"Alexa," Sadie snaps. "Brighton took time out of his very busy schedule to come here for this. Don’t be rude."
"I doubt that your friend is being intentionally rude, Sadie." Brighton flashes his signature dimpled grin. "She's just overwhelmed by my presence."
Seriously? Did he actually just say that I was overwhelmed by his presence? "It's not that," I intervene. "I just know that you have a girlfriend who needs your attention," I purr through clenched teeth. "It's everywhere in the papers. What is her name? Liz?"
"I heard about that," Sadie jumps in before Brighton can respond. "She was hurt very badly, wasn't she? We talked about it in class."
"In class?" His gaze narrows. "What do you mean?"
"Medical school," she says proudly. "We were talking about some of her injuries. The ones that the news was reporting on."
He nods briefly and his neck twitches. "I'd like a moment alone with your friend to explain the delicate subtleties of the painting you purchased for her."
"Of course." Sadie smiles as she falls for his bullshit, hook, line and sinker. "I'll be right over there if you need anything."
I lean back on my heel wanting to widen the distance between Brighton and I. "Why did you come? Why?"
"You've been ignoring me since I saw you in New York." He nods an acknowledgement to a couple standing several feet away from us. "We need to talk about things."
"There's nothing left to talk about." I dart my gaze back to where Sadie is standing next to Hunter. "My friend has no idea about what we did in Paris. She can't know."
He nods and looks past me. "You haven't let me explain a thing since you left Paris."
I pivot on my heel, wanting to turn and walk away but knowing if I do he'll chase me down. This is the moment in time that I've been dreading. It's when I have to face Brighton and finally put all the cards on the table. "Let's go outside." I point towards the door of the restaurant. "This is about to get ugly."
Chapter 13
Maybe it was supposed to be like this. Perhaps I was always meant to spend the night of my twenty-third birthday putting the past behind me. I'd been avoiding discussing anything with Brighton to this point and now he'd dropped from the universe into the middle of my birthday party. Tonight I was finally going to get the closure I so desperately needed.
"I love you, Alexa."
Oh hell. No. Just no.
"I love you," he repeats as if I didn't hear it the first time.
"What?" I snap. "You didn't just say that to me."
"I did."
"Fuck you, Beck." My stomach tenses. "Don't pull that shit on me. You've never loved me. We both know it. You never said it."
"I'm saying it now."
My mouth hangs open for a second while I contemplate the words. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm being honest," he goes on. "I was a coward in Paris. I'm not that man anymore."
"You're the same man." My tone is severe and clipped. "You haven't changed a bit."
He lowers his head and takes a heavy swallow. "She never loved me."
"Who?" I temper my pitch, not wanting to draw any more attention to us than is already there. Sadie keeps peering through the window to where the two of us are standing on the street in front of the restaurant. "Liz?"
He exhales harshly. "She's never gotten over the guy who died in the car that day. She can't get over him."
"What guy?" My response is intuitive, not introspective. I don't care what guy he's talking about. I don't care about any of it.
"She was with a man the night she got hurt," he says, his gaze darkening slightly. "He died in the car. She was in love with him."
"None of this matters to me." The words sound rushed and harsh. They are. I don’t care who his girlfriend loves or who she used to love. I only care about my heart and Beck's the one who broke it.
"I fucked up in Paris." He shifts his lean body weight from one foot to another. "I brought her to that café so you'd see us."
"I know." I pull my hand across my face. "Why? Why would you do that to me?"
He doesn't look at me when he answers. "I was confused."
"Confused?" I bite out through clenched teeth. "Confused about what?"
"I was falling so hard and fast for you, Alexa." His voice is a tempered growl. "I thought Liz loved me and then when I was with you, I saw real love in your eyes. It scared the fuck out of me."
"Is everything okay?" Sadie's head juts out from around the doorway. "Brighton, is there anything you need?"
I close my eyes wishing that the last fifteen minutes of my life never happened.
***
"You can't leave yet." Sadie whines from behind the large wineglass that is at her lips. "It's early still. It's your birthday, Alexa."
I stare past her to where Brighton is seated. He's talking to a group of people I went to high school with. From the look of awe on each of their faces, they're smitten with his presence. I, on the other hand, have had more than my fill of Brighton Beck for the night. "It's been a long week with work and stuff," I lie convincingly. "I'm going to take off and crawl into bed."
"What about the painting?" She motions towards the gift that she and Hunter so graciously bought for me. Judging by the cost of Brighton's work, it must have cost several thousand dollars. I know they're not pinching any pennies, but the gesture is too much, especially since the artist in question just poured his heart out to me on the street.
"Can you take it home tonight and then I'll pick it up next week?"
I see disappointment wash over her face. I feel badly but there's no way I can have that painting in my apartment tonight. The emotional burden of its reminder is more than I can bear. I just want to go home, shut the world off and wish the past year of my life away.
"I'll bring it over on Monday night," she offers through a forced smile. "I'll bring Cory too. He likes hanging out at your place."
The suggestion that she bring her stepson is welcome. She typically only brings him with her when we're not seeing eye-to-eye on something. It's a subtle, yet telling, clue that she's not happy with me.
"I love you, Sadie." I pull her into a close embrace. "Thank you for everything. I loved my party."
She kisses my cheek softly before she pulls away. "This year is going to be amazing for you, Alexa. I can feel it."
I smile at her through heavy eyes. All I can feel is numbness and regret. Next year, I need to remind myself to insist on a party free birthday.
Chapter 14
I love Boston. I've always felt safe here. The ten block walk from Axel to my apartment is the perfect retreat from the suffocating evening I've had. I just need to soak in the cool night air, revel in the weekend crowds, and take a few deep breaths. Brighton's words are haunting me. I want to drop them at the side of the road and watch a bus trail over them, but they're in my brain, firmly encased.
I hear a loud roar behind me. I stop briefly to glance back. My eye latches on a crowd. The mix of men and women, my age, is a dull reminder of my college days. Now, that I'm getting out of bed and going to work each day, I feel more grown-up. The constant reminder that a lecture hall afforded me of my uncomplicated youth seems so foreign. My life has changed so much. I feel like one version of me boarded the plane bound for Paris and another stepped back onto American soil. I long for who I used to be, pre-Beck.
I watch as the crowd disperses after they've finished greeting another group that just arrived. One man, standing off in the distance, is misplaced. His clothing is thick and heavy for the warm night air. The baseball cap that is pulled over his brow conceals his face. He's dark, mysterious and as my father would say, "he's the reason you shouldn't walk alone at night."
I quicken my pace as I turn off the main street to begin the three block trek to the tiny walk up apartment I'd been living in it since I graduated from high school. The meager salary I had brought home when I worked at Star Bistro with Sadie wasn't enough to cover half of my rent, but the tips had given me the cush
ion I needed. I loved the independence being away from home gave me. More than that, I loved the solitude.
I sense a presence behind me and I turn quickly. The man with the ball cap is there, following my traveled path. I walk as fast as my heels will allow, longing for the security of my building. I fish in my bag for my cell phone, readying it in case I need to call for help.
I breathe a heavy sigh of relief as I see the dim light of my building just up the block. It's the only place in the world I feel safe anymore. The moment I returned from Paris, I went to my apartment, locking the door behind me for three full days before I reached out to anyone. I'd wept, grieved for the loss of Brighton's love and pulled all the strength I needed to face all my friends and family without a tear in sight.
I fumble with my key, pushing it into the heavy glass door. I scoot inside before it clicks to a locking position behind me. My eyes trail a path at the man in the ball cap as he crosses the street. I watch silently as a woman standing in front of a building there embraces him, pulling the cap off his head, revealing short white hair. They clasp hands tightly as they disappear into the distance. My unwarranted fear is more tied to Brighton's shocking presence than the man on the street. I have to calm my nerves down. I have to get a grip so I can deal with Brighton tomorrow. He's the real threat in my life. He's threatening to knock me emotionally off balance yet again and I can't let that happen.
I turn and face the dreaded three flights of stairs. I look down at my heels. "Hell, no." I laugh to myself as I slip them off and slowly pull my weary body up each step one at a time.
My phone rings as I near the top step. "Hello," I whisper into it, not wanting to wake any of my neighbors. Neighbors is a word that encompasses a friendly, helpful spirit. I should really call them frenemies. Any time I have my television or music playing beyond a hum, someone is pounding on my door telling me to "turn down the racket." It's home though and after my encounter with Brighton, it's the only place I want to be.
"Alexa." My name is clipped as it flows through the line. "I've been trying to reach you all day."
"I'm sorry, mom." I sigh heavily. "I've been busy."
"I just called to wish you a happy birthday." There's no emotion in the words. She may as well be reading her grocery list to me.
"Sure," I snap back, the phone precariously balancing between my ear and my shoulder while I once again search for my keys. Why the hell did I dump them back in my bag after I opened the lobby door? "I need to go."
"Come over this weekend." It's a direct command, not a request. "I have a gift for you."
"I'll be there Sunday," I say into the phone. "Love you." It's an offering that is expected, not necessarily voluntarily. I love her. I do. It's just not words that have ever held a place within my family. We understand the sentiment is there, we don't often express it.
"Sunday, it is." There's a long, hesitant pause. "Me too."
I shake my head as I toss my phone back into my bag, my eyes desperately searching for my keys. I wish the super would have replaced at least one of the three burnt out light bulbs that illuminate this long narrow space. I wish I could clap my hands and my door would pop open.
"There you are…" my voice trails as I feel the cold metal in my palm just as a large, strong hand wraps itself firmly around my waist.
Chapter 15
"Don’t scream." His deep voice growls into my ear. "Open the door."
I push back into him. I can't believe he's here. "Why are you here?"
"Open the door, Alexa." His lips curve into a smile against my neck. "I'm going to fuck you."
I almost moan from the promise. "Noah."
"If you don't open the door, I'll fuck you right here in the hallway."
I push the key into the lock with a shaking hand. He reaches around me to grab the doorknob. He twists it and we fly into the room together, the door swinging shut behind us.
He slides us both towards the wall, his massive frame guiding me with little resistance. I try desperately to spin around to look at him, but he's too big, too strong.
His hands roam across my dress looking for an opening. I scream when he rips the bodice apart, the fabric no match for his fists. He cups both my bare breasts and races his thumbs across my already swollen nipples. "I saw you," he hisses into my ear. "I saw the way your tits bounced when you danced."
My breath hitches at the confession. He saw me at Axel? He was there? I'd only danced briefly with Kayla in a corner when she played a song on her phone because we were both so bored. "You were there?"
His left hand falls to my thigh, his short nails tracing a path along the flesh. "You move your hips like you're slowly fucking when you dance."
I moan as his fingers skirt over the silk of my panties. "Noah, please."
"I kept thinking about how wet you were. How fucking wet you get." I groan as his hand dips into the back of my panties before he deftly pulls them into his fist and snaps them apart. "You're dripping wet right now. I know you are."
I whimper. I can't form any sort of coherent response. My body is literally aching for his. I reach back, clawing at his jeans, wanting to free his beautiful cock.
He twists me around swiftly, his hand around my waist before he falls to his knees on my floor. I have no time to react. His tongue is hot and focused along my folds. I wrap one hand into his hair, pulling his face closer, wanting to negate any distance that is between his mouth and my core.
"Fuck, your pussy is so good." His voice is a muffled hum. "I could do this forever and it would never be enough for me."
I arch my back against the wall and scream when he hoists my left leg over his shoulder.
"I'm going to fill you with my dick when you come." The promise reverberates through me, pulling me closer to the edge. "Come for me, beautiful Alexa. Do it."
I pull hard on his hair as I race to the edge of my desire. I feel the wetness seep from me and I'm rewarded with a moan as he laps greedily at me, purring my name into my flesh.
He finally stands and I see his face. His lips are moist in the light that is shadowing in from the window. His chin is damp and his hair a wickedly sexy mess. I hear the faint sound of a zipper being pulled. "Kiss me." His voice is gruff and intense.
I run my lips along his cheek before I graze them over his. The taste of his breath combined with my lust is fueling my desire even more. I sense his hands moving as I hear the sound of the condom wrapper tearing away.
"I'm going to fuck your beautiful pussy." He pushes my back against the wall, pulling both my legs up and around his waist. He slides into me harshly, abruptly and greedily.
My breasts are heavy and needy, my sex so wet and wanting. I cling tightly to him as he pounds his thick, swollen cock into my body over and over again, the entire time my name is falling from his lips with each deep thrust.
"You're so beautiful, Alexa." His lips trail over my cheek.
I scream as his teeth bear down on the tender flesh of my neck as he races to his own orgasm and pulls another from me.
***
I watch him sleep. After we'd fucked, he'd dragged me to my bed and he ate me with such fury that I came over and over again. Each orgasm was more intense and weakening then the last. Hours passed as he devoured my body. His hands reached every corner of my flesh; his words touched every fiber of my being. He'd finally fallen asleep when I begged him to allow me to get a drink of water. Now, an hour later, I can't bear to take my eyes off his beautiful face.
The quiet hum of a phone jars me and I jump to my feet. I need him to sleep if I'm going to have any chance to rest myself. He was so greedy and hungry for me. I want that again once we've both slept.
I scurry out into the main room to look for my purse so I can fetch my phone and turn it off. Before I can reach for it, I spot Noah's phone hanging out of his jeans pocket. Our clothes are a crumpled mess on the floor. Mine are torn and discarded hastily, his lay strewn in a pile together. I reach for the phone to silence it. My eyes course ove
r the screen. It's a text message. Ari's name is on full display. We haven't spoken of the beautiful brunette who had tried to pry Noah's attention away from me at his gallery opening.
Call me Noah. It's about Camilla. She needs you.
I stare at the screen until it goes dark. Camilla. She's just another part of the riddle that is Noah Foster's complicated life.
Chapter 16
"I'm going downstairs to get some breakfast." I kick the edge of the bed to rouse him. He's been asleep for the past three hours. I couldn't find any peace after seeing that text message. I have no right to be as curious as I am about Ari and Camilla, but I can't help it. If either of them is Noah's version of Liz, I need to know now. I can't travel down that adulterous path again. I won't.
"You should come back to bed." He pulls a hand across his face and I can't help but notice how it stalls just as his fingers trace over the scar. "Alexa, come back to bed."
I've never been to bed, I want to say. Between our marathon fucking session, Brighton's sudden confession of love and Noah's mysterious text message it was a wonder I could string any coherent thought together. "I need some coffee."
"Hurry back." He sits up and swings his long legs over the side of my bed. I soak in the beauty of his tattoos and the stubble that had grazed my folds for hours last night when he was licking me.
"Come with me." They're wasted words. There's no way he's going to leap out of this bed, put on clothes and venture out into the light of day with me. I'm still in shuttered shock about the fact that he saw me at Axel and then followed me here.
Wait. He saw me at Axel. I was dancing with Kayla before Beck arrived. Noah must have seen me with Beck.
"Let me get dressed." He bounces to his feet, and grazes past me, his arm brushing against my shoulder. "I need to take a shower first."
Vain - Part Two (The Vain Series Book 2) Page 5
