Read Taming Alec for Free Online Page A

me. He wouldn’t be sitting here with me now, eating pizza, like it was a normal thing for us to do on a Friday night.
    “Why aren’t you working?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “I had some personal shit to take care of, so I called off work yesterday and today. What are they going to do? Fire me?”
    “What kind of personal stuff?” I asked, unable to stop myself. I knew next to nothing about Alec, and I was curious. I knew I shouldn’t try to get to know him better, but when he was around, I couldn’t seem to remember that I needed to distance myself.
    He looked away but not before I saw the pain in his eyes.
    “My dad has cancer, and he isn’t doing very good. I went to see him and get his affairs in order.”
    If I hadn’t seen the pain in his eyes, I would have heard it in his voice. Without thinking, I reached out and took his hand in mine. He looked down at our joined hands and lightly squeezed mine.
    “I’m so sorry, Alec. I didn’t mean to pry, especially with something so painful.”
    He shrugged. “It’s okay. It sucks, but it is what it is. My dad and I have never been close. He worked all the time when I was growing up. I was mostly raised by nannies.” He chuckled, but it was humorless. “My dad and I found out about his cancer almost a year ago. I think I’ve spent more time with him since then than I ever have before.”
    “Is he receiving radiation or chemo?” I asked.
    He shook his head. “It’s inoperable, and he’s refused any other treatments. I’m surprised he’s made it this long. It’s only a matter of time, probably weeks, until he goes.”
    “My mom is a doctor. I could call her, and maybe she could look at his records and see if there’s anything else she might suggest,” I said, desperate to help him.
    He squeezed my hand again. “There’s no point. He’s ready to go, Rebecca. I think he’s been ready since we lost my mom when I was little. I’m not going to spend the last few weeks of his life fighting with him over it. I respect his wishes.”
    I closed my eyes, trying to hold back my tears. I felt so helpless. All I wanted to do was make things better for Alec, but there was nothing I could do.
    “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay, really. I’ve accepted it.”
    “I can’t help it.” I sniffled.
    He pulled me into his arms, shocking me. “You know, I hate it when you cry. Please stop, or I’ll do something drastic.”
    “Like what? Hit on me?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. It might have worked if I wasn’t still sniffling.
    “I could tickle you until you pee.”
    “If you do, I’ll stab you with a pen,” I warned in a completely serious tone. I hated being tickled.
    “I’ll take my chances.” He moved his hands to my ribs.
    I opened my mouth to tell him not to even think about it, but it was too late. He started tickling me mercilessly. As he tickled under my arm, I scrambled to get away from him, but he was holding one hand around me to keep me from escaping.
    “Please stop,” I gasped.
    “Not a chance.” He tickled me everywhere he could reach.
    I jerked hard, desperate to get away from him, but all I managed to do was fall over sideways on the couch, causing him to land on top of me. He continued to tickle me for a few seconds longer before finally taking mercy on my poor soul.
    I fought for breath as I glared up at him. “That was cruel.”
    He smirked. “At least you stopped crying.”
    My glare disappeared as I realized just how close we were pressed together. I swallowed hard. “You can let me up now. I promise not to cry.” My voice sounded rough, even to my own ears.
    He stared down at me, the smirk slipping off his face. “I think I’ll keep you where you are.”
    I shoved at his chest as I tried to squirm out from underneath him, but it was pointless. His weight kept me from moving an inch.
    “Let me up.”
    He pressed his body tighter against mine. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose or if it was just a natural