The Virgin Secretary: A Billionaire Romance
Page 18
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Tess woke with a start when the sound of shattering glass echoed from the next room. Both she and Alex bolted upright; he pulled on his jeans and beat Tess to the door, signaling for her to stay behind him. Once semi-decent, she kept a hand on his shoulder as he eased the door to the gallery open.
“There’s glass everywhere,” he muttered. “Stay there, or you’ll hurt yourself.”
He stepped into the room, stepping into his shoes before navigating around the bend. Tess watched, breath shallow, as his face fell into something like horror. He glanced back at her, holding up his palm. “Stay there,” he pleaded with her before edging out into the gallery.
She couldn’t stand not knowing, so she slipped on her shoes and followed him. A pained gasp tore from her lips, and she clutched Alex’s arm for support. He hadn’t noticed her entering the room until then; the pity in his expression was almost insulting, but Tess was devastated.
The glass panels at the front of the gallery were all but destroyed; only one had actually caved in, but the others were cracked and surely irreparable. Blood-red spray paint covered the remaining glass; the word “whore” repeated over and over in varying degrees of illegibility. The red paint on the broken glass gave the illusion of a violent tragedy.
Cautiously picking her way around the gallery in silence, Tess took stock of the paintings on the walls. Nothing seemed to be out of place; it didn’t appear that anything had been stolen off of the walls.
Alex was on the phone by the time Tess finished her circle around the main gallery. She ducked into the storeroom, finding it similarly untouched. She was just about to conclude that whoever it was hadn’t bothered coming inside when she remembered the self-portraits she had tucked behind the receptionist’s desk. The plan had been to move them to a gallery across town when Isabel returned, to make room for the new artist’s work.
Sure enough, they were gone. They were so close to the front of the building, Tess tried to convince herself that the vandals had just grabbed the closest paintings they could get their hands on. It could have been a coincidence; surely, it was just petty theft.
The grim look on Alex’s face didn’t help matters. He approached her slowly, as though afraid to scare her.
“Everything is here except the portraits.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Your portraits?”
“Yes.” Tess felt her lip tremble.
Alex stepped towards her, still with that same cautious pace, and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him, breathing his cologne, desperately fighting back tears.
“I know I have to talk to the police, but I really don’t want to be here right now,” she said, her voice breaking.
“Okay,” he agreed immediately. “Of course. You take a minute to get dressed and breathe. I’ll be right here when you’re ready.”
She pulled the light blue dress over her head, numb to her surroundings. The studio looked so incredibly normal compared to the atrocity that was her gallery, that she thought she might be dreaming. But Alex’s clothes were scattered across the floor, and she knew she hadn’t dreamed all of that.
Dressed, Tess returned to Alex’s side and handed him his shirt. He pulled it over his head without breaking his stride, leading her straight to a side exit and away, not giving her time to look back on the windows.
Chapter Four: The Nightmare
It was early when Tess woke the next morning. She carefully extricated herself from Alex’s arms; he had offered to take the couch again, but she’d been grateful for his presence; she felt so much safer in his arms.
But, she’d leaned on him for long enough. After the disaster in the gallery, nothing Tess could say would have convinced Josh to stay in Ohio. He was going to be back in NYC early that morning, and he wanted to meet up with her right away. Josh wasn’t happy about the fact that she wanted to go back to her apartment, but given the early hour, she’d eventually worn him down.
Alex was fast asleep and didn’t wake as she dressed and left him a note saying where she’d gone. She considered waking him to say goodbye, but she wasn’t planning on being gone long, and she didn’t want him to feel obligated to come with her.
She stopped in the doorway to soak in how peaceful he looked but then continued on her way. She had to get moving, or she would be late to meet Josh.
---
Her apartment looked just as she had expected; the police had left it pretty much the way they had found it. They’d determined that the stalker hadn’t gotten inside when he left the flowers, but they had to tear apart her space to make sure.
Tess repacked her overnight bag in preparation to spend the night at Josh’s. Alex had said that she was welcome to stay with him, but he also understood that Josh was going to insist.
She was wondering vaguely where her pajamas had gotten to when her phone buzzed. The number wasn’t in her contacts, but she answered it warily.
Before she could even say anything, she heard Alex. “Tess? Hello?”
“Hi, yeah, Alex. It’s me.”
“Thank God. Are you okay?”
“I’m totally fine, didn’t you see the note?”
“Yes, but still, Tess you should have let me come with you. You know I would have.” She could hear his very obvious frustration, and although she had done it for him, she wondered if she should have just sucked it up and waited for him to wake.
“I know, I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to…” She trailed off, knowing that any reason she had would just remind him that she didn’t trust him completely, yet. But she was starting to wonder if maybe she could. “I’m sorry.”
He let out a breath. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“I am, yeah.” She started to say something else but was distracted by a knock at the door. “Josh is at the door.” He was earlier than she expected, but she was so excited to see him that she bounded up to the door, even as Alex started to say something.
She didn’t really hear him, though. As she was unlocking the door, she fully expected Josh to immediately tackle her in a bear hug. She was so sure it would be him, in fact, that it took her a few seconds to react to the fact that a stranger was at the door.
Then again, was he really a stranger? Thinking back to the ACS auction, the memory of the man Isabel had pointed out came to mind. It was hard to know for sure, but the hunched posture and shaggy appearance were spot on; it seemed like he had gotten a haircut since then.
As the pieces fell into place, Tess realized just how much danger she was in. This was her stalker; who else could it be? He’d found her at the gallery, and now he was at her front door. She was in a locked room with a man who either loved her or hated her - she wasn’t totally clear on which, at the moment, but she expected their meeting to be less than friendly.
She didn’t have many options - she was alone. Josh was on his way, but there was no telling exactly when he’d break free of the city traffic. Alex was half an hour away at best, but her cell was lying useless on the floor. Alex was on the other end - if he had heard her, then maybe he’d know what had happened.
She never should have opened the door without checking, but there was no time to waste lamenting what was arguably the most careless thing she’d never one. She tried to take it back and slam the door, but she was too slow. The stalker stuck his foot over the threshold and grappled with her. The phone was thrown from her hand when the man landed a punch to the side of her face. She managed to get out a short cry for help, but he silenced her roughly as he re-locked the door. Her phone lay on the floor, hand when he pushed her back into the room.
He had an arm wrapped around her neck, and she found herself gasping for breath. He’d removed the hand from her mouth when she bit him, but she didn’t have the breath to call for help again with his arm pressed against her throat. It was hard for her to know just how long she spent struggling against him, but her vision was spotty when she stopped kicking and refocused her efforts on just breathing.
She couldn’t answer, given her lack of lung capacity, but she wasn’t sure she knew what to say anyway. The police had never told her what to do if she encountered the stalker - only that she’d be a thousand times better off if she managed to never come across him. Her only ray of hope was that
Alex had somehow made sense of what really happened.
“Why didn’t you answer my messages?” He didn’t shout, but his tone was a little crazed. Tess was just starting to formulate a plan when he clamped his free hand over her mouth. “You could have saved us both so much trouble if you’d just answered me.”
She saw stars and knew that she was suffocating. She made one last feeble effort to bite and claw until he freed her, but she blacked out before she could loosen his grip.
---
“Tess? Tess, if you can hear me, I need you to stay awake.”
That voice - she knew that voice. A smile spread across her lips; that was exactly the voice she wanted to hear.
In the background, she heard sirens. That was strange.
She was on the floor, too. That was also strange.
As her eyes fluttered open, Tests’ memory started coming back to her. The stalker had shown up at her front door, and she had let him in without even checking.
Alex had been on the phone - she remembered that much. But she couldn’t imagine how he had managed to get to her, never mind that she felt pretty okay - her head hurt, but oxygen deprivation could do that to a person. She expected that the soreness in her neck had a lot to do with the fact that he tried to suffocate her.
How had he gotten to her in time to stop the crazy stalker from doing something, well, crazy?
Tess was so relieved, though, she wasn’t sure it mattered exactly how it had happened. Her vision cleared, and she saw Alex hovering above her. She tried to speak but found that her throat was just as sore internally as it was externally.
“Sh, Tess. It’s okay, you’re okay, everything is fine, but you’re going to be in a little bit of pain for a while.”
She wanted to tell him not to doctor her, but she could only manage to croak. Her eyes widened, surprised by the awful sound that escaped her throat. Alex laughed, actually laughed, and leaned his forehead against her hand. “You’re even cute when I’m mad at you. How is that fair?”
She smiled and was grateful that it didn’t hurt. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Are you okay? What happened?” She sounded like a chain smoker, but at least she could talk.
As Alex helped her to sit up, Josh burst through the door, wild-eyed and panicked. He spotted Tess and beelined straight for her, ignoring the cops that tried to stop him.
It took a while, but between Tess and Alex, they got a complete picture of what had happened as one of the officers listened on, asking questions.
Josh’s face drained when she said she thought the man at the door was him. She made a mental note to talk to him about that again later, even as Alex explained how he’d sent police to her apartment to rescue her. They’d just gotten in the door when Alex arrived - he’d already been on his way when he got Tess over the phone. He had been trying to warn her not to answer the door when she’d dropped the phone, but ever the pessimist, Alex had assumed the worst possible scenario.
The officer told her that she was lucky he had; the stalker was trying to carry Tess from the building when they’d arrived. She’d only been out for about half an hour, as far as they could tell.
The paramedics weren’t too worried; the stalker hadn’t broken anything. She’d probably need to see a counselor to check up on her emotional health, but the paramedics saw no reason to admit her. Alex tried to argue with them, but Josh put his foot down. He, at least, knew how much Tess hated hospitals.
Alex had managed a compromise that involved her staying with him for the next few days, in case of concussion. Josh agreed, hesitantly, when Tess gave him a nod. Josh waggled an eyebrow at her; it was so unexpected that she burst into laughter and turned bright red.
Chapter Five: The Safe Haven
Josh dropped her off that night. It took Tess longer than she hoped to talk him out of giving Alex the ‘don’t hurt my baby sister’ talk. And she was still pretty sure that Josh would do it anyway - though she might have bought Alex some time.
He greeted her with a gentle hug. She was already feeling a thousand times better than she had when the cops and paramedics had finally declared the job done Thankfully, Josh had taken command of the room and cleared out all of the people quickly, leaving Tess free to retreat to her room.
The medications had put her to sleep pretty fast, and she’d rested for most of the day. Josh had stuck around to keep her hydrated and play guard dog. Even though the stalker had been arrested and was awaiting trial, Tess felt better knowing that he was there.
At Alex’s, though, Tess was feeling wide awake again.
“How are you doing? Have you been keeping up with the medications?”
She was a little reluctant to actually answer his questions, afraid that he would assume some medical responsibility for her, even though all she wanted was to make out with him again. She was so tired of being babied by Josh that the thought of Alex doing the same was just not okay.
“Alex,” she said, channeling every sexy bone in her body, “Take me to bed.”
He got the idea. A shadow of a grin crossed his face, but he quickly switched to a more hesitant, questioning look. “Tess, you’ve been through so much today. Are you sure?”
She nodded, stepping towards him so that they were chest to chest. Her hands came to rest against his chest, and he leaned in to kiss her. He was so cautious, though; Tess wasn’t sure why, but she could sense that something was wrong.
Her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked into his eyes. There was something guarded in his expression. “Alex?”
He shook his head, as though he just wasn’t capable of answering. “I was just so worried. I was on the phone with you - I heard you scream, but I-” She touched his hair, understanding how helpless he must have felt. Not knowing how else to comfort him, she lay her head on his shoulder with her arms wrapped securely around his waist. She wasn’t sure what else to do.
“I love you, Tess.” Her heart may as well have leaped straight from her chest. Tess looked up to meet his eyes, not quite sure she believed what she had heard. His expression was unreadable as he continued. “I’ve never cared this much about anyone, and if you had been hurt today--” He closed his eyes, clearly unable to fully imagine it.
Alex leaned his forehead against hers, with his eyes squeezed shut as though in pain. He touched the sides of her face, her hair, her shoulders; he couldn’t seem to settle, restlessly checking for signs of harm.
“Why did you leave without telling me?” When he finally spoke, his voice was strained.
“I’m sorry,” Tess answered softly. She caught one of his hands with her own and pulled it to rest over her heart. “Please, Alex. I’m okay. I’m fine.”
He stood abruptly, pulling her with him. Ignoring her protests, Alex lifted her over his shoulder and carried her down the hallway. She resisted the urge to laugh, knowing just how upset he was with her, but couldn’t help feeling a little giddy as he tossed her onto his bed.
He pulled off her shoes, roughly kicking his own to the side as well. Alex pushed her - gently, curious gaze and all - onto her back. Tugging his tie off and casting it aside, he crawled up the bed to hover over her, eyes still wide with emotion.
“I love you,” he repeated. He didn’t seem to expect her to answer as he made to roll to the side, off of her, but she held fast to his t-shirt.
“I love you, too.” He seemed almost surprised that she reciprocated. But his smile took her breath away, and she knew they were going to b
e okay.
With all of the words she thought they needed out of the way, she kissed him. He met Tess’s lips with all of the anger and fear and frustration of the last few hours. He tugged a little harder on her lower lip, used a little more teeth as he nipped at her, his grip was just a little tighter than she was used to. She moaned, as he trailed from her mouth to her ear, then down towards her heart.
He laid out over her, resting his ear over her heart.
“Your heart is racing,” he noted, voice gruff and low.
She didn’t really have an answer to that, but she played with his hair as he lay there. The sound of their breathing was all she could hear, and quite frankly, all she needed for that moment. She could practically feel the tension draining from her body. The nightmare was over, and she had
Alex. Tess sighed, content.
Alex lifted his gaze to hers, leaning up on one arm. His eyes were clearer, now. More focused. Less frightened. She smiled softly and kissed him again; slower this time, and more deeply.
She followed him as he rolled onto his side, hands coming to rest on the curve of her hip, toying with the hem of her jeans. He used her belt loops to pull her closer. When he groaned into the kiss, she clutched at his shirt, loving the way he sounded when he wanted her.
“I need you. Please,” Alex murmured. “I need to feel that you’re really here. Safe.”
She bit her lip to hide her smile. Whispering sweet assurances in his ear, she pushed him over onto his back and straddled his hips. Locking eyes with him, she lifted her shirt with slow, deliberate movements. She watched the way he hungrily took in her body and felt his hardness on her leg.
She took his hands in hers, guiding them along her thighs.
“I’m right here,” she murmured, still watching him as he watched her. “And here,” she skimmed her hips and ribs, bringing his hands right along. “And here…”
It wasn’t long before he took control of his hands again. Sitting up, Alex brushed his lips over her collarbone as he reached around her to unhook the lacy, lavender colored bra she was wearing. Tess arched her back as he brought his lips to her nipple, unable to stop the gasp that escaped her. She felt him grin against her skin before he swirled his tongue around the hardening bud.