I narrowed my eyes at him, annoyed that he was right. I was in a bind, and was left little choice in the matter thanks to Allyson. She had some major explaining to do.
“The stupid check engine light has been coming on now and again, but it usually goes off after a bit so I didn’t worry about it. But then it started making this weird grinding sound and smoke started to come out from under the hood. That’s when I pulled over and called Ally. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that it was you coming to my rescue,” I finished dryly.
“Hmm,” he mused. “Hop out of the car. Let me see if I can figure out what’s going on.”
I opened the car door to climb out, but my arm got caught in the seatbelt and caused me to stumble. When Alexander grabbed hold of my elbow to steady me, an electric current lit me on fire.
I looked up into his eyes. They were scorching, searing right through me and fanning the flames that flickered in my belly.
Oh, no…
“Don’t do that,” I told him.
“Do what?”
“That thing with your eyes. You’re trying to eye-sex me.”
He flashed me another crooked smile and a low chuckle reverberated through him.
“Is it working?”
Um, maybe. Yes!
But I couldn’t speak the words as Alexander leaned in closer to me. His mouth was mere inches away. Even though I knew what was coming, I was unable to stop it. It was if my brain had shut down and my body took over.
Suddenly, a tractor-trailer whizzed by, pulling on its horn. The sound was deafening and I jumped, the interruption startling me out of my trance and back to reality.
“I – I can’t…” I trailed off, at a complete loss for words, feeling pissed for being so weak. Even after everything that I had been telling myself, I couldn’t last more than two seconds around him.
How does he do this to me all the time?
“You can’t what, Krystina?”
“I can’t kiss you. You can’t kiss me. We aren’t the same as we were before. I don’t want you to think that there’s something still between us.”
“Think? I don’t have to think anything, angel. I know what’s between us.”
I wanted to deny him more than ever, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to keep up the fight for much longer with him standing so close to me. I summoned all the courage that I could muster, and tried to ignore the sexy way that a damp lock of hair fell over his brow.
“There’s nothing,” I tried to deny.
The rain started to come down, the slow drizzle being replaced by large droplets that splattered on my cheeks. I was about to mention that we should probably get out of the rain before it started coming down any harder, when Alexander placed his hand over my heart. The feel of his warm hand on my chest stunned me into silence as my heart beat rapidly against his palm.
“Are you going to deny that you feel it?” he asked quietly. His voice had become low and raspy, the sound of it resonating through me.
“You’re imagining things,” I said, swatting his hand away.
His eyes flashed dangerously and in one swift motion, he cupped the back of my neck and pulled me towards him. Without warning, he crushed his mouth to mine.
It happened so fast, that my breath was literally sucked out of me as I tried to free myself from his grasp.
It’s wrong. I can’t do THIS!
I could not accept his kiss. If I did, walking away again would be that much harder and the hurt even more unbearable. I kept my lips sealed in a firm tight line, refusing to give in.
Alexander fought me and continued to crush his mouth down against mine. He ran his tongue over by bottom lip, testing me for a weakness as I continued to deny him access. But I could feel the will slipping slowly away, my resistance now only halfhearted.
“Don’t fight me, Krystina,” he murmured against my lips. “It’s been too long since I’ve last tasted you.”
Lightning flashed in the distance and a low rumble of thunder sounded. I moaned, losing all will power to hold him off any longer. My body involuntarily gave away, prompting my hands to fly up and grip the back of his neck. Alexander growled his approval and deepened the kiss, pulling my body tighter against his. Our tongues lapped and danced together at an urgent pace. It was so good – too good. When his mouth began to work over my jaw line, I resigned myself to being lost to him and hummed with pleasure.
After a moment, he inched back slightly, our lips hovering over each other’s and our breaths mingling with every pant.
“Do you still want to say that this is just a figment of my imagination?” he breathed.
Dammit!
I pulled back and looked away.
“You don’t understand, Alex. I can’t be with you right now.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. But I think that I’ve given you an ample amount of time to figure things out. Now, we talk.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Actually, there’s a lot that was left unsaid. For starters, I need to apologize. I’m sorry that I brought you to Club O. It was a mistake. And I know who you saw that night. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you and that you were alone when you had to face him,” he said, spatting out the last word with disgust. “I should have protected you. It’s no wonder why you ran from me.”
“How could you know –,” I started. But then I realized how he knew almost immediately. “Ally.”
Even though I never told her about what happened that night, I was fairly confident that the two of them managed to piece together the details. My brow creased in a scowl, feeling even more betrayed and angry with my friend for scheming with Alexander behind my back.
“She is worried about you. Don’t be upset with her.”
“Either way, it doesn’t matter what you know or what you think you know. What’s done is done. We can’t change it now.”
“Maybe not, but we can try to make it right. Together. You gave me your trust once before. I need you to trust me one more time.”
My eyes that had been absently staring at the pebbles on the asphalt, snapped up to look at him.
Trust! I did trust you and look where it got me?
I wanted to scream the words, suddenly remembering all the reasons why I had left him in the first place.
“No, Alex. It’s not just about what happened at Club O. I trusted you and you lied to me about your parents.”
“What if I tell you about my parents? About everything? No more secrets, Krystina.”
My stomach dropped and the rain started to come down even harder, drenching us with each passing minute. Goosebumps traveled up my arms, but I didn’t know if it was from the cold rain or from Alexander’s truce offering.
No more secrets.
I didn’t know if I could trust it. Trust him again. I looked searchingly into his eyes, desperately wanting to give in.
Will the truth change anything?
I wasn’t naïve. I knew that the truth behind Alexander’s parents would not fix all of our problems. And it certainly wasn’t going to fix my personal issues with being in a normal relationship. But it was hard not to cling to a sliver of hope. I could not deny that when I was with Alexander, I had seen the shadow of the white picket fence. Maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to work things out by myself. Perhaps Alexander and I could do it together. I desperately wanted to believe that, but I also didn’t want to face the pain if things didn’t work out.
Not again.
“Why are you changing your mind so suddenly?” I asked cautiously.
He ran a hand through his dark waves that were mussed up from the rain and wind that whipped around us. He looked out into the night sky as if he were searching for the right words. When he turned back to me, his beautiful blues were full of torment.
“These past two weeks have been hell for me. We’re not over, angel. I’m not letting go of you.”
There was fierce determination in his eyes, and his purpose made me sudd
enly realize something. I could not continue to run from him. He will never accept the word no. I had to face this one way or another. If I was being completely honest with myself, I knew that I couldn’t fight back if I tried. My heart wouldn’t let me. Deep down, I never really wanted us to be over in the first place.
However, I couldn’t let him know that. Not yet at least. First, I needed an explanation before giving him a chance. I needed to know why he had let two weeks pass before seeking me out. The text messages about the job didn’t count. If what he was saying was true, then I wanted to know why he didn’t try to fight for us. He wasn’t the only one to suffer while we were apart, and the ache that I had felt during his absence was tremendous.
“If you don’t want us to be over, then why did you let me walk away?” I demanded.
He winced and rubbed his temples with both hands. His eyes were pained when he spoke.
“It was the comment that you made comparing me to my father. It was a low blow and very unexpected. I didn’t know how to react.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” I tried to defend. “I mean, it’s not like you were forthcoming about your past.”
My defense was weak and guilt flooded through me. I was so confused that night, my emotions one big jumbled mess. I knew that I wasn’t thinking clearly, but I hadn’t meant to hurt him.
“I know and that’s why I’m here. I meant what I said. We are not over, not by a long shot. If working through our issues means that I have to tell you everything, so be it.”
His expression held a certain amount of sadness mixed with resolve. But there was also a longing that I had never seen before.
Why am I hesitating?
The truth is what I had been asking for. It was what I needed to cut down the barriers between us so that I could trust him.
“I’m not going to make any promises, Alex. We’ll talk, but nothing more,” I agreed quietly.
He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to the top of my head. I held my breath, not wanting my judgment to be clouded by his intoxicating smell.
We are just going to talk. That’s all.
“Thank you, angel. Go have a seat inside the Tesla where it’s warm,” he said as he pulled away. “I’m going to make a quick sweep of your car to remove anything of value, and then call Hale to have him arrange a tow for this jalopy.”
“Hey! I like my car!” I defended.
“Krystina, just go to my car,” he said, taking hold of my elbow and coaxing me in the direction of where he was parked. “We’ve been standing on the side of the highway for long enough. It’s pouring rain and it isn’t safe.”
Just as he finished his sentence, another truck flew by blaring its horn and throwing a wet mist in its wake. Conceding to Alexander’s point about safety, I allowed him to lead me to his car. Once I was seated inside, he closed the door behind me and made the call to his security detail about having my car towed.
A minute later, Alexander climbed into the drivers seat next to me.
“Nothing between us, huh? I found this in the middle console of your car. I thought you might want it,” he stated casually before tossing the pack of Big Red chewing gum onto my lap.
I blushed ten different shades of pink before mumbling some nonsense about liking cinnamon. He made no comment, but simply handed over my purse, cell phone, and credit card that he had retrieved from my car.
When Alexander started the Tesla, music blared loudly from the speakers and I jumped. He hurried to adjust the volume to a barely audible level.
“Sorry. There was a song on that I liked right before I pulled up behind you.”
“What was it?”
He looked at me strangely for a moment.
“I don’t know the name of it,” he said somewhat indifferently.
I wanted to point out that the elaborate touch screen of his ridiculously expensive electric blue Tesla displayed the artist and song title, but thought it best not to provoke him with a snide remark about his lavish tastes.
Instead, I focused on the song that was currently playing. It was an oldie by Frank Sinatra that I knew well and always liked.
“Can you turn it up a little? I would, but I don’t know how to work this thing,” I admitted, motioning with my finger to the computer screen on the dash.
“Sure, angel.”
Instead of pressing anything on the screen, he simply started talking to an imaginary person in the dash. The volume magically increased.
Show off.
I hummed quietly to Frank singing about getting back up from the unfortunate things that life throws at you, trying desperately not to relate the song to my own life.
Stop having a pity party, Cole. It’s just a song.
We rode in silence, the only sound coming from the radio and the blowing of the heat vents that pushed out much needed warmth. After a few minutes, the song changed to an X Ambassador tune.
“Talk about a jump in music genre. Interesting playlist you have, Alex,” I observed.
“It’s streaming from an app and it's supposed to be filtered by what I listen to the most. The mix isn’t usually this eclectic, though”, he said and pursed his lips. “I can change it if you want. Put on more of Frank?”
“No, this is fine.” Leaning my head back against the seat, I listened to the current tune. However, after about thirty seconds, I began to hate the song. Too many of the lyrics were hitting home. “Actually, turn the radio off. I don’t feel like listening to music.”
He didn’t turn if off, but only lowered the volume.
“What’s wrong, angel?”
Music.
My one solace, my only escape, had been failing me.
“Nothing,” I lied. I snapped out the word rather quickly, making the fib obvious.
“Krystina,” he said in a troubled voice. I turned to look at him. “I want you to know that I’m here. For you. For what you went through. And for us. When you feel like you’re falling, I want you to trust that I’ll be here to catch you.”
“Alex, please don’t,” my voice cracked.
“I’ve got you, angel. You need to accept that.”
I turned my head to stare out the window. Tears pricked at my eyes. He didn’t know how bad I wanted to do exactly as he suggested. To fall, completely into him. Staying away was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. And now that he was here, I was having trouble remembering why I ran in the first place.
CHAPTER 4
When we arrived at my intended destination, I saw Hale waiting for us in front of the Bell 407GXP. The four blades of the helicopter were already in motion, signaling that the pilot was ready for takeoff.
Perfect timing.
I glanced over at Krystina. Her head rested against the passenger door window and her eyes were closed. She looked so peaceful that I hated to wake her.
“Angel,” I said, gently nudging her on the shoulder.
Her eyes fluttered open and she jumped from being startled awake.
“I’m sorry. I had an early morning, but I can’t believe that I dozed off…” she trailed off, taking stock of her surroundings for the first time. “Alexander, where are we?”
“Air Pegasus. Come on. Hale is waiting for us,” I informed her. I climbed out of the car and left her sputtering after me.
“Air – air what? Hale is waiting for us why? Alex, wait up!”
I smiled to myself as I made my way to the main heliport with a confused Krystina in my wake. I would heed Allyson’s advice about taking things slow, as I knew that Krystina was fragile. I would give her whatever it was that she needed to move on from her past. However, I also knew that a few hours of conversation wouldn’t get us very far. I needed to have more time, and my window of opportunity to pin her down was limited. The faster I moved, the better. For I knew that if I gave her too much room to think, all bets were off.
“Hale, thanks for arranging this on such short notice,” I said once I reached my security detail.
<
br /> “It was no trouble at all, Mr. Stone. Luckily the storm has passed, so the flight should be a smooth one. Everything that you requested is already on board. We are ready when you are.”
“Ready for what, dammit!” I heard Krystina exclaim from behind me.
When I turned around to face her, she was flushed scarlet. Her lush brown curls whipped around wildly from the wind tunnel created by the blades of the helicopter. I could practically see the steam coming from her ears, but I wasn’t the least bit rattled by the temper tantrum that was imminent. In fact, I had fully expected her to act this way.
“We’re going for a ride,” I calmly informed her.
“I am not going anywhere in that thing. I agreed to talk, Alex. You never said anything about –.”
“Yes, you are.”
In one swift motion, I silenced whatever argument she may have had by hauling her up off of her feet and slinging her over my shoulder.
She beat at my back angrily with her fists, her legs kicking as she struggled to get free.
“Alex, what the hell are you doing? Put me down! Now!”
Teetering precariously on the edge of my shoulder, she grabbed hold of my hips to keep steady. I would never let her fall, but letting her think that I might drop her made her stop writhing as she attempted to stay balanced.
Hoisting us both up into the helicopter, I dropped her into one of the passenger seats. Pinning her arms to the chair, I leveled my eyes with hers.
“It’s about damn time that you stop trying to top from the bottom. Are we clear?”
“You’re acting like a Neanderthal,” she spat out, eyes flashing angrily.
Mother of god, you’re beautiful.
As much as she was pissing me off, I felt my cock twitch. There was just something about a feisty Krystina that got my blood going. It took all the restraint that I could manage not to bite that pouty lower lip of hers.
“Neanderthal? I kind of like that,” I said with a cocky grin as I proceeded to fasten her in. Once she was securely buckled, I took the seat next to hers.
“Is this how you plan on fixing us, Alex? By ordering me around again?”
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