Sorry this chapter is so short! I contemplated putting it with the next one, but it kind of ruined the overall feeling...anyways...

Lots and lots and lots of thanks to xxxlil-miss-mercerxxx, Sassy Ava, sweetist of sin, Violet201, and lover of many things804. You guys rock! It definitely made my day to come home after two ridiculously hard tests and see your reviews! :) Thank you! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 14: Three Simple Words

By: LoveInk

A few hours later, Vince was stretched out on Alex's bed, a bowl of mac and cheese on his stomach, it was his third. After having some fun in bed, he'd cooked it up for dinner and they'd eaten it there, cuddled up together while watching some action movie. His phone blared loudly from the pocket of his discarded pants just as Alex came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her small frame. She leant over and grabbed it out of the pocket. "It's the bald one," she proclaimed, tossing the small phone to him.

Vince caught it easily as he sat up in bed. "What's up, Dominic?" he asked, watching as Alex got dressed. He stood, grabbed his boxers off the floor, and pulled them on.

"Where the hell did you run off to last night?" Dominic growled in response.

"What are you, my mother?" Vince shot back which got a giggle from Alex. She held out the straps of her bikini for him to tie. "I went out. That's it. What's going on?" he questioned, tying the ties swiftly before dropping a kiss onto her shoulder.

Dom cleared his throat. "We're going to tail Spilner tonight. He was asking a few too many questions about Hector's Civics. Got me thinkin' he might be suspicious. You going to be around or are you going to be "out"?"

Vince smirked; victory at last. Dom had admitted to Brian being suspicious. It was a small victory, but a good one. "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Meet us at the fort in about an hour."

"See you then." With that, he hung up the phone. He wrapped his arms around Alex's waist, setting his chin on her shoulder. "I have to go."

"Shady business?" she questioned, leaning her back into his chest.

Vince shrugged noncommittally. "Not dangerous shady, but shady."

Alex nodded indifferently. She didn't need to be with him every second of the day. If he wanted to go off and do something shady, it was fine by her as long as he was safe….and it was not in the company of another woman. "Okay," she said, turning in his arms and wrapping hers around his torso. "I told my uncle I'd stop by to see his new place sometime anyway. Might as well be tonight."

"I didn't know you had family here," he commented as he grabbed his jeans up off the floor and pulled them on.

"Yep. He's my mom's brother and my dad hates him. Says he's a criminal," she said on a sigh. "He's not though. He does something or other with car parts. Maybe you know him. Ted Ramon?"

Vince pulled a face. He knew the name all right. The man was a fence who worked with the Trans. He got them all sorts of car parts that supposedly "fell off of supply trucks," but no one bought that. "I've heard of him."

"Is he a drug dealer?" Alex asked, her nose wrinkling ever so slightly.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. He sells dirty car parts."

"Oh, I see," she said with a frown. "That would be why my dad doesn't like him. Do you guys buy those?"

"No, we go to Harry."

"Are his parts dirty too?"

Vince shrugged. He didn't want to explain how sometimes they were legitimate and other times, they weren't. "Don't worry about it."

She laughed. "Fair enough. Should I worry about you tonight?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

He smiled when he felt her fingers hook around his belt loops pulling him closer to her before catching his lips in a sweet kiss. "Just be safe, okay?" she asked, looking up at him with her beautiful green eyes.

"I'll come over later if that'll make you feel better," he offered with a slow smile.

Alex shrugged a shoulder as she drew shapes on his hard chest with her finger. "If you want," she said nonchalantly. "I don't really care."

"You don't care, huh?" he asked, squeezing her sides and smiling as she erupted into giggles.

"No!" she shouted through her laughter.

He picked her up and threw her on the bed before attacking her, blowing raspberries into her neck. His phone rang again telling him that it was time to go. With a heavy sigh, he kissed her lips quickly before pushing himself off of the bed. "I'll see you later then?"

"You better," she said, trying to sound menacing. He rolled his eyes at her as he pulled on his tank top. Before he could open the door, her voice stopped him. "Hey you!" she yelled, he turned around and raised his eyebrows. "I love you."

Vince couldn't help but smile at the easy way in which she said it. He couldn't believe how much those three words had scared him in the past. Hearing them coming from her didn't scare him; it gave him this weird fuzzy feeling in his stomach. Not a bad feeling, a good one…an amazing one really. If he had known those simple words would make him feel this way, he would've said them much earlier. "You too, Tiny."

Review! Tell me your thoughts, I love hearing from you guys!

~LoveInk