He closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. Chelsea continued to stare at him but said nothing as he settled in and started his car. The ride was completely silent as he drove off his property, but the moment they were on the road itself, she said, “He’s not my boyfriend and never was.”
Right. Alex refused to turn toward her. Instead he kept his gaze on the road that would lead to the highway and eventually Paris. “So he just calls with a marriage proposal on the phone out of the blue?”
She put her hand on his shoulder. “Stefano has 90 days to find a wife. He’s starting to feel the pressure.”
Alex flinched. If Stefano had a plane, then he qualified for what Chelsea said she wanted out of life. Alex’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Does he not have the million dollars you need?”
She let his shoulder go, sat back in her seat and glanced out her window like she could disappear into the vineyard and surrounding trees. While he turned onto the highway silence clung in the air, but as he merged, her voice cracked and she quietly said, “If I married him I’d be miserable. I’ve known him since college and life isn’t just about who’s who.”
Should he offer to help her? But how?
His own mother remained married to his father and never divorced him, even after moving out and getting her own job, because she said she’d made a choice. Most of his life, he’d lived above a small café in Paris, always considered the outsider that didn’t belong. And if Chelsea made a choice, she’d be stuck for life because of her country’s laws unless she left. Somehow that seemed worse…his money, if he had it, wouldn’t really help her at all. “So this stranger to you is your alternate choice?” He stared ahead at the road, mindful of both traffic and his speed.
She hugged her waist in distress—he could see the reflection in the glass. “You’re making my plan sound stupid, Alex.”
“I’m only asking questions,” he said defensively.
She turned toward him suddenly, her blonde hair catching the light, and lifted her chin high. “My life is not your job to question. One kiss in the moonlight doesn’t change our relationship.”
“Clearly.”
She then pressed against his arm, her mood changing. “If your mother wasn’t sleeping in the next room, I’d have wanted more than a kiss last night.”
His body grew hard from her nearness, but he kept his gaze forward rather than look at her. “Don’t go there, Chelsea.”
She swallowed and inched closer to him despite the console between them that kept her in her seat. Goosebumps grew on his shoulder from the nearness of her soft arm against his, though thankfully he wore a shirt. She then quietly said in his ear, “Alex, maybe you’re right that my plan to marry a complete stranger is dumb, but marrying Stefano, a man who will never care what I say or what I do, is a ticket to an early grave.”
And if they both gave into the feelings she roused in him, he’d end up bitter, all over again. He shifted against the growing tightness below the belt. “Why? I would think it preferable to someone you don’t know.”
She sighed and kept her voice low. “For one, he hates art or anything I ever painted.”
The painting she’d done for his mother was nice. But none of that mattered. He swallowed, unsure how to get his body and mind working in the same direction. “Look, Chelsea, you’re right. You don’t have to explain to me. I’m no one.”
She squeezed his bicep. “You’re not no one, not to me.”
He was hard as rock. Every part of him wanted to pull over to the side of the road and claim her as his own. However, he knew better, and he ignored the base emotion. “I should be.”
She brought her mouth next to his ear and whispered husklily, “Why don’t you stop at that inn at the next exit?”
His erection clearly wanted to say yes. He focused on the road. “Why?”
No. If he touched her and then dropped her off like nothing happened, he’d be bitter. Five years ago, Monique showed him he needed to be wary of who he trusted. Though his skin felt hot because of her warm breath, he swallowed, continued to stare at the road and hoped she gave up the idea of seduction.
She was so close that his skin almost burned from her nearness. “Because if we had given into our desires last night, maybe today would be very different and our drive would be more sad and tragic because I have to marry well and fast, no matter what I feel.”
Or he’d be a jealous idiot. She couldn’t mean this. He prayed she’d forget all about this. The idea of them forever was impossible and he wasn’t a one-night stand kind of guy—he never had been. “You’ve a good imagination, Chelsea. It’s better to just get you to Paris and let you figure out what you want out of your own life.”
She let go of his arm and turned away from him to stare at the passing greenery next to the highway.
The air in the car grew colder in her silence.
He’d probably said everything wrong, but the two of them together was an impossible idea. It was better to cut the head off the snake than let it bite him. In time, she’d forget about him and that was for the best.
It took a few minutes but Chelsea finally stopped pouting. Of course, on her way to Paris, she remembered how two different nobles that she assumed were better choices for her ended up marrying other women. Alex wasn’t even a choice, so his kiss shouldn’t feel like he branded her.
Alex had every right to protect his heart and body and since she met him, she’d been flirting non-stop, clearly not taking the obvious hints.
The memory of being in his arms during that dance shouldn’t have made her pushy.
The sign for a rest stop grew bigger as they approached the exit on the highway. She crossed her legs and broke the long silence. “Can we stop at the service area?”
“Sure.” He slowly moved the car to the turn off to the rest stop so he could refuel, and they could stretch their legs.
He pulled into the service station and she hopped out, not looking back at him so she could get her emotional bearings.
Inside the rest room she splashed water on her face. The rest of the ride didn’t have to be this heavy with energy.
It was up to her to relax. She bought a sandwich, a salad and water—the muffins from breakfast had worn off.
Alex wasn’t by the car, which he’d parked near a wooded picnic area.
She waved at him and headed toward a wooden table. He went into the service area.
Sitting in the mid-morning sun, she opened her water and tried to clear her mind. No to Alex, but yes to her future with the Duc.
Suddenly Alex took the seat opposite her, with his own sandwich and water. She glanced over at him and swallowed. This was it. She’d end the long silence. Forcing a smile, she said, “Alex, I shouldn’t have flirted. I obviously can’t take a hint.”
“Don’t.” He took her hand in his, looking at her with an earnest expression. She didn’t pull away. “Chelsea, you’re a beautiful disaster that’s about to happen. Part of me wants to be close to you and the other part wants to avoid the train wreck.”
Perhaps her decisions made no sense, not to him. Alex had planned his life out. She’d made mistake after mistake without ever once planning for herself. She wished she was more like him. “I am partially afraid to meet this Duc from my country and what might happen.” Her eyes felt glassy. “I wish that my wishes mattered and that I could follow my passions.”
His calloused hand felt warm and inviting. “Why don’t you have that showing your friend Sheena offered and find out? Let yourself shine.”
She shook her head, then sipped her water. “Who would come? The people who know I paint are a select few.”
He stood, keeping her hand in his and then came and sat beside her. Her entire body trembled as he said, “Me? Oui. I’d like to see what you paint when no one is watching over your shoulder.”
All her life, she’d been away at boarding school or on some planned tour of some European city to make her more appealing as a
bride, but this meant she’d never really settled or had a permanent home. All she had was the friends she made on the way. She swallowed, put the water down and closed her eyes. The air even smelled like him, woodsy and natural, and she wanted to turn around and head back to the vineyard. “I’ve not met a man who actually likes my stuff. Usually my female friends are the supportive ones.”
He took his hand back. She opened her eyes and gazed at him, but he reached for her cheek and traced it, leaving a trail of desire in his path. “The right man will be supportive of your dreams.”
Her lips parted. If only this was true, but she didn’t believe him. No one truly supported each other because everyone had their own plans. She shook her head a little and smiled easier. “You remind me of Cassidy and her talk of love and happy-ever-afters.”
His voice was low like he shared a secret with her as he said, “I’m a sucker for all those dreams.”
Her eyes widened. None of her male friends would ever have said anything like that. Alex’s inner strength allowed her to see someone sincere and true to himself. “You are?”
“Oui.” He winked at her. “Even though my heart was broken, I’d like to think that the right woman is out there.”
How could she not fantasize about a man who might believe in things like her dreams? This was the wrong time or she was wrong about everything. She shook her head and glanced away to ignore how her body was warm near him. “It’s a delusion of many.”
His gaze narrowed, and he dropped his hands. “What made you so cynical, Chelsea Bright?”
Good question. The truth was she saw how her parents loved each other and had no limits. She couldn’t live like them, and she couldn’t hide herself away like her sister did until she’d married Remington Burke. There was no one she admired that had it all. He needed to understand.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she examined her sandwich. She’d probably run her hands through that hair of his if she had the opportunity. “I could sit in my room and dream and wish and do nothing or I could live in the real world, go find my fun and figure out that the world doesn’t give those who sit around waiting anything.”
“But you’re not out there fighting for what you want. You’re doing what you can to please others.” His words were like hammers that drilled holes right through her heart and soul. Her nerves tingled that he saw all of her and was sitting across from her still.
Her insides quaked, and she tasted his lips on hers from last night. “That’s not true.”
His brown eyes seemed to have flecks of gold in them. “Then why are you going to Paris exactly?”
“Stop.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then stared at him with an openness she couldn’t ignore. Perhaps she was reckless, but she needed to erase the distance between them, now. “Look, either take me to bed or take me to Paris.”
His eyes widened, and he dragged in a ragged breath. “Keep offering and I’ll take you up on it.”
She let her hand fall between them as her skin became flushed with want. “I wish you would.”
He leaned closer and they shared the same air. His voice sounded tortured when he asked, “Why? Why do you want me?”
Goosebumps grew everywhere on her skin. He was so close. Her lips tingled for another kiss. She swallowed and wished they could experience far more. She tilted her head to give him better access if he decided to kiss her. “Can’t I for once just want to follow my feelings without analyzing them?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s how you live your life.”
True, but before she could say anything, his hard lips pressed against hers and her nerve endings tingled. She kissed him back, wishing they could do this forever. The world disappeared while in his arms.
Almost violently he pulled himself back. She stroked her throat, needing to find the words or the courage to pull him back and kiss him again.
He took another deep breath and then their gazes met. “Get in the car, Chelsea. I’ll drive us to a nearby hotel. If you have an answer for me, we’ll go in.”
Answering his why could pull her in two, yet she ached to be held by him. She needed his touch. Alex was more real to her than anyone else had been in years, if ever.
However, she couldn’t say that—so she stood and walked to the car, carrying her untouched sandwich and salad. He followed and opened her door. She waited until he joined her. Finally, when he started the car, she asked, “Are you so scared because of what happened at your almost wedding?”
“I’m not scared. Not of you.” He backed out of the parking spot.
Good. The distance the console put between them made her glance away. If she could, she’d run her fingers all over him and tug off his belt and pants. But she stilled. They were on their way to a hotel. Perhaps soon, she could forget the world and everything else there. The hair on her body stood straighter as she felt warm just near him. She swallowed, ignoring the world, but she needed to focus on him too. She narrowed her gaze as they drove back onto the highway and ignored how her heart raced faster and faster as she said, “Or are you a believer in true love and happy-ever-after because you haven’t faced the simple fact that your fiancée didn’t love you as much as she wanted to be with your friend?”
Why did she always self-destruct when she came close to getting what she wanted? She ignored the question though her face felt hot.
His eyebrow rose. “If she’d have been my true love, then that would never have happened.”
True. But if her sister was right, and love wasn’t some delusion for dreamers, then everything about her life had been self-centered and she’d never really grown up. She closed her eyes, hoped she was right about herself, about life in general, and said, “Or we’re all selfish and the best we can hope for is someone who respects us.”
Alex kept one hand on the wheel and held hers with the other. “Stefano doesn’t respect you.”
Was he jealous? Was that the reason he’d finally given in? Immediately she knew that she’d not ask. For some reason, she was attracted to the vineyard owner and she wanted to be in his arms. She licked her lips, stared at his handsome profile and shook her head. “No.”
Alex kissed her hand. “But this Duc might?” His voice cracked.
Wow, he must be resentful. It was the only reason she could understand for his attention. She clutched his hand, so he didn’t disappear on her and shrugged. “He might. I don’t know him to have a judgment and it’s my last shot to help my family.”
They reached an exit on the highway that had a hotel sign and he flipped his blinker to get off. “And what happens if you don’t like him?”
“I’m hoping he’s tolerable.” Chelsea couldn’t even think about some man she’d never met. She wanted Alex and she’d deal with tomorrow, well tomorrow.
His gaze narrowed, and he didn’t move a muscle when he parked the car in front of the ten-story beige building with potted palms in the front. He turned off the ignition and her heart beat wildly as he said, “We’re here. Or. We can just head to Paris if you want.”
She reached over the console and took the keys out of the ignition and handed them to him. She listened to her heart beat faster and faster. “No. I want to know what I’m missing out on. Besides that Alex, I just want you. Isn’t that enough?”
His lips met hers and his kiss fired up her heart and soul. His slightly rough hands sent a thrill down her skin from his touch. Then he let her go and reached for his car door. “Yeah, it’s enough. I’ve wanted you since I saw you laying on the couch, so sweet in sleep. So beautiful. I said all those rude stupid things because I knew we wouldn’t work out—now, it doesn’t matter. Being with you once is better than never.”
“Get the room, Alex,” she called after him as he hopped out of his car.
He winked at her. “You’re sexy when you’re demanding.”
Good. She had one minute to get anything sexy she might have in her bag because today’s trip to Paris had been gloriously postponed.
/> She grabbed a change of underwear and her toiletry bag, not wanting to delay their short tryst. Once she finished, she saw Alex returning to her. She closed the trunk and walked over to join him.
This was it. For one day, she’d have a man she actually wanted in her life. This had to be enough.
Chelsea’s skin had goosebumps everywhere as Alex swiped the hotel room key. He opened the door and she rubbed her arms and walked inside. Alex followed and closed the door behind her. “This is the best room they had available.”
The room was clean, with white sheets with a blue trim and light cream walls that overlooked the French countryside. She yanked the curtains over the windows closed and then turned to face the man she wanted more than anyone else in her life. “I don’t care about the view, Alex.”
He tugged his simple light blue sweater off and his matching t-shirt molded to his muscular body, fit from all of the hard work he did in the field. His brown eyes seemed to seep into her soul as he asked, “Are you sure you want me, Chelsea?”
“Yes.” She lifted her royal blue over-shirt off, revealing her lacy white cami meant to accentuate her curves. Her heart pounded as she met his approving gaze.
He strode across the room, his hand out for her. “Then come here.”
His lips met hers and a volcano erupted in every pore of her skin.
Alex’s kiss made her forget everyone else who’d ever tried. Even the soles of her feet tingled, and her leg circled his, begging to be closer.
His finger traced the line of lace at her breasts and then he slowly lifted her cami up and off.
She smiled and tugged him by the arm closer to the bed.
Another kiss scorched through her as they both fell on the mattress. Once it ended, she took off his shirt, caressing each inch of skin as it was revealed. “Mmhmm.”
A deep laugh escaped him, rumbling against her mouth, and he tossed his shirt across the room. “We’re just getting started Chelsea.”
“Where did you get that shot in the arm?”
“Last year. I was in the way when I tried to help a lady.”
Forbidden Monsieur: Princes of Avce Page 5