AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’d like to unpack first. You’re crazy, did you know that?”
“There’s no point in unpacking. You might be moving rooms, remember?” Shit, I’d forgotten about that. “Don’t think about it, Straight Lace, just jump.”
“In my clothes?”
“You can take them off if you want. I don’t mind. Come on, live a little.” Fuck it! It was only water. Surprising him, I took a step back, then leapt into the pool. The water was refreshing after the long plane journey. Alex was by my side within seconds, grabbing me around the waist. Fuck, what was he going to do? “Now you’re in trouble,” he grinned, lifting me out of the water only to throw me back in.
“Alex,” I spluttered, catching my breath. “Don’t you dare!” I giggled as he tried to grab me again. This time, I splashed him. “No, get off!” I laughed, thinking he was going to throw me again as he pulled me into his chest, but he didn’t. Instead, he pinned me up against the side of the pool.
“I’m glad you’re staying here with me and not going back to London.” His entire body was pressed against mine.
“Me too,” I muttered, watching his lips. My breath was erratic, my chest heaving up and down. I wanted him to kiss me.
“I need to ask you a favor,” he whispered, moving toward my neck. “It’s Diego’s birthday in a few weeks, and I want to hold a surprise party here, but the drama queen will find out if I plan it.”
“I can do that,” I panted as his hands moved from my hips to my back. I was pinned against his chest now. Swallowing hard, I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady myself.
“Thank you. I’m glad you jumped, by the way,” he grinned, tossing me into the water again playfully.
Half an hour later, we’d both dried off and changed. I hadn't seen Diego or Shane since we’d gotten back, but Mary had given me a wave while Alex and I had been playing in the pool. Alex led me upstairs to the top floor. I didn’t know why I was suddenly so nervous.
I gasped as he opened the double doors. This suite was forme? The room was massive. An impressive oak, four-poster bed draped in purple fabric was the first thing I noticed. The back wall was all glass, which gave a panoramic view of the Hollywood Hills. There was a large desk and dresser, plus a white leather couch on the other side of the room. I also noticed a few doors at the far end of the room.
“Your bathroom is through there.” Alex gestured toward one of the doors.
“Alex, this is too much. I can’t stay in here,” I gasped, walking farther into the room and running my hand down one of the posts on the bed. There was a huge flat screen TV mounted to the wall, too.
“You’ve earned this, Nat. Don’t over think it. Come on, there’s more too see.” More? Still gaping at the space, I followed him as he opened two double doors. “This is a joint living room. My bedroom is through there. You can access the private balcony through the double doors next to it.” A large cinema sized TV took center stage in the room and was surrounded by more white leather couches. This living space was a lot different than downstairs. It was more calming, with lots of pastels and whites and scattered cushions. Basically, it had a woman’s touch.
“So, you and Milly lived up here?” I mused, following him out onto the gigantic balcony. Holy shit! This wasn’t a balcony! It was the size of my mum and dad’s garden back home! It had a large metal table with eight chairs, a large, white garden umbrella, and four sun loungers scattered around.
“Yeah. It worked well. It’s a big enough space to have some privacy, too. No one uses this balcony but me, and now you.” Going to the edge, I looked over. Now I knew how Alex had watched Shane and me by the pool a month ago. “There’s a great view of the pool from here.”
“I can see that.”
“So what do you think?”
“I don’t think I deserve all this.”
“Don’t be modest. You don’t have an easy job, having to put up with me.” He nudged me playfully, leaning against the balcony ledge. “Do you want to see my room? Or is that asking too much?”
“That depends.” Tilting his head, he urged me to continue with his eyes. “You’re not trying to get me into your bedroom for areason, are you?”
“Straight Lace, would I do that?” Putting his hand over his heart, he pouted. Jesus, those lips!
“Come on then. Let’s get this over with.” Truthfully, I couldn’t wait to see his bedroom. Would it give any clues to the real Alex?
The first thing I noticed was his large, four-poster metal bed. The metal was all twisted and looked damaged. Was that symbolic? It reminded me a little of the enchanted forest in Snow White, if I was being honest. A jukebox was lit up in the far corner of the room, and there were fur rugs everywhere. Several guitars were mounted on his back wall, plus there was a grand piano in the corner of the room. He had a large, red wall in the back that spanned the length of the room. There were a few abstract paintings on his walls, along with various awards that he’d been given over the years. I had to chuckle because it was all so rock star-ish.
“What do you think?” he asked, walking into the middle of the room.
“I knew you’d have fur rugs,” I snorted, following him into the room. “Where is the rotating bed?”
“I got rid of that a few years ago,” he teased, his eyes alive with humor. “I’ve kept some of the ceiling mirrors, though. I get them out on special occasions.”
“I see.” Trying to keep a straight face, I wandered over to his large, metal bookshelf that came out of the back wall and divided the space well. It was full of old CDs and videotapes, as well as several books. “The Miracle of Mindfulness?That’s a bit deep for you,” I grinned, reading one of the book titles.
“You can learn a lot from Buddha.”
