“Nothing to be sorry for, Ms. Alex.”
I chuckle and close her door before I jog around the SUV to the opposite side and slide into the seat next to her.
Alex leans close to my ear. “You’re a bad influence.”
“You like it.” I thread my fingers through hers. Thomas pulls out of the parking lot and heads towards my apartment. Alex rests her head on my shoulder andcloses her eyes. I will protect this woman with everything I have.
It doesn’t take long before we are pulling into the parking garage attached to my building since it’s only a few blocks away from Alex’s place. “Thanks, Thomas,” I say. “You can head home. We shouldn’t need you the rest of the night.”
“I’ll leave my phone on in case something pops up.” Thomas gets out of the vehicle and opens my door.
I pick up Alex’s duffle bag, climb out of the SUV, and pat Thomas’s shoulder. “What would we do without you?”
Thomas shrugs. “Probably nothing good.” He chuckles. “Have a good night and take care of your girl. I’ll be a call away if you need me.”
“Will do.” I open Alex’s door and take her hand. “Time to explore your new home.” I wink at her. “You can change whatever you want.”
Her giggle is music to my ears. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I barely decorate my own apartment.”
A nervous energy travels up my spine as we get to the elevator. I pull out the penthouse key and slide it into the slot so the button will take us all the way up. Alester and Ryder are the only ones with an extra key.
I should probably make Alex one now too.Well, that’s if she doesn’t freak out after seeing my place. My hands are getting clammy. It’s like I’m back in grade school, about to ask out a pretty girl. But it’s Alex, the girl of mydreams, and me worrying she’s going to leave after she sees a glimpse of my real life.
“This is a fancy apartment building. I’ve never seen an elevator require a key before, but it makes it a lot more secure than my building with no elevator or external lock,” she says.
I turn towards her and watch her trail a finger over the gold railing lining the inside. I choose to not say anything as the elevator dings and the doors slide open revealing a small entryway with another door. The marble flooring with gold lines woven throughout are a stark contrast to my black dress shoes and Alex’s fuzzy winter boots.
“Wow,” she whispers. A bead of sweat drips down my back as I unlock the front door.
“It’s just an apartment,” I try to reassure her as I swing the door open. She hesitantly steps through the doorway, shedding her coat and shoes, before wandering farther in. Her eyes are wide as she takes in the modern open concept living space. Gleaming black countertops line the kitchen with a white floor throughout with grey accents. I bought a large maroon couch to break up the dull colors and to hide spills when Ryder comes over with food.
I watch Alex wander through the kitchen and into the living room. She stops in front of the projector TV lining an entire wall in front of the couch.
“Say something,” I whisper behind her.
The silence is killing me. She spins towards me with asmirk. “The Edward Corporation must pay really well to set you up in this place.”
“It does okay. I didn’t want to opt for this building, but Ryder insisted.” The relief of her not yelling at me is consuming.
“Wait. Ryder lives with you?” She glances over her shoulder like he’s hiding behind her. I can’t help but laugh.
“God, no. But he and Alester do live on the next floor down…and he has a key. He sometimes pops in uninvited.” She nods, then nearly jumps out of her skin when the front door bangs open.
As if he was summoned, Ryder’s voice echoes through the main living area. “Yo! I brought pizza! Let’s watch the race.” Ryder walks through the entryway towards the living room where we are standing and stops. He’s in sweatpants and a sweater, his hair sticking in every direction. “Oh. Didn’t know you had company.” Ryder shakes off his confusion and continues towards us. “I have plenty of pizza, so don’t worry. I’ll just squeeze past you to my seat there.” I turn to the side, so he doesn’t dump the three boxes of firestone pizza he's barely keeping control of and watch as he plants himself in the center of the large sectional. He carefully places each box in their own spot on the table in front of him, then opens them all before taking a slice and settling back.
I run a hand through my hair. “Uh, Ryder. What are you doing here?”
I shoot Alex a sympathetic smile, but she just shrugs. She walks over to the boxes, picks out a slice, and settles in the far-left corner of the couch.
Ryder frowns at me and points at the screen where the dirt bike pre-races are happening. “It’s … race day. You want me to watch it alone?”
I sigh, caving like I always do when it comes to his sad eyes. I walk over to Alex and snuggle in close to her. “Fine. But after the race you’re going home.” Alex giggles then tries to hide behind her pizza when I look down at her. I bop her on the nose. “What are you giggling at?”
“Even she knows that’s ridiculous. We will be having a game night after the race,” Ryder says as he stares at the television, avoiding the daggers I’m shooting at him. I finally have Alex in my apartment and he wants to be a giant cock block. “I already texted Alester and told him to bring snacks.” He munches on his pizza, completely oblivious, so I launch a pillow at his face. His head rebounds, and he almost drops his slice of pizza. “Dude, not cool.” He finally looks at me. “Ew. What’s your problem?”
Alex laughs harder. “I think game night sounds fun.”
My eyes ping-pong between them. The sound of the front door swinging open locks in my fate.
