He turns his face towards Anna. I can feel the heat of his cheek so close to mine. “Maybe you two could get a jump on this wedding stuff. Our mothers will be a constant reminder of our upcoming nuptials. I’m sure there’s a lot planned”
He turns to look at me once again. He runs his finger down the side of my neck, pressing once again on the spot where he marked me. “You’ll be a busy girl while I’m away.”
He tilts back slightly, still so close to my face that I can feel his breath on my cheek. The flecks of grey in his eyes have me captured; I can’t stop looking at him. All I can do is nod.
Alex turns away from me and faces Anna, reaching out his hand.
“It was nice to meet you, but I’ll be taking Isabella home now. She’s got a late night and early morning. And since I’ll be picking her up after work every day, I’ll be seeing much more of you.”
Anna shakes his hand, still mesmerized by him, her eyes blown wide with awe.
With that, he stands up and holds out his hand for me. And as I have learned my lesson, I reach out and place my hand in his. He gently tugs me so I can exit the booth. Not letting go of my hand, he pulls me in front of him, linking our fingers to rest on the front of my stomach. I tighten the muscles, trying my hardest to pull my potbelly flatter. Alexander leans in and nips my shoulder by the collar of my sweater. “Relax,” he whispers, close to my ear.
Anna hops out of the booth, grabbing me. She gives me a quick hug, pulling me slightly away from Alexander’s chest. She whispers in my ear, “Hot as fuck. Holy shit, girl! You better have Googled what I told you to Google.”
As we break apart, I nod, my face heating, because I’m not about to say anything in front of Alex. Holding her hand, I squeeze it, “I’ll text you later, let you know how things are going. I’ll see you tomorrow at work?”
Anna leans back, pointing in my face, “Hell yeah! And I’ll be bringing coffee.”
I just laugh, “OK, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Alexander still hasn’t let go of my hand as he leads me to the door. We’re out on the street, and he walks toward a black SUV. Suddenly, a large shadow spreads across the sidewalk, and I look up. The big guy is there, opening the back door.
He's got a big grin on his face. I wish I could match his smile, but I can't. I'm a little scared. I'm terrified of my emotions and what's going on. I'm worried I'm about to enter the Lions' den and there's no turning back.
Everyone has made plans for my life except for me. The one person in my life I truly know who loved me, besides my grandparents, I won’t be seeing anymore. I’m going to miss Diane. I almost want to cry, thinking that I won’t wake up every morning and see her smiling face, kiss her cheek as I head out the door to work.
The big guy moves aside, and Alexander holds the door open as I slide into the back seat. Alexander climbs in beside me, and the big guy shuts the door and walks to the front to take the driver’s seat. He gets in, smiles at me in the rearview mirror, and starts the car.
Once the car is in motion I give Alexander a side glance. He hasn’t made any further attempt to talk to me or touch me, he just looks out the window, his fists gripped on his thighs, letting me know the show is over, so no need to pretend anymore, and it stings.
I’m such a fool. I knew he was putting on an act for Anna, and I let myself, for a few minutes to feel what it must be like to be admired by a man like him. To feel the way Rebekah must feel when men fawn all over her. I should know better.
No one fawns over girls like me. No one cares to protect big girls like me. Our size alone makes everyone believe we can take care of ourselves. Most of the time, we can, but our hearts are twice as big as our bodies and break twice as hard. I squish myself as close as I can to my side of the car, hugging the door. I look out the window, ignoring the man sitting beside me.
Alex calls out through the partition, “Take us home, Carlos.”
So... the big guy’s name is Carlos.
Home.
Alexander says, take us home. But I only have one home. And it’s not here.
∞∞∞
Chapter 13 ~ Alexander
I can smell her perfume permeating the air around me like a fog. It lingers in my nose like a drug as I face the window, trying to ignore her. I breathe in deeply, taking the scent in. Isabella is hugging the window, putting as much distance between us as the car will allow. And for that, I’m grateful.
It’s taking all the willpower I have not to grab her and haul her into my lap and taste those lips again. Why the fuck did I do that? My one cardinal rule and I broke it while I held her plush body against the door.
I went to her office early today so I could play with her head. I wanted to see her reaction, to watch her face as I told her about her father’s decision. Gauge if she’s as innocent in all this as she portrays.
And she is. So very innocent in all things.
I walked in, and there she was. Standing high up on scaffolding, dressed in a large white lab coat that reached her mid-thigh. It is covered in dirt and paint residues of every shade. It exposed her thick thighs from below her skirt, her feet were in a pair of simple running shoes with little ruffled socks poking above the edges.
She had goggles on and her hands were covered in a pair of white cotton gloves. Her hair was up in a rather messy bun, with strands poking out all over with a metal tool and a tiny paintbrush stuck in the middle, holding the mass together.
