Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 104: Shower Drama

Alec entered the shower in his underwear. He knelt down beside me, the water pelting both of us.

Alec spoke to me in a soft, soothing voice, as if he were coaxing a frightened kitten out of a tree. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and wiped water from my face as more water took its place, kind of like the drama in my life. "I’m fine. It was a long night. Just washing away the tension."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"You can go. I’ll come out. When you leave."

"How about I help you up first?" Alec suggested.

"I’m naked."

Alec gave me a gentle smile. "I’ve seen you naked before, remember? When I changed you for bed. I didn’t take advantage of the situation then. Can’t you trust me again?"

It wasn’t that I distrusted Alec. It was more like I was ashamed for bothering a man who didn’t want to have anything to do with me.

I was being insensitive yet again. Geez, how self-absorbed was I? Maybe Lettie was right. Maybe I was a blight on everyone I met, and everyone would be better off if I didn’t exist.

And those thoughts had me crying again. My shoulders shook. I buried my head in my arms. Alec tentatively touched me. He put a hand on my shoulder. I slipped away from him, scooting along the shower floor until I was mostly out of the spray.

My skin chilled quickly without the warm water to protect me, but Alec was right there with me. He shut off the water and approached me.

"Sh, Teela, it’s okay. Please don’t back away from me. I can’t stand it. I’m not strong enough to distance myself from you when you are this upset."

That sounded odd to me. It was almost as if Alec was asking me to be strong so he could leave me. If I were a different kind of person, I would use it against him. I’d throw my arms around him and cry until he promised we could stay together.

I sniffled. "So I should buck up so you can leave me? Is that really what you want to say to me? Isn’t that kind of like telling a condemned man to look away so you can shoot him?"

"That’s not what I meant."

"That’s what you said."

"I don’t want to argue, Teela. I just want to get you out of the shower and dry. You can’t stay in here all night. "

I eased my way back to my feet, careful not to slip on the wet floor. My nudity was inconsequential now because I was no longer that broken woman from minutes ago. Sure, I’d cracked, but this night and Alec hadn’t broken me. I was stronger than that.

I channeled Bea’s self-confidence. "You are right. And I can’t stay here either."

I slid past Alec, careful not to touch him. I’d never touch him again. He was now part of my history.

Grabbing my towel, I wrapped it around me and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Yes, it was a ridiculous move, but it made me feel better.

I was still digging for a change of clothes when Alec left the bathroom fully dressed.

Alec said, "I really didn’t mean what I said in there, at least not the way it sounded. I just meant it wasn’t safe or healthy. I didn’t know what to say to get through to you, so I said the wrong thing."

"No, you said what you meant. It is one of the things I like about you. You say what you mean. Honesty is a good thing, Alec."

I pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a hoodie. It was the hoodie my mother bought me—the ultimate security blanket. "Do you mind going so I can change?"

Spotting the dress I left on the floor, I grabbed it and the bracelet, holding them out to Alec. "Here, take these."

"I bought them for you."

"I can’t keep them."

"You mean you won’t keep them. I don’t have a problem with you keeping them."

"But I do. They are too expensive."

"Teela, I’m rich. I can afford it."

"So can I, Alec. Give me a laptop and fifteen minutes. I can reimburse you for the costs. Give me twenty minutes, and I can pay you rent for the time I’ve been here, too."

"I don’t like you this way, Teela."

"I could have sworn you’ve made it clear you don’t like me at all."

"I never once said I didn’t like you."

"You told me to go. It’s the same difference."

"No, Teela, it’s not. I can love you and not like your actions. I can love you and still need some space to assimilate what happened tonight."

"I’m confused. What are you saying now?"

"I’m saying, don’t go. I was wrong, I guess."

"Alec, I don’t want to upset you. I’ve never wanted to upset you, but I have to be true to myself."

"I know that. I guess I’m feeling insecure."

"Insecure? You? You are one of the most confident and capable men I know."

"It’s that ’one of’ bit that gets to me. You are surrounded by elite fighters who can kick my ass, and I’m used to being the best fighter in the group. They spend as much time trying to watch my back as they do yours."

"Alec. Look more carefully. Every single one of us watch out for each other. It isn’t the strong protecting the weak because we all excel in one way or another. Jake saved me. I helped him save both of his boys. CK asked for help saving his brother. In turn, he has been integral in building a case against Daniel. In fact, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have closed in on Daniel as quickly as we did. Bea supported me leaving King. I helped her bring her business back to life.

"Do you think any of us are keeping track of who saved who? No. It’s not like that."

"Maybe so, but I’m new to your merry band of men and still trying to find my place. It might help if I felt more secure in my relationship with you, but every time we take a step forward, something comes along that forces us back.

"It feels like we are in the same place today as we were that first day—intrigued and waiting to see what the future holds."

"Alec, I see where you are coming from. Granted, I have a limited relationship history to pull from, but isn’t that the way of every relationship? You find someone you’re attracted to, and then you spend a lot of time seeing where it goes.

"I mean, even after three years of marriage, I was still waiting for that secure feeling, and the whole time, I kept trying to get into sync with King."

I adjusted the towel around me. This was a strange conversation to have in a towel. I’d like to change, but some things weren’t tied to a schedule or clothes.

"You should change. I’ll go." Alec turned and walked to the door but paused. "Can we continue talking after you’re done?"

"I don’t know what else there is to say. Either we keep fighting through internal and external obstacles to build a relationship, or we don’t."

"It’s not that simple."

"Yes, actually, it is."

Alec left the room, and I dressed. I gladly put on my combat boots because it felt like I was in the middle of a skirmish and needed them. I could only hope it was over soon because it had been a long night already. I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle tonight.

When I was done, I looked around the room. I’d said I would pack and get out, but then Alec sounded like he didn’t want me to go, so now I wasn’t sure what to do.

I decided to leave and finish whatever discussion Alec had for me before I made the decision. At this rate, though, it would be morning before I left, so technically, Alec had won. I would have spent the night before leaving. Sadly, it wasn’t while resting.

Alec was waiting for me outside my bedroom door. He pulled me into his arms and turned until I was pressed against the wall. His lips found mine in what felt like a desperate attempt to rekindle the passion we had created before leaving for The Well Water.

I didn’t say no. I didn’t push him away. I didn’t even stand like a statue. It wasn’t in me to fight against what felt so good.

We kissed until we had to break for a breath.

"Stay, Teela. Move in with me. Let’s commit to making this work. As long as we can talk out our problems like we did tonight, we can make it."

I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to feel his lips on me, on my mouth, my neck—lower. I wanted to lock out the doubts and live for the moment. It is what the moment called it. It is what my body called for.

I could only hope it was what Alec wanted, too.