Page 23 of Ache
I swing the door open to find Alec dressed in a three-piece, navy blue suit.Gulp. He’s gorgeous. The color of his suit is making the blue of his irises gleam like a jewel. I have reluctantly admitted that to myself in the past, but tonight I am owning the thought.
He. Is. Gorgeous.
“Wow.” His face lights up as he looks me over. He approves. That takes some of the edge off. It probably shouldn't, but it does. I want him to like me. Does that sound pathetic? Probably, but it’s the truth. It's been a long time since someone liked me, and I actually liked them back.
My chest pinches from the reminder of the past. But that’s just what it is, the past, and that’s where it’s going to stay. Tonight is all about the present.
“Shall we?” Alec offers me his arm.
“We shall.”
10
Tage
Iwatch Everly from afar as she is escorted into a posh restaurant by a man I’ve never seen before. My blood boils as he puts his hand on the small of her back and walks through the establishment like he owns it,and her.They sit at the very end of a large bar that looks into the kitchen of the restaurant. The entire place is all red up-lighting, glossy wooden tables, red cushioned chairs, and gold accents. Dressed the way she is, Everly fits right in to the high-end world. She’s beautiful and glowing and happy. She smiles at the douchebag sitting next to her like she doesn't have a care in the world. Ironically, that’s exactly how I want her to feel, except I want to be the douchebag sitting next to her. It’s supposed to be me. It was always meant to be me.
I know I should just leave her alone, but I can’t. I have wanted her to move on with her life for so long, and now that she obviously is, I can’t bear the thought of her being with anyone except me.
My feet move faster than my mind. Slipping into the restaurant undetected, I make myself invisible among the bar crowd. The place is packed, with a line at the door. I steal a glance at a plate being carried by a waiter. Two stalks of asparagus with black stuff sprinkled across the top. That’s the whole dish. Seems a bit anticlimactic to me. Disappointing, if I’m being blunt. I move around the perimeter of the restaurant until her face is in clear view. It takes her a while to notice me, but when she does, the alarm of my presence is evident in her stare. Our gazes catch, then lock, her green eyes trapped by mine. It’s only for a few precious seconds, then I disappear. I wanted to send a message, and by the looks of it, she received it.
I’m always watching. I’m never far.
You’ll always, one way or another, belong to me.
11
Alec
Everly looks like she just saw a ghost.
“Everly? Ever, are you all right?”
“Hmm?” She blinks rapidly. “Yes, of course.”
“You sure? ’Cause it looked like something spooked you.”
“No, not at all.” She smiles, and the woman I was just conversing with returns. “I’m here. With you.”
“Right where you want to be?” I lean in closer to her.
“Yes.” She bites her lip. Gone is the demure librarian from work, in her place is a vixen who captivates my entire attention. It’s amazing how she can be two entirely different people in one enticing body. She’s like Diana Prince and Wonder Woman or Linda Lee Danvers and Supergirl. Two completely different alter egos behind the same pair of gorgeous green eyes.
“It’s where I want to be, too. With you.” I’m not going to waste a second beating around the bush. I want Everly, and I want to make it crystal clear. If the last week has affirmed anything, it’s that my attraction to this woman is real and warranted and not fizzling out anytime soon. I breathed her in, and now she’s a part of me. In my bloodstream, moving my cells, causing my heart to beat.
Our celebratory dinner consists of several bottles of prosecco and several tapas plates, including green asparagus mimosa with imperial caviar and wasabi whipped cream, roasted baby artichoke with a chickpea emulsion, and spicy duck with kumquat confits. If it sounds showy, ostentatious, and pretentious, that’s because it is. I want to impress Everly. I want to show her how good life can be. I consist of upscale taste and meager beginnings. For some reason, I feel like Everly can relate.
By the third bottle of bubbly, our bellies are full and our heads are light. Everly is resting her hand on my thigh while I caress the bare skin on her shoulder. She knew what the hell she was doing when she picked out this dress.
“I don’t want this night to end,” I murmur in her ear as the minutes tick away. It’s nearly midnight, and the restaurant is thinning out. The kitchen is closed, and the bartenders are relaying last call.
Everly’s eyes widen, but not in hesitation or fear, more in excitement. In a way that communicates she feels the same.
“So, let’s not let it.” She swipes her thumb back and forth over the material of my dress pants, sending a shock of exhilaration coursing through my body. I want her to touch me so much more. So much more intimately.
“We can go back to my place.” I run my lips over the curve of her neck, the temperature in the room rapidly rising.
“I’d like that.” I can almost hear the rapid acceleration of her heartbeat as she agrees. We are stepping over a serious threshold. Both our careers hang in the balance. Moving our relationship to the next level isn't anything to fool with. But we are both consenting adults, whose attraction is apparent to more than just us. The few people left in the room notice it, too.
