Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 94: Runaway Teela

I tried not to stare—really, I did. But the hint of flowers and vines at Alec’s neck continued down his perfectly formed pecs and over a sculpted stomach. Between the colors and intriguing patterns and the phenomenal body, it was almost impossible to redirect my gaze when I wanted to explore every inch of bare skin until I memorized it, analyzed it, and was able to recall it all in minute detail by memory.

It was only when the lower half of Alec’s face cleared the shirt that I was able to look away.

"I’ll step out and let you change in private."

"You don’t have to. I like your eyes on my body. I’d hoped you would have seen all of me and me you last night before I messed things up."

My throat went dry. I had no business letting my thoughts stray in that direction. No. I was slowing things down, and nothing was happening at the church regardless.

"I’ll be right outside. Call me when you’re done. We’ll talk."

Min was talking to Father DiMarco. From the sound of things, I was gaining another roommate. At this rate, the sanctuary would have to be subdivided into more bedrooms soon. Father DiMarco would be forced to hold sermons in the garden.

"Go back to your apartment, Min. I’m covered here."

"No."

I hated Min a little bit at that moment.

With everything going on and the fact we all lived, played, and worked together, I felt a little suffocated. And they had to be feeling the same way. It was no wonder we were getting on each other’s nerves.

While I may have mentioned the hideout during a drunken haze, it wasn’t a bad idea. I had no doubt it wouldn’t remain a secret for more than ten minutes, but it would give me an out. I so needed an out right now.

The door to my bedroom opened, and Alec stuck his head out.

"I’m dressed. Can we talk?"

"Not here. Did you drive?"

"Yes."

"Let’s go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere. The park. A coffee shop. A deserted island. Your place. Anywhere but here."

Alec nodded and held his hand out to me. I paused before taking it, knowing this was a foolish thing to do, but I dearly hated how the guys made me feel. I didn’t want to deal with any of them until I cooled off.

In the meantime, I needed space. Please let Alec be smart enough not to pressure me for at least an hour.

I took his hand and led him out of the church.

"Where are you going?" Stiff asked.

"Out."

"We’re coming with you," Kae said.

That stopped me. "No, no, you’re not. If I see anyone I recognize before I return, I’m not coming back.

"It’s one thing to volunteer to have babysitters follow me around. It’s another to have them forced on me."

I made sure the GPS tracking was turned on in my phone.

"You can track me from here. When Bea comes back, she can text me one time. That’s it. Any more than that and I find out, I for real am moving out.

"I didn’t leave one prison to move into another one."

Jake said, "Teela, be reasonable."

"I was reasonable, and then the men in my life all turned into assholes."

"Stiff said, "Hey, don’t group me in with these guys. I’ve been on my best behavior."

"Guilty by association. The only reason I’m leaving with this one is I’ve got to talk to his sorry ass anyway. Might as well get it over with now while I’m already upset.

"So back off, or I’m filing for restraining orders."

Stiff raised his hand. "Oh, I can issue restraining orders from home now."

"Shut up, Stiff," half the room chimed.

Min said, "Fine. We’ll back off today. Do what you need to do."

When we were in the Jeep, Alec started driving in silence while I looked rentals up on my phone.

I was surprised when I searched my old family home address and found the property was up for sale.

It wasn’t ideal. It was too far from work and would need a lot of upkeep that I didn’t have time to do. From a security standpoint, it was too isolated, with too many windows and too few security features.

Funny, I never thought of these things when I lived there with Mom. Now, it was all I thought about.

"May I ask what you are looking for? Maybe I can help," Alec said.

"A bat cave."

"Huh?"

"A hideout. Somewhere safe and private."

"Isn’t that what the church is?"

"It will always be home. This is different."

Alec did a U-turn. "I have a temporary solution. At least for today. It is too stormy for the park, and we’d be safer off the road."

"As long as it is safe and quiet."

"I promise. It offers both."

The place ended up being a downtown apartment.

Alec said, "I bought it for visiting doctors. It’s fully furnished. The building is secure. If you want it, the center has other units we can use. We’ll take this one out of circulation.

"Oh, and feel free to change the door code or locks in general. I don’t want you worried about me walking in on you unexpectedly."

The apartment was pretty generic. It wasn’t a home, but I wasn’t looking for a home. It was quiet and clean and a temporary fix.

"What do you think?"

"I appreciate the offer. Can we order in and stay here at least for now, until I pull my act together?"

"Whatever you need. I’d like to talk, but if you prefer, I can go."

I sat down on the couch. Alec gave me a bottle of water before sitting in a chair opposite me.

"No, we need to talk, I guess."

"I’ll start. My dad is Eugene Crest. He is a wealthy entrepreneur with questionable ethics. I grew up hearing he was a mobster, but I stay out of it. I built Crest Cares on my own. We go through an annual audit to prove that even though my dad may have a sketchy background, I don’t.

"In fact, I’ve not taken anything from him since I reached the legal age of majority.

"The protestors are upset because, as they put it, the old man hooks them then I detox them. We get their money coming and going. Dad said there might be protestors, but he didn’t say it was that bad.

"And I didn’t tell you I was man of the year because, well, I don’t know why. I found out a few days ago that I’d won. I guess it’s a big deal, but it didn’t feel that way to me. Taking you out did.

"So, when you were upset, I wasn’t sure how to make it better, so I kept making things worse.

"I’m sorry."

"Thank you for the apology and explanation. But, Alec, shouldn’t you have told me about your dad earlier? You put me at risk. You put the people I love at risk, and you didn’t give me a choice in the matter."

"I know. I’m sorry. That was selfish of me. My only excuse is by the time I realized you were important to me, I was too afraid of losing you to say anything."

"Is this how you’ve treated all the women in your past?"

"You talk like there have been a lot. There haven’t. I was too busy building a business. And most were too casual to be worth telling.

"My previous serious relationship was introduced to me by my dad. His reputation was a non-issue."

"So, how much danger am I in?"

"From dad? None unless you betray him. I spoke to him this morning. He thought you handled yourself well after unintentionally insulting him. But Dad has enemies. They are a threat sometimes."

"Alec, I’ve got to tell you, if I see anything, hear anything suspect, I’m not the type of person to let it slide without doing something about it. And, Alec, I’m very, very good at research. What I already know is enough to set my teeth on edge."

Alec’s head was down. "I understand. I guess this means you don’t want to see me anymore."

I didn’t know what to say. I liked Alec. I really did. I hated the idea of not seeing him again. He was fun to flirt with and patient when he was teaching me. His charisma was unparalleled, and his lips felt so good against mine. The attraction between us was undeniable.

Was it fair to walk away from him because of his father when I gave King chance after chance despite his mother?

If I tried, if I really tried, I could avoid Eugene Crest and the crimes he committed. I had my hands full with work and Daniel’s trial. I could throw more energy into taekwondo, and I still had to find CK’s brother Colby before I should even attempt to take on another love list project.

But could I ever look at Alec without wondering who was being hurt because I chose to turn a blind eye?

"I should go," Alec said. "Stay as long as you want. It’s safe here."

A knock at the door had us both looking up.