “Because you can’t live without me, my little tulip,” she blows me a kiss.

“Well,” I sigh, lying down beside her, “I guess I’m going to have to learn to.” I turn my head towards her, and we’re practically nose-to-nose.

“Why on earth would that mean you have to live without me?” she takes my hand, and for a moment we’re like kids again.

All for one and one for all.
Wait a minute
…

“You!” I twist onto my side, plunging an accusing finger in her face, “You told Alex where we were. That’s how he ended up at the club!”

“Get that thing outta my face,” she swats my hand away. “You’re damn right I did. He wouldn’t have asked where you were if he didn’t want to know - and I, for one, was more than curious as to why.”

“Well, you could have at least warned me,” I pout, turning onto my back, crossing my arms.

“How was I supposed to know he would fly over there faster than Superman? I thought I’d have a chance to tell you when you came back from dancing. I have to say, Abs, he looked pretty hot when he arrived looking for you. God, he looked like…”