“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” she shouted.
Fin winced. “Alex… I’m so sorry.” He tenderly touched the ruined sleeve. “That,” Fin raised his arm in a wide arc, “was a taste of my life.” His eyes looked so haunted.
Chapter9
Still Wednesday
Alex closedthe door to her duplex and headed to the bedroom. Felix greeted her, and she bent down and rubbed his head. “Hey, boy. How’s your evening been? I bet not nearly as confusing as mine.”
She pulled off her shoes and stripped off the dress, flinging it on the chair in the corner of her room as she moved into the bathroom. It wasn’t exactly how she had imagined the dress coming off this evening. She doubted the delicate lace sleeve could be fixed. She sighed as she turned on the hot water in the shower.
Fin hadn’t wanted to let the evening end on a sour note, asking her quietly to come to his suite so they could talk about what happened. When she’d balked, he’d suggested coming here where she felt comfortable. But she held firm. She needed time to process. Alone. Without his pheromones or her hormones getting in the way. They had parted with Alex saying she’d talk to him tomorrow.
She absentmindedly washed her face, then rotated around to let the soothing spray of hot water melt the tension in her shoulders and neck. What had gotten into her this week? She had determined long ago that relationships and her ambition didn’t mix. Her confidence, intelligence, and independence drew men to her. And those same characteristics that attracted them in the beginning later became the sticking points. She had been accused of loving her job more than him (maybe true), not needing him (definitely true), and cheating on him rather than working late (absolutely false). At some point, she had decided she didn’t have time for the drama. From that moment on, her interactions with men had been strictly casual, and the minute she sensed any sign of it getting serious, she bailed.
Of course, this approach meant the men she dated either had similar philosophies or they weren’t the caliber of man she would ever consider long-term. Unfortunately, casual often meant shallow, which resulted in Alex not dating much. A lack of social life made it easier to focus on work. And she had good friends in her life if she wanted a deeper connection.
When the hot water ran out, she finished up and dried off. As she got ready for bed, she thought about her mom. Debra James had been a beautiful, carefree, aspiring artist working on her fine arts degree when she’d met and fallen in love with Tom Tanner, a country boy from West Texas focused on animal science and agriculture. He’d been a senior and her, a freshman. When he’d graduated, she’d dropped out of school and followed him home to the ranch.
Mom still painted when the mood took her, but she spent the bulk of her time managing the household and assisting Dad with chores on the ranch. While Alex knew they were happy, she’d never understood why her mom had given up her life’s dream to follow someone else’s. Alex had decided at an early age she wouldnotbe like her mother and sacrifice everything for some boy.
Her thoughts drifted back to the present as she slipped into bed. Fin was a complete surprise. She genuinely liked him as a person. He was intelligent, kind, considerate of others, and not at all arrogant as you might expect of someone who seemed to have it all. Honestly, except for the fame complication, he ticked all the boxes of the man shemightbe interested in at some point in the far future. A point in time that wasn’t anywhere on her radar right now. She had too much to accomplish before she started to think of settling down. Or rather settling, as she thought of it.
And the fame part of it… Tonight was like a scene from a movie. It didn’t even feel real. What a nightmare. How could Fin live like that? He had said a few things over the last several days hinting that he struggled with it, but good lord, what if his life was like that all the time? She would not want to be a part of that world.
Alex pushed those thoughts away, determined to focus on tomorrow’s schedule, which she should have been paying more attention to anyway. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of deadlines and task lists floating in her head.
Fin satin despair in the car’s backseat. He replayed the evening over in his head, wondering how the press had found them so quickly.
“Mr. McAlister?” Blake interrupted his thoughts. “We’ve arrived at your hotel.”
Fin sighed and pulled himself together. “Thank you, Blake. Nice rescue back there. I appreciate your search and rescue capabilities more than you know.”
“No worries, sir. I hope Miss Tanner is okay.”
“Aye, I hope so too. Thanks again, mate.”
Fin closed the car door and made his way toward the hotel entrance. He’d like to have a drink before bed, but didn’t think he could manage a quiet moment alone in the hotel bar. He made his way to the elevator, ignoring the flutter of activity his presence caused in the lobby.
Once alone in his suite, he poured himself a whisky and thought about Blake’s last words. What was going through Alex’s head right now? They’d been so relaxed with each other. In fact, it had felt as if they were the only ones in the world. Things had been going well until the end, when they had been attacked. Attacked! Alex had literally had her dress ripped. Fin clenched his fists, thinking of someone putting hands on her.
“Feckin’ hackit dobbers,” he cursed. What the hell was he supposed to do about the press? He thought he’d recognized the photographer who had grabbed Alex. If he was correct, the man had worked for Miranda Cole before. Was this her doing? The photos Alex had mentioned on the Rally Up social media site had likely caught Cole’s eye. If so, it was easy to draw the conclusion that she’d put out feelers to all her bottom-feeding lackeys to be on the lookout for Finley McAlister in Houston. Anyone from the restaurant could have posted a photo on the Internet for the paparazzi to find and put them on the hunt.
He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Addie. “Bombarded by paparazzi on a dinner date. Suspect Cole’s minions. Lady friend’s dress ripped. Look into legal options? Talk tomorrow. Too tired tonight.”
He sipped his whisky and leaned his head back, picturing Alexis in that dress. When she’d first opened the door, his visceral physical reaction had taken him by surprise. The dress hugged her in all the right places, emphasizing her feminine shape and showing off those long, gorgeous legs of hers. The high heels she wore gave him a bit of a thrill as well. Her feet were rather delicate looking, with her toenails painted a surprising bright red. Alex didn’t exude a particularly feminine mystique, but these hints kept popping up and taking him by surprise. Like the lace on her dress. Who knew lace on a self-proclaimed tomboy would be so tantalizing?
His phone pinged, and he read Addie’s reply. “Fuckers. Will talk tomorrow.”
He appreciated Addie’s unceasing loyalty. Fin finished his whisky and tucked away all thoughts of Alex and the evening. He reached for his tablet and the new script, intending to lose himself in the story that had captivated his attention from the beginning.
Chapter10
Thursday
Alex glancedat her watch and noted she had thirty minutes before her first meeting of the day. She had arrived early to complete the PMO proposal for Frank’s approval. She never knew what kind of feedback to expect from her boss when sending items for review. His responses were either “Looks good” with no changes, or a total rewrite of multiple sections.We shall see what Mr. Lambert thinks of this one, she thought as she attached the document and clicked send.
Her phone vibrated, and she grew concerned when her mother’s picture popped up on the screen. “Hey, Mom,” she answered, “is everything okay? You don’t usually call during the day.”
