The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story (12 page)

Kara looked up from her drink. “Go where?”

“To prom.”

She gave a sputtering laugh and shook her head. “
Us
? To prom? Have you lost your mind?”

Alec waved this off. “Not as a real date. I just meant we should go together so I can keep an eye on Ellie.”

She gave him a dry look. “As grateful as I am to be used as a means for you to make it through the doorway—”

“Come on, Kara,” he wheedled. “It could be fun.”

“Oh.
Could
be.” She rolled her eyes. “If you’re trying to convince me, you’ve failed.”

He sighed and leaned forward to fully get her attention. “We’re friends. We’ll have a good time without there being any romantic pressure. Besides, Tom might be there. Don’t you want to keep an eye on
him
?”

Kara frowned. “You have my attention.”

Matt rolled his eyes at this unfolding development, but other than that, he looked rather bored by their scheme.

Alec grinned. He knew he had her. It might have been low to use Tom as a means to get what he wanted, but it was too late to take it back. “We’ll keep each other company, and hopefully we’ll even have a decent night.”

With a huff, she threw up her hands in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.” She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed an accusing finger in his direction. “But if you so much as
think
about trying to kiss me, I’ll clock you. Understood?”

Alec chuckled, bobbing his head in agreement. Both of their hearts were obviously in other places. Kissing was not an option. “Promise.” He only hoped they would eventually be able to figure things out with the people whose affection they sought. He and Kara both deserved as much. Man, high school could be a bitch.

Chapter Eleven

Every muscle in his body ached. Alec had just gotten finished with one of the most grueling practices of his life. The coach had pushed them all hard, but Alec had gotten the worst of it. Seeing as he would be missing two games due to his suspension, Grimmly wanted to make sure he stayed in top condition. That meant extra duties and extra laps around the high school’s track once everyone else had finished and gone home.

He’d been so tired once he finished that even the steaming hot water of the school’s showers hadn’t been much relief. All he wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep until morning.

“Alec? Alec, is that you?” His father’s unmistakably drunken voice called out from the living room. There was the clatter of something falling, and a moment later, Jerich stumbled out into the hall. “Alec, I’m so glad you’re home.”

Alec stared at the mess of a man who doubled as his guardian. He did not have the energy for this. He didn’t have the patience anymore. “Why?” he asked guardedly. When his father got like this, there was never anything positive to take away from conversations. It was always painful and torturous.

Jerich held up a framed picture of his deceased wife. Alec’s mother. He waved it in the air, his hands clutching the wooden casing so tightly his knuckles were white. “I found this wedged between the entertainment system and the wall. I’d just wanted to hook up that new DVD player I bought a few months ago. I didn’t… I never wanted to…” A sob escaped him that he quickly forced down and turned into anger. “Why is this even around? What have I told you about—”

“Enough, dad!” The hollered words escaped Alec before he could stop them. All of the pent up frustration and agony over his father’s drinking, the situation with Ellie, his hockey suspension, and the misery of losing his mother all came pouring out in that one screamed sentence. He hadn’t referred to Jerich as ‘dad’ in years, and it obviously startled his father, because Jerich fell silent and simply blinked at his son in astonishment.

“You can’t keep doing this,” Alec yelled miserably. His voice cracked on the last word, and he hated himself for it. He’d always been so careful to keep Jerich from knowing how much his words hurt. “It’s not normal, and it’s certainly not functional.” He waved a hand at the picture his father held. “I get that you miss her. I do. But…” His dark eyes searched his father’s face, truly wondering the answer to the question he was about to ask. “Do you get that I miss her, too?”

A memory flashed in his mind of his mother, of the last time he’d seen her. The image was getting fainter as the years passed. He could barely remember her face, her voice. All he could remember was
this
. “I needed you, dad. And you weren’t there. You were never there!”

At his screamed proclamation, a sob burst from his throat. He could feel the tears forcing their way past his eyelashes as they spilled onto his cheeks. He wasn’t sure he’d cried over the loss of his mother in front of Jerich since the funeral. He’d always held it in. His father’s pain had always been more overwhelming than his own. “I dealt with it alone, because you couldn’t handle your own pain. It wasn’t fair. Still isn’t.”

Through his tears, he could see the horror on his father’s face. Had Jerich really not realized how much his drinking had affected their lives, how awful it had made things? For both of them? Had he not realized how messed up he’d allowed their family life to become?

“You’re right,” Jerich said softly. “I wasn’t there.” The picture dropped from his fingertips to the floor, and he ran his hands over his face. His words, which had been slurred only moments before, now came out alert and mournful. It was as if his son’s accusations had lent a sobering effect. “I was selfish,” he continued. “So selfish. I never stepped back and realized that you were hurting, too.”

“You’ve got to be better,” Alec demanded tearfully. “I need you to be better.”

Jerich’s eyes filled with a determination Alec hadn’t seen in years, not since his father had been out on the ice playing professionally.  “I’m going to get better,” Jerich promised. “Starting this moment.”

Moving forward, he grabbed Alec and pulled him into a hug. “I promise you, things are going to change. First thing tomorrow morning, I’m going to see a therapist. I’ll start AA.” He pulled back from the hug to look down at his son. “But tonight, I start where I can. I’m dumping every bottle down the drain. Every last one.”

He scooped the picture up from where it had fallen onto the carpet. “And these pictures go back up. All of them.” A tear traced its way down his cheek. “I shouldn’t have been hiding these pictures. I don’t want you to forget your mother, Alec. I never stopped to realize how my actions might affect you. Her pictures deserve to be up on our walls. She was a wonderful woman, and she loved you. Very much.”

Standing, he reached out and hooked the picture onto a nail on the wall. He straightened it, making sure it was secure in its place. “Can you give an old man another shot?” he asked beseechingly.

Alec stood almost numbly in place. This was more than he and his father had talked about his mom in years. It was normally a subject best avoided. Tearfully, he bobbed his head. “Yeah, dad,” he whispered. “Yeah. I’m willing to give things another shot.”

“Good.” Jerich reached out and squeezed his son’s shoulder. “Now you get upstairs and get to bed. I’m going to…well, I’m going to confront some of my demons. When you get up tomorrow, this house will be changed, physically and mentally. I swear it.”

Swiping at his tears, Alec bobbed his head. He brought a hand up and clasped his father’s before turning and heading up the stairs to his room.

Once inside, he found his emotions warring with one another. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to cry or laugh. He hadn’t thought he would ever get through to his dad and finally doing so had been emotionally draining.

Stripping out of his clothing, he distracted his thoughts by changing into a fresh pair of boxers and a plain white t-shirt. Slipping into bed, he stared up at the ceiling. He tried to sleep, but after a half hour, he realized he was too wired to do so. He could hear the clink of bottles downstairs and envisioned Jerich pouring his stash down the drain. Listening seemed like an invasion of privacy.

Sighing, Alec turned on his side and tossed an arm over his ear, but he could still hear the din from the floor below. Finally, he climbed to his feet and tiptoed over to the window. He would go to Ellie’s for the night. He would allow his father the solitude he needed to deal with a painful situation.

Not even bothering with shoes, Alec slipped out the window and raced across the lawn. He was easing Ellie’s window open and slipping inside within the minute. He was so cold from his dash across the lawns that he didn’t even hesitate before hopping into the bed beside her when she scooted over and made room for him.

As he lay shivering next to her, Ellie spoke with amusement in her voice. “Cold?”

“Very.” With another shiver, he slid his hand toward her. “Feel.” He brushed his fingers against the exposed skin at the back of her neck, laughing when she gave a squeal of disapproval.

“Alec! You’re freezing. Stop that!”

He laughed and scooted closer. “But you’re so warm! Come on. Be nice. I raced through the cold to get here.” His arm wrapped around her shoulder, and he hugged himself to her back, allowing some of her warmth to seep into his shirt.

She inhaled sharply with a jerk, he presumed at the sudden invasion of coldness. Then she squirmed against him as if to get away from the chill he’d brought into the bed with him. 

Snorting with amusement, he wrapped his hands around her wrists so she could feel just how cold his fingers were. Playing hockey as much as he did, he was used to the cold. He was accustomed to being out on the ice for hours at a time. Ellie, though? Ellie liked her warmth…which was why he had to torment her. That’s what best friends were for.

Ellie gave another sound of protest. “Stop,” she begged on a laughed, wiggling again.

“Okay. Okay.” He supposed he’d tortured her enough. Giving in, Alec became still. His grip relaxed on her wrists, and he no longer fought to touch her with his icy hands. He merely lay still in the bed, allowing the blankets to warm him up.

It was only then that he realized their close proximity. Any other time he’d crawled into her bed, they never touched. It wasn’t because they were nervous or afraid. It was just that there’d been no reason to before. They’d gone to sleep and that was that. Now…

Now was a completely different situation. The sexual tension lingered in the air, enveloping them in a bubble of unvoiced emotions and passions. As silence settled over them, Alec let his fingers trail along her arm until his hand came to rest on her hip. He froze there, afraid to do anything more.

They lay in silence for a moment, wrapped up more like lovers than friends. It was Ellie who finally moved. She rolled onto her back to gaze up at him. “Kiss me,” she requested.

Her simple invitation hit him like a shot to the gut. It was so unexpected, so intimate. He pulled back to look at her, afraid to hope that she might want him just as much as he wanted her right now. “Why?” he asked on a whisper.

She gazed up at him for a moment, her green eyes locked onto his. She gave him that moment to hope before her cruel response filled the air between them. “For practice. You promised to help me some more.”

His heart sank. It felt as if she’d just jammed a knife into his chest. He tried to keep the injured expression from showing on his face, but he knew he failed. How could she not notice how much she was hurting him?

Seemingly oblivious to this, she asked, “So what do you say? No better time to practice than now. Right?”

Alec paused. He wasn’t sure of what he should do anymore. He wasn’t sure of her; he wasn’t sure of anything. But if she didn’t give a shit, then why should he? “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” With that, his eyes lowered to her lips. He was close enough that all he had to do was lean down to place their lips mere inches apart.

He hesitated only a moment more before pressing his mouth gently against hers. Instantly, his entire body jolted to life. Her lips were so soft and warm that they instilled him with a sense of security. He was alert, yet completely at ease.

With a soft sigh of pleasure, she opened her mouth under his and brought her hand up to the back of his neck. Her fingers slid through his hair, tangling in locks still wet from his shower at the school.

What had started out very gentle and tentative quickly became heated. Alec’s tongue dipped into her mouth as his hand caressed her hip through the thin material of her pajamas. He pulled her closer, his body shifting so that he was half on top of her. He could taste the minty flavor of her toothpaste, and it filled his mouth with a sensual coolness.

As the fingers of her free hand trailed lightly along his waist, she shifted her hips to press them against his.

Alec groaned at the erotic contact and deepened the kiss even further. His mouth pressed against hers with bruising force, his much larger body pressing her down into the mattress.

With tentative fingers, Ellie eased her hand under his shirt. When her fingers made initial contact with his skin, Alec jumped with a startled gasp. The muscles of his stomach bunched with pleasure, and a shudder of arousal swept through him. He’d never been so turned on by a simple touch before in his life.

She let out a breathless laugh against his mouth and playfully inched her fingers along the planes of his abdomen. “Ticklish?”

“Very,” he said on a groan.