“Take me home. I’m not ready for this.”
His eyes drop and he turns back to the steering wheel. “As you wish, Alyssa.”
He parks next to my jeep and I sit, waiting for him to do his thing. My door opens and he sets me free from my seatbelt, then takes my hand. The current of electricity is there as if on cue.
This can’t be normal, but it doesn’t mean love either. What I have for Kyle is love, real love. So this must be lust.
Eden is beyond hot, rich, and classy. So very worldly and so different from anyone I’ve ever known. He’s like a movie star come to life and he wants me. Of course I feel something for him, but my heart belongs to Kyle.
His arm goes around my waist and my whole body tingles as he pulls me close to his side. I want to cling to him forever, and if I lost this I know I’d miss it.
Why the hell is that?
CHAPTER 18
EDEN
Alyssa has confessed to feeling something for me. I’m so close to her deciding to be with me of her own accord. It will make things so much easier on her once she learns the truth about us and what we are.
The vibration between us is apparent to her as well. Her allegiance to that boy stops her from testing the waters further with me. I have an idea, though, and it has my plans for this evening changing.
Instead of cooking lobster for her, I want to show her how our lives will be. I’ve made reservations at a five-star restaurant in Maine.
It’s a far cry from the bar where we went to at lunch. This will show her how she should’ve always been treated like the princess she truly is.
After protesting about my invitation to fly away and have dinner with me, her mother talked her into going. I’m not allowed to call this a date or even kiss her, but I hope my actions and the serene setting will change her mind about that.
Dressed to impress, I wait for her in the living room. Toni comes in and clears her throat. She’s helped Alyssa get ready and given her one of the dresses I brought for her, though she’s told her they had purchased it and planned to give it to her as a graduation gift.
Shyly, Alyssa steps from behind the wall which has kept her from my view. Involuntarily, my heart and breath stop.
How can she be even more beautiful than before?
Soft tendrils fall from a loose pile of curls artfully placed atop her perfect head. A gold band glimmers, separating her long bangs from the many curls.
The addition of makeup enhances her natural beauty. The black eyeliner makes the sapphire color of her eyes entrancing. Her lips, like cherries, beg me to kiss them and I pray she changes her mind about kissing me.
The long white dress, held at the waist by a gold belt, is made of several layers of gossamer and it appears to float around her. The neckline of the haltered top plummets in the middle, accenting her perfectly-formed breasts.
A frown covers her face. “I knew it, Mom. It’s over the top. Way too much. I’ll go change.”
“What? No! It’s perfect, as are you, Alyssa.” My heart finally beats again and I find my voice.
Her perfect brows draw together. “But you didn’t say one word. I know it’s too much, Eden.”
I give her a grin. “I was speechless, princess. You are beyond anything I’ve ever laid my eyes on.” Moving to her side, I place her hand in the crook of my arm. “Forgive me for being so taken in by your beauty that I failed to breathe or let my heart beat.”
Strolling away with her in tow, I cast a glance back to see Toni and David. “Don’t wait up. She’s safe with me,” I tell them.
In unison they say, “Goodnight.”
Alyssa looks back at them with a puzzled expression. “Aliens. It has to be aliens who’ve taken them over. Goodnight Mom and Dad, if that’s who you really are.”
Their smiles follow us out the door as I escort my mate to the car.
***
The jet is a shiny, black gorgeous piece of machinery. Its beauty is not lost on Alyssa. “Holy crap, Eden. Is that yours?”
I lead her up the stairs. “Do you see the emblem there?” I gesture to the fiery Phoenix on the jet’s tail. “This belongs to the organization our families are a part of: The Phoenix Foundation.”
Her head swivels as her eyes show confusion. “My parents are part of some group and they’ve never bothered to mention it to me. Do I even know them at all?”
As we step onto the jet, Lana, a woman in her late forties with tight red curls, smiles at us. “Hello, Eden. This must be Alyssa,” she says, extending her hand to Alyssa who takes it in a shake. “My name is Lana and I’ll be your stewardess.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lana. I suppose you fly Mr. Jet-Setter around a lot,” Alyssa says.
With my hand on the small of her back, I direct her to our seats. Alyssa looks back at Lana and says, “Tell me, is he always this attentive to the young ladies he takes out.”
A peal of laughter comes from the woman’s mouth. “Oh my! No! He’s never had another young lady in here. You’re the first, Alyssa.”
The look on Alyssa’s face is priceless. With her wide eyes and her mouth in the shape of an ‘O’, I have to laugh. “Did you honestly think I was a ladies’ man?”
The nod of her perfect little head tells me she did.
The pilot comes in from the cockpit and gives us a wave. “Hello again, Eden. And this lovely young thing must be Alyssa,” he says and Alyssa gives him a nod. “I’m your pilot, Jeffery. Have you flown before?”
“Once. It was a big plane, though. We went to Disney World in it. This is much better.”
Jeffery smiles at her. “Well, let’s get this show on the road. I hear you two have a big date in Bath, Maine.”
The word date makes Alyssa frown at me. I smile back and whisper in her ear, “I can’t help that this looks like a date to the untrained eye, princess. It’s okay. You and I know what it really is, right?”
“I suppose,” she says with a slight tremor to her voice.
I must’ve left that information out when I called Jeffery earlier. People at the restaurant will think it too.
I can’t control the world, now can I?
Lana gives us a smile before retreating with Jeffery to the cockpit. The engine starts and Alyssa looks nervously out the window as the sun sets. I take her hand in mine and place a kiss on it. “Are you nervous?”
“I’ve been nervous, Eden. Now my butterflies have transformed into pterodactyls.”
The jet rolls forward and her eyes widen. “Just sit back and hold my hand as tightly as you need to. We’ll be up in the air in no time and it’ll be smooth flying. I’m sure you’ll love it,” I say, and she leans her head back against the seat and closes her eyes.
How will she feel when she can fly on her own?
Her hand holds mine in a death grip. I watch her closely as she breathes in deep breaths. We level off and her eyes open. “That wasn’t so bad,” she says. Lightening her grip on me, she smiles embarrassedly. “Oh, sorry! I just about squeezed your hand off, huh?”
Touching her bare shoulder with the tip of my finger, I trail it down her arm. “That’s what it’s there for, precious. Yours to use as you need to.”
The cherry red of her lips is proving quite impossible to resist. When I draw my eyes up, away from them, I spot her eyeing mine. Her tongue darts out to lick hers. Perhaps she wants to taste mine as well.
Please let her change her mind about the no kissing rule.
Lana pops out of the cockpit. “I’ll bring you two something to drink. Eden likes this little alcohol-free cocktail I make,” she says, then pops into the small galley door.
Alyssa giggles, and I almost grab her and kiss her, it stirs me so. “She’s adorable, Eden,” she says.
“She’s the sweetest. Jeffery and Lana also belong to the organization our parents do. I have to confess something to you.”
The tension in her body is obvious. “No! Please, no confessions.”
I laugh. “It’s nothing bad
, princess. It’s just I can’t take my eyes off you. You’re gorgeous. I’ll be the envy of every man this evening.”
The fluttering of her eyelashes beats her blushing cheeks as she swats playfully at my arm. “Eden! You big flatterer. Look at your own reflection, Mr. Fashion Model. The women will all swoon as you pass their tables, silverware will drop from feminine hands, and conversations will be halted.”
She finds me as enticing as I do her. This is working. Soon she’ll choose me on her own, without being made to marry me. She’ll want to.
Please, let her want to marry me.
“You seem deep in thought, Eden. Let’s not read too much into this. Our outer appearances may be looking fine this evening, but it’s what’s on the inside which counts. Don’t you agree?”
“I agree with you, wholeheartedly, princess. I find you beautiful inside and out. Your good nature and kind spirit are as beautiful as your plump red lips and sapphire eyes. I could go on and on about all which is appealing about you.” She’s told me she thinks what we feel is lust, so it’s imperative I show her I love her thoroughly, not just physically.
“I must confess you have a few beautiful characteristics as well. Your hatred for Kyle is about all I can find wrong with you,” she says, and it makes me feel terrible that she thinks I hate anyone.
Pulling both her hands to my chest, I lean forward. “Alyssa, please know I have no hate for him. The feelings I have for him are from insecurity in myself. I have to admit to you that it is jealousy which I feel. The moment I laid my eyes on you, I felt something stir in me.”
A smirk forms on her precious lips. “Yeah, that was probably just your male hormones, Eden. I was lying on the ground, probably a pool of blood forming around my head, and you felt something for the poor girl laid out on the pavement. Most guys would.”
She isn’t taking me seriously. Remembering something from the hospital, I trail my fingers lightly over her collar bone. “I doubt my hormones and your accident are all to blame for my reaction to you. If I recall, you reacted to my touch much in the same way.”
Lana pops back out of the galley with our drinks in her hands. “Oops! Hope I didn’t interrupt you two lovebirds.”
Alyssa rolls her eyes. “It’s not a date, Lana. Sorry for the confusion. I happen to have a boyfriend. Eden is just being kind enough to show me how great a fancy jet ride and a meal at a five-star restaurant can be, since he’s filthy rich. I made him take me to a café this afternoon and he wants to show me how much of a dive it is since I keep singing its praises. That’s all. Don’t read anything more than that into it. We’re friends, that’s all.”
Lana hands my mate her glass of dark red liquid with a knowing smile on her face. She’s not the best poker player I’m going to guess, as she looks as if she’s about to blurt out what and who Alyssa really is.
“I see. My mistake,” Lana says to Alyssa. “It’s just that the two of you have a glow about you I’ve seen few couples have. Finding someone who can make your inner self spark so much that the outer self glows with the intensity is rare. One with such a gift would seldom think of a relationship with another, I would think. So do tell about this boyfriend, then, because he must be something extremely special if he outshines what you and Eden have going on.”
Though Alyssa has held Lana’s gaze as she spoke, she drops her head, perhaps in embarrassment. She says, “So you mean to tell me it’s obvious? I can’t hide it?”
Lana hands me my drink and lifts Alyssa’s face up by her chin, making her look at her. “Nor can he, child. I’m sure this high school boyfriend is fantastic, but the man who sits next to you brings something out in you, and you in him. I should say, if it was me, I’d give this thing you two have a better chance. It’s rare and shouldn’t be taken for granted.” Lana takes her hand away and stands up, retreating back to the galley, pausing long enough to look back over her shoulder. “But that’s just me, sweetheart. You have to do as your heart tells you to.”
We sit in silence for a minute or two as Alyssa stares out the window into the dark night. I pray what Lana has said is not making the wheels in her head spin out of control. I guess I should’ve stopped Lana from speaking her mind, but it needed to be said, I think.
I sip my drink, then place my hand on her shoulder. “I’d love to be able to hear your thoughts. Would you like to share them with me?” I ask.
“It’s going to kill him, Eden.” Her voice quivers and my heart breaks for her.
This is all my fault.
I toss the rest of the small drink down my throat, then rise and leave it, as well as hers, on the small table by the galley. Her eyes have not moved from the window. Tiny tears wait to fall. I drop to my knees in front of her and take her hands in mine, laying them on her lap. “Please look at me, princess.”
Her breath pulls in deep as she turns her head to look down at me. “There is nothing you can say that can make this better. I need more time, Eden.”
That is the one thing we don’t have and it kills me. “Should I leave you alone?”
Her eyes glisten as the tears threaten further. “I fear it would kill me if you did. Even as you said the words, my heart felt as if a sharp dagger had been plunged into it. I’m a mess with a boyfriend. You should want none of what I have to offer, which is nothing but a lot of drama.”
The fact she thinks she has nothing to offer makes me furious at myself. I did this to her.
“You have much to offer, Alyssa. Stop talking down about yourself. It’s beneath you. You’re special and will do amazing things with your life. You were not born to be ordinary. Not one day of your life should have been spent that way. Set him free, and he’ll begin to heal and so will you.”
One tear rolls down her pink cheek. I quickly brush it away with my thumb. “I can’t do that, Eden. I just can’t hurt him like that.”
The softness in her heart, which she was born with to fulfill her destiny, has taken in that boy and I doubt it will ever release him. The capacity to hurt people is not something she was built with, nor was I.
It’s obvious our protectors will have to deal with this situation, and now I fear for the boy.
Sitting back down in the seat beside her, I put my arm around her and gently push her to lie her head on my shoulder.
“This is not how I want this evening to move forward. Put this out of your head and let us have an enjoyable evening out.”
One of her silky black tendrils tickles my nose and I sneeze.
With a small giggle, she lifts her head and looks at me. “Deal! Show me your world, Mr. Fontaine. I’m eager to see how the other half lives. Show me all I’ve been missing. I hope the chef can beat the lobster I get at the Lobster Shack. It’s pretty dang great and it’ll be hard to beat.”
A turn in her attitude has taken place. Although cheery, I know she’s repressing emotions and thoughts, which is never good.
I’ll go along, though. Once our protectors deal with Kyle, she’ll have no choice but to move on. She’ll need me more than ever then.
CHAPTER19
ALYSSA
This place is beyond anything I imagined. The instant we arrived, we were seated in the most elegant, small, private dining room. The waiter placed a napkin on my lap and later tied a bib around my neck so I would get no lobster juices on the gorgeous dress my parents gave me.
Eden shines like an angel across the table from me. He was right. This is so much better than Trixie’s or the Lobster Shack.
The stewardess on the private jet, an adorable woman with a warmth about her which makes her easy to like, said something disturbing about us. She said we glowed.
If that’s true, which I pretty much think it is, then Kyle will see it as well. Though I’m trying my hardest not to, I’m falling hard for Eden.
The lifestyle he leads is so different from mine that I don’t understand how we’ll work out anyway. Yet I find myself thinking maybe we could.
This place is something I could get used
to. The food is another thing which would make me happy.
The man who sits across from me, making me laugh like I never have in my life, would definitely make my life more enjoyable.
My high society skills are sorely lacking. Instead of embarrassing me about my shortcomings by telling me how I need to do every little thing, he’s made light of my inexperience.
I just about slapped the waiter when he leaned over me, placing a linen napkin on my lap and smoothing it out in what I thought was an attempt to cop a feel. Eden joked with the waiter about it, leaving my dignity intact.
Carelessly, he pops a mint into his mouth. His luscious caramel-colored lips open to accept the dainty pink thing. A flick of his tongue as it runs quickly over his bottom lip makes me bite at mine.
“So, better than the burger at Trixie’s?” he asks.
I blink and look from his lips to his eyes. His gorgeous emerald eyes. “Uh, yeah,” I mumble like an idiot.
What he does to me is insane.
He rises and comes to my side, holding his hand out to me. “I would be very pleased if you would come and dance with me, princess.”
Since the bib has been removed and the napkin is long gone, I suppose I can spare him a dance. “If it would please you, then by all means, yes.”
My hand tingles in his as he leads me to a dance floor with several other couples dancing on it.
His arm wraps around me as he pulls me close to him. Our eyes meet for a second before I lay my head on his chest.
He moves me about and somehow my feet follow as if we’ve danced together forever, which we haven’t. Our bodies seem perfectly fitted together.
He’s taller than I am, but just the right amount of taller. The top of my head comes to his broad shoulders, making my head fit perfectly against his chest. The music is soft enough for me to hear the soft beat of his heart.
After this night, I have to make a choice between Kyle and Eden. I don’t want to string either along any longer. I feel it’s cruel and can no longer take giving them pain.
My choice seems clear. I know this. Yet my heart refuses to let Kyle go. It tells me I love him more.
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