Page 120 of Stranger to Love

I let out a low chuckle, the sound vibrating in the quiet room. "You are an incredibly poor liar, princess."

Instead of moving to the armchair, I slid right back down the sofa, closing the distance between us in an instant. Before she could even attempt another bratty retort, I reached out, my hands catching her around the waist and practically hauling her straight across the cushions and onto my lap.

Alex let out a sharp gasp of surprise, but her hands instinctively found my shoulders, her fingers instantly knotting into my cashmere jumper. She melted against me in a heartbeat, her body betraying her defiance completely.

I leaned up, capturing her mouth in a deep, lingering kiss that tasted of her immediate, breathless surrender. When I finally pulled back just an inch, my thumbs traced the sharp line of her jaw, tilting her face so she had no choice but to meet my gaze.

"I like you needy," I whispered against her lips, my voice a dark, possessive purr. "Don't ever pretend to be otherwise.”

Chapter 27

Alex

The next few days drifted by in a strange, quiet blur. Dad was still working, his step a little lighter now that the fridge was full and the house felt secure. To my genuine surprise, Carrie actually went home for a night. She told me she had "administrative loose ends" to tie up at the university, but promised she’d be back by Christmas Eve.

She didn’t feel far away, though. Her presence lingered in every room. It was in the gourmet coffee I brewed in the morning, the clear picture on Mum’s TV, and the constant buzz of my phone. She checked in with clinical precision—messages during the day and low, private phone calls before bed that left me flushed and restless. Fuck, something about how her voice got so low as she wished me good night made me fucking twitch.

I was glad for the space, or at least I told myself I was. But by the second night, I found myself staring up at my bedroom ceiling, the silence of the house feeling heavy and wrong. Seriously, what the fuck? My mind whirred, trying to process the impossibility of the last week. Between hospital vigils and emotional breakdowns, I’d somehow managed to submit all my final coursework on time. Carrie had been a steel-trap focus for me, sitting at my small desk and marking my progress with a sharp eye while I worked, refusing to let me succumb to the stress. Thank fuck.

Now, it was finally Christmas Eve. Carrie was coming back today—not just to see me, but to spend the holiday with my family. The thought was fucking insane. We’d gone from a first date to being so tightly intertwined that I couldn’t remember where my life started and hers ended. And fuck, I craved her. I craved the weight of her hand on my neck and the way she made the world feel small and manageable.

My phone buzzed on the duvet, cutting through my thoughts. It was Mia. We’d been texting constantly; she was fucking terrified when I called out of work, and she’d been offering to bring over food and help with Mum every hour since.

I took a deep breath, trying to find my normal voice, and swiped to answer.

"Hey, Mia," I said, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"Alex! Thank fuck," Mia’s voice crackled through the line, sounding breathless and worried. "I’ve been waiting for you to pick up. How is your mum? How are you? I was going to drop by with some of those pastries you like, but I didn't want to intrude if... you know... she was there."

I could practically hear the curiosity dripping off her tongue. Mia knew Dr. Carter’s need to own every fucking room she was in, and as much as her and Mia sort of get on now, she knew Mia turning up to help would probably get her a few looks. She didn't know about the plasma TVs, the threats to buy the street, or the fact that I’d spent the last few nights being called princess by the most formidable woman in the city.

"Mum's doing much better, Mia. Honestly, it’s a fucking miracle," I said, my heart giving a little skip at the word. "And I'm... I'm okay. A bit overwhelmed, but okay."

"And Dr. Vixen?" Mia asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Is she still around, or was that just a 'hero for a day' kind of thing?"

I chuckled. “Well, she’s bought us two fucking plasmas, stocked the kitchen like a Michelin-star restaurant, and keeps threatening to buy the entire street if I complain any more.”

“Fuck me!” Mia laughed, her voice skyrocketing with excitement. "I knew she was going to be a sugar mama!"

"Shut up," I groaned.

"Absolutely not. You are living the dream, Lex. Shit, are you going to stop working? Is the woman going to start paying you for going down on her whenever she gives you a look?"

“Fucking hell, Mia,” I laughed, finally feeling lighter. I joked back, "You know she doesn’t need to pay me for that."

“True. You may as well get paid for something you love, Lex. Seriously though, I need updates. I'm living vicariously through you. Does she just buy things on a whim? What if you asked for something mental, would she just do it? Oh—and I need to know what she's like in bed. Oh- fuck, has she strapped you down and fucked you with a dildo yet?”

“Jesus fuck, Mia.” I rubbed my face, blushing furiously as the exact images she described flashed through my brain. No, we fucking hadn’t done anything like that. In fact, we haven't had sex for weeks while my entire world fucking combusted around me.

Mia’s laugh was loud and unapologetic through the speaker. "Oh, come on, Lex. Think about it. With that whole 'command and control' vibe she has? You should try calling her 'Mommy.' I bet she'd fucking love it.”

"Mia, stop," I snapped, but my voice lacked any real bite.

The idea made my stomach do a slow, dizzying roll. I’d never been into that scene—it felt a bit too fucking American, and 'Mummy' was somehow even worse—but the mental image of whispering that word against Dr. Carter’s skin while she had me pinned to the bed made me instinctively cross my legs. The friction sent a sharp, unwanted tingle straight to my core. Fuck, what was going on?

"You're fucking disgusting," I muttered, though my heart was suddenly racing.

"I'm a genius, you mean," Mia retorted, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Just imagine the look on her face. She’d probably buy you a fucking car just for saying it."