Page 77 of Get Lost

Chapter Twenty-Nine

By the time the welcome lunch was completed, Alex’s guilt had consumed him. He’d behaved like a real asshole this morning, and not just the kind of asshole who liked to get a rise out of Kelsey, but the kind who wanted to hurt her.

Because hehadwanted to hurt her. Because she’d hurt him.

It wasn’t right, but that was the truth of it. She’d hurt him and he’d reacted.

Worst of all, he’d reacted to the situation without even letting her explain. He wasn’t proud of that fact and he certainly didn’t want to let things continue like they were. She hadn’t looked at him all morning. Literal hours had passed without even a glance, a peek at those big, brown eyes.

After lunch, Kelsey had disappeared without a word. When he’d finished cleaning up, and most of the group had gone their separate ways—the guys to the golf course and the women to their suites for massages—few guests remained, so he left them with access to the drinks and fresh bowls of homemade chips and salsa and he headed out to find Kelsey.

It was time to apologize. She was right to be pissed at him. He’d treated her like shit, basically called her a slut, then left her standing there with that dejected look on her face.

Alex had put a lot of looks on Kelsey’s face over the years.

Anger.

Indignance.

Frustration.

Lust…

But now he could addpainto the list, and he had to do whatever it took to rectify the massive mistake he’d made this morning. Because Kelsey meant far too much to him to leave things like they were. He at least had to apologize and let her decide what she wanted from him.

The best he could do was hope for forgiveness.

He walked the path between the villas, scanning for Kelsey as he headed back to their small villa on the end. He reached the path that bordered the beach, pausing at the sand to scan the shore.

“Allie!”

Alex groaned at the sound of Renee’s voice and that irksome nickname.

Where Kelsey hadn’t looked at him all damn morning, Renee had done nothingbutlook at him. She hadn’t taken her eyes off him since she arrived at the resort.

He slowly turned around, plastering a smile to his face for his ex-girlfriend. No matter what, she was the bride, and this was her big weekend. He had to keep that in mind so he could get through it as a chef—not a jilted lover—but looking at her stride toward him now with a look in her eyes that once upon a time made his heart soar and his cock swell, his stomach sank.

When she reached him, she pushed up onto her tiptoes and slipped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him. “Oh, Allie, I’d forgotten what a talented cook you were.” Her gaze flicked back and forth between his. “The lunch was amazing. You really outdid yourself to take care of me.”

Take care ofher?Alex pulled his lips into a fine line, then untangled Renee’s arms from around his neck and took a step back. “I’m glad you and yourfiancéenjoyed the meal.”

Frowning, Renee searched his gaze. “What’s wrong, Allie?”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Why not? You used to love it when I called you that.”

“No, Renee, I did not. I loved you, so I let it slide.”

Renee’s lips pursed, but then she stepped closer to him again. “I made a mistake, Alex.”

His eyes widened.What the fuck?

“Rudy told me Drew cheated on me all weekend in Vegas.”

Truthfully, both men had cheated on her all weekend in Vegas, but only one of them was her fiancé. And telling her the truth about Drew and Rudy would only hurt Renee. As much as he may have behaved like a jerk this morning, he wasn’t truly an asshole.

Renee looked like she might actually cry, but Alex couldn’t be sure. She was always so good at feigning emotion to manipulate a situation.

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