Page 24 of Rock Hard
“Of course she does. We’re living the dream.”
“No, Rex,” Alice said on an exhale. “You’re livingyourdream. Carly doesn’t want this. She has her own goals and dreams.”
That generosity of spirit he had been feeling was fading swiftly, replaced by something else—growing anger. Why was she pushing his buttons? Couldn’t she see that he was trying to make this easier for her?
“She tell you that? Because she sure as fuck hasn’t said anything to me.”
“Have you ever asked her?” Alice asked softly.
He didn’t need to ask. The kid had everything she could possibly want. Clothes, money—anything she fucking wanted. What kid wouldn’t want that? He sure wished he’d had that when he was his daughter’s age while living in cars and shitholes and lurking outside restaurants to pilfer food tossed away at the end of the day.
“My kid’s just fine,” he said, anger now coloring his words. “And what the hell gives you the right to judge? You’re the one who walked away, Alice, not me.”
Pain etched her beautiful features. “You’re right; I did. But now I’m trying to make things right.”
Make things right? The only way things were going to be right was if Alice got her sweet little ass back here where she belonged.
“You want to make things right? Come back.”
“I can’t.”
Rex was standing now, too, his body as tight as his chest. “Why not?”
She looked away. She didn’t say the words, but he heard them just the same.Hewas the reason she wouldn’t come back.
His hands clenched into fists, the desire to lay waste to everything around him growing with each aching beat of his heart.
“You still with that panther?”
“Yes.”
Rex felt like he had just been gutted. Betrayed. Alice had chosen another. And now she wanted to take his cub.
“You want to help Carly? You do it here. Otherwise, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.”
Her swift intake of breath was clearly audible in the silence. When Alice nodded and turned to go, part of him wanted to leap forward, grab her, toss her over his shoulder, and refuse to let her leave. He didn’t. Instead, he watched her walk away and allowed Valerie to come in and wrap herself around him.
Alice paused and looked back. His acute lion vision caught a tear streaking down her cheek unchecked. He lifted his chin in challenge.
They stared at each other for a long moment before Valerie went to her knees in front of him. Rex closed his eyes and hissed, wishing he could be soothed so easily. When he pushed Valerie away and opened them again, Alice was gone.
