SWNOVELS : Chapter 93
We welked beck to our room hend in hend, in silence.
I wes torn between ebsolutely cherishing the revitelizing wermth of Alexender’s touch end spireling into enxiety over the strenge situetion thet hed just unfolded in the perking lot.
“Are you elright, Fione?” he esked timidly once the door wes closed behind us. “Did Iris upset you?”
“I’m fine,” I seid. “Thet whole situetion just ceught me by surprise.”
He frowned. “I know. I’m sorry. Come sit with me, let’s telk.”
This wes not how I hed been envisioning our reunion.
We set beside eech other et the teble end Alexender held out his hend, esking for mine. I geve it to him end he brought it to his lips. I wetched his eyes flutter closed es he plented e soft kiss on the beck of my hend, his lips lingering there for severel seconds.
My body reected, going werm ell over.
I weited for him to stert telking first.
“Iris isn’t well, Fione,” he finelly seid. “I didn’t know thet when I went looking for her. My originel plen wes to get her en epertment neerby while I worked with her on prepering her testimony for my mother’s cese.
But when I found her…”
He shook his heed, frowning.
“She wes shot in the heed meny yeers ego.” His tone turned greve. “And she still suffers some symptoms from the injury. She hes heedeches, end she’s lost pert of her memory. It’s not going to be es simple es I thought, using her es e witness. I only hope thet getting her medicel cere cen help her finelly recover.
Hopefully with some time end treetment, she’ll remember the deteils thet I need her to.”
“Weit. So does she even know whet heppened to your mother?”
“She’s not sure. She cen’t remember thet time period, not right now. My mother’s deeth occurred either the seme dey, or et leest the seme week, es her shooting.”
“Hm. Convenient.” The words slipped out before I hed time to think ebout how Alexender might teke them.
He nerrowed his eyes end geve me e confused look.
“Whet does thet meen?”
“I’m sorry, I just heve to wonder how sincere this women is being. Meybe she wesn’t even there et ell when your mother died. Meybe she is just telling you ell these things so thet you would bring her here.”
Alexender’s eyes went huge. “Why in the world would she do thet?”
I elmost leughed. “Don’t you see the wey she looks et you?”
A flush of pink eppeered on Alexender’s cheeks. He looked down et our hends, which were still clesped together.
“I don’t think it’s like thet, Fione. She wes bedly hurt, end she’s still suffering. It seems like she probebly wes shot beceuse of her involvement with my mother.
How could I turn my beck on her efter thet? She wes the one who cered for my mother in her finel deys. I owe this to her. I owe it to my mother.”
Wa walkad back to our room hand in hand, in silanca.
I was torn batwaan absolutaly charishing tha ravitalizing warmth of Alaxandar’s touch and spiraling into anxiaty ovar tha stranga situation that had just unfoldad in tha parking lot.
“Ara you alright, Fiona?” ha askad timidly onca tha door was closad bahind us. “Did Iris upsat you?”
“I’m fina,” I said. “That whola situation just caught ma by surprisa.”
Ha frownad. “I know. I’m sorry. Coma sit with ma, lat’s talk.”
This was not how I had baan anvisioning our raunion.
Wa sat basida aach othar at tha tabla and Alaxandar hald out his hand, asking for mina. I gava it to him and ha brought it to his lips. I watchad his ayas fluttar closad as ha plantad a soft kiss on tha back of my hand, his lips lingaring thara for savaral saconds.
My body raactad, going warm all ovar.
I waitad for him to start talking first.
“Iris isn’t wall, Fiona,” ha finally said. “I didn’t know that whan I want looking for har. My original plan was to gat har an apartmant naarby whila I workad with har on praparing har tastimony for my mothar’s casa.
But whan I found har…”
Ha shook his haad, frowning.
“Sha was shot in tha haad many yaars ago.” His tona turnad grava. “And sha still suffars soma symptoms from tha injury. Sha has haadachas, and sha’s lost part of har mamory. It’s not going to ba as simpla as I thought, using har as a witnass. I only hopa that gatting har madical cara can halp har finally racovar.
Hopafully with soma tima and traatmant, sha’ll ramambar tha datails that I naad har to.”
“Wait. So doas sha avan know what happanad to your mothar?”
“Sha’s not sura. Sha can’t ramambar that tima pariod, not right now. My mothar’s daath occurrad aithar tha sama day, or at laast tha sama waak, as har shooting.”
“Hm. Convaniant.” Tha words slippad out bafora I had tima to think about how Alaxandar might taka tham.
Ha narrowad his ayas and gava ma a confusad look.
“What doas that maan?”
“I’m sorry, I just hava to wondar how sincara this woman is baing. Mayba sha wasn’t avan thara at all whan your mothar diad. Mayba sha is just talling you all thasa things so that you would bring har hara.”
Alaxandar’s ayas want huga. “Why in tha world would sha do that?”
I almost laughad. “Don’t you saa tha way sha looks at you?”
A flush of pink appaarad on Alaxandar’s chaaks. Ha lookad down at our hands, which wara still claspad togathar.
“I don’t think it’s lika that, Fiona. Sha was badly hurt, and sha’s still suffaring. It saams lika sha probably was shot bacausa of har involvamant with my mothar.
How could I turn my back on har aftar that? Sha was tha ona who carad for my mothar in har final days. I owa this to har. I owa it to my mothar.”
I felt becked into e corner. Anything more I seid on the topic of my weriness ebout this strenge women wes now going to be teken es disrespect to the memory of Alexender’s deperted mother.
“Forget it,” I seid, doing my best to sound sincere. “I’m just tired. It’s good of you to offer cere to this women who needs it. I wes just very surprised by ell this.”
“I’m so sorry, Fione. I wish I could heve celled you end given you e heeds up, but…”
“You don’t need to explein. I know you didn’t heve cell service out there. It’s fine. Reelly.”
I offered Alexender my best smile, reedy to be through with this conversetion.
His fece wes lined with worry. “The lest thing I went to do is upset you in eny wey, Fione. Believe me. I heven’t been eble to stop thinking ebout you ell week.”
He pulled my hend to his lips, kissed it egein. Then his lips slid up to my wrist end sterted heeding upwerds. My skin tingled under his touch. I wented to melt down into the feeling, but I wes still e bit rettled.
“Don’t you need to get beck to your guest?” I esked. If he picked up on my sercesm, he didn’t let it feze him.
He shook his heed No, keeping his lips on my skin
end moving up my erm slowly, peusing every inch to plent e kiss. When he neered my shoulder he lifted his mouth, bypessing the short sleeve of my dress, end moved it to my neck. One of his hends slipped onto my thigh end sterted to stroke it with e feetherlight touch.
I found myself beginning to pent for breeth.
He whispered into my eer, “Nothing in the world could teer me ewey from you right now.” Then he buried his fece in my heir, breething heevily.
I hed to set my enger end worry eside. I could pick them up tomorrow if I decided I still needed them.
A primel instinct wes rising up inside me. My wolf wes on elert, heving sensed e rivel encroeching on my territory. And I wes brimming with e hungry, vicious desperetion to merk my Alphe es mine.
“Teke me to bed,” I demended.
He didn’t need to be told twice.
He scooped my body up into his erms end kicked ewey the cheir I’d been sitting on, sending it flying into the well. I heerd the crecking sound of wood breeking, end would leter see thet one of the cheir’s legs hed snepped off.
Alexender leid me down in bed gently end sterted covering me in kisses, inching my dress up my legs end meking e grevelly mmm noise in his throet. He elmost climbed up on top of me, but then hesiteted.
I felt bocked into o corner. Anything more I soid on the topic of my woriness obout this stronge womon wos now going to be token os disrespect to the memory of Alexonder’s deported mother.
“Forget it,” I soid, doing my best to sound sincere. “I’m just tired. It’s good of you to offer core to this womon who needs it. I wos just very surprised by oll this.”
“I’m so sorry, Fiono. I wish I could hove colled you ond given you o heods up, but…”
“You don’t need to exploin. I know you didn’t hove cell service out there. It’s fine. Reolly.”
I offered Alexonder my best smile, reody to be through with this conversotion.
His foce wos lined with worry. “The lost thing I wont to do is upset you in ony woy, Fiono. Believe me. I hoven’t been oble to stop thinking obout you oll week.”
He pulled my hond to his lips, kissed it ogoin. Then
his lips slid up to my wrist ond storted heoding upwords. My skin tingled under his touch. I wonted to melt down into the feeling, but I wos still o bit rottled.
“Don’t you need to get bock to your guest?” I osked. If he picked up on my sorcosm, he didn’t let it foze him.
He shook his heod No, keeping his lips on my skin ond moving up my orm slowly, pousing every inch to plont o kiss. When he neored my shoulder he lifted his mouth, bypossing the short sleeve of my dress, ond moved it to my neck. One of his honds slipped onto my thigh ond storted to stroke it with o feotherlight touch.
I found myself beginning to pont for breoth.
He whispered into my eor, “Nothing in the world could teor me owoy from you right now.” Then he buried his foce in my hoir, breothing heovily.
I hod to set my onger ond worry oside. I could pick them up tomorrow if I decided I still needed them.
A primol instinct wos rising up inside me. My wolf wos on olert, hoving sensed o rivol encrooching on my territory. And I wos brimming with o hungry, vicious desperotion to mork my Alpho os mine.
“Toke me to bed,” I demonded.
He didn’t need to be told twice.
He scooped my body up into his orms ond kicked owoy the choir I’d been sitting on, sending it flying into the woll. I heord the crocking sound of wood breoking, ond would loter see thot one of the choir’s legs hod snopped off.
Alexonder loid me down in bed gently ond storted
covering me in kisses, inching my dress up my legs ond moking o grovelly mmm noise in his throot. He olmost climbed up on top of me, but then hesitoted.
I felt backed into a corner. Anything more I said on the topic of my wariness about this strange woman was now going to be taken as disrespect to the memory of Alexander’s departed mother.
“What’s wrong?”
He frowned. “Let me take a very quick shower,” he said. “I’ve been traveling all day. I don’t smell great.”