Page 13 of Alex

Chapter Seven

Alex could almost tastethe seductive notes of desire in the air they were that potent. His body was screaming at him to lay her back across his glass dining table and sate himself on her body. Make her scream his name as she climaxed, driving out every doubt, every single moment of grief that they had suffered.

His hands clenched into fists at his side as he battled not to touch her. Evelyn had always been beautiful but with her temper in full fury she was something else. The silence in the room was interspersed only by the sounds of their breathing.

“Well, mi nena, what will it be? Truth or Dare?” His use of his old pet name for her was familiar and comfortable, and surprised him a little with how easily it had fallen from his lips.

He watched as her pupils dilated at his challenge, her desire winning before a switch seemed to flip and her face closed, and she stepped away.

“I’m not playing games with you, Alex. I’m exhausted and I just want to catch a few hours’ sleep and then I will get out of your hair,” she said letting the tiredness show.

Alex felt like an asshole for pushing her when she had been through so much. “Listen, I’m sorry. It’s none of my business what Roz said but I do want to help you. Whatever happened fifteen years ago does not change the fact you are and always will be special to me, so don’t think otherwise—okay?”

Her head tilted and a smile flitted around her mouth. “You always were the best of us, Alex. The fact is Roz has a lot of trust issues and doesn’t trust you or any of Eidolon. It isn’t personal it is just her.” She held up a hand as he went to speak. “Let me finish. Roz doesn’t trust you but despite our separation I do. I still see the man who stopped his bike to move a frog from the road so it wouldn’t get squashed. So, I’m sorry I over-reacted just now. I’m tired and I need some sleep.”

His throat tightened as he saw the girl he had loved in the tiredness around her eyes. Evelyn had always tended to lash out if she didn’t get her eight hours and even time and age hadn’t changed that. “Of course. Let me show you to your room. We can talk later about things.” Alex led Evelyn down the hallway and quickly showed her the master bath and the bedroom next to his.

“Is that another bedroom?” She motioned to the closed door at the far end of the hall.

Alex nodded quickly not wanting her to have any interest in that room. “Well, Delphine has made the bed up so you should have everything you need but if not just shout. I probably won’t sleep for a while,” he said as he stepped away from the door.

“Is Delphine the woman who stocked the fridge?” Evelyn asked and there was an unmistakable tone of jealousy in her voice which made him smother a chuckle.

“Yes. She’s a treasure. I don’t know what I would do without her,” he replied enjoying the way she scrunched her nose up in distaste.

“Oh. I see…I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. I should probably go.” She moved to go past him.

He touched her arm to stop her a smile creasing his face. “Evelyn, look.” He held up his phone showing her the picture of him and his elderly neighbour from Christmas last year. “This Delphine and I last Christmas.”

The photo was one of Alex with his arm around Delphine Fournier, his sixty-five-year-old neighbour from downstairs. They were laughing into the camera while her husband took the picture.

“Oh, that’s sweet.” She handed the phone back.

“Yeah they both are. Delphine and her husband run the Patisserie down the road. They kind of adopted me when I moved in here. She keeps an eye on the place and gets food in when she knows I’ll be home, and I do odd jobs for them. Thomas hurt his back a few years ago in an accident so can’t do a lot of the little jobs he used to do. This way they help me, I help them, and nobody gets their pride hurt.” He looked at her and caught the soft look on her face.

“Yep, he is definitely still there.” She smiled and for the first time it reached her eyes. It took his breath away. He felt the sudden need to warn her that he wasn’t the man she knew anymore. The things he had done and seen had changed him in such a way he could never go back to being Alex the boy who loved to cook.

“I’m not the sweet boy you once knew, Evelyn,” he said as he pushed her hair back from her cheek his fingers skimming the delicate skin there.

She closed her eyes and he could see she was struggling with this as much as he was but there was too much unsaid between them to do what he wanted to do.

“I know that, Alex. We’ve both changed more than we ever imagined possible but deep down in your heart where only love lives, you are the same.” He knew she left something unspoken but didn’t push her when she pulled away and gently closed the door on him.

He stood for a moment wondering what the hell was happening to him. He felt so conflicted, but one thing was entirely clear was in all the time they had been apart his feelings for Evelyn hadn’t waned. Indeed, he felt more for her now than he could ever remember feeling back then. It was terrifying because if the British Monarchy got their way, he would lose her for a second time, and it wasn’t something he could survive.

Spinning on his heel he headed back to the kitchen and collected his phone from the counter beside the coffee pot. Moving to the window he hit dial and waited for Jack to pick up. As usual he didn’t wait long.

“Jack.”

“Hey, give me an update on what the fuck is going on,” he said his temper still on a simmer as he thought how close Evelyn had come to getting blown up in that cabin.

Completely unperturbed by his demand Jack told him what he knew. “We know that they were professionals, or you would have tagged them before they started shooting at your ass. Blake, Reid, and Liam took care of them after you left Courchevel, so you won’t have any more problems. There were no IDs on any of them which further confirms they were professional. My best guess is paid muscle that somehow had inside knowledge about the cabin. What’s even more concerning is that they sent a second team in early. Either somebody knows of your connection to Siren or they really, really want her dead. Or there’s a second threat we don’t know about.”

“Evelyn.”

“Sorry?” Jack sounded confused.

“Her name is Evelyn not Siren.” He hated hearing that name.