“You don’t have to,” I tell him, amusement thick in my tone.
“I know.” And as he also knows that as soon as he lets them go, my hands will get cold again, he asks, “You want my coat?”
“Are you serious?” I shake my head in total disbelief, but he seems damn serious. “No!” And I just lean my head on his shoulder as he continues rubbing my hands to keep them warm. “But thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
And Matthew does the same, resting his head on mine. All of a sudden, we hear distant laughter and jokes coming from the campfire. Well, I guess David and the girls are still entertained, playing that game. We, on the other hand, remain quiet, simply enjoying the evening and each other’s company.
“Do you think you’ll ever forget him?” Matthew asks, out of nowhere.
The question squeezes my heart so tightly that I shut my eyes for an instant. I hate having to tell him the truth. Despite everything, Matthew is a good guy. “No, I don’t think so.” I pause for a beat. Then I lift my head from his shoulder in order to look him in the eye. “Matt, you deserve so much better than me. Someone who loves you as much as I love him.”
But Matthew frowns a bit at my answer, most likely hurt by what I said. With a trace of a smile, he starts studying me, my face, my expression, my eyes, my lips…
I know he wants to kiss me. But he knows I don’t want him.
“Petra…” he breathes, quite close to my face—too close actually. “You have no idea how much I care about you.”
And this time I know he’s not only referring to friendship. “Don’t say that…”
“I can wait,” he interposes. “Unlike your godfather, I can wait. I have my entire life ahead of me.” He then takes a deep breath and adds, “I’m sure one day you’ll realize that we are meant to be together.”
I close my eyes for an instant, wishing I could believe it. I wish I could forget the man who haunts my dreams every day. But even with my eyes shut, Alex is all I can see. There is no future for me without him in it. He is in my soul, my mind, my body, my dreams, my thoughts…
Then, as my eyes blink back to Matthew, I say, “I gave myself to him. I’m sorry.”
“Um, what do you mean?” Matt frowns in confusion. “I don’t mind if you’re not a virgin. Like, I’m not a virgin either.”
I can’t help but chuckle in return. “Oh, Matt…” And I shake my head in amusement. “It’s not about sex…” But how can I explain that to him? How can I explain to him that giving yourself to someone goes beyond intercourse? It’s so deep, so transcendental… “He’s my soul mate,” I say, letting out a sigh. “I have to fight for him. He’s worth it.”
“I feel the same way about you, you know…”
Fortunately, our awkward moment gets interrupted by a beep from my iPhone. Looking at the screen, I see it’s a new text, and after reading it, my heart explodes like fireworks and I beam with joy, leaping off the bench. “I’m going to rest. I’m tired.”
“Um…” Matthew glances at his watch. “It’s only ten p.m.”
“Good night, Matt.” I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and trot back into the house to grab my backpack.
He is here! Alex is here in the Hamptons, and he’s waiting for me outside! Once I get my backpack, I close the door to the bedroom behind me, and head as fast as possible out of the house and toward the main gates. I run down the poorly lit driveway, my heart pounding like I’m in an action movie, and when I get to the gates, I unlock and open the pedestrian door and leave the property.
Fortunately, the street lights are enough to give me some visibility as I look up and down the road, searching for him.
Oh God, there he is! I find his car parked at the end of the road, and his figure emerges from the driver’s seat.
As I observe him now walking in my direction, all I can think about is how we are meant to be together.
Yes, my parents want us apart.
Yes, I should be with someone like Matthew.
Yes, for society’s sake, we should remain goddaughter and godfather.
But to me, Alex and I are so damn meant to be together. My heart is pounding even faster as I run in his direction.
Once I reach him, I can’t help but jump on him, my legs wrapping around his waist, and I welcome him with a never-ending kiss, my lips pressing tightly against his. “I missed you so damn much.”
“I missed you too,” he answers back, matching my low tone. And he kisses me again, as greedily as he does when we’re making love. Then, our eyes locking on each other, cheekiness settles on his face and one corner of his mouth goes up. “May I kidnap you?”
The question makes me laugh, and I whisper close to his ear, “Only if you take me far, very far from here.”
“I think I can do that.” Then, looking over my body, his expression becomes more serious and worried. “Did they put anything in you? Any implant?”
Dropping my gaze for an instant, I take a breath before answering, “No, they didn’t.” I swallow nervously as I recall the moment they tried to though. “But I have a few bodyguards. I’m not sure where they are.”
“I know, give me your old phone.”
When I give it to him, Alex turns off the phone and drops it on the ground right in front of the left tire, and I feel my heart dropping with it.
Once we get into his car, Alex drives over the phone, and I hear the horrifying sound of the screen shattering.
Crack!
Then he drives backwards, running over it again. And as we get farther away, I see my phone on the ground, totally broken. The sight of it leaves me a bit nostalgic. After all, every picture of us, video, and text are in there. And it was on that phone that I received his first message.
“Hey…” Alex mumbles, seeing my melancholic face as my eyes remain pinned on the broken phone. “You already have a new one.”
“It’s not about the phone…” Unable to disguise my sadness, my head dips a bit down.
Alex reaches out and squeezes my left hand. “I’m sure everything is on the cloud. We will transfer your data onto the new one.”
I give him a smile in return, trying to bury my nostalgic feelings.
Then Alex keeps driving in the direction of East Hampton, more precisely to the marina and harbor, which spikes my curiosity. “Where are we going?”
Without taking his eyes from the road, he just says, “Far away, Miss Van Gatt.”
As we arrive in the driveway of the marina, I see from afar a captain and crew members getting a modern sailing yacht ready.
“Is that for us?” I ask, barely containing my excitement.
And Alex seems to revel in it. “Yep,” he mumbles as he parks in front of the dock. “We are leaving New York.”
Oh jeez, my heart pounds faster and faster at the idea that we are going to sail away.
We step out of the car, and I can’t help but gape as I observe the majestic sailing yacht, all lit up at night, with its sails the height of a tall tree already wide open. The sails are so tall that it seems like they could reach the sky. Now that I’m standing closer, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a boat so large. Looking around, I see that we are lucky there is no one here but us. After all, this is the type of boat everyone would want to take a picture with. It’s the perfect combination of contemporary and classic design, with its near vertical bow paired with a powerful yet sleek figure, and the dark hull contrasting seamlessly with the walnut color of the teak deck and the white tones of the sails.
Alex stands beside me and gestures for me to give him my bag. I do so, my head still tilted back as I can barely take my eyes off of the impressive design of our new “home.” The closer we get to the stern of the boat, the bigger it seems to be. Then, we are welcomed by a set of two boarding stairs and the crew waiting for us at the base.
“Good evening, Miss. Welcome on board,” greets the captain as we shake hands. He then introduces himself along with the crew members and explains what each one of them is in ch
arge of. Afterward, while he shares a few words with Alex, my eyes keep looking ahead to the stairs that will take us up to the deck.
“Petra,” Alex calls suddenly. “It’ll take five and a half days to arrive at our final destination—”
With excitement thundering in my chest and flowing through my veins, I cut him off and ask, “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he answers promptly, gauging my reaction. “But I want you to be as aware as possible of what we are about to do here.”
“Well, we are about to run away,” I say, my tone cheeky. Then I wrap my arms around his neck, and as I come close to his deliciously kissable lips, I whisper, “Very far away.”
But his expression remains just as stoic. “We are. And this will have serious consequences once your parents find out. You know that, right?”
Furrowing my brows, I press my lips tightly together and ponder his statement for a beat. “What kind of consequences?”
But Alex keeps quiet while considering me. As we look each other in the eye, I wonder why he’s taking so long to reply. “I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to return to New York. Are you okay with that?”
Oh, wow. My heart falls to the ground as I let the severity of his words sink into me, but I try my best to appear unbothered. From my classes at Columbia to his home in Bedford Hills, a million questions are already running through my mind. And what about my paintings stored in my atelier? And his duties as CEO? Is he still working at the headquarters? With everything that ties us to New York, how can he believe we might never come back here? Does he truly mean never ever? But for now, and not wanting to ruin the evening, I silence my torments, and say, “As long as I’m with you, I can be anywhere.”
Chapter 33
Petra Van Gatt
I had no idea that the first requirement once we stepped onto the boat was not only to remove our shoes, but also to have a full lesson on safety measures, especially during choppy waters and stormy weather. As Alex and I sit together on the sofa in the vast living room, I notice how the crew members are heavily invested in showing us the exits in case of emergency, where the tenders are, and how to wear a life jacket. Meanwhile, Alex wraps an arm around my shoulders, and it feels a bit like we are watching a private show.
“You have no idea what I’m gonna do to you later tonight…” he whispers in my ear as I watch out of politeness the steward wearing his life jacket and telling us about the weather conditions in the coming days. I try my best to contain a laugh, but my cheeks must already be as red as the life jacket he is wearing. “I’m gonna tell you…”
“Alex!” I rebuke, my tone filled with amusement, which makes Alex break into a chuckle. And his gaze is literally reveling in my bothered expression. “Are you paying attention?”
“Absolutely.” He looks at the steward, giving him a quick nod, and the four crew members disappear from our sight just like that. Then Alex tries to pull me into his lap, but I give him a quick smack on his chest. “You were very rude.” At least now my tone is more assertive. “They were giving us an explanation about safety measures.” Why is he still smiling at me with those gleaming eyes? I thought my tone was steadier. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” he asks, unable to hide a full smile laced with pride, but I can’t pinpoint why.
“Like…” Jeez, when I’m with him, my heart beats so damn fast that it’s hard to even find the right words. “What were you thinking about?” I ask instead, since he most likely didn’t hear a word of the presentation.
“You really want to know?” I’m kind of apprehensive to find out, but I nod at him anyway. I’m just too curious. To my surprise, lounge music discreetly starts playing from the speakers, making the living room even more romantic. “First, I was thinking about us later on, and then, when you started rebuking me, I was picturing how you would be as a mother.”
I skip a breath, unable to keep my jaw from dropping at his answer. “Really?” That’s all I manage to say.
Alex’s smile stays just as big though. “Yep.”
“And how I would be?” I ask, as he didn’t disclose that part.
“Oh, absolutely horrifying.”
Now my mouth remains wide open in shock at his stupid joke. “You!” And I’m torn between murdering him or kissing him, but Alex makes my choice easier by closing the small gap between us. He sinks into my mouth, kissing me long and deep, and I find my body following his as I straddle him. His hands go down to cup my ass, and mine come up to cup his jaw. Oh my goodness, I can barely believe we are sailing away. My pussy throbs at the thought, and I pour all my excitement into our kiss. His tongue is hot and demanding, flicking into my mouth and playing with my own, and Alex releases a little growl in the back of his throat, reveling in it. Then he pulls away to nibble my bottom lip and to whisper, “Let’s go to our bedroom.”
It’s a pity we aren’t already there. As we stand up, I can’t help but notice the large bulge pressing against his jeans. Oh my… And the sight of it leaves me craving more—so much more. He takes me by the hand, and I follow him down the hallway, feeling the warm, slick ache between my legs. Then he stops in front of a door, and after pulling the handle, Alex swings the door open and invites me in.
“It’s so beautiful,” I praise, stepping into the vast modern bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer direct views to the sea.
“So what do you think?” Alex asks as he stands right beside me. “It’s not Aspen, but…”
“It’s perfect,” I tell him as I am mesmerized by the high ceiling, the large, comfortable bed, and the walnut floor.
Then I stand still in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching in awe as the lights from the marina get smaller and smaller as we go farther away from the shore. Alex stands behind me, and without saying a word, he just wraps his arms around my neck.
“I’m so in love with you it hurts…” I tell him, as he presses his groin into my ass, letting me feel the ridge of his cock, hard and tempting.
Then he pulls my hair to the side and leans down just enough to kiss the edge of my neck. I let my head rest against his shoulder and close my eyes, reveling in his touch. “Mmm…” he utters, sucking and kissing my tender flesh.
Fighting against the rising heat, I add, “Dr. Nel even said I have a pathological obsession about you.”
His hands go up to my shirt, unbuttoning my décolletage so that his hand can slide under and cup my breasts. “That makes two of us, then…” he whispers, his lips brushing against my temple.
My breath is ragged, and I’m shamelessly boiling beneath all these clothes. Fortunately, I see Alex pulling my shirt up, and all I do is stick my arms in the air, helping him out. Once shirtless, I turn to face him, my hardened nipples already pointing out. His eyes drift down to look at them, and I smile because it always feels like it’s the first time he’s seeing them. His fingers run over my chest and collarbone, giving me a little shiver down my spine. Then they go all the way down to the waistband of my jeans, where they unbutton them and pull down the zipper just as fast. And thank God I brought a pair of straight jeans, not skinny ones that are a hassle to take off. As I’m already shoeless, the jeans simply fall down to my ankles, and I step out of them, wearing only my white cotton panties now.
I’m about to reach for his sweater to do the same, but he stops me just as fast. “I need to ask you something first.”
Oh jeez, I’m standing in front of him almost naked, my wetness coating my panties, but he still wants to play hard to get? “Now?”
All of a sudden, though, Alex takes something from his pants pocket, and I see him getting down on his knee.
Oh gosh! My hands are already over my mouth covering a gasp, and my heart explodes with excitement upon recognizing the small velvet box in his hands. I never thought my parents had really given him back my jewelry, and a million emotions take over me as I recall not only the day he put the ring on my finger, but also the day my
mother forced me to take it off.
“When your dad gave me this ring back, he asked me to forget you once and for all.” He pauses, opening the box. And my eyes alight on the beautiful sapphire gleaming at me. “I know I’m risking losing everything, but everything is worth nothing if I can’t be with you.” With tears welling in my eyes, I sniffle in a failed attempt to push them away. “Miss Van Gatt, will you marry me?”
I nod, barely able to articulate any words. Then I take a deep breath, and despite my sobs and broken voice, I say, “Oh God, of course.”
A big grin lights up his face as he stands up. And without further ado, Alex takes the ring and places it on my finger. As he does so, I know this time, he won’t leave me. I know this time, we are the ones leaving. And I know this time, we are in this together until the end.
I try to calm down, but my heart is filled with so many emotions that all I can do is embrace him as tightly as I can and let the tears I was holding back fall in silence down my cheeks. His arms squeeze around my neck and back, and a million loving thoughts condense into a moment that I wish could last forever.
Afterward, I reach around to cup the back of his neck, and kiss him. He doesn’t hold anything back. And neither do I. My emotions turning into lust and desire, I pull his sweater up, and he helps me strip it off, revealing his wide shoulders and sculpted body. Jeez… My fingers travel down to unfasten his belt, and I take a deep breath in a failed attempt to tame my loud heartbeat. But my breathing is ragged and my moves hurried. Fortunately, he helps me out and shoves his pants and boxers down in a wink, before pulling them off.
There is a bed somewhere, and that is where he’s carrying me. As Alex lays me down on the sheets, his hands go to my panties and he pulls the fabric all the way down my legs until he tosses it away. Then his body hovers over mine, and my mouth is on his mouth, craving more. Always more. The adrenaline of being here with him transcends everything. But in a sudden move, Alex flips us around, putting me on top of him. I look at him, a bit confused by the change in positions, but he gives me a smirk before saying, “You’re gonna fuck me hard tonight.”
Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter Book 2) Page 32