She gives me another grandmotherly smile before leaving the kitchen.
“Quite a monster, this coffee maker, right?”
“Well, yeah, it’s pretty complicated, but I think I’ll manage. I’m complicated, too.” I put my cup down where Ms. Cunnings showed me and press the button for regular coffee. Nothing happens. “Why doesn’t it work?” I mumble.
Alexis steps next to me and switches the machine on. “Because it has an on/off switch.” He smirks, pushes off the counter, and walks over to the ginormous fridge.
I follow him with my eyes. He’s wearing a t-shirt that isn’t particularly tight, but shows off his assets all the same. His shorts highlight the athletic legs, and I spy part of a tattoo.
When he turns around, I focus on the coffee maker again. “You know that a person notices you staring at them after three seconds, don’t you?”
“Is that so?”
“I felt you staring at me, Honor,” he says, and I can feel his warmth on my back.
My coffee is done. I take the cup into my hands and turn around, only to give a start because he is so close all of a sudden. “I was just looking at your tattoo,” I croak.
Alexis looks down at his leg. “Ah, that.” Then he looks me straight into my eyes. “Would you like to see the rest of it?”
I take a deep breath before I answer. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s none of my business where your tattoo goes. I simply happened to notice it and was trying to guess what it is.” My voice is high-pitched, because I’m rushing out the words. I want to slip away from him, but Alexis stops me by putting up his arm, forming a barrier. There isn’t even enough space between us to allow me to duck and escape.
“It’s a tribal that goes from my thigh all the way up to my chest.”
I nod slowly. “Okay, that’s interesting. Thanks for enlightening me.”
“Do you have any ink?”
I shake my head. “No, and I’m not getting any. I’m scared of needles.”
He considers my eyes. “It’s not that bad. Once you’ve gotten used to the humming sound of the tattoo needle and the mild smarting, it can be very addictive.”
I feel as if I’m already drowning in his toffee-colored irises. “I’m not prone to addictions.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Maybe you’re not, but right now, you’re damn insecure.”
“How would you react if I turned the tables on you?” I demand.
“I think I would enjoy that.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Could you let me go now? My coffee is getting cold, and I haven’t even unpacked my stuff yet.”
He pulls his arm back. “Do you need help with that?”
“No, I’ll be fine. But maybe you could show me a good trail where I could go for a run.”
“You can join me later. When we’re out here, I go for a run every night.”
“Okay. What time?”
“Six-ish?”
I glance at my watch. One and a half hours to unpack and change into my running clothes. “Perfect. Meet you at the front door?”
“I’ll come get you.”
“Terrific.” As soon as he takes a step backwards, I rush out of the kitchen. My heart is racing, and his irresistible smell has messed with my senses. That man. Fucked-up asshole … oh my … he’s hotter than anyone else I can think of. Even Ryan Guzman pales in comparison, and I’ve always been a fan of Ryan. For years.
Once I’m in my room, I close the door behind me. I lean against the dark wood, breathing deeply and hoping that Alexis doesn’t think that I’ve fallen for him. I don’t want to complicate this job by falling in love with my employer. And I don’t want to act like a million teenagers, swooning over a man I cannot have. I sit down on the bed, put my mug on the nightstand, and fall backwards onto the sheets. “Stay strong, Honor. You don’t want this man, and if you do, you want him for one night only, not for a lifetime. You know for a fact that a one night stand can spoil everything, everything that’s spoilable,” I whisper insistently to myself. I don’t really know this guy, and he called himself a fucked-up asshole, so I shouldn’t even think about him.
After a while, I get back up to unpack my trolley and my bag. Alexis told me to pack a lot of clothes, since he couldn’t say how long we’d be working on the new album for. Right now, I’d be glad if it could be done quickly. Not because I don’t like him, but because I want to avoid the temptation he represents. I was almost ready to throw myself at him ten minutes ago, but I can’t do that – under no circumstances whatsoever. Men are career killers, and so are feelings. I can’t allow either to get in my way if I want to pursue my goal. I put my clothes into the large closet while listening to my favorite songs.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m done and settled in. I change into my running clothes and tie my shoes, then I lie down on the bed again. I listen to the music with my eyes closed. Alexis said I should try to write to some of my own, but I don’t believe I’d come up with anything good. I get up anyway, fetching my notebook, the one where I write down all my thoughts and dreams. I’m able to read music, so maybe I can just download some kind of piano app for my iPad, one that shows the notes on the keys. There’s got to be something like that out there.
When I’ve finally found a useful app, there is a knock on my door. “Honor, ready to go?”
“Yes, gimme a second.” I put the notebook on the nightstand, switch off the iPad, and rush to the door.
Alexis gives me an impatient look. “Did you have to get dressed first, or what took you so long?”
I roll my eyes. “I was busy, but not with dancing naked in my room.”
He snorts. “That’s not what I was implying.” He puts a finger on the tip of my nose and grins at me. “Are you ready now?”
“I am.”
“Great, then let’s go.” He walks down the hallway while I close the door behind me.
“Did you warm up already?” I want to know as I follow him down the stairs.
“No, I’m going to do that before I start running, but we’ll go for a quick drive first.”
“Really? You want to drive somewhere?” I ask, surprised.
“Yeah.”
“Why? We’re surrounded by forest, and I bet there are paths everywhere. No need to take the car and drive somewhere.”
I can see his shoulders sag as he sighs. “Alright, let’s find a different route, or maybe each of us does their own run.”
I pass him. “Fine with me.”
“By the way, your voice is way too high when you sing the chorus of ‘Without you I’ll die’. It needs to be at a much lower pitch.”
I turn around and look at him. “I didn’t practice, and it was merely mindless warbling while I was unpacking.”
Now he passes me. “It should still sound good.”
“You heard me through the closed door, so you cannot really judge.”
“I can judge whether it was spot on or more like a cat’s meow.”
“One thing is for sure,” I state as I follow him closely.
“And what is that?”
“You really are an asshole. Now all I need to find out is whether you’re also fucked-up.”
“Thanks,” he says with a smirk. “And now let’s go. I don’t want to spend the entire night outside.”
We leave the house, and, with the way he’s behaving, I’m this close to burying his body somewhere in these woods. My verdict is, he’s hot, but he’s also an asshole.
“This way?” he asks, after we’ve crossed a street.
“I’d like to stretch just a little before we go, but yeah, sure. Why not.”
He nods.
“What’s up? Getting tired already?” I call over my shoulder, because Alexis has fallen behind during the last few hundred yards.
“No!” he yells and zips past me in a full sprint.
“How can you catch up that quickly all of a sudden?”
“Three word
s, nine letters, difficult to prove – I am Batman!” he screams and jumps over a fallen log.
I burst out laughing and gasp for air. “Four words, twelve letters – you are an idiot!” I don’t know if he understood my half-cried, half-giggled words.
“Also difficult to prove, Honor.”
“How can you–“
“I’m here. Calm down, so we can go on at a sensible pace.” He jogs in place, marking time.
I take a few deep, slow breaths, studying him while I calm down. “You’re very pale.”
“I feel fine, and I’m pale because this Adonis flesh hasn’t seen the sun in a long time.”
“Adonis flesh?” Oops, that sounded more sarcastic than I meant it to be. I’m not going to apologize however. I’m convinced that it’s better not to take things too seriously with him.
His eyes follow my gaze as I look him up and down. “Oh, excuse me, this sure is the body of a Greek god. Wouldn’t want to be overly modest.”
I grin and shake my head before taking another deep breath. “We can keep going.”
“You go ahead, so I have a better view.”
My jaw drops.
“You know I’m an asshole.” He winks at me, turns away and breaks into a jog.
I follow him. “You don’t get to look at my ass anymore.”
“Never mind, I’ve already looked down your t-shirt when you were bent over.”
“Alexis!”
“What? I’m only a guy,” he laughs.
We continue to run through the forest, hurling barbs and playful insults at each other from time to time. I enjoy the relaxed mood, but he definitely did not look down my t-shirt earlier, but focused on my eyes. I noticed that. He probably isn’t as much of an ass as he claims to be, only an average asshole with a fabulous ass himself, even in those running shorts. And he’s very fit, as I grudgingly acknowledge when I struggle to keep up with him. But part of it is that he’s at least ten inches taller than me. I’m 5.5., so I’d need very high heels to look him straight in the eye. The guys are all freakishly tall. I wonder what their parents put into their formula when they were babies. Growth hormones or steroids? Well, no, they don’t strike me as dumb enough for that.
Panting, I follow him into the driveway of the mansion, which must have been a wealthy man’s mansion in another life, it’s so imposing and regal. Alexis finally stops at the front steps, catching his breath.
When I catch up, I exhale with a gasp. “Next time … I’m going … alone … Never again … with you.”
He laughs. “Sissy.”
“Slave driver.”
“Rawr! Wait, let me get my whip and ask one of the security guys to beat the drums. Then I’ll show you what a real slave driver does,” he teases me.
“Open the door … I need a shower and an oxygen tent.”
He grins, opens the door, and steps aside to let me pass.
“Thanks.” I trot up the stairs and hear him follow after me.
He stops and looks at me once I’ve reached the top. “Want to join me in the kitchen after your shower? Ms. Cunnings is probably going to cook dinner, and I don’t feel like eating alone.”
“Sure. Half an hour sound good?”
He nods. “Alright.” Then he walks a few steps, pauses, and turns around. “I suspect you need more time than I do, because you’re a woman. Just knock on my door when you’re ready, okay?”
“You just said to meet in the kitchen.”
“Please come and knock; I promise I won’t bite.”
“Alright, alright. By the way, when are the others coming here?
“Monday or Tuesday, depending on the things Joel managed to cram into their last days in the City. The other background singer is set to arrive Wednesday … that means we have plenty of time to get to know each other better.”
“On a professional level, I’m sure you mean.” I give him a sweet smile, which I hope contained an undertone of warning, before disappearing into my bedroom.
He clears his throat behind me.
I turn around with a jerk. “What?”
“Did Ms. Cunnings show you where the bathroom is?”
I frown. “No, I don’t think she did.”
“Want me to do it?”
“Sure.”
Alexis enters the room, walks past me, and opens a hidden door, which is covered with wallpaper. “This is it.”
“Thank you, I probably wouldn’t have found that so quickly,” I admit before picking up the bathrobe from my bed and sauntering past him.
“The fittings are a little … extra. Do you want me to explain how they work?”
I have my back to him, but I raise an eyebrow all the same. “I think I’ll be able to turn on a shower or a faucet.”
“Okay, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.”
“I won’t. I’ll come get you in half an hour.”
“I’m counting the minutes.”
I smile at him over my shoulder, but I breathe a sigh of relief once he’s left the bedroom. I start undressing only when I’m certain he won’t be back again.
I feel a lot better after taking a hot shower. My muscles no longer feel like heavy bricks, which I’m grateful for, and when I slip into a pair of daisy dukes and a spaghetti-strap top, I’m totally relaxed. I put on my slippers that look like dinosaur feet, and leave the bedroom. I braided my hair so I don’t have to walk around with a towel turban on my head. I brought my notepad and iPad, because I want to sit on the couch in the living room after we’ve eaten. I don’t want to hole up in my own room. There’ll be enough of that when everyone else is here, I’m sure. Maybe Alexis is going to keep me company. He might even be able to explain the piano app, since so far, I have the feeling that you need a college-level education before you can work that thing.
I knock on his door. “Alexis?”
“It’s open. Come in.”
I slowly turn the knob and enter his room. He’s nowhere to be seen. “Are you still in the bathroom?”
“Yeah. I was on the phone with Linden, and then he handed me to Jayden, and so on and so forth, but I’ll be with you in five minutes, tops.”
“Okay.”
“Sit down and make yourself at home.”
“Thanks.” I walk over to the bed and sit down on the end. The furniture is as old-fashioned as the stuff in my room, but it works well with the rest of the house. Alexis has added a juvenile touch, or, well, a bachelor’s touch. There’s a display cabinet containing awards, and the walls are lined with gold records. I had no idea they were that successful. I fold back the protective cover of my iPad and select the app. While he’s showering, shaving, or doing god knows what, I can try to get a grip on the virtual piano once again. When I think I’m finally beginning to understand what it can do, Alexis comes in from the bathroom.
He clears his throat. “What are you doing?”
“I’m tweeting the exact location of this house, so your fans can come and–“ I start to reply, but fall silent when I raise my eyes to look at him. Why is he wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips? “I … I’m trying to understand an app,” I explain, my voice way too high-pitched and nervous again. I quickly lower my gaze.
“What kind?”
“One that promises to teach me how to play a piano.”
“You need a real piano to learn, plus it sounds so much better,” he smirks as he rummages through his closet.
“Yeah, but this one has the notes written own on the keys.”
“You could just take a pencil and write them down on the actual keys.”
“That’s all well and good, but until a few minutes ago, I had no idea which note was on which key.”
“You were going to learn it from me anyway, so why are you suddenly trying to work with an app?” Alexis wants to know.
I sigh. “You won’t have the time.”
“I could make time, and I would.”
I look at him again. He’s put on sweatpants, thank god. “Really?
”
“Why not?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Like I said, you’re a busy man and you’re supposed to get some much-needed rest.”
“I’m really sick of everybody telling me that all the time. I collapsed twice, okay, but that was due to a goddamn lack of sleep and too many energy drinks. It won’t happen again. I know to be more careful now.”
“Alexis, I don’t know what you look like when you’re really fine, but even I can see that you’re so not fine right now. And I don’t have a medical education or anything like that. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to smother you, but I get why your friends are worried about you.”
He sighs. “Yeah, whatever … Want to go grab dinner now?”
I nod, pick up my things and get back up. “Yeah, sounds good.”
“What do you say, should we start with the piano lessons afterwards?”
“If I wasn’t so tired already, I’d say yes, but I don’t think I can memorize anything tonight.”
“Then why are you taking the iPad?”
I look at it. “Uh … I was going to mess around with the app later, try to make myself familiar with the features.”
“Female logic. You’re too tired to learn something new, but you’re ready to stare at a small screen for another hour,” he says dryly as we walk down the stairs.
“Come on, it’s just a simple scale, Honor.”
I sigh. He’s been telling me that for the fifth time now. I put my fingers on the keys and start to play, but then he suddenly swats my fingers away. “What was that for?” I look at him, outraged.
“You hit the wrong key.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to slap me,” I grumble, rubbing my fingers with the other hand.
“You don’t want to know what my piano teacher did to me when I hit a wrong key,” he says severely, before taking a sip from his wineglass. “Try again.”
I do what he tells me, and thankfully this time I get it right, but I pull away my hands anyway not really wanting to run this risk of him slapping me again just for funsies.
“I only do it when you screw up.”
“But you do know that’s a shitty method, right?” I ask, irritated and about to lose interest in the entire lesson.
Alexis: In love with a rockstar (The Hamptons Series Book 2) Page 7