Alex walked back into the living room a few minutes later, holding an object wrapped in brown paper.
“I've been waiting to give this to you for days now. If you accept this gift in exchange for your scarf, you'll make me very, very happy,” Alex said, gingerly laying the package in her lap.
“What is it?” she asked, lifting the heavy object.
“Open it up and see,” he said as his long fingers grazed hers.
“Feels like Christmas,” Aria answered, amusement flitting across her countenance.
Channeling her inner child, she ripped open the paper, making Alex laugh out loud and scramble for the flying bits of wrapping.
“I, I can’t accept this,” she exclaimed as she saw what was inside the wrapping paper.
Adrian's framed painting of the seaside scene, the one she and Alex were admiring the night of the exhibit, glittered in her lap. Alex had chosen a rustic wooden frame that added to the natural essence of the piece. Up close, she could now see the broad strokes of paint that told the story Adrian was creating.
“Nothing would make me happier than for you to accept this. Besides, I'm getting the better half of our deal. Just don't tell Adrian I said that,” Alex replied, his eyes crinkling from a wide smile.
Aria looked over at him to see that Alex was watching her every move, his eyes catching the way she moving her thumb over the frame.
“Happy?” he asked, tilting his head to the side, revealing how much he wanted the answer to be affirmative.
“Happy,” she softly replied. “I don't know what to say.”
He took one of her hands and kissed her palm, and like before, her body ignited in goosebumps.
“Why do you think you're getting the better part of our exchange? It's just an old scarf of mine,” she said, praying her words didn’t come out as breathy as she feared.
“Well, that's just it. I want itbecauseit's yours.”
Setting the painting on the coffee table, she stood up and held out her hand to Alex who looked up in shock.
“Would you take me on a walk on the beach?”she whispered.
As he took her hand in his, he laced his fingers between hers, causing her heart to erupt in fireworks again.
He walked them out of the front door toward the beach and helped her take off her shoes when they got to the sand.
“It’s a beautiful night,” she said softly as they walked, their joined hands swinging between them. She momentarily regretted her suggestion as she held her dress closed, but it was what she wanted more than anything.
Their night had been spoiled before and she wanted a new memory to replace it. When their eyes met, she could feel the overwhelming pull toward him again.
“There’s such a peaceful feeling being on the beach at night. The waves, the stars. It all just envelopes you,” he replied, his voice low and husky.
He stopped suddenly and turned her by the elbow gently to face him. Aria felt as if her body was swaying with anticipation.
Alex leaned in closer to her, and she once again felt her heart pick up speed at his close proximity. Aria was lost in the heady moment. He was looking at her with such intensity, and she felt breathless.
Is he waiting for a sign from me?
She wanted this. She wanted to know what it felt like to kiss him. Tobekissed by him.
Looking at her as if he could not wait any longer, Alex said in a husky voice, “Aria Bianchi, I'm going to kiss you.”
Her gaze lowered from his eyes to his lips, lost in the headiness of their closeness and the strong beat of her heart.
Just like before, his beard tickled her before his warm lips captured hers, the power of it making her stumble. He held her closer, his arms around her waist, making sure she was steady, her arms quickly embracing him around his neck.
Even as a writer, she was at a loss for words to describe what it felt like to be held in his strong embrace, to have his lips sliding over hers, imploring entrance.
