Annihilate Me 2: Vol. 1 Read Free Page B

set.”
    “Are the other board members still
here?”
    “I think they left.”
    “ Left ?   They’re not going to stand behind him on
this?”
    “I’m not sure.   They could have gone elsewhere in the
building.   I watched them get into
one of the elevators, and then they were gone.   Alex will be able to answer that
question for you.”
    “Is there anything else?”
    “No—I just wanted you to know
that Alex is back.”
    Her undercurrent was clear:   And that he needs you now.
    We started to walk back toward her
desk.  
    “Thank you, Ann.   I don’t know how you do it, but you
always know how to handle every situation—especially the difficult
ones.   I appreciate it.”
    “Let me know if you need anything.”
    I went to Alex’s office, knocked
twice on his door, and went inside when he called for me to come in.

 
 
    *   *   *

 
 
    When I clicked the door shut behind
me, I found him seated at his desk and staring intently at his computer.   When he saw that it was me, a sense of
relief came over him, and he immediately rose.
    “Jennifer,” he said.
    “How are you?” I asked.
    “Pissed off, but happy as hell to
see you.”   He nodded toward his
computer screen as I crossed the distance between us.   “You’re all over the Internet, you
know—including video.   I was
just watching what you had to say before you entered the building.”
    “That didn’t take long.”
    Even though he smiled at me, I
could sense the tension behind that smile, and it sickened me.   I would never know the extent of what he
was going through, but I had a rough idea, and my heart went out to him.  
    He winked at me as I approached him.   “I think I just heard you call me a
genius a couple of times.”
    “You are a genius.   You’re more than a genius.”
    “My true genius was to marry you.”
    “Oh, Alex.”
    I held out my arms to him, slipped
into his embrace, and then closed my eyes when he enveloped me in his
arms.   For a long moment, we just
stood there, holding each other and I could feel our energy passing between
us.   From the start of our
relationship, what Alex and I always had was visceral.   It began with a jolt of unexpected
attraction when we first met in an elevator in this very building.   But now, after months of dating that
culminated in marriage, it had the full weight of love behind it.
    “I’m so sorry I couldn’t come with
you this morning.”
    “You got sick.   It’s understandable.   What’s happening right now is upsetting,
and you took it hard.   I don’t want
you to worry about it, OK?   You’re
here now.   That’s all that matters
to me.”
    “I feel as if I let you down.”
    “You didn’t,” he said into my
ear.   “I promise you that you
didn’t.   But I’m glad that you’re
here.   I’ve missed you.”
    When I pulled away from him, I gave
him a meaningful kiss on the lips, which he returned with something that went
beyond mere passion.   He cupped my
face in his hands, met my kiss with his own, and then gently ended it with
several kisses on my lips, cheek, and neck.   At this point in our relationship, we
weren’t just lovers who happened to be married—we also were the best of
friends.   I couldn't imagine what
he’d been through this morning, and I felt laced with guilt that I hadn’t been
able to be there for him.  
    He sat down on his chair and patted
a hand on his lap.   “Sit with me,”
he said.   “I want you close to me.”
    I did as he asked, hooking my right
arm around his neck for support and feeling again just how strong he was.   Alex stood six-foot-two, he wore his
dark hair raked away from a chiseled face peppered with stubble, and his eyes
were the color of the sea.   They
were his best feature—blue-green and framed by thick lashes.   And now they were looking at me.
    “Have I told you that you look
beautiful?” he asked.
    “I believe you did when we woke
up.”
    “Then I’ll say it