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Reasoning returns as we enter the house. How was Alec supposed to introduce me? We are definitely not dating, so he cannot introduce me as his girlfriend, and he can’t call me his lover in public. There’s a sting to being introduced as a ‘friend,’ but really there is no word for our relationship.
I’m soon distracted by the sheer size and opulence of the house. It’s one thing to see such homes on TV and in magazines but seeing one in person is astonishing. Alec leads the way through the foyer, and as we move deeper into the house, voices waft through the vast spaces.
We enter a living room, but somehow that word seems wrong to describe the tastefully furnished, comfortable room. It’s a room designed to relax with thick rugs on the floor, a massive fireplace, and inviting sofas.
I’m relieved to see Alec’s brothers, especially Dylan.
Alec’s mother stands up and comes toward us with a smile. She goes to Alec and offers him her cheek to kiss. Then she turns to me and gives me a tight little smile. “Ivy.”
My heart skips a beat, and I know immediately that coming here has been a mistake. “Hello, Dr. Anderson.”
“Please call me Judy,” she says.
Alec’s father shakes hands with us, and from him, I don’t sense any animosity. Dylan hugs me, as does Jace, and then we all sit down. I discreetly rub my palms over my dress to dry them.
Judy offers us drinks, and Alec pours glasses of water for us both.
“I heard from the grapevine that you have a difficult surgery case coming up,” Judy says to Alec.
“The tubal infertility one?” he asks, and they discuss the procedure.
For the next twenty minutes, they discuss that procedure, and from the looks that Judy flashes me, I figure that she’s enjoying making me feel left out. Alec and his brothers each try to move the discussion to another topic, but she deftly moves it back to tubal infertility.
I find it fascinating, and I ask a few questions which irritate Judy to no end. It’s not a deliberate move on my part. I find medicine fascinating, and I’m always on the lookout for snippets of information to put in my book.
After a moment, Judy stands up and invites us all to the dining room for dinner. We troop after her into a room as large as my house. The table can easily sit twenty people comfortably.
We occupy one end of it with Alec’s father seated at the head of the table, Judy on his right side, and the rest of us spread out on both sides. Dinner is the grandest affair I’ve ever had in a private home. By the time we get to the third course, I’m already full, and I wave away dessert.
Throughout dinner, I do more listening than talking. I’m not, however, blind to the fact that Alec’s parents ignore me. Judy doesn’t speak to me at all throughout dinner, and she doesn’t meet my gaze. It stings. No, it hurts. The food tastes like wood. I should have followed my instincts and refused to come for dinner.
But this gives me a chance to listen to and study them as a family. The gap is too wide. They are too posh. Too rich. I don’t belong, and Judy wants to make sure that I see it. She doesn’t regret offering me money for my baby. That would have been the ideal solution for her.
Alec must realize what his mother is doing because he’s extra sweet to me. He touches me unnecessarily and keeps checking on me. It’s sweet, and it does melt my heart.
Dylan and Jace also smile at me every so often and try to include me in the conversation, but I’m okay to be on the sidelines now that I know what their mother is up to. Their father seems to follow his wife’s cue. He, too, behaves as though I’m part of the furniture. By the time dinner is over, Judy’s antics don’t bother me at all, but I’m definitely ready to leave.
“Won’t you stay for drinks?” Judy asks me sweetly, addressing me for the first time in an hour and a half.
“I’m really tired but thank you for dinner.”
I feel as though I’ve been reborn when I step out of that house. I breathe in deeply and lift my arms to embrace the fresh air.
Alec glances at me with amusement. “Did you need to stretch that badly?”
I smile back but say nothing. I’m just happy to be out of that stifling atmosphere. Alec opens the car door for me, and as I move past him, our bodies brush against each other, and my body immediately comes alive. When he enters the car, sexual energy swirls around us, and I’m super aware of every movement he makes. My body has a mind of its own, and right now, it’s craving Alec’s hands on me.
He starts the car, but instead of driving, he turns to me. “Do you want to continue where we left off at my place?”
Instant arousal consumes me. “I’d like that,” I manage to say.
Alec guns the car into reverse, and we are away from his parents’ home with a squeal of tires. We are both quiet on the drive. The drive to his place seems to take longer, but finally, we are there. He parks the car in the underground lot, and we make our way to the elevator.
My heart thumps furiously in my chest, even though this is not the first time Alec and I have gone home together for the same purpose. My body is flushed with heat, and I can’t wait to get to the privacy of his apartment.
The elevator door closes, and to my surprise and delight, Alec takes me into his arms and kisses me. I loop my arms around his neck and close my eyes as his tongue finds mine.
Heat pools between my legs, and when the elevator stops, I’m not sure my legs can support me. We draw apart, panting hard, and Alec takes my hand. He opens the door and doesn’t bother to turn on the lights. He takes me straight to his bedroom.
