Page 71 of Checkmate
He couldn’t deny he and Erica got along well enough. And given that they’d jumped into business together, they’d clearly bonded.
But beyond that?
“You’re just lonely, Marky boy,” he murmured. “And she’s a pretty face with a kind heart.”
That must be it.
Must be.
Why else would he feel so connected to her so quickly? Because she showed him kindness his wife had never shown him and now that he had experienced that kind of warmth from another person, he craved even more of it.
That’s all it was.
It wasn’t the person, but what she represented. Erica could be anyone, he was sure of it. Things didn’t have to have some bigger meaning. He could admire Erica without relying on her for his happiness. He could find her beautiful without crushing on her.
He wasn’t even divorced yet. There would be time for all that, eventually. When the right woman came along.
Feeling lighter, he joined the evening traffic as he turned on the radio.
As he sang along lowly to an old Elvis song, he pushed back the lingering thought he refused to focus on., the niggling voice that reminded him that despite his efforts, it would still be Erica’s face that he remembered before falling asleep that night.
Chapter 18
Erica
“You moved away from the window, then?” Erica said, walking into the lounge to find Alex fixing himself a drink.
“Well, I wasn’t going to stand and watch another man paw at you—”
“You mean hug me?”
“And so, to stop myself from doing something stupid,” Alex said, speaking a little louder as he ignored her. “I came down here.”
“So what you’re saying is all that time apart taught you nothing. You still don’t trust me.”
“You spent all that time apart with him.”
Erica bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself smirking at the way the veins in his neck popped the more irritated he became.
“What’s your point?”
“My point is, Erica, you can’t be angry at me for thinking something is going on when you’re spending more time with him than you are with me! Even before you shacked up together for three fucking days, you were constantly texting and calling—”
“He’s my business partner!” She said, scoffing at his insecurities.
“You told me you were just helping him out, now you’re business partners? Come on, Erica. Do you not see how bad this all looks?”
“No! Because it isn’t bad! It’s business. Besides, it shouldn’t matter,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. “You’re supposed to trust me, Alex, and it’s very clear you don’t.”
“It’s him I don’t trust!” He said, brandishing his glass towards the window as though Marcus was still out there.
“That doesn’t matter either,” she insisted. “You don’t get it, do you? I can’t control anyone else’s actions but my own, Alex. So, let’s say you’re right and Marcus is trying to get me into bed. Who the fuck cares? Because you should know that there’s nothing that would make me cheat on you. Nothing.”
“But–“
“No. There are no buts, Alex. It’s a simple concept, and you’re proving time and time again that despite me being nothing but loyal, you don’t trust me. There was no point in me coming back here.”
Surprisingly, Erica felt tears prickle at her eyes, wiping them on her shoulder angrily. Why did she let this stupid man get to her?
