Page 13
brEN
Church had been fraught with tension; I didn’t stay long afterwards. With everything that had happened today, I need some time to unwind and process. The tension headache I’d been sporting ever since the meeting this morning was slowly getting worse. I want to settle Lexi, have a bath, and sleep.
Aside from the new drama and danger, I need time to process what was happening between Alec and me. It would be so easy to give in and follow my heart, which I could admit had always belonged to him and probably always would. My heart might know what it wanted, but my head was still struggling with the trust aspect of being in a relationship with him.
Saying goodnight to my family, I search the open bar area for him. Seeing him talking and laughing with Sam and Ben eases something in me. I’d felt guilty at the friction between him and Sam, but in a way, it had been good for Sam too. He’d grown and matured in the last year. One thing for sure is that having your heart broken certainly made you take stock and make changes to your life. I walk over to them so that I can let Alec know I’m leaving. I’d promised to start making changes and this was one of them, letting him know where his daughter was.
As if he could feel me approach, Alec’s gaze met mine, his brow wrinkled slightly, and I wonder what he was frowning about. He straightens from where he’d been leaning against the bar. “You’ve got a headache,” he states as soon as I’m within hearing distance.
My eyes widen with surprise, wondering how he’d known. “I do,” I agree.
Setting his beer on the bar, he reaches for Lexi and takes her from me, cradling her against his chest. He wraps his free hand around my neck, massaging the tense muscles. “Come on, let’s go home. You can have a bath, and I’ll sort Lexi out. If there’s enough milk, I’ll get up with her tonight.”
Biting back the moan that wants to break free as his hand moves to the tense muscles in my shoulder, I let my forehead fall against his chest as I relax against him, “That feels good.”
There’s a light touch on the crown of my head. His hand drops from my neck and wraps around my waist, nudging me he orders, “Come on, babe, let’s go.”
Tilting my head back so that I can see his face, I tell him, “You can stay if you want.”
“Nah, I’m good. I’m ready to leave.”
Pushing away from him, a yawn catches me by surprise, making my brothers and Alec laugh. “Sorry,” I mutter, waving at my brothers, “Night guys.”
“Night, Bren.”
Turning, together we walk out of the clubhouse. Not saying anything to each other, but the silence isn’t uncomfortable. When we get to our wing, Alec pushes me towards the bathroom with the large corner bath, “Go take a bath, Bren. I’ll sort Lexi. Do you need anything?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “No, I’m good.” Standing on tiptoe, I kiss Lexi’s cheek before walking to my room to get my pyjamas. Before long, I’m sinking into hot water and sighing happily as tension slowly leaches from my body. I hadn’t realised just how tense I’d been until this minute. I’d left the door cracked open so I could hear if Alec called for me. It was comforting to hear him murmuring to Lexi as he changed her and got her ready for bed. Closing my eyes, I let the stress of the day melt away. It seemed like I’d just closed my eyes when there was a knock on the door of the bathroom, and Alec was calling my name.
“Bren, are you okay?” he asks, concern in his tone.
It’s then that I realise the water is cold. “I’m fine,” I assure him. “I must have fallen asleep; I’ll be out shortly.”
“Let me know when you’re out so I don’t worry you’ve drowned,” he instructs.
Laughing, I reply, “I’ll let you know.”
Finishing my now cold bath, I get out and get dressed in one of my many silk pyjama sets. I love them; they always feel so good against my skin.
Letting the water out of the bath, I gather my things for the walk back to my room. I’m not even out the door when I stop; sitting propped up against the hallway wall is Alec, eyes closed.
“What are you doing?”
His eyes pop open, “Waiting for you. I was worried you’d fall asleep again.”
“Instead, you fell asleep,” I snigger; it was a little funny. Alec smiles a sheepish smile, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck like he did when he was worried or embarrassed.
“Yeah, I did. Wouldn’t have been much help, would I?” he mutters sheepishly.
Still laughing, I walk past him to my bedroom, smiling when he mumbles, “Killing me with those pyjamas.”
Looking over my shoulder, I ask innocently, “Did you say something?”
“Nope,” he shakes his head in denial.
Biting my lip to stop the smile that’s threatening to break free, I walk into my room but leave the door open. It was fun torturing him, wish I’d thought of it before. ‘If it wasn’t for this headache, I’d enjoy it a lot more,’ I thought, rubbing at my neck.
A groan leaves me as strong fingers knock my hand away and dig deep into the muscles of my shoulders. My head falls forward, giving him better access.
“That’s good,” I whimper slightly as he presses down on a knot.
“Jesus, Bren, you own one of the best therapy businesses in the county. Why haven’t you been for a massage?”
“No time,” I let out another moan as he finds another knot and then whimper as he takes his hands away.
“I’m not finished,” he laughs. “Where’s your muscle-relaxing stuff you brought out last week?”
Tilting my head towards the chest of drawers in the corner of my room, I say, “Over there.”
Pushing me gently towards the bed, he orders, “Go lie down.”
I don’t argue; my head is pounding, and I know from experience that taking tablets won’t work. The only thing that does is to relax the muscles in my shoulders, neck, and face.
Pushing my pillows from the bed, I lie down.
“I’m moving your straps down your arms, Bren,” Alec warns, pushing them down and off my shoulders, and then his hands are on me. I groan as he hits a particularly bad knot and then relax as he slowly works the knot. As the tension slowly leaches out of me and I sink lower in the bed, my body decides to wake up, and I can’t lie to myself—having his hands on me is making me incredibly turned on. By the time he finishes, or at least I think he is because he moves away, I open my eyes when the bed moves. I turn my head to see him settling back against the headboard. Patting his leg, he says, “Come, let me rub your head and face. I remember what you showed Ben.”
Surprised, I sit up and turn, lying back down with my head on Alec’s lap. Tilting my head back, I look at him, “You remember?”
“Of course I do,” he replies, taking the tie from my hair and running his fingers through it, before digging deep and massaging my skull. I whimper slightly at the tenderness of my head, and he instantly lightens his touch. “Sorry,” he mutters.
“Don’t apologise; this is amazing and my head is feeling ten times better. I can’t believe you remember me showing Ben how to do this.”
He’s silent for a while but doesn’t stop running his fingers through my hair and pressing down on the pressure points I’d shown Ben all those years ago. “I keep telling you, Bren, I noticed more about you than you think.”
A smile tugs at my lips and a flush of happiness flows through me. Neither of us says anything as he moves to my face and massages it. It’s not long before I feel myself drifting off. I didn’t intend to fall asleep, but it felt so good to be cared for and wanted.
My room is dark when I wake to Lexi’s whimpers; there is an unfamiliar heavy weight thrown over my waist, and for a second, I wonder who it is. Then Alec speaks huskily in my ear, “Sorry, Bren, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’ll go and feed her.”
Lifting his arm from me, Alec gets up out of the bed. “Alec,” I call out softly. He turns towards me with sleepy eyes, and I have to smile at his hair sticking up all over the place. “Bring her here; I’ll feed her.”
He nods and leaves the room; I can hear him changing Lexi, and then he’s back and handing Lexi to me. Taking her, I get comfortable before putting her to my breast. “You can stay,” I say just as Alec gets to the door. He stiffens in surprise, asking, slightly disbelieving in his tone, “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I reply, patting the bed where he’d been asleep not ten minutes ago.
Alec gets back into bed and turns on his side, watching us. I’d love to know what he’s thinking, but it’s been a peaceful night, and I don’t want to mess it up.
“How’s your head?” he asks quietly.
Smiling, I turn my head towards him, “It’s fine. If you ever get tired of being a mechanic, I’ll hire you at the spa; you’d be very popular with the ladies.”
Alec snorts, “No thanks. Besides, the only woman I want my hands on let me touch her tonight for the first time in months. I don’t want to touch anyone else.”
Not saying anything, I give him a small smile when he says those words, and I realise that he may have shattered my heart with his carelessness, but now he was slowly putting it back together again, a sliver at a time.