Well, he was really holding me, now that I look back at it. I hate to admit this, but that short kiss made me feel something I’ve never felt with Kyle. Maybe it’s a mistake to think Kyle’s the one for me.
No! Don’t even think like that!
Kyle is sweet and charming and honest. Something I guess I’m not.
Oh, I am a cheater. A horrible person. Should I tell him about the kiss?
No, definitely not. It would only hurt him. But how can I look him in the eye and lie?
Even if it isn’t a spoken lie, but an omission of a small fact, it’s still a lie. I go under water. Maybe I could drown myself in this tub and never have to face him or Eden again.
I pop back up as the air runs out of my lungs. Death is too good for me. I’m an intolerable human being. I have to face this thing with Eden, whatever it is.
I cannot let my relationship with Kyle go just because a hot guy showed up on my doorstep and seems to want me.
No matter what Eden says, I know he’s a ladies’ man. He’s too slick not to be. So focused on me, like a wolf on its prey. I will not fall for it.
I get out of the tub and dry off, wrapping my hair in the towel. Pulling on my robe, I cross my fingers Eden is not waiting in my room for me.
He does know I have to get dressed. As I open the door I don’t see him anywhere.
Thank God.
He’s laid out a dress and sandals for me to wear.
Should I wear this?
After all, if he’s so hot for me, wearing something he’s picked out may not be a good idea. No, I better go a lot plainer than this. A T-shirt and jeans with an old pair of sneakers. My hair in a simple ponytail. No make-up and no perfume.
Should I put on deodorant?
That’s a stupid question. Of course I should. I’m not an animal!
What’s this?
A letter fell from the bed when I picked up the dress. Christ, he’s left me a letter.
Shit! I hope he hasn’t left!
Alyssa,
I fear I may have over-stepped your boundaries. I am truly sorry. The thought of you believing I wasn’t one hundred percent heterosexual was too much for me. That is no excuse for taking you like I did. I’m well aware of your love for another and it was wrong of me to put you in the position I have.
You’re a wonderful person. Please don’t think otherwise. I did that to you against your will, and I swear to you it will never happen like that again.
I beg your forgiveness. You’ve become very special to me. If you shut me out because of my bad behavior it would hurt me to the core. I’ll be in the guest room waiting for you if you can accept my apology and give our friendship another chance.
Yours forever,
Eden
How sweet he is. How can I be mad?
I assume he had to prove he wasn’t gay somehow. I jumped to a conclusion and I had to pay the price, I suppose.
It wasn’t a bad price to pay. Kyle doesn’t need to know about it. Just a silly thing which sometimes happens between friends, right?
Yeah, who am I kidding?
I guess I’ll wear the dress he picked out. I don’t want him to feel any worse than he already does.
Perhaps he isn’t the ladies’ man I assume he is either. I guess he could be genuine. His high class and culture are different. That’s all it is.
I’ve never known someone like him before. I’m sure all wealthy jet-setters are very much like him.
After getting myself dressed and fixing my hair, I’m finally ready to face him. At the guest bedroom door, I knock. “Eden, are you in there?”
The door opens and his sheepish smile greets me. “You came.”
I take his hand and pull him out of the room and into the hallway. “Of course I came. Your letter was very sweet. I forgive you, Eden. I understand why you did it and I apologize for being so presumptuous. It was wrong of me.”
He leaves a quick kiss on my cheek. “Thank you, Alyssa. I would hate it if you were mad at me. Plus, your mother called me and asked me to take you to a doctor’s appointment she made for you with Doctor Baker.”
Crap!
“Do you know why?”
His arm goes around my waist as he holds me tightly to his side and walks down the stairs. “The doctor at the hospital said you needed to follow up with your own doctor. Don’t you remember that?”
“Oh, yeah.” Thank God it’s just that. The last time I was supposed to go see Doctor Baker it was for a female inspection, and I’m not down for that.
Helping me into his bad-to-the-bone Jaguar, Eden moves across me to fasten the seatbelt. “I can do this, you know,” I say as his cheek brushes past my lips. He’s so close.
He pauses in front of me, so damn close I can feel his warm breath on my face. “Sorry. I suppose it’s odd to you, but I feel the need to keep you protected, princess.”
The door shuts before I can reply. Not that I need to. I mean, what do you say to that? You surely don’t tell him to stop.
He slides into the driver’s seat and I’m sorry I looked over because he’s even more appealing as he sits behind the wheel of this bad ass car.
He opens a compartment and puts on a pair of sunglasses with the word Ray-Ban on them. They look expensive and he looks even hotter.
Shit! Why do I have to be taken?
The touch of his hand on mine takes my attention away from his face, which apparently I’ve been gazing at without realizing it.
“Open the glove compartment. There’s a gift for you in it,” he directs me.
“Another gift, Eden. Why would you do that?” I ask as I open the compartment and spy a black box with a pink ribbon around it. I open it up to find a pair of sunglasses, also with the word Ray-Ban on them.
“Oh my God, you really shouldn’t have. These must be expensive. I can’t take them.”
Reaching over me, Eden pulls them from the box and places them on my face. “You can take them, princess. I have more than enough money. And they look good on you,” he says as he flips the visor down, revealing a lighted mirror. “See for yourself.”
Wow! I look like a million dollars.
“Okay, I’ll accept them. It would be a damn shame to let these things go to waste. Thank you, Eden.”
He gives my cheek another quick peck. “You're welcome, Alyssa. Now you can decide if we leave the top up or put it down.”
Although I know it will bring us lots of attention, something I don’t much care for, I answer, “Down. Definitely down.” A push of a button and the sky opens up to us. “Can I mess with your radio, Eden?”
With a gesture to the screen, he says, “Mess away, baby doll.”
As he pulls out of our driveway, I find some hard rock and look to see if he approves. Kyle hates it. His head bobs a bit, so it’s a hit. Finally, someone who likes it.
“So, you like the hard stuff?”
Taking my hand in his, he lifts it to his lips, placing a kiss on top. “I listen to everything. But I must confess to the hard sounds of this music being my favorite.”
“Mine too,” I say, wondering what else we have in common.
As we drop off a particularly steep hill, I feel as if we’re flying. My stomach drops and my head goes light. “Oh!”
Eden’s head snaps as he decelerates. “I’m sorry, Alyssa. I went too fast. I have to be more careful.”
I laugh. “Don’t be sorry. That was fun, like a roller coaster.”
Shaking his head, he says, “I need to be careful with you. Speed is one of my downfalls, but I shouldn’t put you in danger because of it.”
“That wasn’t very dangerous, Eden. Come on, lighten up. I’m not a china doll,” I say as I roll my eyes.
Lifting our clasped hands, he lands another kiss on mine. “No, you are no China doll. You are much more precious than that, my princess.”
Several people walking down the main street in town openly gawk at us as we drive by them. “Okay, now the top down thing is embarrassin
g. Do you see how they stare at us?”
Eden shrugs his broad shoulders. “So let them. The car is beautiful and should be looked at, as should you.”
“I doubt they’re looking at me. It’s you they stare at, Mr. Too Good Looking,” I say with a giggle.
He mumbles something about hating being called mister, and somehow he’s found my doctor’s office without me telling him where it was.
“Here we are,” he says.
“I see that. And just how did you know where it was?”
Turning, he pulls his shades down slightly so I can see his eyes. “GPS, sweetheart.”
I’m dumb!
“Oh, yeah, I guess this thing would have that.”
I go for the door handle, but he stops me. “Uh uh, let me.”
He gets out of the car and moves quickly to my side, opening the door. I go for my seat belt and somehow he’s managed to come across me and beat me to it.
Crap! Does he think I can’t do anything on my own?
On my feet, he has me wrapped in his tight grip with his arm around my waist. I say, “I can probably walk on my own now. I really do feel much better.”
“I don’t want to take the chance of you getting dizzy and falling. Just let me do this for you, princess,” he says as he places another kiss on my cheek.
How can you say no to that?
The receptionist looks up at us as we walk in. To my surprise, she comes to the door. “Come on back, Ms. Devlin.”
“Wow! Never have I been seen so fast,” I mutter.
With her eyes on Eden as we pass, she says, “You must be Mr. Fontaine.”
What the hell?
“Please, call me Eden,” he says as he glances at her.
She takes us to a room, gesturing for us to go in. “Doctor Baker will be right with you. It’s so nice to meet you, Eden,” she says before she finally pays me—the patient after all—a little attention. “Ms. Devlin, I do hope you’re feeling better.”
“Much,” I say as she turns and leaves.
Yeah, she really gave a shit. Eden picks me up by my waist, sitting me on the exam table.
“I could have gotten up here on my own.”
His finger touches the end of my nose and he grins. “I know you could, but why not let me help you?”
“Hey, how did the receptionist know your name?”
Standing in front of me, he plays with a piece of my hair. “Your mother told them, I suppose.”
Doctor Baker does a quick knock before he enters the small examination room. “How’s Miss Alyssa doing today?”
Eden turns away to shake his hand. “Good afternoon, Doctor Baker.”
“Mr. Fontaine, how nice to meet you,” the doctor says with a huge smile.
Damn, what’s with this guy and his super charm?
Eden moves from in front of me as the doctor turns his attention to me. “Let me take a look at the bump on the back of your head, Alyssa,” he says as he moves to my side and touches the still tender area.
“Ouch!”
Eden has my hand in his before I know he’s done it. “Did he hurt you?”
The doctor looks at Eden with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
Eden’s eyes narrow as he looks back at the doctor. “See that you are.”
What in God’s name!
“Eden!” I reprimand him, then turn to look at my doctor. “I’m sorry, Doctor Baker. It barely hurt at all. I’m fine. It’s a little tender. Perhaps the word ‘ouch’ was a bit much for how it felt when you touched the bump.”
“Please, don’t apologize to me, Alyssa. I should be careful not to hurt you. Now let me listen to your heart,” he says as he places the stethoscope on my chest.
Eden leans in close to me as he watches the doctor’s hand very near to my left breast. Doctor Baker moves the stethoscope a bit closer to my breast and Eden clears his throat.
My doctor steps back, removing it from my chest and placing it on my back. “Take a deep breath for me, please, Alyssa,” he says. and I do as he’s asked as I watch Eden bird dog my physician.
What is wrong with him?
“Everything sounds good. The MRI results were sent to me this morning and they look good. No damage done,” Doctor Baker informs me.
“That’s good to hear,” Eden says with a sigh.
“So I can go back to school tomorrow then?” I ask.
Incredibly, instead of looking at me, my doctor looks at Eden. “You’ve been the one with her the most. What do you think?” he asks Eden.
“It’s better for her not to attend. There’re only a couple more weeks of school anyway. She’s done with her actual school work. Write the excuse for the remainder of the school year,” Eden orders.
“Wait one minute,” I interrupt the dictator. “First, how do you know anything about my schoolwork? Second, I feel fine and maybe I want to go back to school.”
The doctor gets out a pen and begins writing on a pad of paper. “No, Alyssa, Mr. Fontaine is right. If there’s no academic reason for you to go back to school, I see no reason to risk your health. If you were to get dizzy for even a second and fall again, I would be held responsible for your injuries. You wouldn’t want me to get into trouble, now would you?” he asks me with a smile.
“Of course not, but I feel fine and you said I’m okay.”
Eden places his hand on my chin and he pulls me to look at him. He’s so damn close to me. “Alyssa, do as the doctor says. You don’t want to get him in any trouble.”
This is insane!
“I suppose I have no choice in the matter,” I say as I concede defeat.
Eden smiles at me. “Where your health is concerned, listen to your doctor, princess.”
Damn, damn, damn! What the hell is this?
The doctor turns back to us. “I’ll call the school and tell them her situation. Once I fax this excuse over, there will be nothing else you need to do. Take good care of her for us,” my doctor since I’ve been born tells Eden, leaving me dumbfounded.
They shake hands again. “I will. Her health is excellent, thanks to you. Great job, Byron,” Eden says, making my mouth drop open.
Did he call him by his first name?
The doctor exits the small room with a wave to me. “Goodbye, Alyssa. See you soon.”
“Eden, how the fuck did you know his first name?”
His expression is one of disgust. Putting his finger to my lips in a gesture for me not to speak, he says, “Alyssa, my princess, please do not allow that language to pass through those precious lips again. It’s beneath you to speak filth.”
If I wasn’t embarrassed by his reaction to my use of profanity, I would yell some other nasty things at him. “Okay, sorry. I’ll re-phrase that. How do you know his first name? I don’t even know it.”
“Your mother told it to me,” he says as he lifts me off the exam table, running his strong arm around my waist and taking me out of the small room. “Now tell me where you would like to go and have lunch.”
“I’m not allowed to go out anywhere with the male species until I turn eighteen, Eden, sorry.”
At the car, he opens my door and as soon as I sit down he reaches across me to fasten my seatbelt. Pulling the sunglasses I had propped up on the top of my head, he puts them back on my face, then puts his back on. His movie star look is complete.
“I’ll call your father and get his approval,” he says, closing my door and walking around to get in.
“Good luck with that,” I say, pulling down the visor to check my reflection.
Before Eden can get in the car, a tall, leggy, blonde woman walks up to him. Her skirt short and her hand extended, she says, “Hi, I’m Lacey Patterson. I’m a realtor here and noticed your exceptional vehicle. I’ve never seen it around town before, nor yourself. Are you new?”
What the hell is this woman doing?
Eden shakes her hand. “I’m just visiting for a while.”
She leaves her hand in his afte
r the shake. “I’d love to show you some of the homes I have. This is a great town to buy investment property in. We have a great many people who vacation here.”
Eden looks down at how she’s refusing to let his hand go. “Not interested in making any purchase here. I’m just down, visiting the in-laws.”
“I’m ready, Eden,” I snap, making her turn her attention to me. For Christ sakes, there is no way she could miss seeing me sitting right here. The top’s down, for the love of all that’s holy.
Finally, she releases his hand. “Sorry, I’ll leave you two alone.”
Her ass wiggles back and forth under her too-tight skirt as she sashays away from Eden.
What a whore!
Eden slides into his seat and starts the car up. “Thanks for the save, princess,” he says as he takes my hand, placing a kiss on top.
I grin and say, “Not a problem there, hubby. Visiting the in-laws, you say?”
“You caught that, huh? Must have been listening in pretty hard. I do believe I see a bit of jealousy in your gorgeous sapphire eyes.”
“Jealousy, ha! I was saving you from the old hag,” I say and turn to look away.
The people on the sidewalk actually point at us as we drive by them. What a bunch of nosy people we have in this town. It’s as if they’ve never seen a convertible in their lives.
A ringing noise brings my attention back to the radio as my father’s voice fills the speakers that seem to be everywhere in this magnificent machine.
“Hi, Eden. What can I do for you?” my father asks.
“I would like to take Alyssa to lunch and she’s informed me she’s not allowed to go anywhere with male individuals. Would you like to assure her of your approval?”
“I suppose you have me on the car phone?” he asks.
“I do.”
“Okay, then. Alyssa, it’s fine for you to go anywhere you want with Eden. We trust him implicitly. Have a good time, honey. We’ll see you when you get back home. Doctor Baker called and told us about your appointment. Looks like it all went well.”
“Who are you?” I ask in amazement. “Where are my real parents?”
A laugh is the only answer I receive as it dies away and the hard beat of a rock song fills the speakers. “So where would you like to eat, my lady?” Eden asks.
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