Seductive Knight

by Tierney O'Malley

  Gawain listened carefully. He loved hearing her accent, but he’d already figured out that her thick accent would show when nervous. “These are beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Did you say Ema collected these? Who’s Ema?”

  “My brother.”

  “Brother?” Gawain frowned. “You’re an only child, Alex. Did Molly—”

  “No. She didn’t remarry if that’s what you’re going to ask. Mom remained faithful with Dad until the end.”

  Gawain walked to the pantry and took out bags of chips, cookies, and crackers. He placed them all in front of Alex. “Have some of those while I make us sandwiches.”

  “Thank you.”

  He opened the fridge and grabbed a block of cheese, lettuce, ham and turkey, and mayonnaise, placing them all in the counter. “Want tomatoes in your sandwich?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “So, how did Ema become your brother?”

  “When we arrived in Palawan, we didn’t have a place to stay, so Nanni and Ema took us in. Then when Mom died, Nanni raised me. That’s how I gained a brother.”

  He opened the cupboard, took two plates out and quickly made the sandwiches. “Did you know them prior to going to the Philippines?”

  “No.”

  He cut Alex’s sandwich in half. “I know you want to rest, but I’m curious about what happened to you and Molly. You two just disappeared.”

  “As much as I’d like to tell you everything, I have to wait until I talk to Baskerville, Gawain.”

  “I understand. Eat.”

  Alex picked up half of the sandwich. “This looks so good.”

  “Tastes good, too. Can you tell me more about this necklace, or does the story have to wait also?” He sat down on the chair and started eating. The necklace wasn’t long and definitely of no value, but the twinkle in Alex’s eyes at the mere mention of the necklace indicated it was priceless to her. The starfish that served as a pendant rested just below the hollow of her throat.

  “Ema would give me a shell for my birthday. I turned them into this.” Alex licked the juice off her lips.

  Gawain watched the pink tongue dart out. The memory of their recent kiss fired up his blood, making him sweetly uncomfortable. Shit, he wanted to kiss her again.

  Fuckin’ eh. This is Alex, moron. I already kissed her once. That’s enough.

  Damn. Why was he reacting to Alex this way? She’d just come back after eleven years of absence. He’d been around beautiful women, but never had his libido jumped as if he’d been incarcerated for years.

  Ignoring his carnal thoughts, he took big bites of his sandwich. What the hell was wrong with him? Good fucking God. In a matter of minutes, Alex’s presence had turned his mind into a riot of confused blob. He opened the bags of chips and dipped his hand inside. “Chips?”

  “Sure.” Alex peaked inside the bag and then took a handful of chips.

  He couldn’t stop watching her eat. If she licked her lips one more time, he wouldn’t be responsible for his next action. Deciding it would be better to keep distance between them, he stood up in a hurry. “You sure you don’t want real food?”

  “These are real.”

  “I mean real food. Like spaghetti and French bread, steak and potatoes. Rice and chicken. Something like that.”

  “Maybe later. Thank you, though.” Alex smiled.

  Gawain’s cock throbbed.

  Shit.

  Gawain noticed Alex’s primness. She didn’t used to be that way. One would think she went to the School of Manners for young Misses. If the place even existed.

  “Nanni and Ema. Were they good to you?”

  “Very good. They took us in without question, shared their home, food, and loved us. I am what I am today because of them.”

  “Glad to hear that.”

  Alex touched her necklace. “Nanni and Ema are my family now. I’ll go back to them as soon as I talk to Baskerville and figure things out.”

  “That’s the plan?”

  “Yes. I wouldn’t have come back here if it weren’t for the promise that I gave Mom.”

  He shouldn’t ask, but his curiosity won. “Did you ever consider coming back at all if you didn’t make a promise to Molly?”

  “Honestly? No. I guess it was my way of avoiding what happened. Also, I am happy in the Philippines. I live on an island, a paradise.”

  Gawain nodded. He wondered if she thought of him from time to time, because he’d never actually stopped thinking about her. “Home is the Philippines now.”

  “Yes. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  “All right. You just got here, so let’s not talk about your going back to the Philippines right now.” Gawain opened a drawer, took out a small knife, and cut small pieces of cheese. He took two Ritz crackers, then sandwiched the cheese in between. He handed it to Alex. “Eat.”

  “Thank you.” She took a bite and closed her eyes.

  Gawain noticed how long her eyelashes were. Even without mascara, they were thick and curled up a bit. “Hey, don’t fall asleep on the table. If you do, I’ll carry you like a sack of potatos.”

  “Funny. You live here alone?”

  “Yes. Why?” Gawain made more cracker sandwiches. They shared the plate. He watched Alex eat, but he even found the way she chewed her food sexy. Sweet tooth!

  “I just want to make sure no woman would cut my hair while I’m sleeping. Aside from my mom and sister, and the women that Bors asks me to let stay, I’ve never brought a special one here.”

  “Why?”

  “Haven’t found the one worth cooking for.”

  “Maybe the right time hasn’t arrived yet.” Alex finished her sandwich, leaving nothing on her plate. “That was really good.”

  “Thanks. You haven’t tried my barbecue ribs. Man, I make a kick-ass sauce to die for.”

  “Okay. I look forward to tasting your sauce.” She covered her mouth with the back of her hand and then let out a lusty yawn.

  “Sheez, I don’t recall ever talking to a woman and putting her to sleep. You wound me, love.”

  Alex smiled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so stressed and nervous, and worried before I even left Manila. Couldn’t sleep right. It’s as if my body is so wound up, I couldn’t relax. Until a few minutes ago. I don’t know.” She sighed. “Arriving here, felt like I finally reached the finish line and could finally relax. My body and brain are so tired.”

  “All right. You’re forgiven. Want another sandwich?”

  “No. If I could lie down for a bit, that would be nice.”

  “No problem.” After finishing his food, he wiped his hands on his pants, then picked up their plates and put them in the sink.

  “I’ll help.” Alex stood up.

  “Nah. Ready to go upstairs? I’ll carry you if you want.”

  Alex raised a brow at Gawain’s jibe. “No, thank you. After the crackers, now I weigh like a dinosaur. Not even your muscular arms could carry me.”

  Gawain flexed his arms. “These boys?” He pretended to kiss each one. “Are the best. They’ve never let me down.”

  “Still, you’re not carrying me.”

  “Okay. The bedrooms are upstairs.” Gawain took her hand and laced their fingers together. He was glad when Alex squeezed his hand.

  “How come you weren’t so happy when you first saw me?”

  “I wasn’t?”

  “You looked at me like I was some kind of an intruder.”

  Gawain picked up her bag, then slung the strap on his shoulder. “It’s not you. It’s why you are here that had me frowning. You’re not the first woman Bors, now Edmund, too, dropped at my doorstep. I’m not happy seeing the women here because their presence means they’ve been a victim of the system, their family, society. You name it.”

  “And you let them stay here for three days only.”

  “Yes. They can’t hide in here forever. They must find their own feet. The sooner the better. Hiding is no
t the answer to their problems. Fighting is, be it their own demons or the government. Maybe someday I could build a house for battered or lost women in need of protection.”

  “That would be nice. You made it a point not to know the name or background of those women. Why?”

  “It’ll only bug me. It’s bad enough that I hear what happened to them. Knowing their names would make our connection deeper and personal.”

  “Why is Bors using your house?”

  “Bors is only doing what the government should be doing. He’s an FBI Agent, but he goes beyond his call of duty to help.”

  “Wow. An FBI Agent. He must be smart and tough.” Alex ran her hand on the wood rail as she took a step.

  “He is. Just don’t tell him that. My parents would surely feel happy to hear that you are okay. In fact, I’m sure they already heard that you came back.”

  “I look forward to seeing them again.”

  “You will.”

  “Gawain, you don’t have to change your daily schedule because I am here. Baskerville will help me with everything. You don’t need to get involved.

  “Baby, the moment I realized who you were, I am already involved. As long as you are living here, you are under my protection. The Knight’s protection.”

  * * * *

  Alex didn’t think she’d be talking to anyone except for Baskerville. What would Gawain and the rest of the Knights say if they heard that her mother had killed a man? What about Aunt and Grandma? They never accepted Mom because of her past. They said a whore had no room in the Rose family. She couldn’t imagine what they’d say now if they heard the story. Lord, who else knew about Mom’s past? She shouldn’t care about what other people thought, but she couldn’t help but wish the Knights weren’t informed.

  Alex’s palm started to sweat. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay here? You’re busy and—”

  “You’re not going anywhere, Alex. You will not disappear on me again. I don’t care if you dump paint on my shoes or pretend you want me to see your bleeding hang nail, then as I bend down to look at it, you punch me, smile, and then run away.”

  “You remembered.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Wow. Took you so many years, huh?”

  “Better late than never.” She followed Gawain as they climbed the stairs. She hoped he wouldn’t look at her differently when she told him everything.

  “What made you do that?” Gawain stood at the landing. “Ruin my shoes and Reina’s. It wasn’t nice, you know.”

  “I was provoked. So, my actions were well thought out and justified.”

  “Provoked? As far as I can recall, I was nice to you that day. But you, born a brat, had to ruin a perfectly good day.”

  “Do you honestly think that I would ruin my own birthday party? Mom and I worked so hard preparing everything so it would look perfect. It was your girlfriend who ruined my birthday.”

  “No. You ruined her dress by dripping juice all over it.”

  Alex crossed her arms and then glared at Gawain. After all these years, he was still defending that bitch. “And how do you think Tully got juice all over her?”

  Gawain frowned. “Tully. The turtle I gave you?”

  “Yes. How do you think he ended up swimming in the punch bowl?”

  “Reina did it?”

  “Yes. She told me you and her bought the turtle. She said other awful things that day.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “Because you were so in love with her, she could do nothing wrong. She could burn down your house and you’d probably say it was an accident.”

  Gawain’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “Man, you’re still mad about that day, huh?”

  “Of course. It was my tenth birthday and she ruined it.”

  “Okay, I don’t want to argue about what happened when we were kids.” He motioned for her to follow him.

  “You started it,” she mumbled.

  “God, you sound like my sister. Here you go.” Gawain opened the door and waited for her to enter first.

  “Wow.” Really different from Nanni’s house. She noticed a shirt hung on the chair and a laptop on the desk. There were papers and envelopes there, too. “Someone uses this room.”

  “This is my room.”

  “What? I can’t use this.”

  “Yes, you can. This is the only one right now that is ready. The cleaning lady is not coming until Saturday.”

  “What about the room that your guests always use?”

  “I don’t want you using that room.”

  “Earlier you thought—”

  “That was earlier, love. Don’t argue. Just listen, okay?”

  “All right.” Alex wanted to volunteer to prepare a different room, but she was too tired to do anything. She scanned the fully furnished room. The four-poster bed was too high. She’d have to climb to get in it. She wondered how she would manage to sleep on the bed. It was so humongous she feared it would swallow her alive if she lay on it.

  A dresser with a mirror, desk, and a chair all with the same type of wood and color made the room so cozy. The furniture must all be antique.

  As if reading her mind, Gawain explained, “My mom helped me pick the bedroom set and the furniture downstairs.”

  “She has good taste. Just so you know, Gawain, I’m used to sleeping on a cot. I don’t think I should—”

  Gawain stood by the bed while she stood in the middle of the room facing the large glass window. “Just sleep here for now. I’ll have the other room ready. How’s that.”

  “Okay. Where would you sleep?”

  “Here. The bed is big enough.”

  Alex couldn’t believe Gawain said the words as if it wasn’t a big deal to share a bed with him. “We can’t. I mean…it’s not…”

  “I’m kidding! Babe, we have five bedrooms here and the sofa downstairs is big enough to accommodate my size. Don’t worry about me. Hey, you know you can see the sunset from here,” Gawain said, moving to stand behind her. “Stay here for as long as you want, imp. And forget about staying with your friend.”

  “But I’ll stay with the Baskervilles when they are better.”

  “We’ll see. If you need anything, just let me know.” Gawain placed her bag at the bottom of the bed.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t need to say anything. Can I get you something?”

  “No, thank you. How’s your family, by the way?” Tidbits of information about his family would be adequate, for now, to appease her overflowing curiosity. Otherwise, she’d burst into a million pieces if she didn’t start asking him questions. God, it felt as if she wanted to squeeze everything that she had missed for eleven years into one day. She wanted to know everything!

  “They are all great. Probably talking about you as we speak. Tristan, Bors, and Percival are all married now.”

  “How wonderful. Are your parents Grandmama and Grandpapa now?”

  “Yes. They are over the moon.”

  “I’m sure they are very proud.”

  This time, Gawain chuckled. “Yeah. Bors and his wife Taylor have a little girl, Pen. She’s a year old. Beautiful, but leaks on both ends. Percival’s wife is three going on four months pregnant. Tristan’s kid, Lucan is three and a hoot. He’s a terror. A brat like you. Kirsten is still single.”

  “And you?”

  “As single as anyone can be.”

  “Are the women here blind?”

  “No. They’re just not the right one.”

  “Looking for the perfect one?”

  “I’m not sure who I am looking for.”

  “Are you looking?”

  Gawain shrugged. “By the way, Bors is having everyone for a barbecue at their house this Saturday. You’ll see the family. Kids in diapers. Do you mind being around kids?”

  Alex smiled. “I love children and I would never tire of listening to them. I taught children on the island. It’s wonderful
to have them around.”

  “Good. All right, enough chat for now. You should rest. You look dead on your feet. Everything that I’m telling you is probably not registering in your brain. Questions and answers will come later. For now, don’t worry about anything. Just forget about the world and sleep.”

  Alex sighed. “Forget the world. I wish I could do just that. Even at least for a minute. But, I just can’t stop thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “Cruelty that resides in people’s hearts along with society and how quickly people condemn a person without looking into the cause of his or her actions because she had an unsavory past. That’s the way of the world, isn’t it? People believe everything they see and hear, especially if it’s about someone’s life, without knowing the whole truth. People pass judgment too quickly to turn their attention of the general public away from their own mess. Since I was a little girl, I’ve been hearing whispers about my mother. Even Reina laughed in my face and called my mother a whore. I told myself to ignore it, but couldn’t. Not when it involves my mother’s name. Then that awful night happened. It wasn’t enough that she’d been called names, someone also tried to ruin her. My mom is gone now because that person won. Now, I am here because I promised Mom to right what was wronged. Until I achieve that, I won’t be able to just stop thinking, worrying.”

  “Baby, I don’t know what it was that had made you and Molly leave. Know this, though, no one in my family judges her. We do not conform to society’s standards and we do not listen to whispers. We are not perfect, but we know not to judge.”

  Alex closed her eyes and let out a tired sigh. “I’m sorry. My mouth ran away with me.”

  Lord, she felt too tired to speak, to move, or even think. Gawain must have seen it.

  “I don’t mind at all. Hey, baby. Rest. At least try. Think about the good things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Me.”

  Alex laughed. “You want to me have a nightmare then?”

  Gawain pulled a lock of her hair. “Sleep as long as you want.”

  “I’ll try.” Her eyes were half shut already. Since her mother died, she had slept fretfully, had bad dreams that she’d wake up screaming from. Then she’d lost sleep since Nanni told her about this trip. God, she could feel sleep pulling her into nothingness, but she knew once she lay down, her mind wouldn’t rest.