Page 38 of Breaking the Alpha
“I just got home and yes, I locked up,” she replied, stretching out on the sofa.“I had fun tonight.Zoe is planning her vacation route through North Carolina, so I spent the evening looking at maps and pretty pictures of scenery and hotel rooms on her phone.”
“Good.I—” Someone hollered behind him and he called back to them, his voice sounding strained.“Look, I need you to know that Windy Leigh showed up here tonight.I didn’t think she would since the divorce was finalized Thursday, but she did.”
Turning on the television, she scanned through her options for the evening.“Considering Jodie wanted you there schmoozing and getting photographed with everyone else there to schmooze and get photographed, I’m not surprised.Though I’m a little disappointed you haven’t sent me a bathing suit picture yet.”
He scoffed, but his tone didn’t lighten.“I’ll do it the moment we get off the phone.Promise.”The noise behind him softened.“Something went down between me and Windy Leigh, and pictures are already showing up on social media.Jodie is on it, making sure a few of the writers covering the gala get the story right, but…” He trailed off and cleared his throat.“Dammit, Angelina.Some of the pictures being posted look bad, but I swear on everything I am that nothing happened.”
Making her choice, she paused the opening theme song and frowned.“What do you mean ‘something went down’?Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.It’s just, I’m sorry.”He groaned in frustration, and she could visualize his hand running through his hair.“Windy Leigh texted me a few days ago, wanting to reconcile.She’s got it in her head that it would be a cash cow, so I should have figured she’d spin something.I was tripping over her all day.Every time I turned around she was right there, like she was trying to make it look like we were there together.The last thing I wanted was a public argument, so I ignored her.But when I was sitting around one of the bonfires on the beach tonight, she jumped me.Full on knocked me back and straddled me, which is what the photos posted up online are showing.The shots of me trying to get her off without touching her aren’t out there yet.Neither is the video of me losing my shit and hollering at her about the divorce.”
“River?”she said softly as his voice became gruffer and his words started to come out faster.“No harm, no foul, okay?I believe you.You did nothing wrong.And you don’t owe me anything.”
“That right there is as much a pile of bullshit as what Windy Leigh is pulling, Angelina,” he growled.“You and I may not be anything official, but we’re something.I don’t know what it is, but it’s there, and you fucking know it.”
Her heart pounded and it took her a moment until she could speak.“You’re right.We’re something,” she quietly agreed.
“Yeah, we fucking are,” he snarled.“And now there’s all these pictures of me and Windy Leigh looking like we’re back together and they’re all over the festival hashtag.It’s disrespectful to you and I’m fucking furious.”
She opened her search app to see the pictures for herself.“Who cares?Iknow you aren’t with her.Youknow you aren’t with her.I’m looking at the photos right now, and do you know what I see?Nothing.”When he responded with a grunt, she zoomed in on his expression in what some might think was a mighty damning picture.“Actually, I see a man I don’t recognize.Because the man in these pictures doesn’t look at me like this.Ever.The River I know looks at me as though hedoesn’tsee anyone else, not like he’drathersee anyone else.”
Chapter Fifteen
Angelina glanced atthe arrivals schedule as River’s plane changed fromen routetoarrivedand sent him a text.
I’ve been in the mood to do a little naked stick man drawing for two days.
Her phone rang almost immediately and she laughed when she answered and River didn’t even give her time to speak before he was growling into the phone.
“There better not be any completed stick man pictures in your kitchen when we get home.”
“None,” she replied with a smile.“I decided to wait until I had my preferred client on site.”
“Good.I’ll be by the luggage carousel in five minutes.”
It took an excruciating hour for River’s bag to appear.He was obviously tired, but he seemed as happy to see her as she was to see him.If anything, he seemed more determined to put a claim on her while they stood with dozens of other people while the luggage belt went round and round.He took her hand.Put his arm around her waist.Stayed tight to her side.
And although she still had reservations about how involved in River’s life she was willing to try to be, she loved feeling wanted by someone she wanted in return.
As she drove them toward Epson, she did her best to give River a stern look while his hands wandered between her thighs but she failed miserably when he leaned across the car console to kiss her shoulder.So instead of giving him a glare, she smiled.“Do you know what would suck more than your name trending on the DivorcingYouAndYourCounterfeitDollhouse hashtag?Crashing five minutes from home.”
Grinning, he planted one more kiss on her skin and straightened up in his seat.“Fine.But if we hit any red lights, I reserve the right to maul you for their duration.”
“Deal.”
At some point throughout the previous night, the rest of the photos and videos had surfaced.She’d woken to messages from Zoe who was, to say the least, more than a little amused at River’s rant while he extricated himself from his ex-wife, shirtless and growly and sexy as hell.
It took her a little mental steeling to watch the videos herself, uncertain if she wanted to see him lose his temper.But what she saw wasn’t what she expected.
The most thorough video started long before Windy Leigh entered the picture, scanning over River and dozens of others while they laughed and talked around a large fire.Windy Leigh’s appearance came out of nowhere, her slim body pouncing on him with a familiarity she had to ignore for her own peace of mind.
But River hadn’t hesitated.He scrambled back across the sand and pushed himself to his feet.His hands were intentionally kept far from her while he cursed in shock.As the surprise wore off, he launched into a controlled, snarling tirade reminding Windy Leigh of where their relationship—or lack thereof—stood before he stormed off, phone in hand.
By the time River’s plane touched down, #DivorcingYouAndYourCounterfeitDollhouse was all over social media with thousands of people chiming in with their own stories and commentary.Seeing him visibly relax when he descended the escalator and set eyes on her made everything better.But it wasn’t until they finally escaped the baggage claim and made the long walk to her car that the tension in his body melted away completely.
As she pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine, he reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear.“Thank you.”
“I like picking you up from the airport.It makes me feel like I’m in a movie.”
