“Yes.” Colby braced to defend her decision, like she had with Hunter an hour ago.
Instead of issuing warnings, her dad grew thoughtful. “I can see that working out, actually.”
“Really?”
“Sure. You have a lot in common.” He shrugged. “You’re also working together to build a business. It’s very seductive, that part.”
“So you don’t think it’s a mistake to mix our personal and professional lives?”
He gestured toward the door that Jenna had recently exited through. “Obviously not. It worked out well for me.”
Colby hadn’t considered that. Her dad and Jenna had made a formidable team and stayed married for decades. Maybe Hunter was wrong about something for a change.
That thought instantly lightened her heart. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Sure. Now let’s get back to your sister.” He shifted his weight to his other leg. “Are you going to hold her to this resignation?”
She should. Gentry needed to learn about consequences. On the other hand, Colby didn’t want her family to become like Mark’s, with siblings scattered about, barely involved, never knowing the intimacies of one another’s lives, or sharing the joys and sorrows. She also didn’t want to mimic Joe and Alec, who’d lost years of time they’d never recover. “Give me a few hours to cool off. I’ll call her later.”
“Thanks, honey.” He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of tea. “Want a drink?”
“No.” She noticed him perspiring a bit. Knowing how Mark often ignored his malady, she had no faith when it came to men and doctors. “Dad, how are you feeling? Lately you’ve been tired and achy.”
“I’m fine.”
“You were huffing earlier, and now you’re sweating despite the air conditioning.”
“Stop worrying about your old man. I’ve got a wife on my back. I don’t need you climbing up there, too.”
“Why do men always think they’re invincible?”
“I can take care of myself. You go enjoy Alec. I’m happy to see you finally moving on. This is a good step, honey.” He kissed the top of her head and released her.
“Thanks.” She glanced at the clock above the oven and realized it wasn’t too late. “See you later.”
Shortly thereafter, she pulled up to Alec’s apartment, hoping he wouldn’t mind a surprise visit. Colby’s entire being was wound to the point of splitting apart thanks to her argument with Gentry. Her sister had been right about one thing: Colby did prefer to avoid conflict. But ever since life with Mark had beaten her down, she couldn’t quite regulate her emotions.
Now she hoped Alec’s headache was gone, so his perfect kiss and nimble fingers would make her feel better. When he opened the door, she practically leaped on him.
“What happened?” he managed between her kisses.
“Later,” she murmured.
She wanted to feel him moving over, under, and inside her body. To have his gaze bore into hers with the heat and intensity he’d shown last night.
Somehow they stumbled through the apartment to his room, where they made short work of their clothing and fell onto his bed. A feverish lust spread through her body as she explored the defined muscles of his abdomen and chest. Felt the gruff hair on his legs and arms brush against her skin. Welcomed his hot mouth on her neck, breasts, and stomach. Unlike last night, this was adrenaline-fueled, white-hot sex.
Minutes bled together, fused by warm, wet kisses. By panting breath, fingernail scratches, leave-nothing-on-the-table lovemaking.
Afterward, they lay together in his bed, quietly caressing each other as their breathing settled. It still surprised her to find herself in the afterglow of making love with Alec. He had a smattering of freckles on his shoulder, and a tiny indent at the tip of his nose. All these things to explore that she’d never quite noticed before. How had she missed seeing what had been right in front of her for so long?
The photograph she’d given him stared at her from the nightstand. “You keep that in here?”
“Yes.” He tightened his hold on her. “I see you before I fall asleep and as soon as I wake up.”
“Suck-up,” she teased, kissing him. The lone photo did little to make his generic apartment a home. Clearly she had work to do. “What happened to all those photos of your puzzles that you used to tack on your wall at your mom’s house?”
“They’re in a box in the closet.”
More evidence that he was that same sweet guy she knew before. “Do you still take one every time you finish a new one?”
A touch of crimson colored his cheeks. “Yes.”
“I bet you could wallpaper this whole room with them.” She brushed his cowlick aside. “Fess up, how many?”
Without hesitation, he said, “One thousand four hundred and ninety-eight.”
She laughed, unable to imagine it. “When do you find the time?”
“Most were done in middle and high school, and then right after I closed Une Bouchée.” He closed his eyes for a second and sighed. “Puzzles help me unwind. When I focus on one thing, problems fade away.”
“Like meditation.”
“I suppose.” He settled one arm behind his head. “Speaking of which, you seem more relaxed now. What revved you up earlier?”
“Gentry accused me of being a pushover, so I laid into her.” She felt him wince before she saw it. “What?”
“You laid into her?” His gaze turned distant, as if he might be thinking of Joe. That, coupled with his disappointed tone, soured her stomach.
“Yes. To defend myself,” she countered.
He kissed her temple, softly saying, “You used to stand up for yourself without insulting people and storming off.”
She couldn’t escape his reference to the way she’d chewed him out and run off when they’d argued about the menu and his management style. Apparently, her capacity for compassion had been buried under the weight of Mark’s death and the impotence she’d had in her marriage. She frowned, wishing she could hide from Alec’s observation.
“Hey, look at me.” He tipped up her chin. “I’m not saying you can’t argue. Just remember combat isn’t your only option. That said, you never have to hide or hold back with me.”
Her eyes stung a little, although she blinked back tears before he saw them. He’d never understand how deeply those words affected her after years isolated from everything and everyone but Mark. Maybe she hadn’t yet struck the right balance, but with Alec’s help, she would. Once she was certain her voice wouldn’t waver, she teased, “Careful what you ask for.”
He rolled her onto her back and pinned her to the bed with the luxurious weight and heat of his body. He grinned in the way only Alec could—a glint of humor in an otherwise sober face, his eyes brimming with emotion. “I’ll make sure you only have glowing things to say to and about me.”
No relationship would ever be a fairy tale, but right now he was very much her hero. “I forgot to tell you, my father totally supports a workplace romance. In fact, he thinks we can be just like Jenna and him.”