Unexpected Chance (10 page)

“Aubrey . . . Oh my God . . . You are so tight; you feel
amazing.”

He was rocking against me, sliding in and out of me, and kissing
me. His tongue was mirroring his entire body’s movements, making love with
mine. We were moving as one. I arched my back and moaned.

“Alex, I am so close, please . . .” I couldn’t catch my breath. My
hands were rubbing his back, my nails now digging into his shoulders, holding
on. I couldn’t get enough of him. “Alex . . .”

He stopped moving and pulled out of me. I instantly missed him. He
moved down my body and brought his head between my legs. His tongue and fingers
worked simultaneously, driving me to the edge.

“Give it to me, Aubrey. Let go now; I want to do this for you.”

I screamed out his name; I couldn’t take it. My entire was on
fire; I had never felt anything so amazing in all my life. He crawled up my
body with a look of satisfaction and pride on his gorgeous face. His smile said
it all. I needed him back inside me. I reached down to his tight ass and urged
him on top of me. He slid into me, making my head go back and roll to the side.
Our chests slid against each other, and I felt myself start to tighten around
him.

He pumped into me. “I’m there, sweetheart. You are amazing; you
feel amazing.” His mouth devoured mine between his words. “Come with me, babe. I
want to do this with you.” He thrust in and out, and his pace increased. I
looked up, our eyes met, and he exploded inside me as I did around him. He
rocked in and out until he was completely expelled. His arms lowered, and he lay
on top of me. Our hearts beat together.

The feel of our sweat mixing together was intoxicating. He buried
his head in the crook of my neck. He pulled out of me and rolled to his side. I
immediately felt the loss. He rolled me until we faced each other.

“Aubrey, that was amazing.” His kiss was tender against my lips. “You
are an incredible woman. Thank you for letting me be the one to touch you.” He
kissed my eyelids. “Make love to you.” He kissed my cheek. “Be with you.” He
kissed me again, this time taking my mouth as if it were giving him life. “I
love having this mouth around me, on me, and screaming my name.” He smiled
wide.

I smiled up at him. I had no words. How could I not respond to
that? I was so afraid I was going to tell him that I loved him. I knew I did, but
I didn’t want to say it then. I couldn’t. Instead I hugged him and held him
tight. I could feel our hearts beating against each other’s.

I exhaled. “You’re pretty incredible yourself.” I leaned back and
took in the sight of him. “Your body is breathtaking. I could look, touch, and
appreciate it all day.” I laughed a little, but was completely serious. I
didn’t want to lose this feeling. He looked at me as if he were embarrassed. No
way did he not know how hot he was. “That can’t be the first time you’ve heard
that.”

“No, it isn’t.” He kissed my nose. “It’s the first time it’s made
me happy to hear it.”

Our night ended with us just holding each other. Perfect.

Chapter 12

I have to admit I didn’t look too bad that night. Alex
was picking me up at six to go to the fundraiser. I made sure my makeup was
just right, and I left my hair down so I wouldn’t have to fuss with it if it
started falling down had I put it in an up-do. I had time, so I thought I would
write in my journal.

Entry 6—My Love

I made love to Alex last night. Yes, made love. We didn’t have
sex. We didn’t fuck. It was soft, loving, and wonderful. I think I may have
told him that I loved him in a roundabout kind of way before we went to bed,
but I didn’t say anything after that.
Should I say something? Should I wait
for him?

I truly love him and I am scared.
What if he doesn’t love me?
He told me he wouldn’t hurt me, and I believe him. I don’t want him to say “I
love you” just because I said it first. I want him to feel the same way. I’ve
only known him a short time, and I’ve never believed in love at first sight,
until now—until Alex.

I am scared. He scares me. He is too good to be true, but I
want him to be true more than anything. I love him.

I am madly in love with Alex Logan. I hope my heart survives
him.

Until tomorrow . . .

I put my journal in its place in my side table and went to the
bathroom to fix my makeup. I got a little teary eyed when I was writing about
Alex. I fixed my eyeliner and decided to wait for Alex in the lobby of my
building. I opened the door to leave, and he was right there, ready to knock. We
both jumped a little since I startled him and he me. We laughed.

I had my hand on my chest to catch my breath as my eyes took him
in. He had a black three-piece tux on that had to be custom made for him. God,
he was beautiful. “You are going to be turning heads tonight, Mr. Logan.”

He smiled a beautiful model-white smile. “You better believe I
will. When I walk in with you on my arm, heads definitely will turn. You are
gorgeous, Aubrey.” He leaned in and kissed me. His hands went around my waist,
and he pulled me into him. Our kiss got heated, and I was sorry that we were
dressed and had to leave. I could tell how he felt since his erection was
pressing against my stomach. “I have something for you.”

“I know. I can feel it.” I smiled at him.

He laughed. “That’s for later, but for now I want to give you
this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, slim, black velvet
box.

He handed me the box. My hands were shaking. “What is it?”

“I guess you’ll have to open it.” He winked.

Smiling, I raised the cover on the hinged box. My eyes
immediately filled. It was a beautiful platinum bracelet with an orchid in the
middle that was encrusted in white diamonds. “Alex . . .” I couldn’t stop the
tears that were streaming down my face. “It’s beautiful.”

“May I?”

I nodded, and he took the bracelet out of the box and put it on
my right wrist.

I was studying it. “I love it. I love that you’re sharing an
orchid with me.” I looked up at him.

He moved his thumb under my eye and across my cheek to wipe away
my tear. I leaned into the palm of his hand. I looked into his eyes. I wanted
to tell him so badly that I loved him. “I better go fix my face.”

“Your face is perfect. Let’s go. The car is downstairs.”

He took my hand and entwined our fingers together. I looked down
and wasn’t sure which fingers were mine and which were his. He was the piece to
my puzzle that I didn’t even know was missing. He was part of my heart. I never
wanted someone as much as I wanted him, and there would never be another that
would make me feel like this.

We arrived at the fundraiser, and there was a red carpet outside.
I was nervous. People were lined up to get in, and photographers were there. My
hands twisted on my lap. “Don’t be nervous, Aubrey.”

I looked at him and then back out the window of the limo. “I’ll
try not to be, but there are so many people here. I know how important this is
to you. I just don’t want to trip and fall. I’m sure all the other women you’ve
brought here were much more graceful.”

“I’ve never brought a date to this event. It’s too personal. No
one mattered as much as you do. I want you here with me—only you.”

I turned and looked at him. “I want to be here with you too.” I
wanted to tell him so badly, why wouldn’t the words come out of my mouth? We
stared at each other, both of us smiling. Then he put his hand on the back of
my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. I didn’t want the kiss to end. He had to
know how I felt.

He pressed a button on the console next to him, which must have
signaled the driver because he was opening my door seconds later. He helped me
out of the limo, and Alex followed. He held my hand and we went in.

The ballroom was magnificent. It was decked out in black and
gold. There was gold tulle draped on the ceiling and on the back of the chairs
that were wrapped in white silk. There was a dance floor and a small stage for
the band, which was playing background music. There was a table that had place
cards on it with the guests’ names and seating assignments. I wondered who we
were sitting with.

We found our table, number two; it was placed near the stage and
dance floor. The round tables sat about eight people, and the place settings
were beautiful, which would easily accommodate a seven-course meal. In the
center of each table was a floating candle with a white orchid in each one. Alex
put our name cards down on the table in front of our seats.

“I have a couple more surprises for you tonight.” He smiled, took
my hand, and led me to the dance floor. He pulled me into him and started
dancing with me. The band was playing “The Way You Look Tonight.” I love that
song.

There weren’t any other couples dancing, but I didn’t care and
neither did Alex. I looked around the room, wondering which man was his father.
It seemed like a sea of tuxedos; just then, a man turned around and looked at
us. I could tell by his smile that he was Jack Logan, since it matched Alex’s. He
looked at me and gave me a curious look.

I looked up into Alex’s gorgeous navy eyes that were looking down
into mine. “Did you tell your dad that you had a date tonight?”

“No, I haven’t talked to my dad in a while. His assistant knows. Why?”

“Because there is an older version of you looking at us, and he
doesn’t look thrilled.”

“It isn’t you, Aubrey. That’s just my dad. I’m not his favorite
person. Let’s finish this dance, and then I’ll introduce you.”

The song ended, and we walked over to his father.
Why wasn’t
he his favorite person?
He should be so proud of Alex. He owned a
successful club, he was smart, and he was his son. I stopped walking. Alex
turned around and looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Why aren’t you his favorite person?” I really hoped I wasn’t
overstepping.

Alex ran his hand through his hair. He pulled me over to our
table, which was still empty, and he pulled out my chair for me. He sat and
turned to face me; he took my hands in his. “Aubrey, when I was young, my dad
was never around. He was always at work.” I just looked at him. “I know what
you’re thinking. I work a lot too, but I’m not married with kids. Anyway, my mom
did everything for my sister and me. She drove me to my baseball and lacrosse games
and drove my sister, Ellie, to her dance recitals. The day they got in the
accident that’s where she was going. She was taking Ellie to her recital. My dad
should have been driving the car, but he was out of town on business. It was a
Saturday and his priority was work. He should have been with us. Who knows if
the accident could have been avoided or if the timing would have been different,
and . . .”

I put my hand on his left cheek. “Alex, you don’t have to tell me
this. I can see it’s hard on you.”

“No, I want you to know. I blamed my dad. We had a huge blowout. It
was horrible. I felt as if I lost my entire family that day. Ever since then,
for the past sixteen years, we’ve learned to co-exist, and that is about it. He
wanted me to join his business, to fulfill his dream of leaving it to me as his
legacy. I wanted nothing to do with it, so I opened the club, exactly the
opposite of what he wanted me to do. His legacy should have been being a good
father and husband, not being a rich businessman.”

I nodded and tried to absorb everything. “You were twelve, Alex. Naturally,
you’d be upset and look to blame someone. How are things now?”

“We talk occasionally. He knows that I want nothing to do with
his business, but at the end of the day, he is my father, so let me introduce
you.”

We stood up, and Alex steered me in the direction of his father
with his hand at the small of my back. We reached his dad, who was talking to
an older couple. They turned and saw us. I looked up at Alex. He looked a
little tense.

Alex kissed the woman on her cheek and extended his hand to the man.
“Patrick, Nancy, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Aubrey Ryan. Aubrey, this
is Patrick and Nancy McManus.” We shook hands.

Nancy looked surprised. “It’s very nice to meet you, Aubrey. I
didn’t know Alex had a girlfriend.” She leaned toward me. “He’s going to break
a lot of hearts tonight with that news.”

I just smiled. I wasn’t sure what that meant. My heart was the
only one I was worried about breaking. His father walked up to Alex. “Son, it’s
good to see you. Who is this lovely young lady?”

“Hi, Dad, this is Aubrey Ryan, my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? My boy is off the market?” He chuckled and extended
his hand to me. “It’s a pleasure, Aubrey.”

“Hello, Mr. Logan, it’s nice to meet you too.” I started feeling self-conscious.

“Please call me Jack.” He smiled and I reciprocated.

“The room looks nice, Dad. And it looks as if there’s going to be
a good turn out.”

I glanced around the room. It was starting to fill up. There had
to be 300 people here. I looked at the door and could have sworn I saw Julie. I
wished she were there. Then I remembered that Walker-Stone had a table at the
event, but that usually meant the executives would attend.
I could use
someone on my side tonight.
I also hoped that Nancy and Patrick were not at
our table. Nancy rubbed me the wrong way.

“We should probably go to our table now.” Alex took my hand, and
we said good-bye to Patrick and Nancy. His dad shook Alex’s hand.

“We should get together soon, son. Bring Aubrey over, and we can
have dinner one night.”

Alex looked puzzled. “We’ll see, Dad.” And we walked away.

Walking to our table, we were stopped by a few more people. Alex
introduced me as his girlfriend to everyone. I really liked the sound of it,
but wasn’t particularly pleased with the reactions I was getting, not to
mention that most of the reactions were from older women. What was that about?
I’d have to ask him later. I did notice plenty of women who eyed my man. I
couldn’t blame them really. He looked delectable, but he was mine. I held on to
him tighter.

We went to our table, and I noticed that it was still empty. Alex’s
phone beeped. He must have received a text because he was typing back. I looked
up to see Brett, Julie, and Mark walking toward us. I looked at Alex and he
smiled. “Surprise!”

I leaned over and kissed him. Julie looked gorgeous. She had a
floor-length black satin gown on, and her hair was up in a perfect twist. Brett
and Mark looked amazing in their tuxedos. Julie sauntered up to me.

“How awesome is your boyfriend? He sent us an invitation and even
sent a car to get us. How fantastic is that?” She kissed me on the cheek and
then planted one on Alex’s. “Thank you, Alex. This is amazing.”

Brett shook Alex’s hand and gave me a quick hug and kiss on the
cheek. “Good to see you, man. Thanks for the invite and ride over. I thought Julie
was going to pop something; she was so excited for this. Aubrey, you look
beautiful. Take care of my man here.”

I smiled. I looked at Mark, who looked a little uncomfortable. I
turned toward him and gave him my best smile. “Hi, Mark, I’m so surprised that
you’re here.”

“Hey, Aubrey, you look great.” He turned to Alex and extended his
hand. “It’s nice seeing you again. Thank you for the invitation.”

Alex shook his hand. “I’m glad you could make it.” They took
their seats at our table. I felt bad because there was an empty seat between
Alex and Mark, where Jessica should have been.

I turned to Alex. “Thank you for inviting them.”

He smiled he leaned in to whisper in my ear, “You know what,
Aubrey?”

I looked at him and smiled. I could feel my cheeks blushing. “What?”

“I’m happy. You make me very happy.”

His breath was so warm. I could feel it on my neck. His cologne
was amazing. He smelled so good, but he always did. I leaned into his ear. “You
make me happy too, Alex.” He pulled me in for a kiss.

Brett cleared his throat. “Uh, guys, want to keep it PG before
the old folks around here need to restart their pacemakers?” We all laughed.

There was a tap on the microphone, and Alex’s dad was on the
stage. “I would like to thank everyone for coming tonight. We are all here to support
a very important cause that is near to my heart and my son’s. He would like to
say a few words. Alex.”

I didn’t know that he was going to be speaking tonight. Alex
kissed me, stood, and walked over to the stage. I looked around the room and
felt that all eyes were on me. I shifted in my chair and kept my eyes on my
boyfriend.

Alex took the mic. “Thank you, Dad.” He cleared his throat and
looked out to the guests. “Education to prevent drunk driving affects all of
us. Thirty-one percent of car accidents are related to drunk driving.” He
looked nervous and confident at the same time. I wanted to go and hug him. “Approximately
10,000 people died last year alone.” He looked down as if he were gathering his
thoughts. “As some of you know, I lost my mother Angela and sister Ellie at the
hands of a drunk driver.” He cleared his throat again. “Thanks to many causes
against drunk driving and educating the public, the number of yearly fatalities
has decreased. As my dad said, we want to thank you for coming this evening. This
is a good cause and one that is very personal to me.” He looked up at me, and I
could tell he was starting to struggle. I nodded and smiled. He smiled back.
“Ladies and gentleman, have a good time this evening, open your wallets, and
donate for a wonderful cause. Life is too short not to make a difference, and through
your generosity, we can save lives. Thank you.”