Valerie laid her hand flat against his chest. His heart pounded against it, and he knew she felt it. “I need to go make sure my dad doesn’t think he’s going to be up late reading.”
He put his hand over hers on his chest. “I need to talk to you. I’m not leaving until I do.”
“I already told you I’m not talking to you about Luke, especially my past with him.”
He stared at her, trying not to get worked up again. “And I already told you we will talk about Luke later. For now, what I need you to know is I wasn’t spying on you. I was having Bruce investigated. He’s been stalking you since before you met him. He’s the one that was spying on you.”
Her heated expression changed. Her lips parted, and she searched his eyes. “He’s been writing a journal of sorts. He wrote about the night you and Luke…” Alex didn’t even want to say it. She obviously tried to take in what he’d just told her regarding Bruce writing a journal about her, but he saw how uncomfortable the topic of her night with Luke made her. That irritated him. “I just needed you to know I wasn’t snooping into your past. I’m trying to find this guy. Romero knew someone who has the resources to look into this kind of stuff, so I hired him.”
“I don’t understand. He didn’t know me until I went out that night and met him.”
“He planned it, Z. I’ll explain it all later when you have more time. Right now I just need you to understand this: he’s the one that dug up all the stuff about you and Luke. He’s obsessed and extremely dangerous. I wouldn’t have these people watching you if I didn’t believe that.”
“But you can’t—”
Alex put his finger over her lips. “I can and I will.”
No more talking, what Alex wanted more than anything now, was to taste her again. If he had to go another night without her, he needed take advantage of the moment before anyone came looking for her. He cradled her face and devoured her mouth again, groaning in delight.
***
The phone rang early Friday morning. It was Alex.
“Hmm?”
“Morning, sweetheart, did I wake you?”
Valerie stretched. “Hmm, yeah, but I was planning on getting up early anyway.”
“Really? What are your plans?”
She sat up pulling her legs over the edge of the bed. “I need to raid my dad’s fridge and pantry. I’m cleaning house today. Gotta get some better eating habits for him. But I’m not going anywhere. The only thing I’ll probably leave for is to get him some groceries.”
“You coming home tonight?” He sounded hopeful.
Last night after she’d nagged her dad about not staying up too late reading, she called Alex back. She just couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said.
Since Alex was having trouble getting any sleep in his empty bed, he was happy to fill her in on all the details. Valerie was grateful he hadn’t brought up Luke again. But she had a feeling he was saving that for a face to face conversation. She wasn’t looking forward to it, and she still wasn’t even sure if she was willing to tell him everything. Even though he hadn’t intentionally set out to find out, now that he knew the details of that night were really none of his business.
When she first decided to stay with her dad for a few days, part of the reason was to get away from Alex. She was so hurt and upset with him for a moment there, she wasn’t sure if she’d be going back to his house at all. After last night’s talk, she knew she would, but it was too soon to leave her dad. As stubborn as that man was, she knew it would take a few more days to help him make the changes he needed to make. Norma was all for throwing out the bad stuff and stocking up on healthy food. She said she’d been trying forever but as usual, her dad’s stubbornness was too much.
“No, I really need to be here, Alex. At least through the weekend.”
She heard Alex sigh. “I hate waking up without you.”
“I hate waking up without you too, babe. But this is really important to me.”
As disappointed as Alex sounded, Valerie knew he would understand. She’d been glad to hear they were having another big wedding this weekend at the restaurant. It would keep Alex busy, making her feel less guilty. Knowing Alex, since she wouldn’t be there when he got home, he’d work late into tonight and be back at the restaurant early tomorrow morning.
“You think maybe you can come by the restaurant today so I can see you?”
“I don’t wanna leave my dad so soon, Alex. As it is, I really don’t want to go to the market, but I have to.”
“And you really think it’s necessary to watch him like a child?” Valerie was glad to hear a little humor in his tone.
“Yes I do. If he’s gonna behave like one, then he’ll be treated like one.” She heard him chuckle. “But you can come by tonight, like you did yesterday.”
“Oh, I was planning on that. No way am I going the whole day without seeing you.” He lowered his voice and murmured. “I just hoped maybe I could be near you… alone… before that.”
“Oh.” She knew what he meant by that. They’d found very creative ways to be alone in the past. Her body shivered just thinking about it.
“Yeah, Oh.” She could almost hear the smile in his tone. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We’ll make up for this later… I promise.”
How he could do things to her just with a simple change in his tone was beyond crazy. Once off the phone, she spent the morning digging through her father’s pantry as he sat having breakfast. Norma had made scrambled egg whites with turkey bacon, only two slices, some fruit and glass of prune juice for him.