by E. L. Todd
Danielle looked at him. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m scared of Evan.”
He gave her a sympathetic look. “You obviously aren’t that scared if you didn’t take my offer.”
She glared at him. “I’m not going to help you get in this girl’s pants.”
“I’m not trying to get in her pants,” he snapped.
“How can you just leave me?”
“If he bothers you, just call me. I’ll be there in a heartbeat. It doesn’t matter what time it is, who I’m dating, or where I live. I will always protect you.”
“You promise?” she whispered.
“Of course. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t tolerate a guy hitting a girl. I would give my life in your defense, in any girl’s defense. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Okay.” She crossed her arms over her chest then stared at the ground. “So this is it?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms like she was cold.
“Danielle, it’s going to be okay.”
“I hope so.”
“Now go inside.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
“The truth,” he said simply.
“Okay.”
Blaise turned away.
“Wait.” She grabbed him and held him tight.
Blaise kept his hands by his sides, unable to return her affection. She caused so much pain and drama in his life. He never wanted anything bad to happen to her, but he didn’t feel any love toward her. He already let her go a long time ago. “Goodbye, Danielle.” He turned away and got into his truck without looking back.
After he left her driveway, he drove to Alexandra’s. When he reached the front door, he looked at the time. It was already midnight. She was probably asleep. He called her anyway. After it rang a few times, it went to voicemail. Impatient, he called again but she still didn’t answer. He returned the phone to his pocket and stood there, impatient.
Finally, he left and drove home. Even though Danielle was no longer in his bedroom, he still slept in the spare room. He still needed to wash the sheets and get rid of the smell she left behind. The bathroom would have to be scrubbed to rid her hair and presence.
He kept thinking about Alexandra and wondered how she would take the news. He hoped she would believe him. It was understandable why she wouldn’t. Even though he confessed the truth, it didn’t prove he wasn’t fooling around with Danielle while she lived there. A part of him was hurt she would even suspect he fooled around with Danielle. He loved Alexandra with his whole heart. That fact was undeniable. He deserved a little more faith than that.
He went to bed that night thinking about Alexandra. His dreams were full of her. They were so vivid, he felt her hair touch his skin. The sweet scent of flowers tickled his nose, making him breath heavily. When he woke up the next morning, he missed her more than ever. He couldn’t stand to be away from her any longer. He got dressed and walked out the door.
“Mr. Cunnings.”
“What?” Blaise asked irritably. “I have somewhere to be.”
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s important.”
Blaise stared at his worker. Normally he wasn’t this rude, but he’d been apart from Alexandra for a month and he was tired of waiting. “Well, what is it?”
“There was an incident with the pesticides.”
Blaise raised an eyebrow. “What incidence?”
“All the field workers have developed pesticide poisoning. Every single one of them are in the hospital. They all became sick around the same time.”
Blaise felt his heart rate. “Are they okay?”
“I think they’ll live, Mr. Cunnings.”
Blaise breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll take care of all their medical expenses.”
“I assumed.”
“Now how did this happen? I’ve never had an issue with the pesticides before.”
Connor nodded to the field. “Come with me.”
Blaise walked beside him as they entered the rows. The sun was rising over the horizon, and the heat was already seeping into his skin.
“The cotton was sprayed with ten times the normal dose,” Connor said.
“Why the fuck did that happen?”
“I have no idea.”
Blaise kneeled down and examined the plant. “Fuck. They aren’t going to survive.” He looked at every plant and was dismayed how bad they were. There were holes in the plants leaves, and the red bulbs were destroyed. They looked like they had been burned. Insects and birds laid in the rows, dead like they fell from the sky. Blaise closed his eyes and kept calm. He couldn’t let his crops die. His livelihood depended on it.
Connor stared at him fearfully.
“Get the order,” Blaise commanded. “I need to figure out what went wrong.”
Connor pulled out the paper. “Here it is.”
Blaise snatched it from his hand. When he read through the paper, his heart fell. “I didn’t order this much.” He studied it further. “It’s on automatic renewal. The only reason why it would change is if someone submitted a new order.”
“Or perhaps the crop duster released the wrong amount,” Connor suggested.
Blaise shook his head. “Any pilot, no matter how dumb they were, would question this order. It doesn’t make any sense.” He walked into the house and Connor followed behind him. When he came to his desk, he searched through the documents in his drawer. He pulled out the order form and scanned it. “It says the order was changed two weeks ago.”
Connor stared at him.
“But I didn’t change it…” He stared at the paper but didn’t really see the words.
“Could it have been that secretary you had?”
“No,” he said quickly. “She would never do that.”
“Has anyone else had access to this?”
Blaise immediately thought of Danielle. But that didn’t quite add up either. Why would she destroy her own prosperity? Cole had come by a few times. And his uncle was there for dinner. He was in the house before Blaise even came home. Perhaps he changed it then. Blaise’s mind was swimming in ideas. He couldn’t be sure which one sabotaged his fields. His uncle had the most motivation. Cole liked getting paid. He wouldn’t destroy his own source of income.
“Sir?”
Blaise looked up. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“I know a scientist in the central valley of California. He has a company that tests plants and diagnoses their illness. If we take a sample to him, I’m sure he could help us.”
Blaise nodded. “Thank you, Connor.”
“Of course, sir.”
He gripped his hair. “Fuck.”
Connor said nothing.
“We need to go by the hospital and check on everyone, give them whatever they need. Then we need to get on the next plane to California.” He sighed, realizing Alexandra would have to wait. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Seven
When Alexandra finished her work in the fields, she showered and headed to school. Paul called her a moment later. She studied the phone for a long time before she answered it.
“Hello?”
“Good morning. How are you?”
“Tired,” she said. “I’m headed to school.”
“What time are you done?”
“About four.”
He paused for a moment. “You have class all the way until four?”
“Yeah…”
“You don’t even stop for lunch?”
“Well, I have breaks and stuff.”
“Good. Meet me for lunch.”
“Oh,” she said. “I usually have lunch with my friends.”
“Perfect. I’m always looking for new connections.”
“Uh…”
“What restaurant?”
“We usually go to Rob’s Bar and Grill. It’s across the street from the campus.”
<
br /> “Great,” he said. “I’ll meet you at noon.”
“Okay.”
“Bye, baby.” He hung up before she could respond.
In class, she kept thinking about Paul, unsure what she got herself into. She wanted to see him, but she felt guilty about it.
When she went to English, she caught Gabe glancing at her every few minutes. She was wearing a yellow dress with a jean jacket. She didn’t think she was dressed up enough to get any serious attention. Blaise’s words kept playing in her mind. Perhaps she should say something to Gabe so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. She steeled her nerve and intended to do it.
After class, they went to the library and studied on their break. Gabe pulled out the chair for her and sat across from her.
“Yellow is a nice color on you,” he said.
“Oh.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”
“I like the way you dress. It’s classy.”
“Well, Lisa and Hannah didn’t want me to dress so classy,” she said with a laugh.
“You would have made it look nice either way.” He smiled at her then looked at his textbook.
Alexandra fidgeted in her seat for a moment before she found her courage. She cleared her throat. “Gabe, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“And what would that be?” He looked up at her.
“I—I think I’ve given you the wrong impression. I’m not looking for a boyfriend right now.”
His eyes turned dark. “I know.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t expecting that reaction. “It just seems like…you were being a little too friendly.”
“You mean when I was there for you because that jerk cheated on you? I’m sorry,” he said. “When my friends are going through a hard time, I’m usually there for them. I hug Lisa and Hannah on a daily basis.”
Alexandra felt her cheeks redden. “I’m so sorry. It was stupid of me to assume anything. Blaise just made it seem—”
“You really shouldn’t talk to him anymore.”
“I know…”
“And he’s just threatened by me. And he should be.”
Alexandra didn’t know what that meant. “I’m sorry for getting the wrong idea.”
He sighed. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Are we okay?”
“Yeah,” he said with a nod.
Alexandra went back to work but she felt awkward. It seemed like Gabe was angry, but she didn’t pressure him to open up. She thought she was right when she assumed he was trying to make a move, but perhaps she was wrong. There was nothing spectacular about her anyway. There was no reason why Gabe would be interested.
When lunchtime arrived, they walked to Rob’s Bar and Grill. Paul was standing outside, wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt. Alexandra liked it when he wore gray because it highlighted the blue color of his eyes. The contours of his body stuck out to her. She remembered running her hands up and down his chest when they made love. It was her favorite feature about him. She shook her head and dispelled the thoughts. She felt guilty for having them.
Paul’s eyes lit up when he saw her. His eyes lingered on the bright color of her dress. He stared at her, taking in her every curve. Alexandra had known him long enough to recognize his thoughts as he had them. She knew what he was thinking.
“You look—wow.”
Her cheeks blushed.
His hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. She didn’t push him away like she thought she would. The familiar scent of his skin came back to her. His hand touched the fabric. “I really like it.”
“Thanks…”
He leaned closer to her face but didn’t press his lips against hers.
She was suddenly aware of her friends staring at them. Alexandra pulled away then walked inside, feeling Paul right behind her. They moved into the usual booth and sat down. When Alexandra looked at Gabe, she saw the inferno behind his eyes. Paul placed his arm around her shoulders but she didn’t pull away. That just made the fire grow larger.
Lisa stared at them. “Um…who’s this?”
Paul smiled and extended his hand. “I apologize for my rudeness. I’m Paul, Alexandra’s boyfriend.”
Gabe looked like he might flip the table over.
Lisa shook it. “Her boyfriend?”
Hannah raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”
Alexandra knew she needed to explain the situation so Gabe’s head wouldn’t explode. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Paul stared at her. “For now.” His hand rubbed the back of her neck possessively. He always did that when they made love. He would grab her and hold her, taking charge of the moment. She always liked it when he did that. The significance was not lost on her.
The sleeve of his shirt pulled up, and the tattoo on his upper arm was partially visible. Both arms had symbols, and one side of his torso had a design. She liked that Paul had a reckless side to him, but he kept it hidden from the world. When he wore his suit, he seemed like an upstanding citizen, but when he was naked, his body was dark and wild. There always seemed to be two sides to him.
Hannah stared at him. “Um…nice to meet you?”
“Likewise,” Paul said with a nod. He turned to Gabe and extended his hand.
Gabe glanced at it but didn’t take it. “I thought you weren’t looking for a boyfriend?” His voice dripped with venom. “Every time you say that, you fuck another guy minutes later.”
Lisa and Hannah both gasped at his words.
Alexandra was so shocked, she was speechless.
Paul’s eyes widened in unspent rage. He leaned forward, his muscles tensing. “If you ever talk about her like that again, I’ll rip your eyes out of your head then shove them up your ass.”
Alexandra stilled at the insult.
“Fuck you,” Gabe snapped.
Paul moved to stand up but Alexandra grabbed him. “Drop it.”
He pulled his arm away.
There was only one thing that could sheath his anger. Whenever he was upset about something, he went on a rampage and couldn’t be stopped. He didn’t understand reason or logic. His anger wasn’t triggered easily, but when someone crossed the line, he became insane with rage. Only when Alexandra kissed him, did his bloody rage disappear.
Alexandra grabbed him again then kissed him on the lips. Immediately, Paul stopped. His body flinched for a moment, but he reciprocated an instant later. His hand cupped her cheek as he pressed his lips against hers. She pulled away before it could become too intimate.
Paul stared at her, the anger absent from his eyes. He only had eyes for her.
“Not your boyfriend, my ass,” Lisa said with a laugh.
“He’s not,” Alexandra said quickly.
“Your lips just said otherwise,” Paul said, rubbing his nose against hers.
Alexandra felt the tingles run up her arms when they touched. It was automatic. It was how she always felt when they were together. The heat and desire between them never died out. She turned away before anything more could happen.
Gabe still looked pissed but not as much as before. Paul seemed so happy that he acted like Gabe didn’t exist. They ordered their food and ate quietly. Alexandra knew her two friends wanted to discuss Paul but were patiently waiting for him to leave first.
Paul paid for their tab even though Alexandra didn’t want him to. But he was the most stubborn person she ever met. When they left the restaurant, her friends waited before they walked to class.
Paul grabbed her and pulled her aside. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
“I just had lunch with you.”
“So? I want something with just the two of us.”
Now she realized she gave him the wrong impression. She kept doing it over and over. “I only kissed you so you’d leave Gabe alone.”
He nodded as his eyes darkened. “So that meant nothing to you?”
“I wouldn’t say that…”
“Do you have any idea how
much pain I’m in over you?” He released his hold on her hand. “Knowing you were with someone else kills me every time I think about it. I’m constantly on the edge, ready to tear someone’s throat out. So don’t ever kiss me unless you fucking mean it.”
She averted her gaze.
“Look at me when I talk to you.”
Alexandra looked at him.
“Do you understand me?”
“I’m sorry. It was the only way I could get you to stop.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he snapped. “When you kiss me, I want it to be because you want to. No other reason. Don’t ever disrespect me like that.”
“I said I was sorry,” she whispered.
He stared at her. “Now you have to have dinner with me.”
Alexandra sighed. “I have homework.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“What? I just said no.”
“Too bad.” He grabbed her face and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll see you then.” He stepped away and walked back to his car.
Her two friends stared at her, desperate to hear the tale. She sighed then walked to them, knowing they were going to pick her brain until there was nothing left.
Chapter Eight
Alexandra waited by the door until she saw Paul’s car pull in. She immediately went outside and shut the door quietly behind her. Paul killed the engine then walked up to her.
“How was school?”
“Great,” she said quickly. “Let’s go.” She walked to the passenger door.
He didn’t move. “I’m going to say hello to Martha. It would be rude not to.”
“Oh. She’s asleep.”
Paul raised an eyebrow. “It’s seven…”
“Well, she had a long day.”
“I thought your aunt was the hardest worker you’d ever known?”
Alexandra was growing frustrated. “Well, everyone has an exception. Now let’s go.” She opened the door and got inside. Just as she sat down, the front door opened. “Damn…”
Aunt Martha looked at Paul. “I heard you were in town.”
He smiled. “It’s nice to see you. I’m glad your back is better.”