His words should freak me out, I know they should. But instead they make me feel coveted.
Swallowing again, I say, “But you said it yourself. I don’t belong in your world.”
He smiles at me. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want you in it.”
Crossing my arms, I say, “Maybe you can’t always have what you want.”
At that he starts laughing, his obvious amusement almost making my own lips curve. The smug confidence is attractive. Maybe even a little too attractive and I squirm when I feel a sharp tingle in my lower belly.
Is he going to kiss me again? Why am I so desperate for his kiss? Why do I crave his lips so much, the skin to skin contact, his breath meeting mine?
But he doesn’t kiss me, instead he softly takes my hand and leads me upstairs. Walking up the circling staircase with Alec in silence, almost makes me feel like I’m about to have a heart attack. Can he hear how hard it is pounding?
And pathetically enough, I squeeze his hand as if expecting comfort from this ruthless criminal but my heart flips when he squeezes back. I almost gasp at that. He knew. He knew what I wanted from him and he gave it to me.
His rough palm pressed up against mine and the texture of his skin should have felt uncomfortable and yet I suddenly long for feeling it all over my bare body. Arch into his callused touch, feel safe and reassured and cared for.
Inwardly I shake my head and I push my teeth into my lower lip. I’m not here for Alec to touch me. I’m just here to dance for him and truthfully I don’t even think his request is that strange. A lot of people romanticize ballerinas; a lot of people would like to see them put on a private show. If that’s all that Alec wants from me, then he’s going to get it.
We move through the hallway on the third floor and there’s no walls here, only high windows on either side. His manor is amazing, tasteful albeit slightly sterile, like it’s not truly a home. And it’s pretty dark everywhere but Alec doesn’t bother to turn on the light, like he has great vision.
Sadly I don’t and I swallow not fully knowing what to expect when he opens a door, pushing me ahead. He turns on the light without saying a word and to my surprise it’s just a lounge room. There’s no TV, but a couch, a large bookshelf and a chaise lounge in the corner.
He opens on of the windows leading to the balcony, causing fresh evening air to enter the room and I nervously glance at the double doors on one of the walls. What’s behind those doors...?
Squirming, I look at Alec beneath my lashes as he moves around, turning on a couple of more smaller lights and a peachy glow spreads. He moves slowly and with confidence, his chin never raised too high and definitely never low. He’s power, gentleness and masculinity. He’s caring, completely terrifying and yet there is something safe about him that disarms me.
He seems to know his place in the world and sometimes he looks at me like he knows my place too. Inhaling, I wrap my arms around me when he smiles at me asking,
“Can I offer you something to drink?”
I shake my head, blurting, “I never drink before I’m about to dance. But um...feel free to grab a drink for yourself.”
“No, not tonight,” Alec says, “I want to be able to see you clearly, make sure to remember every detail so that I can play it over and over in my mind.”
Then I better not mess up. If he insists on watching me that closely.
“Before we proceed,” Alec says and I perk my ears, “there is something I want to give you.”
“You do?” I lick my lips as if my subconscious is expecting a kiss, “What is it?”
“A gift,” he says in a such a sensual voice that I go bright hot in an instant. If he’s going to keep talking in that purring, caressing way with me then I don’t think I’ll last through the entire performance without begging him to kiss me.
“You don’t have to give me a gift,” I murmur and he scoffs as if I’m being absurd.
“But I want to, little ballerina. And I want you to wear this tonight.”
He picks up a velvet box, laid out on the high table next to the couch and he opens it, making me gasp in shock. A necklace! The prettiest necklace I’ve ever seen, made out of rose gold with a cascading fall of small, pink diamonds.
Shaking my head in astonishment I say, “It’s so beautiful.” I’ve never seen anything like it and my fingers itch to put it on. When I clasp it behind my neck, I catch my own reflection in a mirror on the wall, noticing that it now looks like I have a collar around my throat.
“So are you,” Alec says and my head jerks to catch his eyes but he’s already turned for the couch and sits down. I glance at him, but I can’t help but to prance before the mirror wondering in the back of my head why he gave it to me.
This isn’t just a gift you randomly splurge on someone. It’s a gift that should come from a husband to his...wife.
“Do you like the color?” Alec asks, nodding at the necklace.
“I love it,” I say and he smiles, looking boyish and charming and devilish and he makes my head spin but then he frowns, his gaze lowering.