Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
TALLY
I lay in bed, flat on my back, debating for the fiftieth time whether I should wake Alec up with kisses.
I wanted to. God, it was tempting, but after we’d holed up in our room yesterday and spent the whole time exploring each other in new ways—in between breaks for room service—I could use a little time to think.
Yesterday, we’d been flying high on positive emotions and sex hormones. Now, in the quiet hours of the morning, my mind was clearer and I’d be better able to figure out where to go from here.
I lifted Alec’s arm, which he’d draped across my belly, and slowly eased out from under it. I slipped one leg off the edge of the bed and then the other. I inched away from him, wary of shifting too much of my weight at once and alerting him to the fact I’d woken.
If he stirred now, he’d probably kiss me and drag me into another round of lovemaking. I wasn’t opposed to that, exactly, but it would addle my mind for another few hours, and then I’d have missed my window for contemplation.
Little by little, I eased onto my feet. I’d love a shower because I must smell like sex, but the water would disturb Alec. Best to just get changed and leave. I could shower later.
I found a pair of yoga pants on the floor near my suitcase, grabbed it, and quietly opened the suitcase and rifled through until I’d found underwear and a tank top. I dressed and let myself out of the hotel room.
I made my way down to the beach, pausing by the outdoor activities shed to collect a yoga mat, which I tucked under my arm and took with me onto the sand.
A handful of people were out and about. More than I’d expected, but it was the warmest morning of our stay, the air almost unpleasantly humid and without much wind, so it made sense that guests would want to paddle in the shallows to cool off.
I walked a couple hundred yards along the beach, unrolled the yoga mat, and positioned it so that I could watch the waves as I did my sun salutations.
I started in mountain pose, transitioned to a forward fold, to downward dog, plank, up-dog, back to downward dog, and returned to mountain in a series of fluid movements.
I cycled through the short set of poses six times before moving into the body of my yoga practice. Warrior two pose came first, then sun warrior, extended warrior, and a repeated shift back and forth between the three, stretching one side and then the other.
As I brought my legs back to the center and took my weight onto my left foot, I wondered what the change in my relationship with Alec would mean in the wider context of our lives. Our friendship was irrevocably altered, no matter what happened. However much it worried me, I’d accepted that.
But what would it mean for me to have a boyfriend in the NHL?
Waves lapped at the sand, and I extended my arms ahead of me, preparing to enter warrior three.
I already went to all of Alec’s home games, and I knew many of the other players’ partners didn’t attend away games, so it wasn’t like I’d be expected to do that. Just as well, since I was so busy with Coco Luxe.
Would the media care more about who I was now that I was dating Alec?
They’d never bothered me much before, but we hadn’t hid the fact we were old school friends and it wasn’t a particularly exciting story, so they’d left me alone.
But if we were old-friends-turned-happy-couple, that might be an angle worth investigating. The public adored a good love story.
Would they disrupt Coco Luxe?
I gently placed my foot on the ground and transferred my weight to the other foot, extending my left leg out behind me and circling my arms forward. A gull screeched overhead.
No, I couldn’t see any potential increased media interest in me being a negative thing for Coco Luxe. If anything, it might be good for the business.
As another upside, Alec worked at least as many hours as me, if not more.
Combined with travel, it meant he wouldn’t hound me to focus less on my business, like Thad had.
Unfortunately, it also meant less time with him, but it wouldn’t be forever.
The length of a professional sportsman’s career was limited.
One of the major downsides was that I’d have to live with the knowledge that women would likely throw themselves at him every time he was out of town.
I trusted that he wouldn’t cheat on me. Alec was a good man.
He’d never hurt anyone the way Thad had done to me, but it would be irritating to know how many people wished they could steal him from me.
I returned to a standing position and shook out my feet, then pressed the bottom of my right foot into the inside of my left thigh and put my palms together in front of my chest.
Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to become aware of the world behind me, using my other senses. The air was warm as it passed through my nose, and it carried the scent of seawater. A little girl laughed farther down the beach, and nearby, someone’s feet kicked up sand as they drew closer.
Frowning, I opened my eyes and looked around.
Coral smiled at me tentatively and tucked her loose hair behind her ear. “Can we talk?”
I lowered my foot to the mat. “I suppose so.”
It wouldn’t do me any good to avoid her forever. Especially now that I was genuinely with Alec and couldn’t care less about Thad—except for my wounded pride.
I sat cross-legged on the mat and she dropped onto the sand opposite me and mirrored my position.
For an uncomfortably long time, she gazed at me. In a lot of ways, it was like staring into a mirror. Our eyes were so similar.
In other ways, we were completely different. My hair was dark, hers was light. I was curvy, she was slim. I was pale, she was golden.
“I’m sorry about Thad.” The words fell from her lips on a gust of air, as if the apology had deflated her.
“It was horrible of me to…to…sleep with him while you were together. You and I have always gotten along well and I hate being at odds like this. Especially when it’s my fault.
I… I don’t know; I think I was so flattered by his attention that what we were doing felt naughty rather than just wrong. ”
I stayed quiet. I didn’t particularly feel like accepting her apology, or her excuses, but dragging it out wouldn’t help anything either.
Whatever happened, we’d always be family.
There was no getting away from that. At some point, we’d have to bury the hatchet.
Well, either that or I could become bitter for the rest of my life.
“Anyway,” she carried on, fidgeting with her hands, obviously nervous. “It just kind of happened, and after it did, I figured the damage was done, right? So it didn’t matter if I did it again.”
I supposed that answered the question as to whether it had been a one-time thing or an ongoing affair.
“How exactly did it ‘just happen?’” I asked, because honestly, that sounded a bit weak. “Did you magically find yourself inside his apartment? Did your clothes accidentally vanish? Did his dick just fall into your pussy?”
Her chin wobbled, but she held it high, accepting my snarky comments as her due. “We met at a bar one night. I was a bit drunk. He invited me back to his place to sober up, and it all spiraled out of control.”
“I see.” In a way, it was good to know the details, but I’d also be happy to never speak of the matter again.
“I swear, I never meant to hurt you.” Tears gleamed in her eyes.
“I’m so ashamed of myself. I don’t like the person I’ve been lately, and I’m sorry about what an asshole Thad has been since we got here.
I don’t know what his problem is, but I told him to pack his bags and leave. He won’t bother you anymore.”
I released a stuttered breath. “Thank you.”
She wriggled closer and glanced at my hands as if debating whether to reach for them but then opted not to. “I want to fix this. And for us to get along again. What can I do?”
The corner of my eye twitched. She looked so miserable and her apology seemed genuine, but it was all still too raw.
“I appreciate your apology.” I spoke softly, hoping that would cushion the blow.
“And it’s nice that you want to try to make it up to me, but I’m not there yet.
I never expected you to betray me like this and I need more time to be in an emotional place where I’m ready to forgive you. I’ll get there. Just, not yet.”
Tears welled in Coral’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m a horrible person. I’m so sorry.”
I grimaced, uncertain what to do. She’d hurt me, so I didn’t feel like comforting her, but she also seemed to be doing a pretty good job of beating herself up, and I didn’t want to add to the load.
“It’s not all bad,” I said eventually.
She looked up at me, crying silently now. “It’s not?”
I shrugged. “At least I know that Thad wasn’t the right person for me. If not for this, I might not have gotten together with Alec, and I’m pretty happy with how that worked out.”
The side of her mouth hitched up in the tiniest trace of a smile.
I started to smile back, but then I caught sight of the six-foot-plus man storming down the beach behind her, and my smile vanished.
Alec looked ready to rain fire and brimstone over the landscape.
Oh, shit.