AllFreeNovel
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“Wow.” I whistle, trailing my hand down the expanse of his muscular leg. “Do you come here often?”
“To my bedroom? Yes, I do. But not with such beautiful company. What would you like? Pancakes? Waffles? You’ve got quite the selection.”
He grabs a bowl of blueberries and glazes them over with honey. Then, he offers to feed me one. I let my tongue graze his fingertips as I accept the fruit into my mouth, eyelashes fluttering as I do so. “
“My God,” I whisper, crawling over to gaze at the food cart. “And you don’t mind eating in bed? What if I get syrup on the sheets?”
“There’s this cool thing called laundry. It’s very innovative and convenient for a man like me.”
Again, I roll my eyes at his attempt to tease me. He’s laughing, which makes me fall into a fit of giggles myself. Reaching for the plate of pancakes, I scoop some eggs onto the plate and drizzle the whole thing with maple syrup. There are a few slices of bacon that get syrup, too.
Meanwhile, Alex fills his plate with scrambled eggs and seasons his dish with salt and pepper. There are some boiled eggs on the cart that he grabs, too.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asks while I scarf down my food.
“Yep! Want some?” I stab a pancake with my fork and offer it to him. He accepts the bite graciously into his mouth, licking up the extra syrup that finds its way onto his bottom lip. “It’s good, right?”
“Of course. I’ve hired the best cooks in Solvaria to serve my food. If it were lackluster, I’d be sorely disappointed.”
“Mm. There’s nothing lackluster about you or the life you live. I’m sure a lot of people would die to spend a night in a place like this.”
“Want to know what I think about all that?” he replies, tilting his head slightly. He moves his fork around the plate, not gathering any eggs. “I think all of the money, riches, properties… none of it matters unless you find a person to share it all with. Someone who gives you purpose beyond all the materialistic stuff.”
I blink slowly. Is he talking about me? Why else would he mention this while we’re sharing such an intimate moment, feeding each other breakfast while the sunlight filters in through the open satin curtains?
“Have you found that person?” I ask quietly. I’ve never been so nervous in my life.
He drops his gaze back to his plate. “I don’t know if I can say for certain.”
My God. I’ve completely fallen in love with this man.
When we finish breakfast, we dress quickly and take a walk through the property. He interlocks his fingers with mine, kissing my knuckles every now and then. There’s a gentle breeze that wafts by, rustling the loose shirt of his that covers my upper body.
“Are you excited for the engagement party?” he asks as we overlook his property. He stands behind me with his arms wrapped around me as his chin rests on my shoulder. “It’ll be an exciting event. Everyone will be talking about it for ages.”
A smile emerges on my lips, but it soon fades away. Thankfully, he doesn’t have a direct view of my face. He isn’t able to see the quiver of my bottom lip or the beginnings of tears accumulating in my eyes.
This man owns my heart. He has assumed an important part of me and has consumed my mind, body, and soul. What am I going to do when this is all over and we part ways for good?
“I’m excited,” I manage out. “It’ll be a great time, I’m sure.”
He doesn’t respond, allowing an easy silence to pass between us. My thoughts start consuming me, reminding me that this is only temporary.
We’re only together for convenience. My heart doesn’t want to accept it, but as reality sinks in, so does my despondency. My feelings for him are real, but nothing else is.
29
ALEXIS
When I wake up, it takes me a minute to get oriented. I’m on the wrong side of the bed for some reason. Then she shifts beside me, and I remember. I turn over on my side and look at Bella.
She’s sleeping peacefully. The covers rise gently up and down. Her curls are spread gracefully across the pillow. I reach up and touch my own hair. As usual, it’s pointing in every direction.
I could watch her forever,I think. Sleeping, she looks so vulnerable. It’s so different from her tough exterior.
We are already engaged,I remind myself. But we’re not.
I shake my head and turn away from her, grabbing my phone to see about my uncle. If anything had happened, they’d find me. Still, I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see the morning update. No change.
