Take What You Want (76 page)

“
Fuck,
I'm sorry,” Alex said quietly.

Chase touched his face and
Danni rubbed at his leg.

“
Alex,
that's what you want, isn't it?” Chase asked.

Alex closed his eyes. “More
than you could possibly know.”

Danni released a loud
exhale. “My God, you had me nervous you'd changed your mind,”
she said.

“
No
way,” Alex said. “It's just difficult for me to believe
how lucky I am to have the two of you in my life – and long
term, too.”

Danni slid in between Chase
and Alex and kissed Alex on the lips. “We're not going
anywhere and neither are you,” she said. “This ceremony
will marry us in our own special way.” Danni reached for
Chase's hand and squeezed it, then she brushed her lips to Alex's.
“We're proposing marriage, Alex, so are you saying yes?”

Alex held her gaze and
blinked, sending the pooling moisture in his emerald eyes spilling
down his cheeks. “I'm yours, both of you. Forever.”

Chase leaned forward and
pressed his lips Alex's wet cheek. The three of them laughed and
held hands; goofy grins all around.

“
So,
we're really gonna get married?” Alex asked.

“
You
bet,” Danni said. “Soon as you're physically able, we're
doing it.”

“
That
might be a while,” Alex said.

“
Doesn't
matter,” Chase said. “It will give us all time to
adjust.”

“
We'll
talk about everything this time, Alex,” Danni said. “I
won't be holding back. If something is bothering me, I'll let you
both know about it.”

“
Likewise,
babe,” Chase said, grinning at her over his shoulder.

“
I
think we have a very good shot at making it work this time,”
Alex said.

“
I'd
say our odds are pretty fucking spectacular,” Chase said.

Danni
lifted herself and planted another kiss on Alex's mouth. Chase
followed her, kissing and licking Alex's jaw line, leaving a trail of
moisture all the way up to his ear lobe.

“
Holy
Christ,” Alex sighed. “You two will be the death of me
yet.”

“
But,
what a way to go,” Chase whispered against Alex's ear.

Chase felt his phone buzz
and pulled it off his waistband. “This is one of my clients,”
he said. “I need to take this. I'll be right back.”

Chase
answered the call and quickly walked down the hall beyond the nurses
station and into a large, empty waiting room. He talked to the
client for several minutes, listened to the aggravated tone of the
client, did his best to reassure the rich bastard he'd get exactly
what he wanted – from Jayson, then finally ended the call. He
was about to turn around when he felt the body pressing into him from
behind.

Chase spun around with force
and came face-to-face with Adam.

“
Did
you think I'd just walk away?” Adam asked.

“
Alex
doesn't want you here,” Chase said.

“
And,
Alex is medicated,” Adam said. “He's not sure what he
wants right now, but as soon as I get him home, everything will be
just fine.”

Chase shook his head slowly.
“He'll be leaving with Danni and me – not you.”

“
Is
that your version of things?”

“
Nope,
it's what Alex wants,” Chase said. “In fact, when he
finds out you're still hanging around, he'll have you arrested. I'll
go let security know you're here.”

Adam
stepped into Chase's face. “Not so fast,” Adam said.
“Alex is mine – he'll
always
be mine.”

Chase rolled his eyes,
unwilling to take the bait. “You're delusional.”

“
Think
what you want,” Adam said. “But, make sure you also
think about this: the next time you have his knees pushed back to his
shoulders and his thighs spread open while you're fucking him, be
sure to look down to where your bodies connect and see the apple
inked up by his balls. Remember, he had that done for
me
.
He purposefully had that apple inked right there, so every time
I
fucked him I could see it and know he belonged to
me
.”

Chase shoved Adam away from
him and started walking toward the door. “You better be gone
before security gets here,” Chase said.

“
I
meant enough to Alex for him to ink a permanent reminder onto his
skin. Remember that,” Adam yelled after Chase.

Chase marched back to Adam
and in one smooth motion punched Adam in the face. He fell to the
floor, tipping over a table and two chairs in the process. “Go
to hell,” Chase said, and left the room.

He walked back to Alex's
room rubbing at his hand. Danni was the first to notice the blood
smeared on his knuckles.

“
Chase,
you're bleeding,” she said. “What the hell happened?”

Chase glanced at his hand,
then shook it, trying to ease the throb. “Adam's face got in
the way of my fist.”

“
What?”
Alex asked, trying to sit upright in his bed.

“
Adam
is still here?” Danni asked.

Chase went to the sink in
Alex's room and washed the blood off his hand, then wrapped a paper
towel around the knuckles. Both Danni and Alex waited for an
explanation. “I'm guessing he's in the custody of security
right now.”

“
Why'd
you punch him?” Alex asked.

“
He
was kind enough to remind me of the significance behind your apple
tattoo,” Chase said. “I didn't appreciate the reminder.”

“
What
the fuck did he say?” Alex asked Chase.

“
Does
it matter?” Chase asked.

“
You're
upset, so, yeah, I think it matters,” Alex said.

Chase stood still and
glanced at Alex. “Why'd you have the apple inked where it is?”
Chase asked.

Alex
shrugged. “I didn't want it in a place people would see it,”
Alex said. “After we broke up, I was glad even
I
couldn't see it. Why?”

Chase put his back to Alex.
“Adam said you had it inked there, so he could see it every
time he fucked you.”

Alex
sighed loudly and rubbed at his face. “Jesus! I'm sorry,
Chase,” Alex said. “Adam is a prick. Soon as I'm out of
here, I'll have the tattoo removed.”

“
That's
not necessary,” Chase said. He walked to the large window in
Alex's room and looked at the crowded streets below. His mind began
to replay Adam's statements over and over.

Danni sat on the bed beside
Alex's hip. “Maybe the three of us could get matching tattoos
to signify us being together.”

The room fell silent with
her suggestion. Chase slowly turned around to face them. He leaned
up against the window sill and pushed his hands deep in the front
pockets of his faded jeans.

“
I
love the idea,” Alex said, touching Danni's arm. “What'd
you think, Chase?”

“
We
could get them done at the same time; side-by-side, same design,”
Danni said. “It would be something we could share together, a
design that has meaning to only us.”

Chase stared blankly at the
floor in front of his outstretched feet. He hated the doubt Adam had
planted in his head; hated Adam taking up any space in his head at
all.

“
Chase?
Are you all right?” Alex asked.

Chase lifted his eyes and
looked at Danni and Alex across the room. He nodded and forced a
smile to his face. “Yeah, I like the idea of us getting
inked,” he said. “Sooner the better.”

“
I'll
work on some design ideas for us,” Danni said excitedly, but
Chase went back to staring at the floor.

Alex felt Chase's emotional
withdrawal and a nervous knot tightened in his stomach. “Chase,
sit with me,” he said.

Chase pushed off the window
sill and walked over to Alex's bed. He sat down on the mattress
facing Alex. He smiled but the emotion never made it to his eyes.
Alex reached for Chase's hand and twined their fingers together.

“
You
okay?” Alex asked.

Chase nodded. “I'm
sorry I lost it with … your ex,” he said softly,
unwilling to say the man's name out loud.

“
Don't
apologize,” Alex said. “He deserved it. He didn't hit
you, did he?” Alex asked.

“
He
never had the chance,” Chase said flatly.

Alex tugged on Chase's hand.
Chase allowed himself to fall toward Alex. He braced himself on his
forearms placed on either side of Alex's shoulders. Only inches
separated their faces. Chase's deep blue eyes held Alex's dark
green.

“
I
love you,” Alex whispered. “With everything I am. Heart
and soul.”

“
I
love you, too,” Chase said. He started to lift himself up and
Alex stopped him.

“
What
I have with you and Danni is by far better than anything else I've
ever experienced,” Alex said. “Nothing else compares and
no one else matters to me, except you and Danni. You two are my
world. Don't let his words or anyone else's make you question that.
Ever.”

Chase pressed his forehead
to Alex's and inhaled, breathing him in to his lungs. “Thank
you for saying that,” Chase sighed. “I needed to hear
it.”

“
I
know,” Alex said. “I could tell.”

Chase brushed his lips to
Alex's and lightly kissed him. The feathery touch from Chase made
Alex moan.

“
Soon
as I'm able, you, me, and Danni are going to show each other just how
much we love each other,” Alex said.

Danni moved up beside Alex
on the bed, ever careful not to hurt him. “It might take hours
for us to show that much love,” Danni said, nuzzling into
Alex's neck.

“
True,
and I wouldn't want to rush through something that important,”
Chase said, licking the soft spot below Alex's chin.

Danni's small hand slipped
beneath the sheet covering Alex's legs, then wiggled under his
hospital gown. Alex sucked in a breath when her fingers circled his
erection.

“
Oh,
God, baby,” Alex said with shaky breaths. “I swear, one
stroke, and I'll come.”

“
Really?
Just one stroke?” she asked, rhythmically squeezing his thick
shaft.

“
What
if I sucked you?” Chase asked. “Think you'd last longer
than one stroke with your cock in my mouth?”

Alex's body tensed. He
arched slightly on the bed and groaned loudly as he climaxed.

Danni giggled. “He
didn't even make it to the first stroke.”

“
Oh,
you wait 'til I get you both home,” Alex said, his breathing
still labored. “Then, we'll see how long you last.”

Chase glanced at Danni and
smiled brightly. The expression on her face told him she, too, had
heard that one simple word that held so much meaning.