Page 21 of Married Into Love

ChapterEight

Alec

I’d just ploppedthe vase full of lime green roses in the center of the table when Alessia stepped out of the bathroom. Room service had brought the flowers up for me when I asked the shop to leave them at the front desk. Since I hadn’t been sure what Alessia was going to be wearing when she joined me, it’d been a repeat of yesterday with me signing off and rolling the cart into the room myself. I’d discovered a newfound possessive streak when it came to my wife, and I’d decided to indulge it instead of ignoring myinstincts.

The same went for my previously unknown ability to be romantic. The only time I could remember buying flowers for someone other than my mom was a corsage for prom in high school. That was because it’d basically been required, and I hadn’t even been the one to pick it out. I’d never bothered to stick around long enough to have breakfast with any of the women I’d slept with in the past. And I sure as hell hadn’t bought one of them jewelry, let alone an engagement ring. Or two, if I wanted to be technicalaboutit.

But the smile on Alessia’s face when she spotted the vase was worth the effort...and the embarrassment at being just as pussy-whipped as I’d often accused my brother and friends ofbeing.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she rose up on her toes to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Green roses? I didn’t know they were athing.”

“Neither did I,” I chuckled. “The florist asked me what color I wanted, and the first one that came to mind was green. It shocked the hell out of me when she said okay, like it was a perfectly normal request she hears every day and not just for St. Patrick’s Day or some shitlikethat.”

“That’s Vegas for you,” she laughed as I helped her into herchair.

I’d already poured both of us a cup of coffee and set our food out. We dug into our meals, the conversation light until our plates were back on the cart and Alessia blurted out, “So…we had sex last night.” The instant the words were out of her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut and her cheeks turned bright pink. “Wow. You can’t accuse me of being smooth; that’sforsure.”

I reached out and squeezed her hand, wracking my brain for something to say that would put her at ease. "At least we waited until after we were married to have sex with each other. How many other couples cansaythat?”

Her eyes popped back open, and I flashed her a satisfied smirk. “I’m not sure if I want to smack that grin off your face, or kiss you until smiling is the last thing onyourmind.”

“Do I get a vote? Because I know which option I’d pick.” My gaze dropped to her lips, my cock hardening when her tongue darted out to wet thebottomone.

“Thatdepends.”

“Onwhat?”

I didn’t like the way her shoulders tensed and her eyes filled with trepidation. “Yesterday, you mentioned the private flight you’re supposed to take back to Chicago this afternoon. Are you still planning to be on it? Or are you thinking about sticking around Vegas a littlelonger?”

I needed to be closer to her for this conversation. Holding her hand wasn’t enough; not when it seemed like she was ready to bolt for the door. So I rose from my chair and tugged on her hand to make her stand up with me. Once she was on her feet, I led her over to the small sofa along the wall, underneath a row of windows overlooking the Strip. I sat down first, and then I pulled her onto my lap. “There we go. New rule; any serious conversations between us happen with us as close as wecanget.”

Her gaze darted over to the bed before she scanned my face. “The idea has merit, but I’m going to have to point out the obvious. As comfy as I am on your lap, this isn’t as close as we can get. Not when we’re alone in a hotel room with a big bed right overthere.”

All it took was the suggestion of us in that bed together for my cock to press against the zipper of the jeans I’d pulled over my boxers. “Correction. As close as we can get and still manage to talk without ripping each other’sclothesoff.”

“Good point,” shelaughed.

“You in my lap when we both have clothes on is about as close as I can manage.” I ground my hips upwards, letting her feel how hard she made me. “And not without needing to exert a fuck of a lot ofeffort.”

“Then I guess I should help you out and offer you some hints, in case you’ve already forgotten the question you’re supposed to be answering. Private plane. Chicago. Thisafternoon.”

“No flights for me. Not until you’re ready to get on the plane with me,” I promised. I only had three months to get her on one because I needed to be in Chicago for summer training camp in mid-September. If it took longer than that, I was screwed—and not in a good way. But a hell of a lot could happen in three months. Hell, Jason had managed to knock Cee-Cee up in less time than that. I should, at the very least, be able to talk my wife into staying married to me and moving to Chicago. That’s what I hoped,anyway.

“You can decide to stay in Vegas with me; just like that?” She shook her head, like it was impossible for her to believe. I nodded in response, and her eyeswidened.

“I already talked to Alison last night about keeping my room here longer than I’d initially planned,” I admitted. “She told me to stay for as long as Iwanted.”

Jason’s mom had also said something about a job at the hotel for Alessia if she wanted it, but I wasn’t ready to share that information with her. I wasn’t going to keep it from her forever, but I figured I could wait until she brought up the need to search for a job before I mentioned it. My hope was that it wouldn’t come down to that because she’d decide to move to Chicago with me and find one there instead. Or skip the job entirely if I knocked her up lastnight.

“Wow. You’re really planning to stick around.” She shifted in my lap and wrapped her arms around me, giving me asqueeze.

It was only a hug, but there was something about the action that struck me hard. Right in the chest. She’d shown her appreciation for the small things I’d done for her before—the breakfasts, dresses, bath, and flowers—but it felt like this meant more to her than anything else had. “You were worried about me leaving,weren’tyou?”

She nodded her head jerkily, burrowing into my embrace, and sniffled alittle.

I leaned deeper into the couch cushion and slid a finger under her chin to tilt her head back. Her green eyes were brimming with tears, and a couple had spilled down her cheeks. I swept them away with my thumbs and pressed my lips softly against hers. Although my cock was as hard as a steel pike between my legs, this kiss wasn’t intended as a prelude to sex. It was meant to offer comfort. To reinforce that I was there for her and wouldn’t have it anyotherway.

No matter the intent, the kiss quickly spiraled out of control. Our tongues tangled. Teeth nibbled. Hands caressed, finding their way underneath our shirts to stroke bare skin. By the time I lifted my head, we were both out of breath, our hearts racing in ourchests.

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