OBTAINED (Book One)

by Williams, Shanora

  I step back, still wide-eyed and abashed about what has just happened. I flop down on the couch but the front door creaks open and I hear the sound of keys jingling. It must be Liam. My face lifts, already ready to apologize as the door slams shut. I wait for him to round the corner but as I spot the black leather jacket, dark denim jeans, flustered cheeks, and super curly hair with a few loose tendrils hanging over his marble face, I gasp because it isn’t my brother.

  It’s Jules.

  PROTECTOR

  I scramble from the sofa quickly, my heart beating a million miles an hour as he faces me with nothing but fury in his brown eyes. He steps around the sofa and reaches for my face to examine my cheek.

  “Who did this to you?” he asks, his voice deep and husky. “Why did I feel you negatively—twice?”

  “I did it to myself.” I pull away from him as I study his face. Why is he here and what makes him think it’s okay to just walk into my home without even knocking first? “Why did you just walk in here like that?” I fold my arms.

  “Alexandria, you’re hurt! I can feel the pain in your cheek. It is very hard not to notice. And your feelings are hurt as well. Why? Who has hurt you?” He reaches for me again but I back away. I still don’t like the way he’s just come into my home, as if it was an okay thing to do. “Was it Felix?” he asks, the concern in his voice disappearing as his jaw clenches.

  “No!” I say way too quickly. “It wasn’t Felix. Liam and I just fell out.” Damn, I hate that he can feel everything that I can. Why can’t I feel him?

  His eyes widen. He observes me, studies me—most likely to see if I am telling the truth. When he realizes that I am, the clench in his jaw lacks. His eyes drift from mine to the drawing on the table. He picks it up and I watch as his face depresses. He looks so vulnerable when he doesn’t have his serious mask on. “This is my fault then. You and Liam never argue.” He sighs as he places the drawing back down.

  I hesitate on what to say next. Exactly what do I say to someone that feels like everything that happens to me is his fault? It’s a terrible habit of his that I have to break. “It’s not your fault, Jules.” He glances up at me, his brown eyes clouding with confusion.

  “Yes it is. If I would have just told you face-to-face you wouldn’t have hurt yourself. I couldn’t feel you for what seemed like hours. All I felt was my right cheek burning and throbbing. I had to come and see if you were okay.” I reach to rub my cheek, feeling the throb again as he speaks on it. He reaches for the bag of ice to place it in my hand. “Here. Keep ice on it. The swelling should be down by morning if you keep applying cold compresses to it.” I take the bag and stare at it. He’s always worrying about my well-being. Does he even realize that he’s doing it? “I should get out of here,” he breathes. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore than—”

  “No!” I squeal, reaching for his arm before he can turn around. He glances at the hand clutched around his arm briefly before his eyes meet mine. I don’t know what is making me want to stop him from leaving. I don’t want him to leave because I know that if he leaves, I may not ever get to see him again. There is something more that I feel for him. I’m not sure if it is the part of me that feels like I know him but can’t do anything about it or if it is because I am his mate and can never stop thinking about him, but there is something there. “I don’t want you to leave,” I whisper beneath my eyelashes.

  He turns to face me completely as I pull my hand away. He steps towards me and I glance up. His height isn’t too tall or overbearing like Felix’s. It’s actually sublime. His face is so beautiful, so well crafted—like someone stole smooth, white marble just to carve his delicate features. Why does he have to be so good-looking and why do I have to be in this situation? He reaches for my throbbing cheek and rubs it gently. It’s a soothing touch, a simple touch. He does this while our eyes are still bolted. The throbbing in my cheek seems to die down the more that we are looking at each other, the more that he is focused on me, breathing gently in the silence. “All better?” he mumbles, tilting his head. He lowers his hand from my cheek and I reach for my face immediately. There is no sign of pain, no sign of the scorching soreness. Nothing.

  “How did you—”

  He raises a hand, placing his fingers against the fold of my lips to stop me from talking. “I’m a Guardian Angel, Alexandria. We protect. We heal. We care. That question shouldn’t even come to mind.” He smiles, revealing his perfectly imperfect teeth that I hardly ever see. Goodness he is hot. So. Very. Hot. I fall into his arms and he holds me while nuzzling his nose in my hair. I want to hold him. I want to be with him all night. He smells so nice, like winter air and a soft sheen of Axe. I am realizing now that maybe Jules is a better match for me than Felix. But Felix is a great guy and I don’t want to give him up either. I want them both. Ugh. That’s just selfish of me. Why couldn’t Jules have just come into my life sooner—before Felix? “I’m afraid of losing you, Alexandria. I don’t know what else to do,” he whispers in my hair, his breath brushing against me sweetly.

  I nod. I know.

  And the crazy part about all of this is that I’m afraid to lose him, too. It won’t be the same if he doesn’t show up at the coffee shop to sketch in his sketchbook. It won’t be the same if he doesn’t tell me more about my life, what I am, and what we’d shared. Being with Felix will mean that I will just be starting over again with someone that hardly knows me. And I don’t want that. I don’t want any of this.

  He pulls away to look at me. His eyes are glistening like night jewels. He places a hand against my face and I melt. It’s so hard to resist him. His touch, his looks—everything. I wish that he was the one to kiss me first. But he waited too long, and waiting only causes grief. He regrets not speaking to me earlier; I can see it in his eyes. He is hurting badly about all of this and it’s odd because I am as well.

  “Can you promise me one thing?” he asks.

  “What?”

  “That you will think on this more and realize what is best. You care for me, Alexandria. I know you do.”

  “How do you know?”

  He wraps both hands around my face, cupping my jawline and stroking it with his thumbs. “Because if you didn’t care, my drawing and letter wouldn’t have affected you this badly. And Liam wouldn’t know right now that you and I have spoken.”

  Dang it. He’s right. He’s always right.

  He pulls his hands away with a smirk. “Am I correct?” I nod softly. He sighs with a satisfied smirk. “Well, I will be on my way now. But promise me you will think about this, Alexandria.”

  “I will,” I whisper lightly. He nods then steps forward to plant a kiss on my forehead. Oh, gosh. It’s the kiss-on-the-forehead thing again. He’s given me that full feeling that I won’t be able to get rid of for days. That feeling that always crowds my mind and makes me think about him constantly.

  “No matter how many times Felix may change your mind, I will continue to fight for you.” He raises an eyebrow as he steps back slowly but I frown curiously. He’s actually going to fight . . . for me? It seriously isn’t worth it. “I’ll catch you again, Alexandria. Have a good night—and don’t go smashing your face on the floor again. You have to be more careful,” he scolds mildly.

  I giggle. “Okay, Dad,” I tease,

  His lips grace with a bold grin as he continues to walk backwards gradually, as if he doesn’t want to leave but has to. I don’t want him to leave but I know Liam will return shortly and I’m really not up for the drama tonight.

  “Just go,” I tease, still smiling. Anyone would know that I don’t mean it.

  “There’s that smashing smile that I love to see.” He continues to grin widely and I blush. I’m sure I’m crimson red all over. “I’ll see you, Alexandria. Goodnight.” I watch as he turns around and rounds the corner wall. The door creaks open and then clicks shut softly and I am left here alone again.

  I groan as I grab for my melted bag of ice and rush for the kitchen to pour it down
the drain. Not only am I confused, but my brother is probably out somewhere smoking pot or getting drunk. I’m honestly worried but I refuse to go out and find him because I don’t have a car and my chances of being attacked by someone evil has increased. I rush off to my bedroom, turn my forty inch plasma television on, and change it to Cartoon Network. Cartoons always take my mind off of reality. And right now, I don’t want to think about reality.

  I don’t want to think about tomorrow or the fact that I have to face Felix again with no excuse of backing out. He won’t buy anything that I try to give him so, once again, I am stuck. I’m torn and I must admit that this feeling is terrible, especially when I’m dealing with two completely different men that care for me. And just because Felix acts older, doesn’t mean that he isn’t still young and has the mindset of a maturing adult. I found out earlier that Felix is only twenty-three years old. He doesn’t look any older but by the way that he carries himself—the way that he speaks—you would consider him a grown man. There are times throughout our entire day that I had caught him stepping out of his professional manner to act his real age. Most of those moments were brought out by Braxton. But whenever I would notice it, he would immediately switch back to Business/Gentleman Felix. There’s nothing wrong with his business side, but I would rather see him happy and carefree than worried about how he may come off to others.

  I’m beginning to think that Felix grew up too fast—that he had no life as a teenager and isn’t used to the word fun because he was most likely absorbed into reading books, drawing homes and buildings, or completing a project. I know he isn’t completely happy and I know that it will crush him if I tell him that I want to end what we have. I feel as if I bring out some of the fun in him—his younger side of life. He can be intimidating and badgering sometimes so I’m not sure how he will react but I know that he will carry on with his life.

  But Jules, on the other hand, I know that he can’t live on without me. He literally can’t live on without me. But he knows so much about me and I know so little. I wish that it didn’t have to be so hard or so frustrating, but it is. If I had the choice of being alone, I would take it because choosing between them is just the same as dealing with a broken heart.

  MENS ROOM

  As soon as I step out of the car, the brisk air of New York flushes my cheeks rapidly. I shut the door behind me as Stacy does the same. She glances at me and I must admit that she looks beyond the word beautiful. Her blonde hair is up in a tight bun with a few curly tendrils hanging freely around her face and against the nape of her neck. Her makeup represents classy and her lips are finely glossed. I went to their apartment this morning to ask what she was wearing and she decided to go along with a creamy, white mid-thigh-length dress with gold studs embroidered on the shoulders. She wore creamy-white ankle boots with gold laced all over. She looks stunning but Felix tells me that I do as well.

  I decided to take him up on his offer by not wearing flat boots this time. Stacy went with me to Nordstrom and I bought a pair of cute leather boots with a four-inch heel. I decided to wear an all-black long-sleeved dress that stops at the middle of my thigh along with black tights. I also bought a pink scarf to add a little color. Everyone knows I’m already boring. I had no choice but to spice it up.

  Felix hops out of the car and immediately locks the doors. I walk ahead with Stacy but Felix catches up and hooks his arm in mine. I glance up at him as he flashes a gentle, dazzling smile. When Felix came up to the apartment to get me, I could have fainted. His black suit is neatly pressed, his plaid grey and black button-up beneath the suit jacket fits to him smoothly and his silky black tie completes it all perfectly. The stubble that was on his chin and above his lip is now gone so his face is baby smooth. I felt the smoothness when he unexpectedly planted a kiss on my lips before even stepping into my apartment.

  “You feeling alright?” he asks as Stacy leads the way. She’s a few steps ahead now, almost out of ear shot.

  “I’m fine.” I smile.

  “You look magnificent.” He places his fingers through mine and gives them a squeeze. I blush, feeling my face burning a fierce scarlet red. Stacy walks into the entrance and we rush to catch up while she holds the door open for us.

  “Oh, I’m so excited!” she chimes, her voice sounding like a million gentle bells. Felix and I step in, hand-in-hand before the door swings shut behind us. “Braxton has been working hard on his last craft but he wouldn’t dare let me see it until tonight.”

  “Well, if he hasn’t shown you he must be nervous about it,” Felix says, pushing his fingers through his hair.

  “No, he can’t be,” she argues, her smile fading. “At least, I hope not. He is such a great artist.”

  “I agree,” Felix says, pressing his lips together. I glance down, noticing that our hands are still glued together. Without making it seem obvious, I pull my hand away and pretend that loosening my scarf is more important. I glance up at him but he doesn’t seem to notice it too much because he’s gazing around the entrance of the museum.

  “Hello!” We all turn to our right and spot a young woman in a ruby red dress, ruby red lipstick, and very curly brown hair. Her face is tidy, her legs are long and shiny. She is beautiful and for some reason, I become insecure of the way I look. How can she be that gorgeous? I glance up at Felix who is smiling casually at her. It’s a smile that he gives me all of the time. Ugh, I would kill to hear what he is thinking right now. He’s probably thinking the same thing as I am.

  Oh, stop it, Alexandria. He smiles like that with everyone.

  My conscious is arguing with me but I refuse to believe it. I know men—especially since I live with one. They see a pretty woman with a nice body and the drool starts spilling.

  “Hello,” the woman says again. Gosh, even her voice is pleasurable. She has a harmonious choir ring to her voice. “I’m Nancy Sturdoff, the host of the art exhibition tonight,” she says, reaching her hand directly for Felix’s.

  I cringe.

  Felix nods while shaking her hand and I’m so glad that he is doing it in a business-like manner. “Felix Wells, brother of Braxton Wells.”

  Nancy gasps. “Well, it is about time that I’ve met you. Braxton says so much about you. In fact,” she says, releasing his hand to scan her eyes across his entire body, “I’ve heard about you as well. You’re the owner of Wells and Son Incorporated. Am I correct?”

  He smiles proudly. “Yes. That would be correct.”

  She grins and the cringe inside of me is even stronger now. It’s tugging at my lower belly, telling me to interrupt and say something but I’m not bold enough to do it and embarrass myself. And not only will I embarrass myself, but I will embarrass him and Stacy, too.

  “Well, I am Braxton’s girlfriend, Stacy Lilac,” Stacy says, cutting into their sensual stare-down. My eyebrows rise, surprised and somewhat relieved.

  “Oh, I’ve heard of you, too,” Nancy says but she isn’t as enthused to meet Stacy as she was to meet Felix.

  “If you don’t mind, we’d like to get to the gallery room. We don’t want to be late and miss any of the artists. A pleasure to meet you, Nancy,” Stacy says, reaching for both mine and Felix’s arms. She drags us past Nancy and I grin widely as I glance over my shoulder at Nancy who is standing with puzzled eyes. Stacy reaches the sign that says Art Gallery but stops us a few steps away from the door.

  “What is the rush? We still have ten minutes,” Felix says, checking his watch.

  Stacy scowls at him as she smacks his hand away from his face. “You are a complete asshole to do something like that to Alexandria!”

  Felix frowns as he folds his arms. “Exactly what did I do?”

  “You were flirting in her face.” She turns her head to look at me. “Were you just going to standby and do nothing? I can’t stand that kind of behavior from men. Braxton tried it a few years ago and it didn’t end well—ask him.” She folds her arms, too.

  Felix turns to face me, his eyes wide and confused.
“Alexandria? Did you think I was flirting?”

  “Sorta,” I mutter, forcing a careless shrug.

  “Hmph,” Stacy purses her lips.

  He continues to stare at me. “Stacy, we’ll meet you inside. Alexandria, come with me, please.” He reaches for my hand but I stare at Stacy who is now smiling.

  “You better apologize, Felix!” she calls as we rush down the hall.

  “I plan to!” he calls back. “In more ways than you can imagine.” He says the last part beneath his breath. My eyes broaden while my stomach flutters anxiously. Oh wow. What is he going to do to me? My insides spark and I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m thrilled to see what he has in mind.

  He turns right and leads me down another hallway then stops as he faces the men’s restroom. He rushes in and I take a big gulp of the pleasure burning in my throat. We flood in and as soon as the door swings shut, he slides his arm around me, pulls me in, and smashes his lips against mine. His hands glide along the small of my back, down to my hips, to the curve of my butt. He grunts deeply but he doesn’t stop kissing me. We last for another few moments until he pulls away, yanks my scarf down, and immediately begins to kiss me on my neck. I groan. I’m in heaven and now I know where my sweet spot is. He’s still kissing my neck, trailing down to my collarbone before his lips touch my ear.

  “I would never,” he breathes. “Flirt with anybody in your face, Alexandria.” He plants a kiss on my ear and a tickling sensation floods my entire body. The butterflies in my tummy are fluttering, thrashing around quickly and I pant, craving for more.

  “She looks better than me. You liked what you saw,” I breathe back.