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ChapterTwenty-Five
I felt a pair of eyes on me. I’d sensed it since I started my run. After my conversation with Yo-Yo, I’d decided to get my butt in gear by going for a run first thing in the morning. It made waking up alone in my pink bed marginally better. Having something to do the instant I woke up didn’t give me the chance to dwell on the fact that I was alone, without Alex’s arms wrapped around me or his scent enveloping me. Nope, instead, I jumped out of bed the instant my eyes opened, splashed water on my face, tugged on some clothes, and stumbled down the stairs. Once I was out the door, cold air smacked me, joggling my brain awake.
As usual, I jogged in the direction of the park along the East River. It was still semidark outside, but there were always people on the street, so I felt safe enough.
That was until the hairs on the back of my neck pricked up.
Turning my head, I caught sight of a man in a black car, but I shook off the feeling as I started down my block, passing the red-brick, post-war apartment buildings and rows of single-family townhouses. As I turned the corner onto Skillman Avenue, I saw a flash of the same car. Normally, I didn’t notice one particular vehicle, out of the hundreds that passed me by, so it was strange that I’d notice it again. Perhaps I was paranoid since I was coming up to the underpass I had to go through to get to the park. Shaking off my nervousness, I reasoned that I’d be fine. The tunnel was short and there was now enough daylight.
I made it through the underpass without a glitch and continued to the park, along the river. But as I retraced my steps to go home, I spotted the same man that had been in the car earlier. He was pacing on the street by the park entrance. Close enough to him, I finally recognized him as one of Alex’s soldiers. A flurry of emotions clogged my throat as I gave him a glare on my way by.
His head snapped up when I passed, and he briskly walked after me, no longer bothering to hide the fact that he was following me. What the hell, Alex?
The relief I felt that it was only Alex watching me quickly morphed into indignation. I had specifically told him I didn’t want any more guards. Who the hell did he think he was, keeping tabs on me? I didn’t care if he thought it was for my own safety. I was no longer his responsibility. He’d done it behind my back, which infuriated me even more. The bossy bastard couldn’t stay in his lane. It was one thing to have me trailed when I belonged to him, when I was in potential danger because I was with him. But if he broke it off with me, then he had to do it completely. Not this pick-and-choose nonsense.
As my feet pounded the sidewalk, my fury doubled and tripled. Alex’s man followed me in his car at a consistent distance until I got home. Fury radiating off me, I turned and gave him the middle finger before stomping up the stairs. Yes, I got that it was immature, but I didn’t care.
In my bedroom, I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower. Twisting the knob until waves of cold water dumped over my head, I hoped it would cool me off. No such luck. I dressed and grabbed breakfast, eyeing the clock until I knew Alex would be at his office at the café. I’d have to miss my morning class but I didn’t care because my temper had been triggered and I was in rare form to confront him.
When the clock ticked past nine o’clock, I stalked over to the café. Swinging the door open, the little bell attached to the top of the door chimed lightly. A gust of warm air and the familiar plink, plink of porcelain clinking on porcelain filtered through the fog of my anger.
The café had a long bar on the left, with a large shiny espresso machine and a glass display for pastries and cakes. The back wall was exposed brick, and the copper-tin ceiling, along with the black-and-white-checkered floor, gave the café the feel of a bygone era. The fragrance of coffee hit my senses as I stepped inside, reminding me of the many times I’d stopped by when Tasa was working. I was assaulted by another wave of longing for my friend. I felt her absence more than ever, standing in the center of the café as a few of the old men, playing backgammon with their cups of Turkish coffee and shots of ?uica, halted their game to look at me. There were always a few bottles tucked away behind the coffee bar for the old men who asked for the Romanian brandy.
Scouring the café, I searched for someone to lead me to his office. Instead, I found the man himself, seated near the back.
Alex rose from his seat, his hair tousled as if he’d been raking his fingers through it in frustration. His eyes looked…stark. Hungry. Greedy. They ate me up as if I would vanish at any moment. After I was done with him, I’d make him wish I’d vanish.
A sharp stab of pain hit me in the chest, but I pushed past it. I was here on a mission, and I wasn’t leaving until it was done. Until we were done. All ties severed. It was the only way I could survive. The only way forward.
Stalking over to him, I gritted out between clenched teeth, “Alex, do you have a moment?”
His eyes scanned over my face, which I knew was screwed tight with anger. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” he insisted, his tone edged with worry.
I let out an exasperated sigh. I didn’t want his concern. It would only erode my aggravation, and I had every right to be irate about his heavy-handedness. I needed my anger. It came over me so rarely and dissipated so quickly that I had to take advantage of it while it lasted. I was already risking so much by being in his presence, and I was in no mood to weaken.
“Could we speak in private? I don’t want to have this discussion in public,” I replied, my eyes drifting to Stegan, who was sitting at his table, and then back to him. His laptop and paperwork were spread out across two tables pulled close together. My brows stitched together. Why was he working here when he had a quiet, comfortable office upstairs? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask, but I bit down on my tongue.
His mouth turned down on the sides, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out what had pushed me to cross the invisible boundary line of the café and seek him out.
“Of course,” he answered, gesturing to the stairway that led up to his office. Skirting the table, he gave Stegan a nod to stay and followed me as I stalked toward the stairs. Ascending the dark, narrow stairway, I felt the heat of his big body behind me. My mouth went dry, but I clenched my jaws to tamp down my nerves.
He unlocked the door to his office and pushed it open for me, one hand on the handle. As I passed, my shoulder brushed against his. That one little touch jolted me. Just as I feared, my fury began leaking away, replaced by a longing that struck me as sharp as a whip. This was why I moved out of his apartment. This was why I refused to see him. This was why I averted my eyes whenever I passed the Dacia Café. The man made me weak.
A different wave of longing, coming in right behind the one I had for Tasa, swept over me and left me gutted. I’d made a grave mistake coming, I realized. I’d greatly overestimated the strength I could draw on from my anger. Since it was so uncommon, I had little experience with it. I thought I could stroll into his place, hurt him with my words, and get out unscathed. Now that my fury leached out of me, it laid bare my desperate yearning for him.
But I couldn’t turn around and walk out. Besides my pride, he wouldn’t let me go until he found out why I’d come.
Turning around to face him, I stood there and took him in for a moment. Besides his messy hair, there was a new hollowness to his cheekbones, as if he’d lost weight. Dark circles swam under his eyes. He wasn’t sleeping, either. Good, I thought with a viciousness that surprised me.
My gaze roved over his torso. He was still fit. His biceps bulged under the wool sleeves of his jacket. I’d forgotten how big he was, how broad his shoulders were. Damn. I bit down on the inside of my cheek as a familiar flare of arousal shot through me.
“How are you doing?” he inquired, his voice deep, gravelly, and dripping with sin.
“Good,” I answered automatically. I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. It hurt to look at him for too long.
“You have to call off your dogs, Alex,” I launched in without preamble. “I told you I didn’t want anyone watching me. We’re not together anymore. There’s no reason for it.”
He took a step closer. “Is that really why you came?”
