by Donna Hill
“It sounds more like love.”
Alexis flashed her a look and rapidly shook her head in denial. “No,” she said, emphatically.
Naomi shrugged. “If you say so. But trust me, I know love when I hear it.”
* * *
On the short flight back to New York from Virginia, Alexis reflected on Naomi’s words. Naomi had always been a straight shooter. She never did do well with deception and subterfuge, which was why the entire masquerade with Brice was a near disaster—although Alexis did think that her plan had been brilliant.
Clearly she wasn’t in love with Graham. That part was ridiculous. She didn’t care what Naomi thought or that she was generally always right. If anything Alexis’s ego stung because she wasn’t used to the whole cloak and dagger routine.
And even though her relationship with Ian wasn’t on the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, everyone pretty much knew that they were seeing each other. They were simply discreet as they should have been in the workplace. In addition to which she and Ian were peers, equals. Graham was her boss and their relationship could be perceived in all manner of inappropriate ways. Most important, he represented a business that strove for excellence in their services and in their employees. The members of the staff were role models for the kids and she was the face of the business. She wouldn’t jeopardize that, not even for her own happiness.
She wanted to be with him. That was very clear to her, she thought as she unpacked and prepared to settle down for the night. She understood the rules when she got in bed with him. And until something drastically changed she would find a way to deal with it or walk away.
As she lay in bed on her first night home from her visit with Naomi she barely slept, waiting for the telltale ping to alert her that a text had arrived, or the ringtone that she’d set for his calls. By morning she was bleary-eyed and realized with a start that Graham hadn’t called. She checked her cell phone twice just to make sure when the realization set in that he hadn’t bothered to call her, text her, nothing. He was probably home right above her and hadn’t bothered to pick up a phone to say he was back.
She vacillated between hurt and anger as she stomped out of bed and went to turn on the shower full-blast, nearly drowning out the chimes on her front door.
She halted her mini-tantrum and listened more carefully. Yep, that was her front door. She pulled the belt of her robe tighter around her waist and went upstairs to the front door, knowing that it was Milton bringing her dry cleaning as he always did.
Alexis pulled the door open and her heart and stomach momentarily seemed to switch places.
“I missed my flight. Had to take the red-eye. Didn’t want to call and wake you. Just got in.”
Alexis tried to take it all in. He still had his luggage at his feet. He hadn’t even gone to his own apartment yet. She worked hard at containing the joy that wanted to leap out of her soul and all over him.
“Come in. Come in. I’ll fix some coffee.”
“Ahh, sounds great.”
Her heart hammered in her chest as he walked past her and inside. All the awful things she was thinking flew right out of the window.
“So besides the delay with your flight, how was your trip?” She took out the coffee from the cabinet, poured two scoopfuls in the filter, added the water and turned on the coffeemaker.
Graham came up behind her, nuzzled the back of her neck and slid his arms around her waist. She held her breath as the thrill of his touch scurried through her.
“As much fun as it was to see the fellas again, all I kept thinking about was this...” He kissed her behind her ear and slowly stroked her hips beneath the thin, silky fabric before sliding his fingers beneath the folds of her robe.
She drew in a sharp breath and turned around into his arms, looked up into his eyes and felt as if she was being pulled under water by a powerful riptide.
Graham held her chin in his palm and slowly lowered his head until the world disappeared and his mouth touched down on hers. He groaned deep in his throat and drew her fully against him. His kiss was a mixture of passion and raw need fired by an urgency that was almost frightening in its intensity.
He pulled her robe from her body and hungrily rained hot kisses along her exposed flesh, teasing her nipples with his tongue and teeth before journeying south, pausing for a moment on her fluttering stomach before placing smoldering kisses along her thighs.
She gripped his shoulders and bit down on her lip to keep from screaming.
His tongue licked her like ice cream on a cone. Her legs trembled. Graham groaned, sucking and nibbling.
The muscles in her stomach knotted and released. Her breathing hitched. She was so wet and so turned on she could have spun like a top.
They began as soft whimpers, pushed up from her throat, and continued to escalate as Graham made a delectable meal of her and he wouldn’t stop until he had devoured every morsel.
Her thighs trembled over her weakened knees. Waves of pleasure flowed through her. The beat began and thumped and thumped until she was consumed by it and her only recourse was to give in and let it take her on a morning ride of ecstasy.
* * *
“Welcome back...” she said breathlessly, resting her weight against the counter. Her heart was still pounding as if she’d run a mile.
Graham stepped away, leaned on the island and eyed her lustfully. “I’ll take that coffee now,” he said with a smile fluttering around that incredible mouth.
Alexis’s eyes sparked with laughter. She turned and took down two mugs from the cupboard and poured coffee in each. She took the half and half from the fridge. “Sugar?”
“Thanks.”
They sat next to each other at the counter, sipping their coffee and stealing intermittent looks at each other.
“How was your trip to see your friend...Naomi?”
“Had a great time. I don’t think I realized how much I missed her until I saw her again.” She gazed off wistfully. “And the baby has gotten so big in a matter of a few months. It’s amazing. Naomi has a great life, wonderful husband, beautiful baby, a home and a career waiting for her. The makings for a romance novel.”
Graham studied her contemplative expression. “What about you? Do you think you have a great life?”
She blinked and looked at him. In a flash of images she envisioned that the scenario that she spoke of was actually she and Graham with a home together and a child to love.
When she focused again Graham was staring at her with his head tilted to the side waiting for her response.
She brought the coffee cup to her mouth. “Of course. I have a wonderful life,” she said before taking a sip and burying her gaze in the hot brew. “What about you?” Her heart banged.
He shrugged slightly. “I couldn’t ask for more. When I look back on where I came from to where I am now...I’m totally satisfied.”
As much as she’d hoped he would say something else, she knew better. Graham Stone had carved his path and he had no intention of veering off of it, and there was no point in her fantasizing that what they had was anything more than what it was—great sex between consenting adults. But as much as she knew that to be true—in her head—she couldn’t get her heart to go along with it. And the longer they were together, the more they talked and laughed and made love, the more difficult it was for her to ignore her heart.
Over the ensuing weeks of summer they spent all of their free time together. They jogged, took in a concert at the park, a ferry ride on Saturday along the Hudson, brunch at the local restaurant on Sunday. They were, for all intents and purposes, a couple except that it was something that was not acknowledged between them or to the world.
So Alexis was totally unprepared when Graham asked her to spend the Labor Day weekend with him at Sag Harbor.
Chapter 18
“So...are you going to go?” Naomi asked.
Alexis slowly paced her bedroom with the phone tucked between her shoulder and her ear. “I told him I’d think about it.”
“What exactly are you thinking about?”
Alexis blew out a breath. “The last time he asked me to go away with him it was totally out of the question. But this time the office will be closed, no one would be aware that we were together.”
“Okay. I hear a but.”
“But what does it mean? I feel like the mistress that is sneaking off with the married man.”
“Then don’t go. Look—” she paused “—getting involved with your boss was a decision that you made. You understood the downside of it. You didn’t go into this with your eyes closed. And from what you’ve told me he’s never led you to believe anything other than what it is—two people that are attracted to each other. This trip may give you the opportunity to see him and your relationship in a completely different light.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
* * *
“Got everything?” Graham asked as he put their bags in the back of his Navigator.
“Yep.” Alexis put on her sunglasses against the glare of the early-morning sun.
“Let’s be on our way, then.” He pulled the door open for her, helped her up, then rounded the ride and got in behind the wheel.
Surprisingly the roads weren’t too bad considering that it was a holiday weekend. They listened to music, pointed out sights along the way and shared the easy banter that always flowed between them.
In no time they were pulling up to The Port in Sag Harbor.
“Reservation for Stone,” Graham said to the receptionist at the front desk.
She did a quick search on the computer. “Yes, here you are. Two nights, correct, Mr. Stone?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll need your credit card.”
He took his card out of his wallet and handed it over. She took his information, handed him back his card, keys to the cottage and a brochure of the amenities at The Port. “I’ll have someone show you to your cottage. You’ll be in number 10 at the end of the lane.”
“Great. Thank you.”
She talked into her headset and moments later a young man showed up.
“Do you have a car and luggage?” he asked.
“Yes, we’re parked in the lot.”
“Okay. Well, follow me.” He led them to his golf cart. “We can put your luggage in here and you two can hop aboard or you can follow me in your car.”
Graham gave Alexis a quick look. “We’ll follow you.”
They got into his Navigator and followed the golf cart along the sloping hills and smooth winding trails until they came to number 10.
The Port, which was owned by Lincoln Davenport and his wife Desiree, was a collection of cottages that dotted a tree-lined landscape just off the shore. Virtually from each of the cottages there was a view of the water. The cottages came equipped with one or two bedrooms, a full kitchen, living room and patio. The main building had a restaurant and bar, spa and massage center, pool and outdoor lounge.
The driver brought their bags into the cottage and showed them around. Graham gave him a nice tip before he left.
“This is beautiful,” Alexis said, duly impressed as she walked around and took in the high-end furnishings and fixtures, and the view from the back deck was breathtaking.
“Nicer than I remember.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“A couple of years ago.” He opened the closet door in the bedroom.
She suddenly imagined him here with another woman for a quick getaway. Her stomach twisted. She shook the image aside and began to unpack.
“I should have asked, but do you swim or just look gorgeous in a bathing suit.” He grinned mischievously.
She glanced up from unpacking. “Both.”
Graham chuckled. “Want to go for a swim or walk around or just relax?”
“Let’s walk around, and maybe go for a swim a little later.”
“This is your weekend, luv,” he said, walking up to her and putting his arms around her waist. “Whatever you want,” he said softly, then kissed her tenderly on the lips.
If only she could believe that, she thought but didn’t say.
* * *
They spent the next few hours touring the grounds, enjoying the wonderful breeze blowing off of the water before they headed over to the restaurant for lunch.
It was so easy and so good. It was the way a relationship should be. In every way they fit. They enjoyed the same things, they understood each other, laughed at the same jokes, enjoyed the same music, were athletic, they both had a passion for their work and for each other. A perfect mix—almost, she thought as they sat out on the back deck, sipping mojitos and watching the sun set over the water. And when they made love that first night with the full moon the only light illuminating their bedroom, and the distant sound of the ocean rushing against the shore and the almost painful tenderness with which Graham moved within her, she knew that this was what she wanted—this man, the whole package and if she couldn’t have it she was going to have to do what she should have done a long time ago—let him go.
The next two days of their getaway, Alexis chose not to allow her acceptance of her feelings for Graham to interfere with their glorious weekend at The Port. They swam, hiked, went into town and shopped, had massages at the spa and discovered that the spa was run by Layla Lawson, Rafe’s cousin by marriage. At night they strolled along the beach and made love until the sun rose.
It was the return ride back to the city that made Alexis realize more than ever that what they had was a make-believe world. Under ordinary circumstances it wouldn’t have mattered, she would have simply gone along with the program until she grew bored. This time her feelings had gotten all tangled up in the relationship. That was an element that she had not bargained for when she got involved with Graham and now it was taking an emotional toll that she had not been prepared to deal with.
* * *
When they returned, they easily slid back into their comfortable existence and Alexis tried to push aside her feelings of misgivings, her growing feelings for Graham. But she couldn’t. Graham had given her no indication that he wanted more than what they had—something on the side. And she refused to initiate that conversation. She wouldn’t allow herself to be viewed as needy or clingy or desperate or not mature enough to play this very adult game.
But every time he said her name, looked at her during a meeting, fixed her a meal, kissed her—that pact that she’d made with herself was getting more difficult to keep.
Fortunately with the summer all but a distant memory, and school back in session, she was so busy she barely had time to think about anything. Her days were filled with meetings, site visits and managing the various departments. It began to get easier to make an excuse why she wouldn’t spend the night with Graham or go for a run. Their loving was still just as earth-shattering when they did get together, but they were getting fewer and further apart.
Now that she was more acclimated with the city, she did things on her own; visited museums, the theater, bookstores, shopped, she even went to a few movies and joined a Pilates class. The more she kept herself occupied, the easier it was to stay away from Graham. What hurt her, however, was that he never pressed, never questioned, never challenged the change in the dynamics of their relationship. That’s what kept her up at night and sat like a rock in the pit of her stomach.
It was the week of Thanksgiving and Graham had magnanimously decided to close the office for the entire week instead of the two days. Alexis was actually glad for the extra time off. She’d been more tired than usual and was looking forward to relaxing and putting her feet up.
She’d been home for about an hour when her front doorbell rang. Frowning, she went to answer the door.
“Graham...” The pained expression on his face stopped her cold. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“May I come in?”
“Of course. Sure.” She stepped aside then closed the door behind him and followed him into the living room.
He didn’t sit, instead he paced from the window to the couch and back again. His facial expression was tight and drawn.
“What’s going on?”
“I got a call.” He tugged his tie loose then slung his hands into his pockets. His jaw clenched and unclenched.
“O-kay.” She looked at him in confusion. “From who?”
“A hospital in Barbados. It’s my mother.”
Her pulsed tripped. “What happened?”
“They asked that I come right away. She’s in a coma. She has me listed as next of kin,” he snorted a laugh. “Next of kin. Next to last of kin is more like it.”
“Oh, Graham...I’m so sorry.” She made a move to go to him, then stopped. He was one rigid surface. “You’re going, right?”
He gritted his teeth, glared at her for a moment, then looked away. “No,” he murmured.
Alexis studied him for a moment. She pushed out a breath and walked up to him. “If you’ve already made up your mind why did you tell me?” she gently asked.
Graham glanced up at her. “I came to you because I didn’t know what else to do.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t want to do anything because I don’t want to be involved with her. I don’t want to know anything that’s wrong.”
She pushed out a breath. “Then you have already made up your mind.”
He lowered himself onto the love seat and rested his elbows on his thighs. “If it was up to you, what would you do?”