I smile and make my way to the back of the house, towards the garage, to get my car. It’s not a fancy car; it’s just a little Honda Civic I bought myself. No limos or chauffeurs for me. I liked the idea of being independent. What little independence I could get in this life, but now that I have to marry Alex Russo, I’m going to grab onto it every ounce I can get.
Starting the car, I back out of the garage. My mind is racing with too many thoughts as I reach the end of our street to turn onto the freeway.
Since when have I shortened his name to Alex? That was a little too intimate coming from someone who regularly gave me the creeps.
Izzy, that isn't true; you sort of know him.
He kissed me sometime between the threat on the patio and the two-week rush of the marriage. He didn't kiss me, I guess. He gave my cheek a kiss. Yet it didn't give me the creeps; it just gave me a chill. Similar to when I met the big guy in the driveway, there was a slight thrill to it.
The freeway is congested, but my thoughts are even more so. I don’t understand these feelings. I’ve never really had them before. Yeah, maybe a little when guys paid attention to me, especially if they were cute, I felt a little surge in my stomach. But as soon as Rebekah arrived, their attention to me never lasted long. She's what men like. She is gorgeous and thin, with a supermodel body. I gave up eventually and kept to myself because I can't even compete with that.
Pulling into my assigned parking spot at the back of the museum, and turning the car off, I grab my coffee and purse from the passenger seat and head to the back entrance of the building.
Screw, Alex Russo. My sole focus for today is going to be on the fresco. I’ll worry about him and what the hell is happing in my house later.
The long hallway at the back of the museum is usually quiet; nobody’s ever around. Using my hip to open the steal door, I head to my desk throw my purse down and make my way down to Professor Daniels's office.
I poke my head in and he’s fully engrossed in his computer. I swear this entire building could catch on fire, but when he is into something, he is into it.
I cough a little to let him know I’m here, “Morning, boss. How’s it going today?”
“Holy moly, you scared me, Isabella,” he exclaims as he jumps out of his chair. “I just finished reading a paper about a new tomb’s discovery. I’m trying to sort it out so we can contact them andpossibly have an exhibit here. London always gets things first, so I’m attempting to draw their attention our way.”
I try to give him a reassuring smile.“Well, good luck with that. I’m going to head on back and start working. I’ve almost got the water fountain done. I’m going to work on the other side and see what I can expose today."
“If you come across anything interesting, come knock and let me see it. It’s progressing well, and you’re so dedicated to the piece. “
Most of my morning I’ve spent scraping and cleaning off layers of dirt. I’ve exposed part of a bench and a leg, which I’m assuming is a woman sitting on the bench. I’ve only reached the hem of her dress. But from what I can tell, this must be the mistress of the house because of the intricate pattern on her dress.
I got a text from Anna asking if we were still on for tonight, and I text her back, “Yes, we are.” There’s a little dive down the street from the museum, but we love it. The music is great, and it’s not very crowded during the week. And I like it quiet. I’ve never actually been in on the weekend; as hard as Anna tries to drag me there, I’m not much for partying.
After lunch, I head back, exposing more of the dress. I’m itching to try and get higher, but I know I don’t want to push it. That’s why you have to have time and patience and take things slowly. It will come to life and expose itself when it’s ready.
I’ve spent the day so engrossed in this piece. Checking my watch I look at it in shock. I can’t believe how fast time flies; it’s 4:30 already. Time to meet Anna.
My neck tingles and I twist the watch on my wrist and roll my shoulders. For some reason, I feel uneasy. It’s like I’ve missed something. I look back at the fresco, making sure that I have all my supplies and stuff put away.
Where this unease is coming from I don't know so I double-check the shelf with my supplies. I’m not missing anything asfar as I can tell, so I throw my gloves in the trash, put my goggles down, and stack up all my paintbrushes and tools.
Moving backwards towards my desk I look up at the fresco and smile while I grab my purse and travel mug. It's going to be beautiful once we are done. With a smile on my face, I turn towards the door leading out to the hall. My smile drops as my cup slips from my hand, and I come to a stop.
His deep voice resounds around the large empty room.
“Hello, little bunny. Did you miss me?”
Holy jalapenos!
Alexander is leaning against the exit door, arms crossed across his massive chest, staring at me. Holy smack, how long has he been standing there? I’ve been so engrossed in the piece I didn’t even hear him come in. My cup is spinning in a circle on the floor by his feet, and I’m at a complete loss about what to do.
I keep dropping everything around this guy.
“Again, with nothing to say? No hello for your future husband?” He has a cocky grin on his face, as he places one expensive leather Italian loafer on top of my spinning travel mug, stopping it dead on the spot. He bends over and picks it up, and starts walking toward me. I immediately started stepping backwards. But he’s in front of the only exit, so there’s no way out. And I’m all alone, so there’s no one to even help me this time. My boss left an hour ago.
“You look surprised, bunny? But I’m thinking you might want to get used to it. I’ll be picking you up from work from now on”. His tone dripped with sarcasm.
He’s so close now that I can feel the heat from his body. I can smell his cologne. Spicy, with a hint of musk and vanilla. Why does he always have to smell so good?
I have to lift my head way up to even see his chin. I don’t want to look into his eyes. I’m afraid he can see more behind them thanfear.
