Then he’ll take me to Blissful Brews for my shift, where he sits at a table in the corner to keep an eye on things, casting quick smiles in my direction whenever he notices me looking. Or if he has to go into the office, he’ll come by the cabin right after, and we’ll watch another cheesy science fiction movietogether while sharing whatever he brought for dinner.
I haven’t fallen asleep on him since that first night, which is both a disappointment and a relief. A relief because I don’t want him feeling obligated to stay until I wake up like he did before, not leaving the cabin until almost five in the morning. But a disappointment because I slept better that night than the three following, and I can't deny how good it felt to wake up with his arm around me.
Out of everything that’s happened recently, Alec’s the one part I’m not upset about.
Okay, that’s not true. I’m glad for his teammates and their partners, too. Everyone’s been really nice—not that I didn’t think they were nice before, but talking to them around town or at Blissful Brews isn’t the same as living right on the GMG property—and I’ve been enjoying getting to know them better.
But spending time with Alec? That’s the true silver lining in all of this.
I know it can’t go anywhere beyond friendship. I know that’s not what Alec’s looking for, even if I wanted it.
It’s not like I want a relationship, anyway. Not after Jason.
But if I wanted to date someone, it would be a man like Alec.
I laugh out loud at myself.
Who am I kidding? I wouldn’t want a manlikeAlec. I’d want Alec, full stop.
Thoughtful Alec, who makes the twenty-minute trip from Stowe to Bliss even when he doesn’t have to, just to visit me. Not only that, but he always takes the time to stop in town to pick up the food he thinks I’ll like best, like Mariano’s to-die-for lasagna or chocolate peanut butter pie from Decadent Delights.
Lovely Alec, who spent an hour working on my laptop the other night to make sure it’s one hundred percent secure, installing VPNs and three types of security so I can play my game safely.
Brave Alec, who thought nothing of diving into frigid water to rescue me.
And that’s not even taking into consideration how handsome he is. How sexy. How he makes parts of my body that have been stagnant for years come alive again in the most delicious of ways.
No, I’m not looking for a relationship. But if I were, Alec’s the only one I’d want.
Three quick knocks at the front door drag me out of my wistful fantasies. Even though I know it’s Alec, I can’t help the tiny bleat of surprise that escapes. Jolting at sudden noises is just one of the fun aftereffects of my two brushes with danger, along with nightmares and jumping at shadows.
As I hop up from the couch and head over to the door, the anxious voice in my head whispers,Maybe this isn’t a good idea. Maybe I should just stay at the cabin.Maybe Alec just invited me to be polite, and his friends would rather me not be there. Maybe?—
No. Stop it.
This insecure person isn’t who I want to be.
Just before I open the door, I search around for my confident side.
The side that says firmly,Alec wouldn’t have invited me if he didn’t want to. He said he wants me to go. He spends hours with me each day when he doesn’t have to. If he invited me, he meant it.
Clinging to those thoughts and not the annoying, doubting ones, I unlatch the three complicated locks on the door and yank it open, allowing my fizzy excitement to rise to the surface.
On the other side of the doorway, Alec beams at me. His eyes light with pleasure, crinkling at the corners. That tempting dimple to the side of his mouth deepens. “Hey, Haze. How’s it going?” His gaze flickers to my toes and back to my face. “You look really nice.”
A beat later, his smile turns sheepish. “Sorry. My sister always told me never to tell a woman she looksnice. Apparently, nice is equivalent to bad, in women’s terms?”
Some of the tension I’ve been carrying lifts away. I smile back at him. “I don’t know if it’sbad. But it’s not great, either.”
“Well.” Alec leans in to give me a quick hug. Hestarted doing that two nights ago, and now he’s taken to hugging me whenever he sees me.
Just a friendly hug, of course.
And if I use the time to appreciate how good he smells and how amazing his arms feel wrapped around me? Could any woman really blame me?
He steps back to give me another appraising look. “You look amazing. Is that better?”
My heart erupts into crazed flutters. Heat rushes to my cheeks. “You look pretty good too.”
