Page 20 of Alex (Men of Forbidden Temptation #4)

ELISE

Mr. Strickland’s private driver parks the limousine next to the helicopter.

Alex gets out first and reaches his hand out for me to grab it. Not wanting to make a scene in front of his father, I take his hand.

“Thank you.”

His smile is large and genuine as he helps me out of the vehicle. “Percy will get our bags. We can take our seats and get strapped in. If you want.”

I nod my head. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get home. I’m ready to lie down on my couch and watch a movie while I drink a glass of wine.

Or two.

I follow him to the helicopter where he, once again, holds his hand out for me to take, and like last time, I take his hand and let him help me into the helicopter.

Mr. Strickland joins us as Alex is buckling my last buckle. The two Stricklands buckle themselves into their seats like experts.

I guess in a way they are experts, since they fly all the time.

“Are you two ready to head home?” Mr. Strickland asks before putting his headset on and clicking several buttons.

I nod as Alex speaks into his headset. “We’re all good back here.”

He adjusts himself in his seat and presses harder into my side. This is going to be a long trip back home.

Well, a long trip to the airport and then to my apartment.

The helicopter’s blades begin to spin several moments before Mr. Strickland’s voice sounds through the headset.

“We’re about to take off. We will be back home in a couple of hours. Enjoy the flight, sights, and remember, don’t try to open any doors.”

Alex chuckles, and I smile at Mr. Strickland’s attempt at humor.

The helicopter slowly lifts off the ground and all too soon, we are airborne and heading towards the beach.

I’m pressed against Alex. My entire right side is pressed against his left. His amber and woods scent overwhelms my senses, making me wish our vacation wasn’t over and we could spend all day in bed.

More like I wish I didn’t waste my vacation being mad at Alex and keeping to myself .

Alex didn’t bother me at all yesterday and his dad didn’t question me when I told him I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to stay in bed.

For hours I just laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling as I weighed the potential consequences of telling Mr. Strickland about what happened at the club.

In the end, my heart didn’t want to lead Alex to the wolves, so to speak. Plus, he said he would handle things.

I decided it was easier to stay in bed and pretend to be sick than to have to look at Mr. Strickland or Alex and not say anything.

This also meant that I wasn’t able to ask Alex any of the hundreds of questions floating around in my mind. That would have to wait until we were alone with ample free time.

Last night, I made a mental timeline of sorts to try to get all the pieces of the story together.

From the conversations I overheard and what Alex told me while we were smoking, Adam and Bianca were already dating when the poker game happened.

At the game, Alex flirted with Bianca and somehow she ended up breaking up with Adam and started dating Alex.

Sometime later, Alex fell in love with Bianca, but she didn’t love him back, so she went back to Adam.

It seems too planned, like she was always going to go back to Adam. They just wanted Alex to suffer in the end. And what better way to cause suffering than to wait until someone loves you to leave them?

If I didn’t already dislike Bianca, I do now. It was all a game to her.

I just don’t know Adam’s part in all of this. Did he tell Bianca to flirt with Alex and to make him fall in love with her?

Was he still with Bianca behind closed doors while she was publicly with Alex?

The whole situation is shitty and immature, and the more I think about it, the more my heart breaks for Alex.

Sure, he might have brought the cocaine to the party, but innocently, he never intended on falling in love with Bianca, nevermind stealing her from Adam.

Or did he?

Alex did confess that he and Adam were always in competition with one another. They tried to beat each other at getting the most girls. Maybe Alex saw Bianca as the ultimate prize to be won.

She was Adam’s girlfriend and if Alex could steal her from Adam, then Alex would be on top.

No. Hell no. There’s no way that’s what happened, because Alex isn’t like that. He’s not innocent, but he wouldn’t steal someone’s girlfriend just to get the upper hand. Would he?

I close my eyes and try to push the nagging feeling to the back of my mind.

If Bianca was a game to Alex, what am I? A joke? Someone to help prove that he’s responsible and ready to take over part of the company?

No. Just stop. Alex really likes me and I like him. My thoughts are spiraling, and I’m only thinking of the worst.

I take a deep breath and open my eyes. Turning my attention to Alex, our gazes lock. He looks curious, hopeful, and turned on.

Risking a glance down at his pants, I quickly look away as a very noticeable bulge gets bigger.

His elbow nudges mine, but I don’t turn to face him. I continue to stare out my window as Mr. Strickland flies over a forest.

Knowing there isn’t another forest between the city and home, I sit up straighter. The beach should be coming into sight soon.

“Elise.” Alex’s voice comes through my headset.

I turn to look at him. The edges of his eyes crinkle as his smile gets bigger.

“Yes?” I whisper, not wanting Mr. Strickland to hear our conversation.

He holds his hand out for me with his palm up. I give him a questioning look before he drops his hand on my thigh. He opens his mouth to speak, but I shake my head.

‘I don’t want your dad to hear.’ I mouth, hoping he can read my lips.

He bounces his hand on my thigh to get my attention down there. His hand opens and closes several times before I understand what he’s wanting .

Laughing, I put my hand in his, and he closes his fingers around mine. We sit like this for several minutes until I can see the deep blue ocean.

Mr. Strickland lands the helicopter and flips a few switches to turn off the helicopter. The three of us unbuckle ourselves and step out into the warm sun.

Alex grabs our bags, and Mr. Strickland grabs his bag before we head our separate ways.

I follow Alex to his car. He unlocks the car doors and places our bags in the trunk. I sink into the luxurious leather seats and wait for him to join me.

Before he can start the car and drive off, I say, “I’ve been thinking a lot over the past two days.”

He turns his upper half toward me and places his hand on my leg.

A small smile forms on my face. “I hate the idea of lying to your dad. One because I need this job. And two, because I think this situation is more serious and time sensitive.”

He winces as I state my opinion, but he doesn’t interrupt.

“But as long as whatever you plan on doing doesn’t interfere with my job, then your secret is safe with me. That’s my one and only condition. Don’t cause me to lose my job.”

Alex sighs. “Thank you, Elise. I promise you won’t lose your job.”

“Then consider this matter settled.” I won’t tell Mr. Strickland, but Alex and I can move on and hopefully talk about things on our timeline .

He wants to say more, but he waits until his dad’s car drives off. “And what about us?”

Didn’t we just figure this out? I’m not going to tell anyone what happened, and Alex is going to keep Adam from trying to sabotage this merger.

“What about us?” I ask, needing some clarification.

His brows tighten as he stares at me with a blank expression. “Elise.”

“Alex.” I say his name in the same tone that he just said mine.

“There’s something happening between the two of us. Tell me you don’t feel it. Tell me you faked every orgasm.” His eyes darken as his voice gets huskier.

I shake my head. I can’t lie to him, but I also can’t admit how strong my feelings are for him.

He stares at me, making me feel like he can see the truth in my eyes.

My nipples harden and I squeeze my thighs together as arousal leaks out of me, coating my panties.

Alex continues. “Tell me you’re not wet for me right now. Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll leave you alone. I’ll forget how your body reacts to my touch. I’ll forget how you feel when you come around my cock.”

My heart races as his fingers trail up my thigh. I gulp and shake my head again, refusing to speak. I need him, want him, crave him, but I can’t tell him that. I need my questions answered first .

His tone is harsh as his stare pins me in my spot.

“No, you won’t tell me those things because they would be lies? Or no, you don’t feel the same way that I do? Tell me, Elise, because I don’t want a repeat of Bianca. I don’t want to fall for you if you don’t feel the same way.”

I hate that he’s been hurt by falling in love, but I can’t promise that we will be together for the rest of our lives.

No one can guarantee that.

What if he gets tired of me working long hours? What if I get tired of his carefree, go with the flow attitude?

“I might not be able to predict the future, but I know I’m not playing with your feelings, Alex.”

The vulnerability shimmering in his eyes causes me to lean toward him and press my lips to his before he can speak.

Our lips slowly move as our tongues slide along one another. This kiss is slow, like we’re savoring each other.

Like we’re trying to remember this moment.

The moment we practically told one another, “I love you.” Just without speaking those three little words.

His hand tangles in the hair on the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. I let out a small moan as his tongue delves deeper into my mouth.

His lips demand control, and I willingly give it up to him. He pulls away, and I instantly miss his closeness .

“I’ll drive you home so you can unpack and wash your clothes, but can I see you later tonight?”

My smile turns into a grin. “Yeah, I’d love that. Maybe I can make up for yesterday.”

Alex’s smile disappears for a few moments. “You don’t have to make up for anything. You needed time and space to think, and I respect that. We can see this as a soft restarting point.”

I give him a quick, chaste kiss. “That sounds perfect. Now take me home so I can pick out something extra sexy to wear for you.”

I don’t have anything particularly sexy, but I do have some basic lingerie and lace bras and thongs. That will have to work for tonight.

Alex grins and drives a couple of miles to my apartment. His hand stays on my upper thigh the entire time.

For such a small gesture, it makes me feel wanted, desired, and, yes, even loved.

I turn up the music and sing along to an upbeat, happy song. Alex glances my way and begins to shake his head, but abruptly stops.

His face pales and his eyes widen with shock as he stares out my window. I follow his gaze.

When did we get to my apartment building?

Why are there fire trucks blocking the parking lot?

A loud gasp comes out of my mouth as my eyes narrow in on the huge flames engulfing the side of the building.

“Oh, my God! My apartment is on fire!”