Текст книги "The Seduction of Alex Parker"

Автор книги: Sandi Lynn

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter 26

Emerson

I finished getting ready, and while I was waiting for Alex to return from his meeting, I poured myself a glass of wine and sat out on the balcony. Leaving Alex was probably going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done, but he’d be okay and so would I. Never stay in one place too long.

I had just stepped inside the room when the door opened and Alex walked in.

“How did your meeting go?”

“It went great. Are you ready?” He asked as he kissed my lips.

“Yes.”

“Great. Just give me a second to go change,” he spoke as he walked into the bedroom.

As we walked through the zoo, Alex had a smile on his face. He was enjoying seeing the animals and I found it to be quite a turn-on.

“OMG! It’s the lemurs. It’s King Julian!” I exclaimed.

“Who?” he asked.

I gave him a perplexed look. “King Julian. You know, from Madagascar?”

He slowly shook his head. “From what?”

“You have never seen Madagascar?” I asked in shock.

“I have no clue what Madagascar or King Julian is.”

I placed my hands on each side of his face. “You have lived a very deprived and boring life, Parker.”

He chuckled and hooked his arm around me.

After a fun day at the zoo, I was feeling pretty tired so I asked Alex if we could have dinner back in our room. Once we made it back, he handed me the room service menu and asked what I wanted while he poured us some wine.

“I want a pizza.”

“Pizza? You don’t want a nice steak, or maybe some fish?”

Climbing on the bed, I shook my head. “Nope. You order that for yourself if you want, but I’m having pizza.”

“Okay. Then we’ll both have pizza. What do you want on it?”

“Anything but anchovies. You pick.” I smiled.

“How about pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers?”

“Sounds good to me. Could you also order some of that lemon cheesecake I saw on the menu?”

“Of course.” He grinned.

He placed the order for dinner and I patted his side of the bed. He smiled as he sat down next to me.

“Don’t you think we should wait to have sex after the pizza comes? I would hate to be in the middle of it and there’s a knock on the door.”

“We aren’t having sex, Parker. We’re going to watch Madagascar.”

“Seriously?” His playful look turned serious.

“Yes. It’s such a cute movie. You need to let out the inner child in you. Now make yourself comfy.” I pointed the remote to the TV and searched for Madagascar on the pay channels.

We sat on the bed, our backs propped up against pillows while we ate pizza, drank wine, and laughed at Madagascar. Every time I looked over at Alex, I could tell he was enjoying it. I shoulder bumped him and he looked over at me.

“What?”

“You’re loving King Julian.” I smiled.

“Actually, the penguins are my favorite.”

“Yeah. They’re pretty cool but King Julian rules!”

“King Julian is great but I’m a sucker for the penguins.” He grinned.

When the movie was over, Alex noticed there was a second one.

“Rent the second one,” he spoke.

“Don’t you think we should get some sleep since we’re leaving in the morning?”

“Go ahead and lie down, then, but I’m going to watch the second movie.”

“And sex?” I asked as I ran my finger down his chest.

“Sex can wait, Emerson. The penguins can’t.”

I sighed. I think I had just created a Madagascar monster. I set my wine glass on the nightstand and rolled over, secretly smiling while I listened to him laugh as he watched Madagascar 2.

****

Alex

When we arrived home, I went up to my office and started to do some much needed work. I had been taking way too much time away from my company and, surprisingly, it didn’t fall apart. As I was sitting at my desk, the reality of Adam coming home this week set in and, suddenly, my mood changed. After a couple of hours, I went downstairs and saw Emerson doing laps in the pool.

“I’m going to the office for a while. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay. I’ll cook us dinner.”

I gave her a nod and drove myself to a bar instead of the office. I just needed to think over a couple of drinks and I couldn’t do that with Emerson in the house.

“What can I get you, friend?” the bartender named Alan asked.

“Scotch on the rocks. Make it a double.”

“Coming right up.”

He poured the scotch and set the glass down in front of me. I drank it faster than he set it down.

“Another,” I said.

“You okay, man? You slammed that pretty fast.”

“Actually, I’m not okay. The woman I’m in love with is going to be leaving California soon and I don’t think there’s a damn thing I can do to stop her.”

“Sorry to hear that. Have you told her that you love her?”

“Not yet, and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter. She hates it here. This place holds too many bad memories for her.”

He handed me another glass of scotch. “Maybe you can show her what the good memories used to be. Make her forget about the bad,” he spoke.

“She lost her parents and twin sister in an accident several years ago. She’ll never be able to forget that. Pour me another.” I threw a hundred-dollar bill on the counter.

“Nah. That would be hard to forget. I’m sorry, bro, but before that, there had to be good memories.”

I kept drinking and, before I knew it, Alan cut me off.

“Did you drive here?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, you aren’t driving home. Can I call someone for you?”

“No.”

“Then I’m calling you a cab.”

“No. Call Phillip. His number is in my phone.” I slid my phone to him.

About a half hour had passed, and as I laid my head down on the bar, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing, Parker?”

Lifting my head, I looked up to see Emerson standing next to me.

“I thought I told you to call Phillip?” I drunkenly spoke to Alan.

“He didn’t answer and she kept calling. You need to go home, friend, and sleep the alcohol off.”

“Let’s go, Alex.” She grabbed my arm and helped me up.

As I stumbled out the door, Emerson began to yell at me.

“I thought you were going to the office. I made this nice dinner for us. I sat there alone, waiting for you to come home, and you were sitting in this bar getting drunk. Why?”

I didn’t say a word as she shoved me into the passenger seat of Adam’s car.

“I swear to God, Parker, if you puke in this car, you’re buying Adam a new one.”

I moaned as I lay my head against the window and she drove me home. She opened the door and grabbed my arm.

“Come on. Give me a little help here, Parker. I may be strong, but I’m not strong enough to hold up your dumb drunk ass.”

“I’m going to be sick.”

“Not on me you’re not. You are to wait until we get into the house. If you throw up on me, you’re buying me all new clothes and I’ll make sure they’re high end designer and cost you thousands of dollars. No, make that millions.”

I stumbled through the door and she took me to the bathroom off the foyer.

“There. Now you can throw up, you stupid man.”

Once I was done, I sat up against the wall as she wiped my mouth with a wash cloth.

“Can you get up the stairs?” she asked in irritation.

I moaned as I fell over.

“I guess that’s a no.”

She helped me up and took me to her room, stripped me naked, and helped me into bed. As she climbed in next to me, the last words I remember her saying were, “Throw up on me and I’ll stab you in your sleep.” I silently smiled because her mouth never stopped and I loved it.

Chapter 27

Emerson

It was the end of the week and Adam was due home today. Alex and I never talked about that night he got drunk. He wouldn’t talk about it and had been irritable all week long. We didn’t have sex and I barely saw him. He reverted back to staying late at the office and when I would text him and ask when he was coming home, he would just reply “soon.”

I pulled out my map and laid it across my bed to make my plan for my next move. With Alex’s behavior, he was making it easier for me to leave. What happened to the man back in Napa and Seattle? Something went seriously wrong and I wanted to know what it was. The night he left and told me he was going to the office, nothing had happened, and I thought things were good between us. He was shutting me out again and it hurt me. It hurt me right down to the very core of my soul. I thought a lot about things and needed to put my mind to rest and concentrate on where I was going to go next. I still couldn’t help but be bothered that my money was almost gone. Something wasn’t right because I didn’t live to the extreme. I was very careful with what I spent.

As I was looking over my map, I glanced at my phone and it was seven p.m. Just as I diverted my eyes back to the map, my phone rang and it was Adam.

“Hey, Adam.”

“Hey, Em. I wanted to let you know that I’m on my way over. I should be there in about ten minutes. I can’t wait to see you, sis.”

“I can’t wait to see you either.”

I took in a deep breath and folded up my map. As I was on my way to the kitchen, the front door opened and Alex walked in.

“Impeccable timing, Parker,” I spoke as I continued walking.

“What do you mean?” He followed me into the kitchen and set his brief case down.

“Adam should be here in about ten minutes. Make sure to have a bottle of wine ready to pour for me. You and he will have to get your own.”

****

Alex

I’d been a real bastard to Emerson all week. The reason? I couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving. If I distanced myself from her and put everything we had done and been through behind us, it would be easier on me when she left. It was wrong, I know. But it was the way I dealt with things. I loved her so damn much and it was killing me to know that she wouldn’t be around much longer. I wanted to talk to her about that night, but I couldn’t. It was a lost cause. I would have confessed my feelings to her and been left there standing like an idiot. If she loved me, she would stay. Now, Adam was on his way over and I wasn’t sure how that was going to go. Since he never talked about his family, I would bet my life that his views were completely different from Emerson’s and there was going be a lot of arguing. I was glad I came home from the office early. This reunion was going to be interesting.

I went down to the wine cellar, grabbed a bottle of Pinot, and brought it upstairs.

“Here’s your bottle.”

“Thanks.” She smiled.

She took out the corkscrew and attempted to open the bottle. I noticed her hands were shaking. Placing my hands around hers, I spoke, “Let me open that for you.”

She let go of the bottle and reached up and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, dropping it to the floor.

“Fuck!” she yelled.

This wasn’t like her. “Emerson, don’t touch the glass. You’ll cut yourself.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll buy you another glass.”

“Fuck the glass. What is wrong with you?” I asked as I walked over to her. “Are you that nervous to talk to your brother?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I am. These conversations never go well with him. It’s the same thing over and over again, like a vicious, never-ending cycle.”

“Maybe this time will be different,” I spoke as I bent down to clean up the glass.

“Doubt it.”

The doorbell rang and she stiffened up. I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her head and gave her a hug before sending her into the war zone.

****

Emerson

I was happy to see my brother, but I was not looking forward to our conversation. The moment I saw him, I stood there for a moment as tears filled my eyes. It had been a long time.

“Hey, sis.” He smiled as he held out his arms.

I ran to him and hugged him tight. “It’s so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too. Look at you.” He slowly shook his head.

“Adam.” Alex walked over and shook his hand.

“Alex.” He smiled. “Thanks for looking after my sister.”

I studied the look on Alex’s face. He simply smiled and gave Adam a nod. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Bourbon would be great. Thank you.”

I led Adam into the living room and grabbed my glass of wine, taking a large sip.

“So how was Tennessee?” I asked with a smile.

“It was okay. I got the company up and running again with no problems.”

“Good.” I laid my head on his shoulder.

Alex handed Adam his drink and I couldn’t help but notice the way he stared at me and Alex.

“Have you decided where you’re going to settle?” he asked.

Wow. Let’s just cut right to the chase.

“No. I need to talk to you about the money situation first. I really don’t understand how it’s almost gone.”

“That’s because you were off on your own little adventure without a care in the world.”

I took in a deep breath because, suddenly, the air became a whole lot thicker.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Alex spoke as he began to walk away.

“PARKER, SIT!” I commanded in a harsh voice.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Sit down!” I pointed at the chair and glared at him.

He took a seat in the wing-backed chair and looked at Adam.

“You let her talk to you like that, man?”

Alex shrugged and Adam got up from the couch.

“So why don’t the two of you tell me what’s going on here.”

“Nothing,” Alex responded.

“Adam.” I tried my hold my composure. “You brought me back to talk about me and my, as you call them, ‘adventures.’ This is about me and you. Not about me and Alex.”

Adam gave me a stern look as he took a sip of his bourbon. His tone changed as he sat down next to me on the couch and took hold of my hands.

“Listen, Em. You spent the last eight years gallivanting around the world and now it’s time for you to settle down and make a place your home. You can’t keep going on like this. It isn’t healthy and it’s irresponsible.”

“Why is it irresponsible? Because I chose to see the world instead of being held up in a stuffy office working a 9-5 job that I hate?”

“I don’t hate my job. You’re living off our dead parents’ money, sis.”

“I’ve had a few jobs over the years. Hell, I worked at Billy’s ranch, for God sakes.”

“Who’s Billy?” he asked. “Oh wait, the bull rider.”

I tilted my head and narrowed my eye. “No. That was Austin in Montana.”

“You were in Montana?” Alex asked as he cocked his head.

I held my hand up to him.

“You never mentioned Montana,” he spoke.

“It wasn’t worth mentioning. Anyway, Billy was the cowboy from Texas.”

“That’s right. The most recent one. The reason you needed to leave Texas.”

I sighed as I got up from the couch and took my glass of wine with me.

“That money is mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it. You sure didn’t give me this much hell when I left in the first place.”

“You know why I didn’t?” Adam spoke with a raised voice. “Because I thought it was temporary. I didn’t think you’d be gone for eight fucking years!”

“I told you that I wasn’t coming back here!”

“You had everything going for you. You healed an arm that the doctor’s said you’d probably never be able to use again. You broke three records at Nationals. You had the best universities kissing your ass, hoping you’d pick them. You could have made something of yourself, but instead, you chose to run. Ran away from what happened here, from me, your friends, and everything that made you who you are.”

“That’s not true,” I spoke as tears filled my eyes.

“If it’s not true, then explain it to me!” he yelled.

“I don’t have to explain anything to you! I’m an adult!”

“You can’t explain it to me because you’ve been running for so long, you don’t even know why anymore.”

“I’m doing it for Emily. This is what we always dreamed of and talked about since we were kids.”

“You don’t think I know that!” Adam got up from the couch. “The two of you were always talking about going somewhere. It was a pipe dream the two of you had.”

I gulped when he said that. “How dare you.” I pointed my finger at him.

Chapter 28

Emerson

I walked over to the table and poured another glass of wine. The anger inside me was at a level I never knew existed.

“Admit it, Emerson. You’re running and chasing something that can never be found.” His voice softened.

I turned away as I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes. I looked at Alex as he sat there with a saddened look on his face.

“I’m not running. I’m doing what me and Emily always talked about. I was on death’s door!” I whipped myself around and glared at Adam. “I actually died and then came back and spent three months in a coma. I’ll never get those three months of my life back and I don’t know when the next accident will happen, so excuse me, big brother, for wanting to see what I always dreamed of before I die.”

“That’s not the reason, Em, and you know it. Have you visited Mom’s, Dad’s and Emily’s graves yet?”

“That’s none of your business,” I spoke through gritted teeth.

“You haven’t.” He shook his head and looked at Alex. “Did she tell you that she never visited their graves, ever?!”

“No. I wasn’t aware of that,” Alex responded.

“You buried them when I was lying in a hospital bed fighting for my life,” I yelled.

“I had no choice! It had to be done and I didn’t know if you would ever wake up. Do you have any idea how hard it was to bury three members of my family at the same time and to maybe have to bury a fourth? Do you even care how I felt?!”

“I know that must have been hard on you and I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? I had to take a year off of college to take care of you. I sat by your bedside every fucking day begging you to wake up because the thought of losing the only person I had left killed me. Then, when you finally woke up, I took care of you. I was there for you every night while you cried yourself to sleep and asked God why he didn’t just take you. I supported you and provided for you so you could get better and move on with your life. And what’s the first thing you do? You take off and leave me here alone. You weren’t the only one who lost Mom, Dad, and Emily! I lost them too! They were just as much my family as they were yours! I needed you here for support and you didn’t care.”

“I never asked you to take care of me,” I cried.

“You didn’t have to. You’re my sister and I’m your brother. It was my obligation to our parents and sister to make sure you came through everything that happened okay. But I failed the day you walked out that door and never looked back. Because you know what, Em? You’re not okay and you won’t be until you accept their deaths.”

“I have accepted it!” I screamed.

Alex got up from his chair and attempted to wrap his arms around me. I pushed him away. “Don’t.”

“If you accepted it, then why haven’t you gone to their graves? Why do you keep running from this place? You had just as many good memories here as bad. Shit happens, Em. People die. It’s life. I lost you too that day and I’m sorry that I couldn’t bring you back.”

I fell to my knees because I couldn’t take it anymore, and it was at that moment that I realized my brother’s anger and attitude were because he felt as if he’d failed me. In reality, though, I was the one who had failed him.

“Adam, I’m—”

“Save it, Em. I need you to sign these papers.” He threw them on the table. “I lied to you. You have money left, and as soon as you sign those papers, it’s all yours. I am no longer responsible for your finances. I wanted you to see that it was time for you to settle down and stop running from the past. But obviously, you aren’t ever going to stop running until something happens to you and I won’t be there to pick up the pieces.” He turned and walked out of the living room. A few moments later, the slamming of the front door startled me.

I sat on the floor, crying and enraged by everything that had just happened. Alex walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Emerson.”

“Don’t touch me!” I yelled as I stood up. “You lost that right when you shut me out this past week.”

“Calm down.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me into him, holding me so tight that I could barely breathe.

I tried to loosen myself from his grip, but couldn’t. Finally, I gave up and just sank to the ground with him as I held on to him for dear life.

****

Alex

Seeing her in so much pain broke my heart into a million pieces. She needed me and I was going to be there for her. I put all my thoughts and the shit that had happened aside because I loved her and I was going to see that she got through this. I picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. As I gently laid her on the bed, she grabbed my hand.

“Please stay,” she begged.

“Of course.”

I climbed in next to her and wrapped my arms around her. She didn’t want to talk and I respected that. She didn’t want to be alone and I didn’t want to leave her alone. After falling asleep for a couple of hours, I awoke to Emerson coming out of the bathroom in her nightshirt.

“How are you?” I asked as I sat up.

“I don’t know. God, Alex, so much shit was revealed tonight. Things Adam never told me.”

“I know.” I held out my hand to her.

She placed her hand in mine and crawled back into bed.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Kind of. You?”

“Yeah. I am. How about a pizza?”

She gave me a small smile. “Sounds good.”

We walked to the kitchen and I placed the order for the pizza while Emerson poured us each a glass of wine. Her eyes were swollen and she looked tired. I just wanted to whisk her away from all of this. I saw Emerson’s point, but I also understood Adam’s. We took a seat outside on the patio.

“How do you feel about Adam lying to you about your money situation?”

She looked up at me with her sad eyes. “I’m mad, but I get why he did it.”

“He wants his sister back, Em.”

She gave me a small smile. “That’s the first time you’ve called me that.”

“It is. Isn’t it?” I tilted my head at her.

I heard the doorbell ring and, when I got up, Emerson took hold of my hand.

“Bring the pizza down to the beach. I want to eat down there by the water.”

“In the sand?” I arched my brow.

“Yeah. In the sand.”

I nodded my head and walked inside. After I paid for the pizza, I took the box down to the beach and sat down next to Emerson, handing her a slice of pizza.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier,” she spoke.

“Don’t apologize. You were stressed out and upset.”

“I shouldn’t have said that to you.”

I chuckled. “There were a lot of things you never should have said to me. Like, you were going to break my balls.”

She laughed. “I apologized to you for saying that.”

“You did, but you also said you wouldn’t hesitate to say it again.” I smiled as I shoulder bumped her.

“Have you ever really listened closely to the ocean?” she asked with seriousness.

“What do you mean? Oh shit!” I dropped my pizza in the sand. “Now see, if were sitting at the table, this wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Just grab another piece.” She laughed.

Reaching into the box, I grabbed another slice and looked over at her. “What did you mean by that?”

“Just listen for a minute. Do you hear the subtle hissing sound?”

“Actually, I do.” I listened carefully. “Why haven’t you ever visited your parents’ and Emily’s graves?”

“The truth?” She looked over at me.

“Always.”

“Because if I did, it would mean I would have to say goodbye.” She wiped her eye.

I set down my pizza on top of the box and pulled her into me. “Come here.” I softly kissed the top of her head. “You never have to say goodbye, Emerson. You told me that Emily is always with you. She was at Nationals with the dove and in Napa when it rained. You asked for a sign and she gave it to you. Visiting their graves won’t change that.”

“Then why do it?”

“Everyone is different. I visit my father’s grave occasionally and make sure the area is kept up. Plus, I feel closer to him when I’m there.”

“Were you and your father close?”

“Yes, we were, and we grew closer after my mother left. I don’t know. It just gives me a sense of peace. Come on. Let’s go back up to the house. I think you’re going to need to shower since you’re covered in sand. You are only wearing that nightshirt.”

“True. Plus, I’m tired. It’s been a clusterfuck of a day and I’m ready for it to end.”

I helped her up and grabbed the pizza box. Emerson grabbed our glasses and we walked back up to the house.