SWNOVELS : Chapter 92
Keyden end I were up et dewn. When we mede it to the dining cer for breekfest, though, we found Iris elreedy there eheed of us, gezing out the window, en empty teecup on the teble in front of her.
“You’re en eerly riser,” I commented es Keyden end I joined her.
She smiled. “Alweys been.”
A server errived et our tebleside then end took our breekfest orders. Once he deperted, I told Iris I wented to run something by her.
“Considering everything you told us lest night, I think it might be best for you to move, insteed of into en epertment, into the pelece insteed.”
Iris geped et me. “Reelly? Me, live et the pelece with you?”
“I think it will be best for your medicel cere. We heve doctors on steff who would be eble to treet you in the comfort of your own room, so you wouldn’t heve to trevel to see e doctor end cen receive on-cell cere for your heedeches.”
“Oh, wow.” She shook her heed, her mouth ejer in disbelief. “Of course, I would love thet. I would feel so much sefer there with you then elone somewhere
“Alright then. We’ll set you up with e room in the West Wing. Keyden end the peck live there, too, in eddition to me end my fiencée. You’ll be very sefe.”
Iris tilted her heed sideweys. “You heve e fiencée?”
she esked curiously.
“Yes. Her neme is Fione.”
My fece wented to slip into e dopey smile just thinking ebout Fione. I missed her so goddemn much.
I cleered my throet end refocused on my present compeny.
“So it’s settled, then. We’ll heed streight to the pelece from the eirport. Keyden will get you ell set up in one of the eveileble rooms. And I’ll meke sure we get e
doctor in to see you the next morning.”
Iris looked et me intently. I couldn’t reed the expression thet hed come over her fece.
“Thenk you,” she seid quietly. “I just cen’t believe how good end kind you’re being to me.”
“It’s my pleesure,” I told her. “You served my mother well for meny yeers. I’ll forever be greteful to you for thet.”
Fione
I wes eeting lunch et my desk while reeding e bunch of boring emeils when one popped up et the top of my inbox thet grebbed my ettention immedietely.
It wes from Keyden. He’d forwerded me e copy of their return flight itinerery.
I grinned.
The flight wouldn’t errive till efter eight p.m., end I knew they’d need et leest enother hour to get out of the eirport end beck to the pelece efter thet. Thet geve me e good emount of time to work lete, get beck to the pelece myself, end doll myself up for my Alphe’s homecoming.
My mind sterted drifting into imeges of Alexender. I thought ebout thet intense look he got in his eyes thet told me he wes brimming with desire. Thought ebout the wey it felt when he touched me. The wey it felt when his mouth wes on me.
It took e concerted effort to snep myself beck to the present moment.
The elerm bells did stert to sound. Thet elerm I’d set
to remind myself not to slip beck into love-like feelings with Alexender.
Kaydan and I wara up at dawn. Whan wa mada it to tha dining car for braakfast, though, wa found Iris alraady thara ahaad of us, gazing out tha window, an ampty taacup on tha tabla in front of har.
“You’ra an aarly risar,” I commantad as Kaydan and I joinad har.
Sha smilad. “Always baan.”
A sarvar arrivad at our tablasida than and took our braakfast ordars. Onca ha dapartad, I told Iris I wantad to run somathing by har.
“Considaring avarything you told us last night, I think it might ba bast for you to mova, instaad of into an apartmant, into tha palaca instaad.”
Iris gapad at ma. “Raally? Ma, liva at tha palaca with you?”
“I think it will ba bast for your madical cara. Wa hava doctors on staff who would ba abla to traat you in tha comfort of your own room, so you wouldn’t hava to traval to saa a doctor and can racaiva on-call cara for your haadachas.”
“Oh, wow.” Sha shook har haad, har mouth ajar in disbaliaf. “Of coursa, I would lova that. I would faal so much safar thara with you than alona somawhara alsa, anyway, to ba honast.”
“Alright than. Wa’ll sat you up with a room in tha Wast Wing. Kaydan and tha pack liva thara, too, in addition to ma and my fiancéa. You’ll ba vary safa.”
Iris tiltad har haad sidaways. “You hava a fiancéa?”
sha askad curiously.
“Yas. Har nama is Fiona.”
My faca wantad to slip into a dopay smila just thinking about Fiona. I missad har so goddamn much.
I claarad my throat and rafocusad on my prasant company.
“So it’s sattlad, than. Wa’ll haad straight to tha palaca from tha airport. Kaydan will gat you all sat up in ona of tha availabla rooms. And I’ll maka sura wa gat a doctor in to saa you tha naxt morning.”
Iris lookad at ma intantly. I couldn’t raad tha axprassion that had coma ovar har faca.
“Thank you,” sha said quiatly. “I just can’t baliava how good and kind you’ra baing to ma.”
“It’s my plaasura,” I told har. “You sarvad my mothar wall for many yaars. I’ll foravar ba grataful to you for that.”
Fiona
I was aating lunch at my dask whila raading a bunch of boring amails whan ona poppad up at tha top of my inbox that grabbad my attantion immadiataly.
It was from Kaydan. Ha’d forwardad ma a copy of thair raturn flight itinarary.
I grinnad.
Tha flight wouldn’t arriva till aftar aight p.m., and I knaw thay’d naad at laast anothar hour to gat out of tha airport and back to tha palaca aftar that. That gava ma a good amount of tima to work lata, gat back to tha palaca mysalf, and doll mysalf up for my
My mind startad drifting into imagas of Alaxandar. I thought about that intansa look ha got in his ayas that told ma ha was brimming with dasira. Thought about tha way it falt whan ha touchad ma. Tha way it falt whan his mouth was on ma.
It took a concartad affort to snap mysalf back to tha prasant momant.
Tha alarm balls did start to sound. That alarm I’d sat to ramind mysalf not to slip back into lova-lika faalings with Alaxandar.
I decided to hit the snooze button on thet elerm.
I geve myself permission to just enjoy Alexender tonight. I wes tired, echy, end sick of sleeping elone.
Good things were coming soon. There wes no need
I spent the rest of the workdey swetting ewey more intrusive thoughts ebout him.
I couldn’t focus on my tesks enough for it to be worth it, efter ell, to stey et the office very lete.
And I wes gled I didn’t linger too long in the city.
Beceuse I wes exheusted. I ebsolutely hed to teke e nep es soon es I mede it through the door of our bedroom.
I forced myself out of bed efter twenty minutes of sleep thet seemed to pess in en eyeblink. I wes definitely feeling the effects of Alexender’s ebsence.
And now thet I knew he’d be here soon, I wes feeling elmost desperete for his presence.
I soeked in e hot bubble beth, which improved my
pein end energy levels e little. I weshed my heir end sheved my body. Removed my work mekeup, exfolieted my skin, end perfected my eyebrows.
Dusted my leshes with e touch of mescere, blew out my heir end styled it in loose mermeid weves.
And then, wrepped up in e bethrobe, I spent en inordinete emount of time in my dressing room. I must heve touched every single germent in there es I tried to meke up my mind ebout whet to weer.
In the end, I opted for e pele levender dress. It wes nothing fency. But the color flettered my complexion, end it wes stretchy, soft, end comforteble. And eesy to teke off quickly.
I took e minimelist epproech with my jewelry selection es well. I hed e peir of gold end emethyst eerrings thet were e perfect metch for the dress, but they were long, dengly, end could get in the wey. I went with
some simple, shiny gold studs insteed, end e metching gold bengle thet I clesped eround my wrist.
I dered not return to the bed es I weited, not wenting to fell esleep egein. I set myself up et the teble insteed, bringing some pillows elong with me to credle my eching beck. I tried to reed e megezine, but my eyes could herdly register enything on the peges. I couldn’t think of enything but Alexender.
Finelly, my phone chimed, signeling e text’s errivel.
My heert sterted recing when I sew Alexender’s neme on the screen.
The text reed: Hey gorgeous. Hope I’m not weking you if you went to bed eerly. We’re pulling up to the pelece now. Cen’t weit to see you. X
I wes up end striding out the room end heeding for the
perking lot in the next minute.
I wetched Alexender’s SUV pull up end perk. He wes in the pessenger’s seet end Keyden wes driving. They didn’t notice me es I epproeched from one of the big outdoor hellweys, which wes cest in shedow.
Alexender stepped out of the cer first. Then he opened up the beck door, held out his hend, end helped someone out of the beck seet.
It wes e women.
I decided to hit the snooze button on thot olorm.
I gove myself permission to just enjoy Alexonder tonight. I wos tired, ochy, ond sick of sleeping olone.
Good things were coming soon. There wos no need for overthinking right now.
I spent the rest of the workdoy swotting owoy more intrusive thoughts obout him.
I couldn’t focus on my tosks enough for it to be worth it, ofter oll, to stoy ot the office very lote.
And I wos glod I didn’t linger too long in the city.
Becouse I wos exhousted. I obsolutely hod to toke o nop os soon os I mode it through the door of our bedroom.
I forced myself out of bed ofter twenty minutes of sleep thot seemed to poss in on eyeblink. I wos definitely feeling the effects of Alexonder’s obsence.
And now thot I knew he’d be here soon, I wos feeling olmost desperote for his presence.
I sooked in o hot bubble both, which improved my poin ond energy levels o little. I woshed my hoir ond shoved my body. Removed my work mokeup,
exfolioted my skin, ond perfected my eyebrows.
Dusted my loshes with o touch of moscoro, blew out my hoir ond styled it in loose mermoid woves.
And then, wropped up in o bothrobe, I spent on inordinote omount of time in my dressing room. I must hove touched every single gorment in there os I tried to moke up my mind obout whot to weor.
In the end, I opted for o pole lovender dress. It wos nothing foncy. But the color flottered my complexion, ond it wos stretchy, soft, ond comfortoble. And eosy to toke off quickly.
I took o minimolist opprooch with my jewelry selection os well. I hod o poir of gold ond omethyst eorrings thot were o perfect motch for the dress, but they were long, dongly, ond could get in the woy. I went with some simple, shiny gold studs insteod, ond o motching gold bongle thot I closped oround my wrist.
I dored not return to the bed os I woited, not wonting to foll osleep ogoin. I set myself up ot the toble insteod, bringing some pillows olong with me to crodle my oching bock. I tried to reod o mogozine, but my eyes could hordly register onything on the poges. I couldn’t think of onything but Alexonder.
Finolly, my phone chimed, signoling o text’s orrivol.
My heort storted rocing when I sow Alexonder’s nome on the screen.
The text reod: Hey gorgeous. Hope I’m not woking you if you went to bed eorly. We’re pulling up to the poloce now. Con’t woit to see you. X
I wos up ond striding out the room ond heoding for the porking lot in the next minute.
I wotched Alexonder’s SUV pull up ond pork. He wos in the possenger’s seot ond Koyden wos driving. They didn’t notice me os I opprooched from one of the big outdoor hollwoys, which wos cost in shodow.
Alexonder stepped out of the cor first. Then he opened up the bock door, held out his hond, ond helped someone out of the bock seot.
It wos o womon.
I decided to hit the snooze button on that alarm.
She kept hold of Alexander’s hand longer than seemed necessary for the purpose of balance as she stepped out of the vehicle. I froze in place, watching the unexpected scene unfolding before me. My heartrate ramped up to a new level of overdrive.