No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance

by Michelle Love

  A peal of laughter comes from the woman’s mouth. “Oh my! No! He’s never had another young lady in here. You’re the first, Alyssa.”

  The look on Alyssa’s face is priceless. With her wide eyes and her mouth in the shape of an ‘O’, I have to laugh. “Did you honestly think I was a ladies’ man?”

  The nod of her perfect little head tells me she did.

  The pilot comes in from the cockpit and gives us a wave. “Hello again, Eden. And this lovely young thing must be Alyssa,” he says and Alyssa gives him a nod. “I’m your pilot, Jeffery. Have you flown before?”

  “Once. It was a big plane, though. We went to Disney World in it. This is much better.”

  Jeffery smiles at her. “Well, let’s get this show on the road. I hear you two have a big date in Bath, Maine.”

  The word date makes Alyssa frown at me. I smile back and whisper in her ear, “I can’t help that this looks like a date to the untrained eye, princess. It’s okay. You and I know what it really is, right?”

  “I suppose,” she says with a slight tremor to her voice.

  I must’ve left that information out when I called Jeffery earlier. People at the restaurant will think it too.

  I can’t control the world, now can I?

  Lana gives us a smile before retreating with Jeffery to the cockpit. The engine starts and Alyssa looks nervously out the window as the sun sets. I take her hand in mine and place a kiss on it. “Are you nervous?”

  “I’ve been nervous, Eden. Now my butterflies have transformed into pterodactyls.”

  The jet rolls forward and her eyes widen. “Just sit back and hold my hand as tightly as you need to. We’ll be up in the air in no time and it’ll be smooth flying. I’m sure you’ll love it,” I say, and she leans her head back against the seat and closes her eyes.

  How will she feel when she can fly on her own?

  Her hand holds mine in a death grip. I watch her closely as she breathes in deep breaths. We level off and her eyes open. “That wasn’t so bad,” she says. Lightening her grip on me, she smiles embarrassedly. “Oh, sorry! I just about squeezed your hand off, huh?”

  Touching her bare shoulder with the tip of my finger, I trail it down her arm. “That’s what it’s there for, precious. Yours to use as you need to.”

  The cherry red of her lips is proving quite impossible to resist. When I draw my eyes up, away from them, I spot her eyeing mine. Her tongue darts out to lick hers. Perhaps she wants to taste mine as well.

  Please let her change her mind about the no kissing rule.

  Lana pops out of the cockpit. “I’ll bring you two something to drink. Eden likes this little alcohol-free cocktail I make,” she says, then pops into the small galley door.

  Alyssa giggles, and I almost grab her and kiss her, it stirs me so. “She’s adorable, Eden,” she says.

  “She’s the sweetest. Jeffery and Lana also belong to the organization our parents do. I have to confess something to you.”

  The tension in her body is obvious. “No! Please, no confessions.”

  I laugh. “It’s nothing bad, princess. It’s just I can’t take my eyes off you. You’re gorgeous. I’ll be the envy of every man this evening.”

  The fluttering of her eyelashes beats her blushing cheeks as she swats playfully at my arm. “Eden! You big flatterer. Look at your own reflection, Mr. Fashion Model. The women will all swoon as you pass their tables, silverware will drop from feminine hands, and conversations will be halted.”

  She finds me as enticing as I do her. This is working. Soon she’ll choose me on her own, without being made to marry me. She’ll want to.

  Please, let her want to marry me.

  “You seem deep in thought, Eden. Let’s not read too much into this. Our outer appearances may be looking fine this evening, but it’s what’s on the inside which counts. Don’t you agree?”

  “I agree with you, wholeheartedly, princess. I find you beautiful inside and out. Your good nature and kind spirit are as beautiful as your plump red lips and sapphire eyes. I could go on and on about all which is appealing about you.” She’s told me she thinks what we feel is lust, so it’s imperative I show her I love her thoroughly, not just physically.

  “I must confess you have a few beautiful characteristics as well. Your hatred for Kyle is about all I can find wrong with you,” she says, and it makes me feel terrible that she thinks I hate anyone.

  Pulling both her hands to my chest, I lean forward. “Alyssa, please know I have no hate for him. The feelings I have for him are from insecurity in myself. I have to admit to you that it is jealousy which I feel. The moment I laid my eyes on you, I felt something stir in me.”

  A smirk forms on her precious lips. “Yeah, that was probably just your male hormones, Eden. I was lying on the ground, probably a pool of blood forming around my head, and you felt something for the poor girl laid out on the pavement. Most guys would.”

  She isn’t taking me seriously. Remembering something from the hospital, I trail my fingers lightly over her collar bone. “I doubt my hormones and your accident are all to blame for my reaction to you. If I recall, you reacted to my touch much in the same way.”

  Lana pops back out of the galley with our drinks in her hands. “Oops! Hope I didn’t interrupt you two lovebirds.”

  Alyssa rolls her eyes. “It’s not a date, Lana. Sorry for the confusion. I happen to have a boyfriend. Eden is just being kind enough to show me how great a fancy jet ride and a meal at a five-star restaurant can be, since he’s filthy rich. I made him take me to a café this afternoon and he wants to show me how much of a dive it is since I keep singing its praises. That’s all. Don’t read anything more than that into it. We’re friends, that’s all.”

  Lana hands my mate her glass of dark red liquid with a knowing smile on her face. She’s not the best poker player I’m going to guess, as she looks as if she’s about to blurt out what and who Alyssa really is.

  “I see. My mistake,” Lana says to Alyssa. “It’s just that the two of you have a glow about you I’ve seen few couples have. Finding someone who can make your inner self spark so much that the outer self glows with the intensity is rare. One with such a gift would seldom think of a relationship with another, I would think. So do tell about this boyfriend, then, because he must be something extremely special if he outshines what you and Eden have going on.”

  Though Alyssa has held Lana’s gaze as she spoke, she drops her head, perhaps in embarrassment. She says, “So you mean to tell me it’s obvious? I can’t hide it?”

  Lana hands me my drink and lifts Alyssa’s face up by her chin, making her look at her. “Nor can he, child. I’m sure this high school boyfriend is fantastic, but the man who sits next to you brings something out in you, and you in him. I should say, if it was me, I’d give this thing you two have a better chance. It’s rare and shouldn’t be taken for granted.” Lana takes her hand away and stands up, retreating back to the galley, pausing long enough to look back over her shoulder. “But that’s just me, sweetheart. You have to do as your heart tells you to.”

  We sit in silence for a minute or two as Alyssa stares out the window into the dark night. I pray what Lana has said is not making the wheels in her head spin out of control. I guess I should’ve stopped Lana from speaking her mind, but it needed to be said, I think.

  I sip my drink, then place my hand on her shoulder. “I’d love to be able to hear your thoughts. Would you like to share them with me?” I ask.

  “It’s going to kill him, Eden.” Her voice quivers and my heart breaks for her.

  This is all my fault.

  I toss the rest of the small drink down my throat, then rise and leave it, as well as hers, on the small table by the galley. Her eyes have not moved from the window. Tiny tears wait to fall. I drop to my knees in front of her and take her hands in mine, laying them on her lap. “Please look at me, princess.”

  Her breath pulls in deep as she turns her head to look down at me. “There is n
othing you can say that can make this better. I need more time, Eden.”

  That is the one thing we don’t have and it kills me. “Should I leave you alone?”

  Her eyes glisten as the tears threaten further. “I fear it would kill me if you did. Even as you said the words, my heart felt as if a sharp dagger had been plunged into it. I’m a mess with a boyfriend. You should want none of what I have to offer, which is nothing but a lot of drama.”

  The fact she thinks she has nothing to offer makes me furious at myself. I did this to her.

  “You have much to offer, Alyssa. Stop talking down about yourself. It’s beneath you. You’re special and will do amazing things with your life. You were not born to be ordinary. Not one day of your life should have been spent that way. Set him free, and he’ll begin to heal and so will you.”

  One tear rolls down her pink cheek. I quickly brush it away with my thumb. “I can’t do that, Eden. I just can’t hurt him like that.”

  The softness in her heart, which she was born with to fulfill her destiny, has taken in that boy and I doubt it will ever release him. The capacity to hurt people is not something she was built with, nor was I.

  It’s obvious our protectors will have to deal with this situation, and now I fear for the boy.

  Sitting back down in the seat beside her, I put my arm around her and gently push her to lie her head on my shoulder.

  “This is not how I want this evening to move forward. Put this out of your head and let us have an enjoyable evening out.”

  One of her silky black tendrils tickles my nose and I sneeze.

  With a small giggle, she lifts her head and looks at me. “Deal! Show me your world, Mr. Fontaine. I’m eager to see how the other half lives. Show me all I’ve been missing. I hope the chef can beat the lobster I get at the Lobster Shack. It’s pretty dang great and it’ll be hard to beat.”

  A turn in her attitude has taken place. Although cheery, I know she’s repressing emotions and thoughts, which is never good.

  I’ll go along, though. Once our protectors deal with Kyle, she’ll have no choice but to move on. She’ll need me more than ever then.

  CHAPTER19

  ALYSSA

  This place is beyond anything I imagined. The instant we arrived, we were seated in the most elegant, small, private dining room. The waiter placed a napkin on my lap and later tied a bib around my neck so I would get no lobster juices on the gorgeous dress my parents gave me.

  Eden shines like an angel across the table from me. He was right. This is so much better than Trixie’s or the Lobster Shack.

  The stewardess on the private jet, an adorable woman with a warmth about her which makes her easy to like, said something disturbing about us. She said we glowed.

  If that’s true, which I pretty much think it is, then Kyle will see it as well. Though I’m trying my hardest not to, I’m falling hard for Eden.

  The lifestyle he leads is so different from mine that I don’t understand how we’ll work out anyway. Yet I find myself thinking maybe we could.

  This place is something I could get used to. The food is another thing which would make me happy.

  The man who sits across from me, making me laugh like I never have in my life, would definitely make my life more enjoyable.

  My high society skills are sorely lacking. Instead of embarrassing me about my shortcomings by telling me how I need to do every little thing, he’s made light of my inexperience.

  I just about slapped the waiter when he leaned over me, placing a linen napkin on my lap and smoothing it out in what I thought was an attempt to cop a feel. Eden joked with the waiter about it, leaving my dignity intact.

  Carelessly, he pops a mint into his mouth. His luscious caramel-colored lips open to accept the dainty pink thing. A flick of his tongue as it runs quickly over his bottom lip makes me bite at mine.

  “So, better than the burger at Trixie’s?” he asks.

  I blink and look from his lips to his eyes. His gorgeous emerald eyes. “Uh, yeah,” I mumble like an idiot.

  What he does to me is insane.

  He rises and comes to my side, holding his hand out to me. “I would be very pleased if you would come and dance with me, princess.”

  Since the bib has been removed and the napkin is long gone, I suppose I can spare him a dance. “If it would please you, then by all means, yes.”

  My hand tingles in his as he leads me to a dance floor with several other couples dancing on it.

  His arm wraps around me as he pulls me close to him. Our eyes meet for a second before I lay my head on his chest.

  He moves me about and somehow my feet follow as if we’ve danced together forever, which we haven’t. Our bodies seem perfectly fitted together.

  He’s taller than I am, but just the right amount of taller. The top of my head comes to his broad shoulders, making my head fit perfectly against his chest. The music is soft enough for me to hear the soft beat of his heart.

  After this night, I have to make a choice between Kyle and Eden. I don’t want to string either along any longer. I feel it’s cruel and can no longer take giving them pain.

  My choice seems clear. I know this. Yet my heart refuses to let Kyle go. It tells me I love him more.

  A warmth fills my ear as Eden’s velvet voice speaks softly. “You dance like an angel.”

  My heart speeds up. That’s what happens to me all the time with Eden. My heart either drops a beat or speeds up. Sometimes it aches, and when he asked me if he should leave me alone, I felt a sharp, stabbing sensation.

  Every time we touch, it seems electricity flows between us. For Christ’s sake, he just looks at me and heat rushes through me, straight to my lower regions.

  This thing we have is too intense. Like most things of that nature, I fear it will burn out just as quickly as it came on, leaving me destroyed. I would have destroyed Kyle for no reason.

  The music ends and Eden still holds me. I pick up my head and smile at him. “Thank you, Eden. You certainly know how to show a girl a good time.”

  Running a finger along his jaw line down to his chin, my body threatens to betray my very own rule of no kissing on this little outing I’ve allowed him to take me on.

  “Alyssa, you’re the only girl I wish to show a good time.” His finger mimics my motions and my jaw clenches to stay in control.

  If I allow a kiss, I’ll never be able to do what I have to. The life he leads is beyond fantastic, but I’m ordinary, no matter how Eden sees me.

  I fear he looks at me through rose-colored glasses. I could never rise to his standards. Even if I managed to do it, I could never keep it up.

  Normal has always been my life. It’s much too late to change that now. I’d never fit into his world.

  “This has been fun and a great adventure, but I think it’s time to go back home, don’t you?” I ask.

  “I could hold you like this forever, but if you’re ready to go, we will. As always, princess, your wish is my command.”

  The hour is late and I’m exhausted. As we sit on the jet’s seats, I lean my head on Eden’s shoulder.

  Once we level off, he kisses the top of my head and says, “Come, precious, you can lie down on the bed.”

  He leads me to a door at the back of the small cabin and opens it, revealing a large bed with a dark red bedspread and plush pillows.

  “Eden, this is beautiful.” I plop onto the soft bed. It’s heavenly and I kick off my shoes and lie back.

  Eden stands, watching me as he smiles. This will be our last outing together and our last night together. It should be more than what I’ve allowed it to be. This thing we have should go out with a bang. I pat the bed next to me.

  “You want me to lie down with you?” he asks with raised eyebrows.

  I nod as I bite my lip in anticipation of what my body will do when he makes his next move. In slow motion, he kicks off his shoes, takes off his jacket, and tosses it on a chair. His hand runs through his hair. The dim light
casts dark shadows over his tanned face.

  My heart stops as he climbs onto the bed on his hands and knees and says, “Alyssa, I know you said no kissing and I respect your wishes. I only want you to know I’m exercising the most self-control I’ve ever had to because of my deep respect for you.”

  Why does he respect me so much? And why do I want him to ignore my rule, hold me down, and take me like he owns me?

  The way his body hovers over mine a bit is leaving me breathless. My entire body prickles with anticipation, need, want, and desire. I can’t deny it anymore.

  “Eden, will you kiss me and end this torture I’m putting us both through.”

  Emerald eyes twinkle back at me and small wrinkles form at the corners as he smiles. “As you wish, princess.”

  Pushing my hair from my face, our eyes search the others’ for what seems like an eternity. This kiss hasn’t happened and I’m already breathing hard, and so is he.

  Slowly, he inches his face closer to mine and our eyes close. Warm breath fills my slightly open mouth as his lips nearly touch mine. I suck it in, tasting him and what might possibly be his soul.

  Sweet Jesus, this is intense and our lips have yet to meet!

  Pulling in a breath, he sucks mine out and groans as he does. My body shakes as I run my tongue around my mouth finding the sweetness he left there.

  It’s everywhere, behind my front teeth, around my molars, and down my throat. The smell of flowers fills my nostrils as blood rushes to my lower regions, setting them on fire. He hasn’t even kissed me and I’m ready to pull my clothes off and give myself to him.

  His hand strokes my cheek as his lips touch mine very gently. Stars fill my head. Some galaxy, dark, yet full of light, pulses in my mind.

  A sound comes from me without my realizing it—a tiny shriek. Eden moans and deepens his kiss, filling my mouth with his sweetness and prompting me to arch my body up to his.

  I run my arms around him and pull his body to mine. Our tongues intertwine as we taste each other and explore the deep recesses.