Taking Chances (20 page)

He snatched the door open and held his hand up to Clair as if he’d had enough. “I don’t want to hear about it! Save your explanation for someone who gives a damn.”  With that, he got in the car and slammed the door shut, the tires squealing on the pavement as he drove off.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Clair

Clair
’s eyes stung with tears when he drove away, leaving her on the sidewalk alone. She stood there in shock, wondering what the hell just happened. What did I do? He said he was done but Clair wasn’t. Alex obviously had the wrong impression of what was going on between her and Gavin and Clair was determined to make Alex understand the truth.

She ran back to the diner to see if Theresa would cover the rest of her shift. When she walked through the door, Gavin was waiting for her.

“Well, looks like you’re free now. How about that date?” he asked, trying to block her path.

Ignoring his comment, she pushed by him and saw Theresa at the counter. Clair asked her to cover the remainder of her shift. Seeing the state of frenzy she was in, Theresa readily agreed to help her.

Clair hurried through the door and noticed Gavin leaning against one side of it, his arms crossed over his chest and a big grin on his face.

“Call me,” she heard him say on his way out the door.

Clair pulled her car to the side of the street and parked directly behind Alex’s Jeep. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she saw he hadn’t left to go back to Pittsburgh, if he was going back. After running up the stairs, Clair stood outside his apartment door. Bent over with her hands on her knees, she tried to catch her breath. The heat mixed with the exertion of going up all of the stairs made her feel like she would throw up. But she pushed it all to the back of her mind. Now wasn’t the time to worry about how bad she felt. She had to get to the bottom of what was going on and wasn’t about to stand outside and wait for an invitation. She let herself in and saw Alex sitting on the couch.

He looked up, “You should leave,” he said simply, “I don’t feel like arguing about this.”

“No. Not until you tell me what is going on. You don’t get to talk to me that way and then just leave. Especially when I haven’t a clue as to what I did wrong.”

Alex jumped up from the couch and came at her. “Didn’t I tell you not to go near him? You didn’t listen to what I said earlier about him! Gavin always gets what he wants. Why did you even bother talking to me every night if you were talking to him too? Why waste my time?”

“Gavin didn’t get what he wants. He didn’t get me!” Clair yelled back.

“Well it sure looked different to me from the window,” he sneered. “Tell me then, why was he so damn happy? Why did you let him stand that close to you and touch you the way he did?”  He ran his hands through his hair, anger and frustration
showing in the creases of his forehead. He paced the floor in front for her. “No. You know what? I don’t want to hear it. Like I said, you should just go. I need to get back to Pittsburgh anyway.”

“No!” Clair yelled, slamming her hand down on the counter. Alex’s eyes went wide from her reaction. Her voice broke as she tried to speak. “Why… why don’t you trust me? Don’t you think I’ve been hurt enough to know what it feels like?” Her eyes welled up with tears. She knew how painful it was to find out you couldn’t trust someone and she didn’t want to be labeled as such. “I don’t like Gavin, but it doesn’t mean I can’t talk to him. I have a job to do, no matter how much I despise him. I’m not leaving until you at least hear what I have to say.”

“Fine, just say it then,” Alex said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“He came in the diner today, just like he’s done every day since you’ve been gone. For the hundredth time, he tried to
convince me to go on a date with him, insisting that he was better than you in every way. He said some really ugly things about you that I know aren’t true, but I defended you on everything. I didn’t let him get away with talking about you like that.”

Alex stood motionless, leaning against the counter and Clair couldn’t tell whether he believed her or not. “I was so mad at the things he was saying.” She stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm. “I told him you were the most amazing man I’d ever known and you’d do anything for anyone… for me.” Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke, her emotions taking hold of her, but she didn’t care if he saw her cry again. “It was fun for him, talking about you the way he was. When he saw you at the window, he smiled at me and that’s when you saw him run his nasty hand up my arm.” She sniffed, “I told him to leave me alone and never touch me again. I hate him, Alex. I hope I never have to see him again.”

The silence was devastating. She felt like she’d lost him and he still didn’t believe her. It was her own fault for not making her intentions clearer to Gavin. Tears streamed down her face and she forced back the sob she felt forming in her throat.

“Say something… anything!” She demanded. “Tell me what you’re thinking. You don’t believe me, do you?” She backed away from him. “I’ve never
lied to you, not once, Alex,” she said softly. “I love you too much to treat you that way.” Clair turned to walk away but he reached out and grabbed her hand. She didn’t resist when he pulled her to him and cupped her face in his hands, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I should have never spoken to you like I did. I have no reason not to trust you and I let my own insecurities cloud my judgment. Can you forgive me?”

He slid his hand to the side of her neck, his fingers gliding over her shoulder and down her arm as if he were washing away the filth from Gavin’s touch earlier. Clair closed her eyes to the warmth that ran across her skin. It had only been a week since she’d seen him, but his simple touch made her feel like she’d been months without him. Clair opened her eyes, forcing herself out of the trance he was putting her in.

“Why are you here anyway? I thought you weren’t coming back until next week? Did something happen?”

“No, everything’s fine. Well, almost everything.” He paused as he watched his own finger draw little circles on the top of her hand. “You know, it’s torture being there. Not being able to see you, or touch and kiss you whenever I want,” he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I was going crazy. Stu let me come back for the weekend, but I have to go back tomorrow night.”

Clair’s eyes widened. “Tomorrow night? You came all this way, drove six whole hours just to spend one night with me?”

“Clair, can you not see how much I care for you? I would fly across the country if it meant I could spend one night with you.”

She looked down at the space between them, “You told me you cared before, but I always seemed to find a reason to doubt myself.”

Alex pushed her chin up. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I feel like we’ve known each other forever. I didn’t expect this to happen and I told myself not to get involved for fear that I’d get hurt all over again. But then I realized life is about taking chances, no matter where it leads. You’ll never know how wonderful your life can change if you don’t live it.” He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek and continued, “I thought I was in love once, and maybe I was, to some extent, I don’t know. All I know now is I’ve fallen in love with you, Clair. What I felt then is nothing compared to how I feel when I’m with you.”

Clair was speechless. Alex’s soft blue eyes were staring back at her, grounding her to the floor and she could see the love etched on his face. No one had ever spoken such beautiful words to her. Fresh tears fell from her eyes. His eyes roamed over her face, as if trying to gauge her reaction. He stroked her neck, losing his fingers in her hair. Her hands found his hips and she leaned in, covering her lips over his mouth. His hand tightened around the strands of her hair, using them to tilt her head slightly.
He kissed her deeply, his tongue pulsing in and out of her mouth, hardly giving her a chance to catch her breath. Clair slipped her hands under his shirt, feeling the warm skin beneath it as she ran her hands up the length of his chest.

His groan was smothered by another kiss, and suddenly, he picked her up and spun her around, sitting her on the countertop behind him. It provided just the right height for Clair to wrap her legs around his waist, his hardness pressing against her. She tightened her hold around him so she could feel it rub against her even more.

Alex pulled her top over her head and tossed it to the floor. Turning her head to the side, he kissed her neck, pulling at her skin with his lips. Clair moaned, feeling a burning sensation throughout her body. She twisted the collar of his shirt before sliding her hands down his sides and lifting his shirt up over his head. His skin felt soft and hot under her palms and she leaned forward, planting kisses down his neck, letting her tongue flick against his skin. His hands found her breasts and he held each in his hands as he gently squeezed them. Pushing them up, he ran his tongue across the swells and Clair felt like she needed to have every piece of her clothing off immediately. She wanted his body to take their place. She wanted to wear him over her skin, to feel his body against her, to feel him inside her.

As if sensing her need, Alex picked her
up, her legs still wrapped around him, and carried her to his bedroom. Laying Clair down on the bed, he crouched over her, and lightly kissed her collarbone, working his way up her neck. He grabbed her jaw between his fingers and turned her head, angling her neck to meet his needs. The lightness of his kiss on her skin sent goose bumps over her body as if his lips were made of ice. They created a fire within her that caused her whole body to melt beneath him.

Alex reached her ear and whispered, “How is it we’ve been away from each other only a week, yet it feels so much longer?”

Clair reached her hands down between their bodies and unbuttoned his pants. Her hands moved inside the edge of his boxers and down each side of his hips, her fingers clawing at the skin beneath. Alex lowered his body onto hers, his breathing becoming heavier as he pressed himself against her. “It feels like that because you want me. You do want me, don’t you?” she teased in a soft voice.

His face was serious, a look of love and desire in his eyes. “I think you can feel just how much I do,” he said, rubbing his hardness against her.

Clair pushed her hips up as she pressed down on his back with her hands. “I don’t know,” she said, breathing harder, “I’m not totally convinced yet.”

Alex sat up and ran his finger underneath the waistband of her jeans. He skimmed across her stomach, sending a chill up her spine. “I can fix that,” he said, unbuttoning her pants and pulling the zipper down slowly.

He tugged her pants down around her hips and off her legs, throwing them to the floor along with her panties. Clair unclasped her bra and tossed it. She lay naked on his bed, propped up on her elbows and Alex leaned back, exploring her body with his eyes. Normally, this would have made her uncomfortable, but she let him look, shamelessly. It was evident he wanted her; the ridged tension in his body and the hunger in his eyes told her that much. Clair let one of her legs fall to the side, opening them, sending Alex an invitation that she was ready. He pushed his pants to the floor and walked over to his nightstand. Fumbling in the drawer, he found a condom and put it on.

Leaning over her, he kept his weight on his knees, straddling her waist with one leg, and the other between hers. He weaved his fingers through her hair, gripping the strands between his fingers. He kissed her mouth, pulling at her bottom lip with his teeth, begging her to open and grant his tongue access to dance with hers. He held her tightly in his embrace, his arm wrapped around her back as he slipped the tip of his tongue into her mouth, teasing her. When he pulled away, Clair opened her mouth to catch her breath, as Alex managed to slip his tongue between her lips, plunging deep inside her. 

Clair pulled her leg out from under him to sandwich his body between them, letting his hips settle over hers. He rocked back and forth on her, his erection rubbing against the sensitive skin between her legs. The burning she felt seeping through her body could only be satisfied with him inside her, so she wrapped one leg around his waist, encouraging him to enter. Slowly, he slid into her, working in and out, as he picked up speed, his drive growing harder with every thrust. Gripping Clair by the shoulders, he pulled her closer to him. She moaned loudly and reached for his shoulders. Feeling the rhythm of his body on hers, she wrapped her other leg around his waist. Pulling her hips tighter to him, she begged for more, wanting him deep inside to caress every inch of her sexuality.

A feverish sweat broke out over them and Clair could the see the beads forming on his brow. She could feel the tackiness on his skin beneath her hands as she ran her palms across his shoulders. An overwhelming sensation grew between her legs, getting stronger with every push Alex made into her. She gripped his shoulders hard, digging her nails into his skin. Arching her
back, she lifted her hips to take in every inch of him. Her body shuddered violently as she came, and a moan escaped her mouth. Every moment made her more sensitive, so much so that her body weakened and submitted to the euphoria that shot through her. Clair loosened her legs around Alex’s waist, letting them drop to the bed. She ran her hands up his back, feeling his firm muscles contract with every push he made. His eyes concentrated on her face. As he rocked against her, his hair fell into his eyes and she swept it away, feeling his perspiration on her hand. Clair let her fingers trail down the side of his face and he closed his eyes in response. She brushed her fingers over his lips before pulling his face closer to hers. His breath came hard and fast against her mouth as he made quick, hard drives into her. Still holding his chin between her fingers, Alex growled low as he rocked his hips, and Clair wrapped her leg around his waist again, letting him push as deeply as he could go.