Page 94 of Set In Stone

“I don’t want you to catch a chill while we talk,” I explained. Kneeling in front of her with a pair of lace panties, I tapped her leg. “Stepin.”

Still silent, she did as I told her to. I slowly pulled the undergarment up her legs until it was in place. Turning her so that her back was to me, I pulled the towel from her body. As I stared at her naked back, my dick throbbed. Dressing her was extremely odd. I was accustomed to taking her clothes off, not putting them on. It killed me not to touch her, to keep my hands from running over her smooth curves and tight ass, but it was not the right time. She didn’t need seduction or dominance. She needed myhumility.

Reaching around her torso, I slipped each of her arms through the straps of her bra and secured the hooks at the back. After sliding a cream-colored wool sweater over her head, I turned her to face me once more so that she could step into a pair of jeans. Once I fastened the button at the waist, I bent to scoop her up behind the knees. Cradling her in my arms, I carried her out to the living room. I set her down on the sofa and went back into the bedroom to get ahairbrush.

When I sat down beside her and began to brush out her hair, she finallyspoke.

“Alex, what are youdoing?”

“Taking care of you and treating you like the angel you are to me. It’s how I should have been with you the other night when you came to me at theclub.”

“You were upset. I understand,” she said, although not veryconvincingly.

“No. There is no excuse for the way I behaved. I can’t begin to explain how sorry I am, angel. Everything you said to me that night was correct. My behavior wasweak.”

She looked down at her hands. She was fidgeting. As if noticing her nervous habit, she clamped her palms together and turned to look atme.

“Why haven’t you returned my calls?” she askedquietly.

I set the brush down on the coffee table and tried to formulate the words that would make herunderstand.

“You don’t know how bad I wanted to call you. To hear your voice. I took that time away to figure some things out. Dragging you through the gauntlet of hellish emotions I went through just wouldn’t have been fair to you, especially after the way I acted on Saturdaynight.”

“I could have helped you through it, Alex. I can’t help if you push me away. You don’t have to do thisalone.”

“Perhaps, but I felt like it was more important for me to get my head screwed on straight first. I didn’t want to risk hurting you again. It was like something dark triggered inside me. I can’t explain it, but it was very disturbing. The things I said to you…” I trailed off momentarily as a wave of shame and regret rolled through me. “I didn’t mean them. I can’t stand the thought of you not beingmine.”

Taking a chance, I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips lightly to her forehead. She didn’t push me away, but closed her eyes and seemed to melt into me. Leaning back, we both settled into the deep cushions of thecouch.

“I didn’t recognize who you were that night, Alex. It was like a stranger was saying those things to me. You did hurt me, but I know you were hurting more. I know why you went to the club and why you tried to push me away. Everything in your life is out of balance, and that’s the one place where you feel you can have total control. Yet, you failed to recognize one thing – me. All you had to do was talk tome.”

There was something in the tone of her voice. I couldn’t place it, but it made my heart hammer in mychest.

“What are youthinking?”

“I’m thinking that you feel like you have to deal with this mess all by yourself. You never let me in. In fact, you never really have. It makes me wonder if we can be a real husband and wife someday. It’s more than sex. Obsession. Desire. We have to be able to be friendstoo.”

It would have hurt less if she stabbed me in the chest with a knife. The pain on her face damn near destroyed me. I reached up to cup her cheek, my chest so tight it was hard tobreathe.

“I know that and I’m sorry, angel – so very sorry. I don’t know how to make this right. I love you and I need you. In fact, that’s the only thing I’ve been sure of these past few days. I’m nothing withoutyou.”

She stared back at me for a long while, her expression distant and untouchable, as if she were trying to hide the feelings she was trying to sortout.

“Where have you been for the past two and a half days?” she finallyasked.

I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I washolding.

“A lot of the time was spent with my mother and her doctors. I wanted to learn more about her and her condition, the prognosis and long-term care options. The rest of the time was spent with Hale and Justine. I’m pissed about what Hale did, about what Justine did. But I can understand it to an extent. This is my grandfather’s doing more than anything. Hale was stuck. His only mistake was that he didn’t tell me after my grandfatherpassed.”

“So, are you and Hale okaythen?”

“Samuel is going to be picking up some of Hale’s duties for a while. I need some distance from Hale right now. My relationship with him needs time to heal, angel. It’s not going to happen overnight and he understands that. At the very least, I didn’t fire him completely. He’s still in my employment. In fact, the ribbon cutting for Stone Arena is tomorrow. Hale and Justine are going to handle it. I’m not going toit.”

“Whynot?”

“I don’t know how to explain it, but I’m having a hard time with the idea of celebrating an arena that I only pushed for because of my grandfather. I don’t know what I think about him at the moment. It’s going to take a while to sort out my feelings about what hedid.”

She nodded herunderstanding.

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