“Thanks.” I look back at Alex. “I still win, though,” I state, and she rolls her eyes and slaps my chest.
The almost-kiss is all but forgotten.
“You might have technically won, but you’restilla loser.Bam, burns like a bitch!” She licks the tip of her finger and presses it to my arm, then wipes her face, and I chuckle, scraping away the little bit of egg that remains on mine.
The women here all seem so different as I glance around. They’re from all walks of life. I guess I thought they’d all be the same type, but seeing them,actually seeing them,I am in awe.
Alex must have noticed me staring. She sighs and nudges my shoulder with hers. “It’s rude to stare, you know.”
“Not staring, just kinda in awe of them. Are they all going through a rough time?” I ask, and she looks around, half-smiling.
“Not all. Some were here when I was. Some are from before my time. Some are sponsors of the event. Some are family members. But everyone here is somehow connected to this place. Rosalie House is a breath of fresh air for many people. It’s a new way of life for these women. It’s a new beginning, and without this place, most of these women wouldn’t even be here…” She takes in a breath. “Probably me included.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and leaning in to kiss the top of her head. “All jokes aside, no bullshit, Alex, I’m so glad you made it through. This place is fantastic, and I’m going to doeverythingin my power to make sure it gets the recognition it deserves.”
Alex wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tightly. And just like that, something stirs. I can’t explain it, but I also don’t want to question it. It is a wonderful feeling, and it’s nice being held for once. So I take it all in before any more mayhem starts, because I know there’s more coming my way.
“Matt?”
I look down. “Mmm…”
“Thanks for coming.”
I lean in and kiss her head again, just as Nora walks up to us. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have another event… if you guys are interested?”
Chapter Fifteen
MATT
So far, the fundraising aspect is going really well. Already, a heap of money has been raised from the races between Alex and me. For every donation that’s won, the sponsors of the event double the amount raised.
After ring toss, sack races, donut-eating contests, and scarfing down far too much street food, it’s time for the final contest of the night, and it’s a partner race. All night, it’s been one-on-one between Alex and me. For this pairing, they thought it would be funny to put us together so we couldn’t be rivals and we’d have to be teammates. Everyone’s putting in a pile of money with the hopes of us winning the three-legged race as well.
Alex and I walk up to the start line, and a woman hands us our rope. I smirk, thinking of things I could do with a rope other than tie our legs together, then shake my head slightly, ridding my brain of such indecent thoughts. I shouldn’t be thinking about anything likethatin a place like this. The lack of sex is causing the kinky side of my brain to take over, but these women deserve better than that.
Pushing aside any thoughts of bondage, I look at Alex. She stares at me, then the rope, and swallows hard with a slight smirk. She bends to tie our legs together. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was having some kind of immoral thoughts, too, though I doubt it. There’s no way she’d be into kink with her trust issues.
Why are you thinking about sex with Alex?
Fuck! I need to get laid!
Clearing my throat as Alex ties the knots, I try my best not to think about anything kinky. I don’t need Alex looking up tosee a raging boner right in front of her eyes. As Alex looks up, I don’t miss her eyes sneakily glancing at my crotch as she makes her way to a standing position. She wobbles slightly as her body aligns right next to mine. I figure this will work best if we wrap our arms around each other and run together, so I wrap my arm around her shoulder, and she instinctively places her arm around my waist. It’s not lost on me that she fits into my side perfectly, like she’s meant to be there.
At this moment, I can’t help but think of my ten rules and how Alex not only breaks, but smashes most of them, and yet, somehow, we get along more than most of the women I seem to meet. It’s funny how someone can be the complete opposite of what you’re looking for, but be so in tune with everything you are.
If things had been a little different, maybe we could have been more than friends.
Maybe.
But then, is stepping out of the friend zone something you should ever really do?
Especially when you have such a great friendship like this.
Is it worth the risk of potentially losing that friend if it all goes south?
No… probably not.
Alex isn’t the girl I’m after. Her look, while I find it fucking sexy as hell, is not the image I’ve imagined on my arm. Her personality, while I love her, is all fight and fire. I want a calm girl, one who won’t sass me on everything. Alex is amazing, and as I look down at her, I see her greatness, and I know she’ll make someone very happy one day.
