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I'm thinking about killing my father.
Best to get it out of the way.
"We can." I grimace, my eyes flicking to the privacy screen. I lower my voice. "Are you sure they can't hear us?"
Alexander points to the button on the console between us. It's very obviously set in the "ON" position.
"I'm sure," he says.
I'm suddenly aware of the ache in my shoulders from leaning forward. Forcing myself into the comfortable seat, I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath, trying to relax. When I open my eyes after I've gained my composure, Alexander is handing me a chilled bottle of water.
"Remember when I said I wanted your help with this?" He pops the cap, handing it to me.
I take a sip, nodding.
"I never meant that you'd be actively involved," he says. "The most I was thinking was sending him a message, or having you sit in a cafe so he would show up."
The water helps, and the heat on my cheeks start to subside.
"And then what?" I say. "You show up and the two of you get into a fight and—"
Alexander squeezes my wrist. "Slow down, sweetheart." Though he smiles, I can see the venom lying beneath his expression. Sometimes I forget just how dangerous Alexander can be, how he actually is. He's a killer. "Do you really want the details of how I plan to kill your father?"
My stomach twists. "No. I just want you to be okay."
"And I will be," he says. "Please stop worrying about this." He furrows his brows. "All this anxiety can't be good for the baby."
"But we have to do it while we're still here."
Alexander gives me a mirthless smile. "Revenge is a dish best served cold, sweetheart." He runs his thumb along the underside of my palm. "It doesn't have to happen during this vacation if it will be too stressful for you."
I shake my head quickly. "We can't wait. I know my father. He'll disappear again once he finds out that you know what he did." My hand moves to my mouth. "Worse, when he finds out about the baby. News spreads pretty quickly."
Alexander's lips twist into a frown, the first sign that he isn't taking this conversation as well as he wants me to believe. Solving his mother's murder has been a goal of his from before he met me—in some ways, I should count myself lucky we fell in love. Otherwise, I would be collateral damage.
"I know," he says. "I know all of that, sweetheart. I'll still need to put a team together, devise a proper plan with my advisors. That will take a week at least." He lets go of my wrist and moves his hand to rest it against my neck, his fingers slipping into the curls at the nape of my neck. "Please, stop worrying about it, Alize." He pulls me toward him, his lips ghosting mine. "I intend to spend the rest of my life with you, in case the ring and the baby didn't make it clear enough. I'm not going to die dealing with this."
"I'm sorry," I whisper, leaning into him so that our lips are touching while I speak. "I just feel like I can't relax until it's over."
"I know, baby," he says. Tears prick the corners of my eyes because he's being so understanding about this when we're talking about the man who murdered his mother. "Just focus on the present. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. When the time comes, he'll disappear. It will be over before you know it, I promise."
He swipes a tear from my cheek with his thumb then his lips crash onto mine, his hot tongue pushing into my mouth. The faint smell of peppermint on his breath electrifies my lips, and he kisses me until the thoughts leave my head. His rough hands dance over my cheeks, sliding down my neck. I curl my fingers into his dress shirt, holding him close, not wanting this moment to end.
It's an eternity later when we pull apart. My lips are numb, his hair disheveled, the first few buttons of his shirt undone. Blinking slowly, I look past him and out the window. We're still in traffic, but the car is moving at a much more reasonable pace. Alexander fixes my hair and kisses my nose.
"Better?" he asks.
I nod slowly, biting my lower lip.
"Kiss me like that every time I feel anxious," I say, batting my eyelashes.
"Your wish is my command, sweetheart." He flashes me a pearly-white smile.
He leans back, adjusting himself in his seat, but I don't want him to stop touching me just yet. I hold on to his shirt. Alex raises an eyebrow.
"What if..." My eyes fall to the console to make sure they still can't hear us. "Can your seat go back any farther?"
"Yes, why?"
