He raked a hand across his face and noticed, not for the first time in several days, that he needed to shave. He couldn't seem to get his act together. If Alexa had haunted his thoughts in the week after New Orleans, it was nothing compared to the barrage of memories that flooded his mind day in and day out since he'd left her in Florida.
He'd thought it was for the best, leaving that night. He didn't want her to feel any more discomfort at his presence once he realized she thought it was a mistake. He also didn't want to have to discuss how she regretted their week together. But now he wasn't so sure he should have left it the way it was. There were things he should have said to her. Things that had only become more apparent to him in the week that had followed.
He was experiencing an emptiness that he hadn't ever known before, and he was pretty sure that the only thing that could fill that void was Alexa. His grand scheme had backfired in and equally grand way. Not only had he failed in his attempt to win her over, but he’d probably pushed her further away than ever. His life may have seemed so glamorous and free to Alexa, but now it just stretched before him like a sea of loneliness. How could his whole outlook change in an instant?
She was special. He didn't want her to just be a fling. He felt a connection with her that went way beyond that. That connection deserved to be explored, but he didn't know how to do that. He'd never been in a committed relationship with a woman. But he was certain that it's what he wanted now. Not just with any woman, though. With Alexa.
He clicked on the picture of her taken during the wedding ceremony when he'd turned his attention for a brief second from the bride and groom. She'd turned to him as well, and the moment had been captured forever, but he'd yet to look at it.
Pulling it up now, he studied the look on her face, not daring to believe what was in front of him. It must just be a fluke of the particular moment the shot had been snapped. But he knew that wasn't true, because with Alexa, the camera never lied. It revealed her true nature. And the look in her eyes as she stared back at him from the computer screen was one of longing and—if he wasn't deluding himself—love.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the vibration of his phone on the desk. The screen showed a picture of Cara. What was she doing calling him when she was just back from her honeymoon?
He tapped the screen to answer the call. "Hey, how's married life treating you?"
She cut straight to the chase. "We need to talk about Alexa."
* * *
The nerves in Will's stomach lurched as he made his way through security at the JFK International Airport. Was this a mistake? What would she do when she saw him? He pushed the thoughts aside and pulled himself together as he walked through the metal detector and collected his backpack on the other side.
After getting off the phone with Cara last week, he'd gone immediately to Alexa's blog, which she had just made live only hours before. He'd devoured it over the course of the day, reading late into the night. Learning all the things about her that she'd kept private all these years only confirmed that he was head over heels for this woman. And regardless of how she felt, he was going to let her know.
According to Cara she cared for him too, but until he saw it for himself, he'd be a bundle of nerves. She may think he was crazy showing up at the airport like this. She'd written a post earlier in the week saying that she was leaving her life in New York and living the dream she'd always wanted to, starting with a tour of Europe. She planned on selling her writing and photography to pay the bills along the way. It was wild and crazy, and totally her, and he loved everything about it.
He'd been planning to head to Europe later this month anyway, so all it took was a few adjustments to his itinerary, and he'd booked a seat on the same flight.
He hung back as he approached the gate, already forming his plan, but he didn't see her anywhere. Either she had chickened out or was already on the plane. His money was on the latter. Passing through the gate, he ignored the flirtatious smile of the attendant—from now on he had eyes only for Alexa—and moved down the jet bridge to board the plane. He stood in the aisle between first class and economy and looked for her dark hair, not seeing her at first. Then she sat up from where she'd been stowing her bag under the seat and turned to stare out the window. The sight of her took his breath away. He lowered his head and smiled. Perfect.
* * *
Alexa closed her eyes. She had hardly slept the night before, her anticipation was so high. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Will would be so proud. She felt a momentary sadness at the thought of him but pushed it away. There would be plenty of time to think of him later, but for now she wanted to enjoy embarking on her new life.
She was startled by a man clearing his throat. "Excuse me, but I think you're in my seat."
She knew damn well that she wasn't, and sat up to tell him so, but when she turned, the words died on her lips.
Will stared down at her, eyebrow cocked, giving her that sexy half-smile. "I'd make you move, but maybe there's room for two."
She shook her head, certain she must be dreaming, but no, she was very much awake. "What are you doing here?"
He slid into the seat next to her to keep from blocking the aisle and produced a ticket stub. "This is my seat," he said as if it should be obvious.
"I don't understand," she whispered. She thought she may never see him again, yet here he was, on a plane to Europe of all places.
His face became serious and he leaned in close, trying to find privacy on a crowded airplane. He took her hand, and her body sparked to life at the contact. He smiled as he felt her pulse kick up. "Alexa, I've spent the past four weeks—scratch that, the last four years--unable to get you off my mind. I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how you’d react. One thing I do know for sure, though, is exactly how I feel about you."
Her breathing became labored as she looked into those chocolate eyes and saw a tenderness there that melted her heart. She'd seen it before. If she was honest with herself, it had always been there, but she had tried to ignore it, tried to keep herself safe, never believing she could be the one to tame Will Townsend. Now she hoped against hope that she wasn't imagining it and held her breath for what he'd say next.
"Run away with me, Alexa. My life is empty without you. I want to be with you every day to experience these adventures together and with you every night to have adventures of our own. I used to think I didn't want to settle down because it would tie me down. But now I know that being tied to you would set me free. What do you say? Can we take on this big wide world together?"
Alexa couldn't speak through the lump in her throat, so instead she nodded vigorously, taking his face in her hands and tilting her head toward his. He brought his lips to hers in a kiss so tender, she thought she'd dissolve into tears. Then he kissed the tip of her nose and pulled back only far enough to look into her eyes. "I love you, Alexa. I don't care how crazy that is, it's true."
Soul mates. She'd thought the notion was crazy, but now she knew that they were truly connected by something bigger than themselves. And she wasn't ever going to let go.
"It may or may not be crazy, but I don't care, because I love you, too."
"Then hang on tight, baby, because you're in for a wild ride."
"Just the way I like it." She smiled up at him and he lowered his lips to hers again, this time in a kiss full of promise.
Books by Christine Kingsley
Willow Valley:
Return to Love—Available Now
Meant for Love—Coming Soon
Sunset Beach Brides:
Sunset Kisses—Available Now
Sunset Dreams—Coming Soon
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About the Author
Christine Kingsley is a contemporary romance author who loves writing
books from the heart. Fall in love over and over again with each new book.
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Sunset Kisses (Sunset Bay Book 0) Page 9