Page 37 of X: Command Me through Alexander’s Eyes

Her body, which has been still against mine, strains into me with unspoken need.

“Soon, poppet.” I tuck her hair behind her ear, meaning it. I can’t resist kissing her neck to seal my promise. “What are your plans this evening?”

“I’m flexible.” The answer is coy, and I know that I’ve won.

I smile at her answer, not at what I’m about to ask her. “There’s a thing this evening. Would you go with me?”

“What kind of thing?”

“A ball.” I press my index finger to her lips before she can refuse me. “And before you say no, it is for an excellent cause. We’re raising money for endangered animals. And furthermore, I don’t want to go either.”

I know what I’m asking her, but I need her to understand where we stand. If she thought I was trying to hide her, I would prove her wrong—in the most public way possible. Still, she should know what she’s getting into. Not that there is any way to fully prepare her.

“There’s no going back after something like this,” I warn her. “If you want a chance at normalcy—at privacy—you should say no. But if you want a relationship, it seems as good a place as any to start.”

“What about you? Do you want normal?” she asks seriously.

I tell her the truth. “I don’t even know what those words mean. I never have.”

She strokes my cheek, trying to comfort me, even as I see the war in her eyes. Maybe she understands the stakes more than I think. Maybe she knows this is a mistake. I’m not even certain I’m doing the right thing.

“I can protect you from this. We can meet privately if you prefer,” I offer. “If you don’t want to come tonight, I understand, but please understand me when I say”—my eyes hood—“you will come tonight in other ways.”

This earns me a grin. “Is that so?”

I kiss her because I’m running out of ways to convince her to be by my side.

“But they know about us,” she says when we break apart. “They have the texts.”

“By Monday morning, MI5 will know who hacked my account, and they’ll be in jail.”

“And that will be another huge story. The kind that links back to this one,” she says. “An arrest won’t erase that.”

“No, but it will send a message, and don’t worry, I’ve devised other ways of contacting you.”

“Carrier pigeons? Smoke signals?” she teases. Clara, in a good mood, is like a rainbow on a cloudy day. It makes the storm worth it.

I can’t help feeling a little cocky now. “That can be arranged.”

She looks at me, and I think maybe I can be Prince Charming if she asks me. “I can’t keep pretending you mean nothing to me. I don’t like hiding or secrecy, but I still want my privacy. Is that something we can make work?”

“Of course.” I want her life to be as normal as possible. I owe her that much if I’m going to be selfish enough to keep her.

“I’ll go,” she finally agrees, but almost instantly, I see doubt creep across her beautiful face. I kiss her until she can’t remember why she was worried. I kiss her to forget that I am still worried.