had been replaced with unadulterated rage. “She’s fucking dying ! I know it! They think I’m a goddamn kid and that I can’t figure out the truth! They whisper about her diagnosis and shut up every time I come in the room. Do they think I’m stupid? Do they think I can’t see ?”
Alex felt her words in his gut. In their attempts to protect Allie—the baby—her family had left her alone, confused and forced to draw her own conclusions about her mother’s illness.
“Allie,” Charlie whispered. “She’s not dying. Your mom is fighting the cancer and she has a good chance, a real good chance of beating it.”
“God, Anderson. Stop lying to me! I can’t stand this anymore. I just want somebody to tell me the fucking truth!”
Charlie started to respond but Alex moved forward first. He reached out and gripped her shoulders, shaking her. “Anderson’s not lying. Your mom is fighting—hard. Just today the doctor said the treatment is working. There’s a good chance her cancer will go into remission. I’m sorry they’ve been hiding things from you, but I wouldn’t lie to you—ever. You know that.”
She didn’t fight his grip and looked at him closely. He suspected she was trying to read the veracity of his words in his face.
“Remission? She’s not dying?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Like mother, like daughter. Both of you are too headstrong and stubborn to ever give in to anyone or anything.”
She smiled at his comment before gasping back a relieved sob and looking at Charlie. “Swear to me. Swear he isn’t lying to me.”
Charlie moved forward and took her cheeks in his hands, holding her face gently in his grasp. “I would never lie to you, Allie, and neither would Taylor. Your mom’s a fighter, just like you. She’ll beat this, I know it.”
Charlie pulled her forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead and the image of it knocked Alex back a step. He struggled with the sudden awareness that there was something innately different about this girl, something special that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Now as she followed them down the hall, Alex knew exactly what it was. Had known for some time. She was their woman. She belonged to him and Charlie and all he had to do was convince them both to take a chance on what he’d felt in his heart for years.
“Wow,” Allie breathed when they walked into Alex’s bathroom. He grinned at her response.
He’d created the space with the three of them in mind. There was a large, open walk-in shower that filled nearly half the room with not just two showerheads but three. There were benches in all four corners and plenty of room for the three lovers to experiment. On the other side of the room was an oversized Jacuzzi tub and along the center wall were double sinks, above which hung a huge mirror and recessed lighting.
“I think I’d like to take back my previous comments about the extravagance of your bathroom,” Charlie said with a crooked grin.
“Oh so now you get it,” Alex teased as he recalled Charlie trying to convince him when they were building the house that such a bathroom was a waste of money.
Allie giggled and hastily began to strip off her clothing. “You’d both be getting it if you’d hurry up and undress.”
Her words hit their mark as Alex quickly unbuttoned and pulled off his shirt. He wondered if they’d ever be able to approach the act of lovemaking without dashing through everything. He knew they should be building up the anticipation of the moment, undressing each other, tantalizing and teasing, but he couldn’t see past the unleashed need that was clawing away at him, demanding that he take her now.
Once he’d shed the rest of his clothing, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water, adjusting the heat level until steam began to rise. Turning, he saw that Charlie and Allie were also naked and his friend was kissing her as if his life depended on it. Alex stood beneath the jets
Alex felt her words in his gut. In their attempts to protect Allie—the baby—her family had left her alone, confused and forced to draw her own conclusions about her mother’s illness.
“Allie,” Charlie whispered. “She’s not dying. Your mom is fighting the cancer and she has a good chance, a real good chance of beating it.”
“God, Anderson. Stop lying to me! I can’t stand this anymore. I just want somebody to tell me the fucking truth!”
Charlie started to respond but Alex moved forward first. He reached out and gripped her shoulders, shaking her. “Anderson’s not lying. Your mom is fighting—hard. Just today the doctor said the treatment is working. There’s a good chance her cancer will go into remission. I’m sorry they’ve been hiding things from you, but I wouldn’t lie to you—ever. You know that.”
She didn’t fight his grip and looked at him closely. He suspected she was trying to read the veracity of his words in his face.
“Remission? She’s not dying?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Like mother, like daughter. Both of you are too headstrong and stubborn to ever give in to anyone or anything.”
She smiled at his comment before gasping back a relieved sob and looking at Charlie. “Swear to me. Swear he isn’t lying to me.”
Charlie moved forward and took her cheeks in his hands, holding her face gently in his grasp. “I would never lie to you, Allie, and neither would Taylor. Your mom’s a fighter, just like you. She’ll beat this, I know it.”
Charlie pulled her forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead and the image of it knocked Alex back a step. He struggled with the sudden awareness that there was something innately different about this girl, something special that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Now as she followed them down the hall, Alex knew exactly what it was. Had known for some time. She was their woman. She belonged to him and Charlie and all he had to do was convince them both to take a chance on what he’d felt in his heart for years.
“Wow,” Allie breathed when they walked into Alex’s bathroom. He grinned at her response.
He’d created the space with the three of them in mind. There was a large, open walk-in shower that filled nearly half the room with not just two showerheads but three. There were benches in all four corners and plenty of room for the three lovers to experiment. On the other side of the room was an oversized Jacuzzi tub and along the center wall were double sinks, above which hung a huge mirror and recessed lighting.
“I think I’d like to take back my previous comments about the extravagance of your bathroom,” Charlie said with a crooked grin.
“Oh so now you get it,” Alex teased as he recalled Charlie trying to convince him when they were building the house that such a bathroom was a waste of money.
Allie giggled and hastily began to strip off her clothing. “You’d both be getting it if you’d hurry up and undress.”
Her words hit their mark as Alex quickly unbuttoned and pulled off his shirt. He wondered if they’d ever be able to approach the act of lovemaking without dashing through everything. He knew they should be building up the anticipation of the moment, undressing each other, tantalizing and teasing, but he couldn’t see past the unleashed need that was clawing away at him, demanding that he take her now.
Once he’d shed the rest of his clothing, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water, adjusting the heat level until steam began to rise. Turning, he saw that Charlie and Allie were also naked and his friend was kissing her as if his life depended on it. Alex stood beneath the jets
Similar Books
Frek and the Elixir
Rudy Rucker
No Friend of Mine
Ann Turnbull
The Fatal Touch
Conor Fitzgerald
C.O.T.V.H. (Book 1): Creation
Dustin J. Palmer
Today & Tomorrow
Susan Fanetti
The Non-Statistical Man
Raymond F. Jones
The Falling Machine
Andrew P. Mayer
