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Authors: Celia Loren

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Chapter Thirty-Four

"Can I come in?" I turn my head to see Bree paused
uncertainly at the threshold of my hospital room.

"Of course," I reply. She smiles and walks toward
my hospital bed, then turns to Carter.

"Police want to see you outside. I can stay with
Lex." Carter turns to me, and I nod. He hasn't left my side since we got
here a couple hours ago. Bree waits until he passes outside, and then seats
herself in his chair next to me. "I'm so sorry you had to go through
that," she whispers quietly.

"Well, you got your fair share."

"That was different. You were aware the whole time of
what could happen...sorry. Maybe it's not helpful to talk about right now. I'm
just glad they got the guy."

"One of them. What if El Nuevo Muerto sends
another—"

Bree grabs my hand. "Don't worry. I was with my mom
when Carter called. It's not going to be the same anymore, trust me."

"Really?"

She nods. "It's over between them. She's with him
now."

"But the cartel could still—"

"I know you didn't see this side of my mom, because she
changes a lot when she's with a man, but she's actually a really shrewd
businesswoman. She knows Ray can't have the information about this deal get
out, so she's going to use her knowledge of it to get him to resolve it."

I actually begin to smile. "I think that's called
blackmail."

Bree grins. "Let's call it leverage. So much
classier."

"If they do break up, that could...make things
easier," I murmur. Bree blushes. I'm sure Jack told her that I know about
them, but she's never talked about it around me, and I didn't want to bring it
up. I think she's embarrassed.

"Well, maybe after some time has passed, it wouldn't
cause such a scandal," she admits, her cheeks bright pink.

"He's crazy about you, you know."

"I know," she says with a grin. "Hey, have I
told you my novel's almost finished?"

"No, that's great!"

She nods. "Lots of nights sitting out on my balcony,
writing. I have a great view of the ocean, the backyard...the boat house. It's
amazing what you can see...so many late night comings and goings..." she
says with a mischievous smile.

"You knew this whole time?" I gasp.

"Well, I knew a little. Just about a couple late night
meetings. None lately, as far as I can tell," she adds probingly.

I sigh. "It got a little complicated. He got distant,
and I started seeing someone else...hopefully now...maybe..." I trail off.
"Everything's going to be so different now, isn't it?" I realize.

"Yes. But maybe it will be better. We're friends, even
if we won't be sisters, right?"

"I hope that's a promise," I reply, grasping her
hand a little tighter.

"Oh, and Jack's on his way," she adds. "He
was in practice, but I called the front office and asked them to let him
know."

"I'm fine, he doesn't have to—"

"Don't be silly," Bree interrupts. "How do
you think Carter will react, when he finds out about...us?"

I giggle. "Honestly? He's going to—"

"What's so funny?" Carter asks, reentering and
looking between us suspiciously. "Why do I always feel like you two are
talking about me?"

"Because we are," Bree replies.

"Alexa, my mom's outside," Carter says, turning to
me. "She wasn't sure you'd want to see her."

"Of course, tell her to come in."

Carter sticks his head back outside, and a moment later,
Anne walks tentatively with him into the room. Her lips begin to wobble as she
sees me, and her eyes threaten to spill over with tears.

"Do I really look that bad?" I joke.

"No! I mean, well...a little," she gushes, then
rushes over to my bedside. "Oh, Alexa, I'm so sorry I didn't believe
you."

"It's OK. He has lots of people fooled," I reply.

"I went and saw him in his office. He's ending Burke's
shipments to Mexico entirely, and paying both cartels enough money to satisfy
them."

"Wow, you got him to do that?"

"I threatened to go to the press." I look at her
strained, beautiful face, and find I feel no anger towards her.

"For the record, I think he did love you. I don't think
he would have conceded to anyone else's demands," I tell her.

A tear slips down her cheek and she hurriedly wipes it away.
"Well, it doesn't matter now," she murmurs, then glances down my
body. "They have you all stitched up?"

"It's mostly just scrapes and bruises. Only the shoulder
needed stitches," I tell her. "Luckily, the bullet only knicked my
skin—"

"Bullet!?" Anne's eyes widen. "He
shot
you?"

"That fucker
shot
you?" Jack exclaims,
barreling into the room. He's covered in sweat, has a smear of dirt across his
forehead, and smells like a locker room.

"Only a little," I reply. Jack begins to pace back
and forth across the room.

"Look, my mind was racing all the way over here,"
he says. "And here's what I'm thinking. Clearly, we can't stay at the
house anymore. And you guys need to get out of there, too. I've got this small
apartment that I only use...infrequently...so Alexa, you can stay there.
Carter, maybe it would be best if you stay in the second bedroom to keep an eye
on her. And Anne, you can move in to my apartment with us."

"Who's 'us'?" Carter pipes up.

"Jack, sweetie, slow down," Anne says. "I'm
confused. Who do you live with?"

"No one, now," Jack stammers, as I bite my lip to
keep from laughing. "I mean, my housekeeper. That's who I was talking
about."

I can't help it. A giggle escapes from between my lips, and
then it's too late to stop it. Before I know it tears are streaming down my
face as I laugh and I have to pull my hospital gown up to hide my face.

"Alexa, are you alright?" I feel Anne's hand on my
leg. "She's hysterical. Maybe we should get the nurse."

"No, no, I'm fine," I gasp. "Sorry, it just
struck me funny, is all. How things that seem like a really big deal suddenly
aren't anymore, after something like
this
happens," I say,
indicating my cuts and bruises. "Getting kidnapped really puts things into
perspective."

"Maybe she's right," Bree pipes up, though I can
hear nerves under her voice.

"Bree..." Jack says from across the room.

"I mean, after what's happened to Alexa, and what Ray's
been doing, maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal," Bree continues.

"What wouldn't be such a big deal?" Carter asks,
frowning.

"Carter, why don't you come stand over here? Away from
them," I intercede.

"OK..." he replies grudgingly, and walks over to
my bedside.

"Or maybe after all that's happened, today wouldn't be
such a good day for something
else
to happen," Jack says to Bree.

"What the hell are you all talking about?" Anne
asks, exasperated. "I feel like you're talking in code."

"Carter, just remember that I'm injured right now, and
I really need you to stay calm," I tell him.

"This doesn't sound good," he grumbles. I wink at
Bree, and she walks over to stand next to Jack, who looks far less confident
than she does.

"Well, the thing is..." Bree says, looking around
the room and taking a deep breath. "Jack and I are together and we're in
love."

Chapter Thirty-Five

A shocked silence settles over the room, then Carter turns
to me. "You
knew?
"

"Just remember that I've been kidnapped and shot today,
so again, I really can't stress enough how I need everyone to remain calm and
not punch anyone right now," I reply rapidly.

"You're too young!" Anne exclaims.

"I'm nineteen and Jack's twenty-four!" Bree
replies.

"How long has this been going on?" Carter asks.
His voice is quiet, but his jaw is twitching.

"Since the summer," Jack replies.

"You've been lying about this for months?!" Carter
exclaims. Bree moves just in front of Jack, clearly worried that Carter is
about to explode.

"You and Mom just would have tried to get us to break
up, and we didn't want to!" Bree adds.

"Damn straight!" Carter says, his voice rising.
"You've been sneaking around behind our backs!"

"Like you have a leg to stand on!" Bree retorts.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Carter
asks in confusion.

"Oh...um, nothing," Bree replies, giving me a
panicked look.

"She knows, Carter," I say quietly. "And
she's right."

"Who knows what?" Anne asks. "WHAT IS
HAPPENING?"

"Anne, why don't you sit down," I suggest,
attempting to take control of the situation. Carter hurries over and pulls a
chair from the wall. His mother practically collapses into it. "Jack and
Bree are together, and I found out a little while ago and promised I wouldn't
tell. Also...Carter and I had a, um, fling."

"Woah, woah, what?" Jack exclaims. "Lex, you
dirty dog!"

"Not helping, Jack," Bree murmurs.

"I thought I sensed something. But it's over now,
right?" Anne asks, glancing between Carter and me.

"Well, it's complicated," I reply. Jack bursts out
laughing and Bree punches him in the arm.

"We were just waiting for the timing to work out,"
Carter explains. "But this is different!"

"Carter, it's not," I tell him. "It only
seems different because she's your little sister."

"Are you really in love?" Anne asks Bree quietly. Bree
looks up at Jack.

"We are," he replies. "And I'm sorry we lied
to you. But I'm serious about her."

"And what about you two?" she asks, turning to her
son.

"Honestly, we haven't quite gotten the chance to figure
it out...but I think it's real," Carter says, taking my hand.

I'm shocked to see Anne smile. "Well, isn't that
something," she murmurs, so quietly I almost can't hear her.
"Something beautiful coming out of it, after all. Just when I couldn't see
the beauty in the world anymore, now here you all are."

"I was serious about you moving in with us, Anne,"
Jack says.

"Jack never actually asked me to move in," Bree
says with a smile, "but I think it's a good idea, too."

"Oh, right, sorry," Jack mutters, looking bashful.
"I was just trying to help."

"I know," Bree replies, gently rubbing his back. I
glance at Carter, who looks slightly alarmed at first by this display of
intimacy, but relaxes when I squeeze his hand.

"If you two are just moving in together, I don't want
to intrude," Anne says.

"It's a really big apartment," Bree says with a
grin. "You can have your own floor."

"Well, I certainly don't want to go back to the house
right now," Anne murmurs.

"What about you two? Now that we don't need to sneak
around, you can use the extra apartment," Bree says, turning to us.

"Wait, hang on a second, this apartment was where you
two would sneak off and...?" Carter says, looking shocked.

"Best not to think about it," I murmur.

"Maybe they feel strange now, moving in together if
they're sort of dating," Jack points out to Bree.

"Oh, do you feel strange?" Bree asks us, bluntly
as ever.

"Um..." I reply, feeling overwhelmed.

"Can you give us the room for a minute?" Carter
asks, taking control of the situation. Anne obligingly follows out Bree and
Jack, looking dazedly back and forth between them. "Hi," Carter says,
turning to me with a smile.

"Hi," I murmur. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not the one who's been shot today, so let's focus
on you. I know I'd talked about moving in together, but this is different. I
want you to feel safe, but I also don't want you to feel uncomfortable in any
way. I mean, I don't want it to get in the way of, you know,
us
. I could
try to get Roger to take the extra room as protection—"

"I think I'd feel a lot weirder living with
Roger," I reply with a smile. "And honestly, I'd feel safer with you.
It can't possibly be a weirder situation that what we've had. At least our
parents aren't getting married anymore, right?"

"Right. OK, I'll get our stuff from the house later
today."

"I can help."

"I don't want you going back there. Your father nearly
got you killed."

"You're probably right. It's weird, though. I don't
feel as angry at him as I think I should," I murmur.

"Well, I think I'm mad enough for the both of us,"
Carter murmurs, his fists clenching.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to have anything to
do with him. It's just that I don't feel angry at him anymore. It's like being
mad at a lion for being a carnivore. It's just how he is, and he isn't going to
change."

"I suppose that's a healthy way to think about
it," Carter replies grudgingly.

"So can I get out of here today?"

"The police will want to take your statement, but I can
probably get them to wait until you're home."

"Home. With you."

"With me."

I grin. "I think this might take a little getting used
to."

Chapter Thirty-Six

Two months later...

"Yes!" Bree exclaims, staring in shock at the
diamond ring in front of her. Anne, Carter, and I applaud as Jack slips it onto
her finger. My little brother laughs in relief. I've never seen him sweat so
much when he wasn't on the field.

"Fuck, I was nervous," he swears.

"You shouldn't've been. This ring is gorgeous!"
Bree says, turning it in the light.

"Lex helped me pick it out," Jack says, giving me
a nod.

"You knew?" Carter asks, nudging me.

"Hey, this is different," I whisper back.

"There's some champagne in the fridge, I think,"
Anne says, getting up and heading over to the kitchen. We're at Jack's
penthouse having a family dinner to celebrate Bree completing her novel, and
Jack took advantage of everyone being in one place to pop the question.

Well, not quite everyone. My father settled things with the
cartels, and despite sending Anne lavish gifts, she refused to take him back.
Jack and I are effectively cut off from him, but while we've lost a father,
we've actually gained a mother – or mother-in-law, rather. Anne doesn't plan to
live with Jack and Bree forever, of course, but they've made it clear she's
welcome until she feels like her life is back on firm footing.

"Do you know what kind of wedding you want?" Anne
asks as she returns.

"Something small, don't you think?" Bree asks,
placing her petite hand in Jack's giant one.

"Yeah, nothing too fancy," Jack agrees.

"Carter, when are your meetings?" Bree asks.

"No, tonight's about you," Carter demurs.

"Oh, please. I can't handle any more attention,
honestly," she says.

"Tomorrow," he replies, giving me a look.
"Thanks to Alexa."

"I don't think I can take all the credit," I say.

"Don't worry, Lex, I know you're the brains in this
operation," Bree says with a teasing smile at her older brother.

I've been helping Carter and Roger start their own private
security company, and truthfully, it has been a lot of work. But tomorrow, it
should all start to pay off. I drafted a solid business plan for them, and
tomorrow they're going in to meet with investors. We've actually made a great
team: Roger has the industry connections, Carter has the skills, and I have the
business savvy.

Carter was worried about me helping at first because he
didn't want me to lose sight of school, but I've still managed to enroll myself
in the summer semester, with some help from Jack. I didn't want to take money
from him so I made him sign a loan document. He thought it was ridiculous, but
I insisted I'd pay him back.

Anne raises her glass of champagne, and we all follow suit.
"To Bree and—oh, hell, to all of you. We've all been through a lot this
year, and I couldn't be prouder of each of you."

* * *

"Well, goodnight, then," I say to Carter. He's
standing at our kitchen sink, filling up a glass of water.

"Goodnight," he replies, then clears his throat.

"Sorry?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing. 'Night." I shut my bedroom door behind
me. We've been playing this awkward dance for weeks now. When we first moved in
together, he was in full-on protector mode. And I didn't mind – I was jumpy and
nervous and needed him nearby. And then things began to settle down, and we
became friends. Best friends, really. And then helping him with his business has
been a whole additional layer. I'm worried that the romantic stuff has just
gotten crowded out.

Or maybe he just doesn't see me like that anymore. Maybe he
only thinks of me as a friend. I sigh, and pull my dress off. My fingers slide
over the small, raised scar on my upper arm. It's funny how I could be so brave
in one situation, when my life was in danger, but now I don't have the courage
to even ask Carter if he's still interested in me. Bree has told me repeatedly
that I'm being a chicken, but I think her vision might be clouded because she
wants us to be together so much.

Not that I don't. Lately, it feels like my skin is on fire
whenever I'm near him. I actually have to avoid the living room in the morning
because he showers in the hall bathroom and if I see him in a towel one more
time I'm going to explode. I didn't think his body could carry any more muscle,
but it turns out he'd actually lost quite a bit while his leg was healing.

There's a knock on my bedroom door, and I quickly swing it
open. Carter is standing in the doorway, his hand paused in front of him.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I just wanted to thank you again for all your...you do
realize you're in your underwear, right?"

I flush. "Oh, shit. I was thinking about...something,
and I took—" I stop as his hand moves forward and stops on my bare waist.
I stare at him, but he's not looking at my face. His eyes are travelling all
over my body in a way that makes me shiver. Suddenly, he jerks his arm back.

"I'm sorry. You had a traumatic experience, and I've
been trying to give you space."

"Oh. Oh! So...you still want..."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Thank god," he says, and steps forward, wrapping
his arms around me. I almost faint with pleasure as our bodies press against
each other. Our mouths open and our tongues slide against each other. My
fingers quickly find the bottom of his thin t-shirt and I step back for a
moment to pull it up over his head. In a moment, his mouth is back on mine.

His hands reach behind my back and quickly unhook my bra. As
he leans back and pulls it off my hands, he lets his fingers brush against
them.

"You're shaking," he notes.

"I know," I say with a smile. I reach forward and
grab his belt, swiftly unbuckling it. He reaches down and pushes his pants down
himself, as I let my eyes travel over his muscular torso, his pecs popping out
over his etched abdomen, and the trail of hair leading down from his belly
button.

He steps forward and turns me around, pulling my hips back
against his rock hard member. I grind my ass against him, and feel his hot
breath on my neck. His rough palms reach across my breasts, and I arch my back
as he twists my nipples in between his fingers. His left hand moves around my
neck, guiding my face towards his, as his right hand moves southward, sliding
slowly under my panties.

I pant as he playfully flicks his fingers across my bare
skin, teasing me, and then cry out as he slides them over my clit. The pleasure
is so immediate, it's been hiding under the surface for weeks, just waiting for
his touch.

I can feel how wet I am as he slides one finger inside me,
leaving his thumb to circle my aching nub. I reach my arms behind his neck and
hold on as my knees buckle.

"Oh, god, Carter," I moan, as I feel an orgasm
quickly building inside me.

"Fuck, I've wanted you so much," he groans, and my
body unspools around his fingers as an orgasm rips through me. Its waves are
still hitting me when he turns me back around and yanks down my panties.

I gasp as he pushes me back onto the bed, leaving my legs
hanging off, and bite my lip in anticipation as he pushes his boxers to the
floor and steps toward me. He takes his dick in his hand and bends over me,
finding my slit and pressing into me.

As he enters me, I cry out and he lets out a massive groan.
He's stretching me to the limit, and I have to take deep breaths to relax my
muscles enough to let him in.

"You feel so good..." he moans, taking a slow
stroke back as he reaches forward and grabs my breasts with both hands.
"This might be a quick one," he warns me.

"Go for it," I reply with a smile, moving my legs
up and resting my ankles on his shoulders. His eyes get a dangerous glint to
them, and he pulls his hips back and roughly thrusts forward. My eyes roll back
in my head as he makes contact deep inside me, and my hands grip the edge of
the bed.

He grabs my hips and presses me down into the mattress, and
then really lets himself go, pumping into me over and over again. My eyes close
and I'm lost to wave after wave of pleasure. I cry out in orgasm and still he
keeps going. The sensations in my body are completely beyond my control as
another orgasm builds. I vaguely hear him shout on top of me just as my body
spasms with another release.

The next thing I know, I'm wrapping my arms around his
broad, sweaty back, and locking my ankles around his back. He lifts me up and
places me in the center of the bed, then collapses down on top of me.

"I'd like to sleep in here tonight," he whispers
in my ear.

"We've never actually spent the entire night together
before," I murmur. He's silent for a minute, and I'm content just to
listen to him breathe.

"I've loved you for months, you know that?" he
finally says.

Tears spring to my eyes and I don't bother to blink them
back. "No," I admit. "But I love you, too."

"Didn't I call it? You're enrolled in school, and we're
living together," he murmurs, and I can feel his cheeks move against me as
he grins.

"You called it," I reply with a smile.

"Here's another prediction: you, me, wedding...three
kids."

"Three? I don't know. Maybe two," I reply giddily.

"Well, I guess we can play it by ear," he says,
placing a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Sounds good to me."