Chapter 18

• Ray watched Alexis scurry to the bathroom. He'd studied her for years and he knew her like the back of his hand. He would go as far as to say that he knew her better than his hand. Her moods when she was sad, happy, angry, manipulative -especially when she wanted something from her parents- she knew what to do or say to get whatever it was she wanted. But today? Today she was edgy. Dare he hope it was because of his confession? Otherwise, why would she be all nervous around him if what he said hadn't affected her? And to think he was going to take it back.
• For the past two days, he had been trying to come up with a plausible explanation as to why he'd said what he had. His excuses included saying that he was in love, but with someone else. Someone she didn't know. Or he could have said that he only told her that to annoy her. He was still in the process of concocting some believable lies but now that he had seen her reaction, there was no way he was going to take it back. He'd felt her shiver when Marjorie had trapped her between them. That was also another thing he was trying to understand. It was like Marjorie was doing those things on purpose. Telling her about the flowers, pushing her into his arms, tripping her so that she'd fall on him. That last one was good.
• Alexis was coming from the bathroom and from what he could see she was angry about something. So distracted she didn't see her friend poke her leg out making her trip and fall on to his lap. Ray would have admonished Marjorie if he wasn't so caught up in all things Alexis. She smelled divine and from that angle, he had an eyeful of cleavage that sent his libido into overdrive. He wanted to hold on and never let go but all too soon she pushed away from him. Settling beside him, she saw her drink and lifting the glass, she threw her head back swallowing it all in one go. Okay, something was definitely wrong. Should he ask what it was?