I haven’t seen her face and already I know she’s beautiful. Her body sways elegantly with every movement she makes. She’s mesmerizing.
It’s her. My mate!
Everything is going in slow motion. I swear I can see every hair as it moves back and forth. The small ripples of sweat which trail down her thighs shine brightly in the evening sun.
As crazy as this might sound, I can smell her from here, with my windows and top down on my car. A mixture of vanilla and cinnamon, some lavender, and her own distinct light, musky scent.
What will she taste like?
The pounding in my chest almost deafens me. I must control myself or I’ll surely frighten her with my passion for her. She’ll think me a letch, or worse yet, a stalker.
Taking in a deep breath, I slow my car to a near stop, rolling only a bit. A dark shadow falls over me and I look up. Two giant black birds fly over my head. Both shriek at the same time. I have to cover my ears it’s so loud. They fly straight to my mate.
They are magnificent!
As my eyes follow their path just above my head another loud noise fills the air. A loud honking sound. Then I see where the birds are going and they’re nearly to her.
There’s a truck! No! No! Please, don’t let it hit her!
CHAPTER 9
ALYSSA
It’s dark. Something’s beeping. Who is that I hear talking?
A smooth, velvety voice asks somebody, “Will she be all right?”
A woman’s voice answers, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She should wake up anytime now. There was no bleeding on her brain, just a slight concussion.”
Warmth fills me as someone touches my hand. “Alyssa, please wake up for me,” the same velvet voice says. That voice is beyond beautiful. French, perhaps, with a hint of something else. “Alyssa, baby, please wake up for me.”
Baby?
I have to see. To open my eyes proves harder than it should. What’s happened?
Lips brush my ear. The velvet voice says, “Je t’aime, Alyssa.” The hand on mine squeezes.
What the hell does that mean?
What language is that? Why didn’t I take something other than Spanish classes?
I must see who’s doing this. He’s too close. His mouth near enough to whisper in my ear is way to close. Okay, three, two, one. My eyes blink open.
Damn, everything’s blurry.
A tall shape hovers over me.
“There are those beautiful blue eyes. Keep them open for me, Alyssa,” the velvet voice speaks again.
In an attempt to rub my eyes, I pull a hand up, finding it hard, as there’s something attached to it. “What?”
My voice sounds terrible.
Something is held to my mouth and it touches my lips. A straw, maybe. I pop it into my mouth and pull on it. Water, thank you, God. I’m so thirsty.
The dark shape in front of me asks, “Is that better, baby?”
I nod, blinking more. Everything focuses. Dark brown hair is cropped close at the sides of his head and long on top. It’s gorgeous. His eyes are the color of emeralds. Dark, lush lashes surround them, making them even more beautiful. A perfect nose set between high cheek bones leads me to his full lips, the color of caramel. I wonder if they taste like that too.
Oh, what’s wrong with me?
“Who are you?” I ask as I gaze over his entire body, which is exquisite.
He’s dressed like a freaking fashion model. A white shirt underneath a black jacket, with slacks to match. I’m no fashion guru, but if I checked the label, I bet it would have the word Armani on it.
He has more muscles than I’ve ever seen in real life before.
What’s wrong with me? I’m with Kyle. It’s not right to look at this guy in this way.
He holds my hand in his as he sits on the bed next to me.
He’s my doctor, that’s who he is. Yeah, he has to be a doctor.
“I’m Eden Fontaine, Alyssa.”
“My name, how do you know it?”
His hand leaves mine to reach into his pocket. He holds up my cell phone, placing it on the table next to the bed.
“I saw what happened to you. I was coming down the road behind you when I saw you almost get hit by a truck. You fell backwards and knocked yourself out. Don’t worry. I called your parents and told them I was taking you to the hospital.”
My parents!
“Where are they?” I ask, trying to sit up, but he pushes my shoulders, making me lie back.
“You can’t move fast like that, Alyssa. You have a concussion. It’s not the worst thing which could’ve happened to you, but it’s still something that will slow you down for a little while. Didn’t your parents tell you my name?”
Huh?
“Why? I mean, how? What?”
The puzzled expression he gives me confuses me even further. “They told you about me, right?”
I shake my head, only once, though, because that really hurt. “Why would they?”
The frown on his totally handsome face is a sinful thing to see. Only happy expressions should show on that face. “I’m the son of their old friends.”
He’s the kid who’s staying the week with us? Damn, damn, damn!
He does not look like a kid. Not at all. He looks like a grown-ass man. A hot as hell grown-ass man.
“Oh, that guy. They said you were coming today, but they never told me your name. Sorry. I went and knocked myself out. I’m okay now. Can you tell the doctor to come in and let me go home?”
The shaking of his head makes the longer hair on top bounce a bit. It’s beautiful. Damn, I have to stop looking at him. He’s just so damn perfect. His muscles are bulky under the fabric that hides them from me. Mom could have mentioned that little fact to me.
I hope Kyle won’t be threatened by this guy. I mean, he’s completely hot, but my heart belongs to my Kyle.
“You have to stay the night. They want to keep you under observation for twenty-four hours before they’ll let you go home,” he informs me.
Crap!
“Are my parents on their way here?”
“They told me to stay with you.” His words take the air out of my lungs.
What the hell?
“Do you mean until they get here?”
My stomach clenches as he runs his fingers lightly along my collar bone to my shoulder. “The blue bruise on your shoulder must hurt. I hate to see that on your perfect ivory skin.” His voice sounds far away as he gazes at my shoulder.
Perfect ivory what? Damn it! This guy is something else.
“Umm, Mr. Fontaine, about my parents.”
The jerk of his head as he looks back at me shows me the frown he’s wearing. “No, Mr. Fontaine, Alyssa. Call me Eden, I insist. About your parents, I’ve told you. They told me to stay with you. I’ll be with you until the doctor releases you.”
He’ll be staying here? All night long? With me?
I want my mommy!
“That’s hard to believe. I need to call my mother. Can you hand me the phone?”
My cell phone is picked up and placed back in his pocket as he says, “I had to turn it off. No cell phones allowed in here. I promise they’re completely aware of everything. They’ll be at home, waiting for you tomorrow.”
This has to be some kind of joke, or a misunderstanding, or a completely fucked up situation. “My parents are incredibly over-protective. There’s no way they’d want a man spending the night with me anywhere.”
Back by my side, he sits on the bed, brushing my hair back. “They trust me, as should you, Alyssa.”
The way he talks is so formal. Normally, I’d think him stuffy and slightly arrogant. Somehow he pulls it off.
He has an untamed look to him, though he speaks as if he’s been very well educated and refined. “Where’d you come from, Eden?”
The way his lips turn up into a smile makes my heart rate increase, something we both observe as the beeps of the machine speed up.
How embarras
sing!
“New Orleans.”
“So that’s the accent, then?” It’s a mix of southern and French and its smooth and deep. Sexier than should be legal!
My hair seems to fascinate him. His fingers twirl it. And though I should stop him, I don’t want to.
“Some of it. My father’s French and he grew up there. When he met my mother, who’s from New Orleans, he moved to the United States. I’ve spent most summers in France. We have a home in Paris. We speak entirely in French when we’re there. Do you speak any other language?”
Why does he peer so intensely into my eyes?
“No,” I answer.
Cupping the back of my neck, as if he’s about to pull me up and kiss me, he says, “We must remedy that.”
I can’t let him do that, so I frown. “I’m not sure what you mean by that. My parents may not have let you in on the fact I have a boyfriend. It’s serious. I’m moving to Texas with him in about two weeks.”
Something flashes in those deep green eyes as he moves his hand away from me.
Was that anger?
“They’ve told me.” His words are soft, unlike the look his eyes had for a split second. “By the way, where is he?”
I wish I knew.
“Busy, I guess.” My heart thumps hard against my chest. This is also brought to his attention as the machine’s beeps stagger a bit before they return to normal.
Damn, I’m glad we don’t have to wear one of these things in our daily lives. Nothing would be left to the imagination.
The hand he runs over my cheek makes my stomach clench and my heart race.
Damn machine!
“Alyssa, if you were mine, je ne ferais jamais vous laisser seul. It’s a fact that he hasn’t contacted you since yesterday. Is it not?”
How is he aware of that? I’ve told no one but Laura.
I pull his hand away from my cheek. It’s very distracting. “First thing, what did you say to me? The use of English is probably a much better idea if you’d like me to be able to hold a conversation with you. Although it sounds gorgeous, for all I know, you’ve just told me I look fat in this awful hospital gown. Next thing, how do you know how long it’s been since I talked to Kyle?”
Standing abruptly, he turns away. “So that’s his name.”
What the hell is it with this guy? He’s awfully dramatic. Is this how all the people from New Orleans act?
“Yes, that’s my boyfriend’s name. So how about answering my questions?”
Turning back to me, his eyes burn into mine. “What I said was that I would never leave you alone. The other thing you asked was told to me by the girl who came to see you while you were still unconscious. She said you must’ve been distracted by your boyfriend’s disappearance since you hadn’t talked to him since yesterday. I think she told me her name was Lauren. Your mother told her you were here.”
“Laura, her name’s Laura. Is she still here?”
“She had to leave. It got late,” he says as he takes a seat on my bed again. “It’s after midnight. You were out for a long time. I was very worried.”
Really? I don’t see how.
“Why? I mean, you don’t know me?”
“Must you know a person to worry about their health?” His question makes me feel like an ass for asking him such a thing.
In an attempt to be more cordial, I say, “Sorry. I’m crabby, I guess. You’re so nice and must be very compassionate. It’s rude of me to ask you such questions. So what has you visiting our tiny town?”
Hesitant, he finally answers. “I’m on my way to Los Angeles and thought it would be nice to take some time here to visit your family. Our parents were very close. I’m curious about the people my parents care so much for.”
The way his eyes move slowly around the room makes him appear distracted. “What are you going to Los Angeles for?”
My voice gets his attention and he looks back at me. Trailing his fingers lightly over my arm, leaving it tingling, he says, “Just business. Nothing worth talking about.”
I should make him stop touching me. Yet the words refuse to come out. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s as if electricity flows between us in a way I could’ve never imagined.
Is it weird to feel like you know someone you’ve just met?
CHAPTER 10
EDEN
Beautiful even in her sleep, my eyes refuse to leave her face. No sleep will find me on this night as I can at long last gaze upon her.
The pictures I have of her do her no justice. Her voice is even more delightful than I imagined it would be. It’s the slightest bit high, while smooth as silk and completely intoxicating. She is perfection.
I resist the urge to touch her. I don’t want to wake her. How I’ll be able to keep my hands off her, I don’t know. She clings to the idea of her love for that boy, yet I know she can sense our connection.
The air between us fills with sparks of electricity. I’ve never had this sensation. She has to sense it as well. Even as she sleeps, she holds fast to my hand. I want to brush my lips to hers so much it fills me with a tension I knew nothing of before her. It’s as if nothing existed until now.
How I was before, being only half of a whole. Now that I can breathe the same air she does I’m beginning to feel more myself. Odd to not have ever noticed it before. It’s certain once she falls in love with me, I’ll be a whole being for the first time in my life.
How do I get her to fall in love with me?
I have no idea how to do that. At the very least, I’m glad that boy hasn’t shown up here. Toni should’ve never told that girl of Alyssa’s accident. Now he could find out and show up.
Everything would’ve been different if I had just kept Alyssa with me. I suppose it’s useless to be mad at myself for past mistakes, but it boils in my brain.
My mother warned me and I blew her off. So smart, I thought I was. Now I look back and see that as extreme vanity.
Since I can remember, I pictured the moment Alyssa first saw me. She would love me, no matter what or how many years passed. That didn’t happen. She didn’t know me at all.
While my heart skipped several beats when her eyes opened, hers did not. I know this because of the heart monitor she’s hooked up to. It sped up a couple of times when I touched her, though. It’s obvious she’s already feeling something for me, if only physical for now. I can deal with that.
How will she take the news of her condition?
The small amount of conversation we’ve had leaves me to believe she thinks herself completely normal. Though she is far from it.
What does she see when she looks in the mirror? How does she not see her beauty is extraordinary? How could that boy have not told her as much?
That boy! How I’d like to send him from this Earth! He must’ve treated her like an ordinary girl, wanting to take her to Texas. And for what?
Was she to play his mistress while he goes to college, leaving her home to cook and clean? He would have taken her innocence without the sanctity of marriage, leaving her soul at the discretion of Our Creator. Then who knows what would’ve become of her immortal soul.
Though it’s no one’s fault but my own, I’d still like to see his face at the end of my fist, if only a time or two. A bloodied lip, perhaps, or a crooked nose, making him appear unattractive. Alyssa would hate me, though. No amount of self-indulgence would be worth that.
Her head stirs, turning towards me. Small blinks and then there they are—her gorgeous sapphire eyes. “Hi,” I say in a whisper.
Her lips curve into a sleepy smile.
She’s smiling at me, glad to see me still here, I hope.
“You’re awake.” Her voice is scratchy. I grab the cup of water and place the straw to her bottom lip. Holding my breath, I steady my hand, which threatens to tremble with the need to touch those lips. Readily, she takes a drink.
“I’m not tired, Alyssa. Glad you slept, though.”
The corners of her
eyes wrinkle as she frowns. “You should’ve gone back to the house and slept.”
As if I could ever leave her side!
“I’m fine,” I say. “I wanted to be here for you. Hospitals can be a scary place when you’re all alone. I would hate for you to be afraid for even a second.”
Though beautiful in sleep, she is devastating when she’s awake.
She moves a bit, trying to sit up, and winces. “The pain meds are wearing off. My head hurts so badly.”
“I’ll press the button and get someone to get you some more. I’m not going to have you in pain.”
The smile on her face as I press the button shows I’m making progress with her. “Thank you.” Her words fall on my ears soft and sweet.
I can’t take it anymore. I have to touch her. Almost without any will at all, my hand travels the distance to her cheek. Soft beneath my hand, I stroke it. How badly I want to kiss her and make the pain go away.
“If I could take it all away I would.” My words flow out before I realize it.
With a softness in her eyes, she says, “You’re so kind. Why are you so nice to me? You should be home, sleeping, but you’re here with me. Why?”
Because you’re the love of my life. My mate for eternity.
Instead of that, I say, “This is where I want to be, Alyssa. Here, with you. I don’t wish to be anywhere else.”
Her brow furrows. “I need you to remember I have a boyfriend, Eden.” Her words punch me and a nurse walks in, getting between us as she inserts a needle into Alyssa’s IV. I could use a shot of that to numb this pain.
The nurse turns to me. “This will knock her out again for a few hours. You should get some rest, Mr. Fontaine. I can bring in a roll away bed for you.”
I wave her off. “I’ll sleep once I get her back home.”
Alyssa giggles, making me turn to look back at her. “I feel funny,” she says with another giggle, which I find myself captivated by.
“It’s the morphine,” the nurse says. “Alyssa, you can let your fiancé lie down with you if you want.”
The nurse’s use of the word fiancé has me worried Alyssa will let out my little white lie to the hospital staff. So I hurry the nurse out the door as Alyssa has a fit of the giggles once more.
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