With Bruce still on probation and his criminal past, the detectives assured Valerie he’d more than likely be spending the rest of life behind bars. The nightmare was over.
Some things were still unanswered. Alex wondered if he even needed to know why she kept her night with Luke from him all this time. He sighed, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. As long as she worked with him daily, it would gnaw at him. They postponed the seminar for another time, so she’d still attend with Luke eventually. He had to know.
He was willing to do anything, make any kind of sacrifice for Valerie. But something like this would eat away at him until he got an answer. He let it go for now but once the time was right he’d bring it up again.
***
Weeks later Valerie was still getting calls from detectives for more details about the case against Bruce. What they’d uncovered about Bruce was even more disturbing than some of the things Romero’s guy had told them. After being interviewed several times, it was obvious that Bruce actually believed Valerie owed him the intimacy he’d sought from her. What ’s more, even behind bars he continued to believe he would someday get it.
Valerie shuddered just thinking about it. She was safe now. She had to remind herself of that every time she thought of Bruce. He was locked up, and they kept reassuring Valerie that with every incriminating interview, he was tacking on more and more years to his eventual sentencing.
She had just hung up with the detective and was looking through Alex’s refrigerator when her phone rang again. It was Luke. She thought about sending it to voicemail but then remembered he might be calling with news about the interview. She answered.
“Hey.”
“You got it.” She could literally hear the smile in Luke’s voice.
“What?” She closed the door to the fridge and opened the water bottle she’d grabbed.
“They’re only calling two candidates back out of all the ones they interviewed, and you’re one of them. And Val, you were the youngest of all the candidates interviewed.”
It had been almost two weeks since she’d interviewed. She’d been one of the first so she had to wait the longest until everyone else went through the process.
She smiled, trying not to get too excited. “So, what now?”
“They’ll call you to schedule the second interview. I can start coaching you on the main things you should know about second interviews and what they’ll be looking for tomorrow.”
It was a good thing Alex hadn’t been there when Luke called. Although he was beginning to get used to her job being different from most nine to five jobs, he still got annoyed when she got calls in the evening. But it especially annoyed him when it was Luke.
After hanging up with Luke, Valerie took a long shower. She thought about Luke’s coaching. Ever since Bruce’s arrest, Valerie had avoided being alone with Luke as much as possible.
She felt terrible about what Bruce had done to him, so she made sure things were amiable between her and Luke. But she kept her distance. Though Alex hadn’t asked anything about her night with Luke since the scene he made at the hospital, the mood always got tense when his name came up. Even if she got the position in the new office, the trial was still months away, and she’d see him constantly then.
A couple of times she thought of just telling Alex about it. She hated the tension of Alex thinking she’d slept with Luke and lied about it. Each time she considered telling him and getting it over with, she chickened out.
Alex got home just as Valerie finished dressing in one of his T-shirts and soft pair of cotton shorts—the kind she loved to go to bed in, but usually came right off within minutes.
“Hey,” she smiled as he walked into the bedroom.
She picked up her phone from the dresser to check if she’d missed any calls. Ever since her father had collapsed, she’d been paranoid about missing calls from him or Norma.
Alex startled her by picking her up. With his arms wrapped around her, he growled as he took her mouth. He brought her to the bed and lay her down, never once detaching his very active tongue from her mouth. His kiss was hot and hungrier than usual, even for him. She felt the immediate erection against her thigh. Her own arousal began to peek. She arched her back, rubbing her hands over his hard shoulders, then his back.
Her phone rang, bringing Alex’s kisses to a halt. “You wanna get that?” he asked his lips still on hers.
“No.” She was already breathless and burning with anticipation.
“What if it’s your dad?”
She stared at his lips. “I get the feeling this is going to be over fast.”
“It is.” He licked her bottom lip with a wicked smile.
“Then I’ll call him back when we’re done.” She thrust her tongue in his mouth as the phone continued to ring.
Alex’s heated eyes glanced down, pulling her shirt up. At once, his mouth was on her nipple. Valerie moaned at the sensation of his tongue. It made her entire body tingle.
Her phone rang again and Alex stopped. Valerie could feel his annoyance by the way his body tensed.
“I’ll turn it off,” she offered. “Where is it?”
She’d dropped it when he brought her to the bed. Alex leaned over the side of the bed and picked it up. His hardened expression when he glanced at the caller ID was enough to tell her who it was.
He handed her the phone and pulled himself off her. “Answer it.”
“It’s probably just about work, Alex. I can talk to him in the morning.”