Attainment (The Temptation Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on her, assisting with whatever the fuck he
is assisting with, it makes my blood boil.
    “Is it there?” Rick asks her.
    “Yeah,” she winces. “It’s not as bad as when I carried
Charli, but it still hurts.”
    “Thought as much. I could tell straight away when I walked
in that it was bothering you.”
    Not being able to stand there any longer and watch their
exchange, wanting to know what is hurting Alexis and why Rick knows about it
and I don’t, I make my presence known. “Is everything alright?” I ask,
desperately trying to curb my resentment.
    Rick drops his hands and takes a step back just as Alexis
straightens and stretches, arching her back and poking out her tummy. The
discomfort on her face is obviously present. Where the fuck has this
soreness come from?
    “Yeah,” she murmurs, unaware of the fact that what I just
witnessed between her and Rick has unsettled me.
    “Bryce,” Rick says with a nod of his head while extending
his hand.
    The last thing I want to do is shake the fucker’s hand,
instead wanting to break it for providing relief to my pregnant fiancé’s back. I
really can’t help it. Seeing him with her pisses me off, infusing me with
jealousy. But, at the same time, I do know deep down inside that my reaction to
their interaction with one another is completely unreasonable. Regardless, he
still irritates me.
    I honestly hate feeling this way. I’m not normally the
jealous type. And I’m not afraid to say the reason for this is probably due to the
fact that I always get what I want, therefore never being in a position to be
jealous in the first place. That being said, this feeling is somewhat foreign
to me, only having felt it one time before—when Alexis was married.
    Begrudgingly, I shake Rick’s hand as I stand by Alexis and
instantly place mine on her lower back, wanting to remove his touch and replace
it with my own.
    “Not long to go now,” Rick insinuates, nodding toward
Alexis’ stomach.
    “No. Four weeks and two days,” I reply, wanting to reiterate
that I know exactly how long.
    “Well, yeah, if she delivers on her due date. Alexis tends
to go into labour early.” He smiles at her knowingly, and it takes all the restraint
I have to refrain from knocking him the fuck out.
    “Dad!” Charli yells, as she comes around the large central
pillar that leads to the stairs.
    “Princess! Come and give me a big hug.”
    Charli drops her shiny pink suitcase and launches herself at
Rick.
    He lifts her up and places her on his hip, grimacing
playfully. “You’ve grown again since I saw you last.”
    “Well yeah, Dad,” Charli rolls her eyes. “I slept four times
since then, so I’ve grown four times. Miss James says you grow in your sleep.
Did you know that?”
    “I do now. Where’s my kiss?” Rick asks, puckering his lips
like an idiot.
    I notice Alexis smiling at their exchange and it irritates
me even more.
    “Nate, come on,” Ricks yells. “We’ve got the footy this
afternoon.”
    “Coming, geez, don’t go all loco on me,” Nate answers while
entering the room.
    “Loco?”
    “Don’t ask, Rick,” Alexis says before giving both Nate and
Charli a kiss goodbye. “Now be good, and I’ll see you after school on Monday.”
    They hug their mum before fist-bumping me and then walking
out the door.
     
    After they are gone, I waste no time in finding out what the
hell is wrong with Alexis’ back. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong with your back?” I
ask, my tone deliberately snappy.
    She gives me an unsure look. “I get back spasms. Why? What’s
wrong? Why are you angry?”
    “Because this is the first I’m hearing of it. Yet he seems to know all about them.”
    I hate speaking to her with such anger in my voice, but I
can’t help it. Her ex-husband just pisses me right off. Look, there’s not a day
that goes by where I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty for moving in on
Alexis when she was married to the scumbag. After all, I’m not a heartless
bastard.