“Thought so.”
Chapter Eight
Gawain watched Bors’s truck disappear around the corner before going back inside the house. He found Alex in the kitchen, leaning against the kitchen isle. She didn’t hear him, so Gawain took the chance to admire her from behind.
She had a nice body any man would give anything to touch. Small waistline, perfectly shaped ass, long legs, and damn, she had breasts that begged to be cupped. Bors’s double entendre that he’d have his hands full had him laughing. No matter how perfect she looked on the outside, though, he knew she’d been scarred inside. She’d been through a lot. He couldn’t imagine the pain she’d had to endure. An overwhelming urge to protect her assaulted him. She was a long lost friend. He’d do everything to help her. “You thinking about food?”
Alex looked back at him. “Kind of.”
“I made spaghetti, fried rice, broccoli beef, grilled cheese, and hotdogs. I didn’t know what you wanted so I decided to make them all.”
“You cooked all of them?”
“Yeah.”
“Gawain,” she said his name followed by a sigh. “We have food on the island. It’s not like I’ve been starving, you know.”
“You could have fooled me. You look emaciated.”
“That’s why I’m bursting out of this top.”
“Really? Didn’t notice.” Gawain thought if she indeed burst out in front of him, he wouldn’t mind at all. Her breasts were to die for. He glanced at those sweet mounds. His mouth watered and his cock pulsed. Fuck me!
“So you can cook.”
“Yeah.”
“You mean, you really know how to use all of these appliances?”
Gawain laughed. He stood beside her and then nudged her with his shoulder. “I wouldn’t have these things installed if I didn’t need them. So, what is it then?”
“I’ll have grilled cheese, please.”
“I expected you to say rice.”
“We eat rice morning, noon and night. You have no idea how many times I dreamed of having pancakes dripping with melted butter and syrup, cheeseburger loaded with green stuff, and salty French fries. Since you took the trouble of making grilled cheese, I’m sure it’s better.”
“Or we could go out and have a burger.”
“Tempting, but I’d rather we eat here.”
“Trying not to hurt my feelings?”
“No! Really. I just want to stay home.”
“All right. Diet Coke?”
Alex smiled. “If it is caffeine free.”
“Sprite then,” he nudged her, making her laugh. “I keep Sprite in the fridge for Lucan. He’s too young to drink soda pop, but I’m not his parents. If he comes over, I’ll give him anything as long as it’s caffeine free. Now, what’s your reason for avoiding caffeine?”
“Meniere’s disease.”
“That horrible dizzy spells?”
“Yeah. You know about it?”
“Learned about it through bad experience. One of my students didn’t tell anyone about Meniere’s until she started training on how to fly the seaplane. She got real dizzy. Luckily, they were still floating on water. The plane’s movement triggered her dizziness. She was taken to the hospital. So, I’ve heard Meniere’s disease is the bad ass kind of Vertigo.”
“Yes. Twice I was taken to the clinic because the dizziness wouldn’t stop.”
“I’ve been dizzy, too. After drinking.”
“I’m sure we’re talking about different kinds of dizziness.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t poke fun.”
“Meniere’s is an inner ear problem that could be associated with allergies. Someone told me that I’ve damaged my ears, too. Don’t know how if I did.”
“When it happens, you feel like the whole world is spinning, right?”
“Really fast, to the point that I can’t even open my eyes. Ifeel the spinning sensation for hours. Can’t move and eat. If I move, I throw up. Throwing up makes me more dizzy because I’m moving. It’s horrible. I don’t want it to happen to anyone. I’ve lost so much weight because of it.”
“Poor baby. How often do you experience it?”
“My last episode was seven months ago. I haven’t had one since I avoided salt and caffeine. The doctor said Meniere’s goes in remission. So I am a dormant volcano right now. I could blow up anytime.”
“Any meds for it?”
“I got Meclezine once. Expensive. Didn’t get a refill. The doctors couldn’t really tell me what triggers my dizziness. Ema did a research. He found that caffeine and salt could be the culprit. So I avoided both. Like I said, I’ve been dizzy-free for seven months. Although, fast movements, turns, something like that makes me kind of feel weird. I’m afraid I can’t enjoy rides anymore.”
“There are others rides, baby. Better, even.”
“What kind?”
The delicious kind, he thought. Shut up, Gawain.
“It’s a Small World at Disneyland. Tristan and Julie are planning on taking Lucan there when he’s a bit older.”
“Aww. I love that ride.” Alex smiled, but her face registered sadness.
He didn’t like seeing her sad so he quickly changed the subject. “Well, no caffeine for you, sweets. Sucks that you got it.”
“Big time.”
Gawain had the grilled cheese in front of Alex in no time. She smelled it first with her eyes closed, then started cutting it in little squares. She ate slowly, but he could tell she wanted to devour the food. “Alex, I don’t want you to think about anything. Like Bors said, let him and Dad figure things out. Just catch up on things that you’ve missed. Be comfortable here.”
“I’m comfortable.”
“Comfortable is being you. I want you to be you.” He put a stress on the last words.
Alex’s cheeks turned a lovely pink. “I am being me.”
“How? You’re acting as if the Queen of England took over your body right now. Want me to show you how to eat that sandwich the American way?”
Laughing, Alex picked up her sandwich and took a hearty bite.
“Good.” Later, he’d find out why she kept on acting so prim when it was obvious she didn’t like it. “Did you get a good nap?”
“Yes, thank you. I got lost in your huge bed. It’s the best place to hide.”
“You can hide there as long as you want.”
“No. It’s not right. I’ll move in to your guestroom.”
“Nah. You slept on my bed already. I don’t want your cooties.”
Alex shrugged. “Sorry about that. By the way, I got curious, so I checked everything in your room. Used your comb to scratch my legs and brushed my fingernails with your toothbrush. Touched your airplane models and then I started trying on your clothes. I’m wearing your boxers right now.”
“Nooo.” He pretended to look worried. “Not the boxers.”
Gawain grinned when Alex laughed so hard, she started choking. She sounded like an angel. At least something stayed the same—her sense of humor. He bet she’d look good in his shirts and boxers. “So what do you want to do on your first day back?”
“I wanted to see my house first. I guess that shouldn’t happen yet.”
“Not until we have the go signal from Bors. Sorry.
“Does he think Aunt and—”
“Trust Bors. He’s the best.”
Alex nodded, her eyes downcast.
Just like that, the mirth in her eyes was gone. She looked so depleted. “What would wondering and worrying do right now? Nothing. You said you’d go back to the Philippines as soon as you cleared everything. Might as well enjoy your time here while Dad and Bors are figuring things out.” He touched the light crease between her brows. “Stop frowning and biting your lips. Hey, cheer up.”
“Can’t help it. I’ve been waiting for this moment to arrive. To find answers. To prove that Mom was innocent.”
“And it’ll happen. See, we already know that there is no dead man, really. And we learned that on your f
irst day here. Bors and Dad are good. He’ll find more information.” He could tell Alex was getting flustered again. Her accent was emerging. “Okay.” He held his hands up. “How about this, while my brother is doing the digging, I’ll be the one who will entertain you.”
“Entertain me?”
“Yes. We’ll have fun.” He picked up a slice of Alex’s grilled cheese. “Open.”
“Wha—”
He popped the slice in her mouth. “Chew.”
Alex laughed while chewing her food. “What, pray tell, are you going to do? Feed me until I turn into a blimp?”
“We’ll do things that you’ve missed or things that you didn’t get to do. Something like that. But, there is a rule.”
“Lord, I hate rules. I’ve been following so many for years.”
“Such as?”
“Uhm, don’t talk to strangers, especially a man, no matter how good looking he is.” Alex laughed. “Never mind. So what’s your rule?”
“In exchange for my precious time entertaining you, while you are here, you are not allowed to ask questions or talk about what happened in the past. Except when Bors, Dad or Baskerville are asking you questions.”
Alex raised a brow. “And if I ask you questions about my past?”
Gawain could have thought of many things, but what came out of his mouth surprised them both. “You’ll have to kiss me.”
“Kiss you?” Alex grinned. “What about if I just wash the dishes or clean this house?”
“No. That would be too easy. You’d probably ask questions while you’re on your hands and knees scrubbing the floor.”
Alex sighed. “I’ve been gone for many years. You have no idea how these questions in my head are keeping me awake. I want answers.”
“You will. As I said, the questions and answers will happen only when Bors, Dad or Baskerville are with us. Okay. Baby, think about what you want to do that you’ve missed.”
“A lifetime is probably not enough to catch up on what I’ve missed. Remember, I was gone eleven years.”
“We’ll make a list.” Gawain opened a drawer and grabbed a pen and paper. “Don’t stop eating, babe. I spent hours making that grilled cheese sandwich.”
Alex laughed. “It’s really good. You’re a pro.”
“I love to eat. Mom said it is only right that I should learn how to cook. Besides, she told me that a man who knows his way around the kitchen is more attractive than those who couldn’t cook.”
“If you get more attractive, you’ll look like a woman.”
He heard laughter in her voice. Gawain leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. Cupping her cheek, he stared at her. “If I get more attractive?”
Alex leaned her cheek against his palm, but stopped right away. “You know what I mean,” she said, then bit her lower lip.
God, her mouth was driving him crazy. He ran his thumb back and forth on her cheek. “You’re beautiful yourself, you know.”
“Thank you.”
Unable to stop himself, he leaned in even closer for a quick kiss. Alex surprised him when she met him in the middle. He meant the kiss to be just a peck, but her mouth was warm, velvety, and so sexy. He moved his mouth over hers, caressing, testing, before claiming her upper lip. It was a simple kiss, but enough to light him on fire. His cock came alive and darn it, he didn’t want to end the kiss at all. His good sense won, though. He raised his mouth from hers and then gazed into her eyes.
Alex’s eyes were bright with pleasure. He touched her lips with the pad of his thumb, dipped it a little bit until he felt the moistness inside of her mouth.
Shit! What the hell am I doing?
Instant attraction. Yeah, this was it. And one that was too strong to resist. If this continued, she’d be in his bed before the week was over. Gods, she’d not even been here a day and he was already seducing her with his kisses. Worse, he was powerless to stop himself. What the heck?
“You shouldn’t be kissing me,” she whispered.
“Love, you kissed back.”
Alex shook her head. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“My fault. It’s just…”
“What?”
“You’re so fucking irresistible.”
“You made that sound like it’s a sin.”
“It is.”
“Ema said the same thing, but without using the F word.”
“Your brother thought you were irresistible?” He frowned. “A brother doesn’t say that to a sister.”
“And it is okay to kiss a friend you haven’t seen in years on the first day she came back?”
Gawain shrugged. “Like I said, you’re irresistible.”
“You know you’re my childhood friend whom I’ve haven’t seen in eleven years. Now I’m back. We’re in the same house and you’ve already kissed me more than once. That’s just not…right. Nanni will have a conniption if she finds out.”
“Is avoiding kissing a man one of the rules you have to follow?”
“Kind of.”
Clearing his throat, he started clicking the pen. “Well then, I highly suggest that you don’t ask questions about your past.”
“Why should I be the one kissing you?”
Because if I’m the one to kiss you, I’ll make sure you ask me questions about your past every minute, he wanted to say. “Because a kiss is your punishment of some kind. It upsets you digging up the past, baby. Let’s try to make your stay here at least a memorable one. Something that you’ll cherish when you go back to the Philippines. Deal?”
“Fine.”
“All right. What are the things that you’ve missed that you want to try?”
“Driving.”
“You don’t know how to drive?”
“No. I didn’t need to know since we live on an island. No motor vehicles are allowed there.”
“Must be really quiet, then.”
“Yes. All you could hear are God-made sounds. I can swim, paddle, dive for aquarium fishes. I’m good in swimming. Sadly, can’t drive.”
“We can make it happen. Okay, number two.”
“Pancake Haus. I want to go there.”
Gawain grinned. “Three.”
“I want to drown in Jell-O, strawberries, and Hershey’s and chocolate chip cookies.”
Gawain’s imagination quickly ran away with him. He imagined Alex naked in the bathtub full of Jell-O and chocolates while he feed her strawberries and hungrily licked off sweet juice on her nipples. Damn, damn.
“Okay, what’s up with the grin and then the frown?” Alex pouted. “Expensive request?”
“Not at all. I’m just thinking about how to drown you in strawberries. My bath tub is quite big.”
“Gawain…it’s just a metaphor.”
“Consider it done.”
“Yay!”
“What’s next?” Jesus Christ, Gawain. She’s talking about food.
“Watch Disney movies.”
Gawain laughed. “Lucan has a good collection of Disney movies. We could borrow them or you could watch them with Lucan. He loves Nemo.”
Alex clapped her hands. “Ah! I’ve been wanting to see Nemo. Please, please borrow the tape.”
“DVD, you mean.”
“Yes. DVD.”
“I’ll ask Tristan. Next?”
“Cheetos and Fritos. Oreos and…and…” Alex tapped the counter with her fingers.
“Doritos?”
“Chips Ahoy! I miss them so much.”
“All right. The Os family and Chips Ahoy. We could get those tonight if you want.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. Aside from food, anything else?”
Alex sighed. “The others things I wished I’d experienced are not easy to find or bring back.” Alex sighed. “Time passed me by already. You can’t unwind time.”
“Let me be the judge. What do you have in mind?”
“Prom,” she said softly.
“Prom?”
Alex’s face turned
a lovely shade of pink. “Forget it. I called Luke earlier, but he didn’t answer. I left him a message. Do you mind if I use your phone again?”
The change of topic was quick, but he wrote down prom on the paper anyway. “You can use anything in this house. If you need something, let me know.” He fished his cell phone out of his pocket, then handed it to Alex. “You can use my cell, or the one in your room.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll just use the one in your room. I don’t want you to miss a call.”
Gawain shrugged, then stood beside Alex. They were so close that their arms touched. She didn’t move away. Damn, he liked that. “Check this phone out.” He turned on the camera feature. He anchored his arm around Alex’s shoulder and pressed her closer to him. “Smile.”
“I look horrible.”
“No, you don’t. Okay. One, two, three.” He pressed the camera button.
“Look at us.”
Alex laughed. “Nice. I want a copy. I’ll put it in a frame.”
“Okay.” He saved the picture. “Do you have Ema or Nanni’s cell number? We could send them this.”
“Oh, yes! Wait, wait. It cost money to receive a text.”
“What kind of phone do they have?”
“Globe. It’s a per minute payphone. Don’t send it, then. Please.”
“All right, but can I have their number just in case?”
Alex dictated the number. Later, he’d call Nanni or Ema. Before tucking the phone back in his pocket, he decided to send the picture to his siblings and parents.
“So, you really up for a short ride?
“Yes.”
“We’ll go shopping and I want to show you something tonight.”
“Sounds good.”
As if his hands had a mind of their own, he pulled Alex against him, then wrapped his arms firmly around her waist. “You know, I had a pet rat once. Somehow, the damn thing got out of its cage. My family went and searched, but couldn’t find him. And then a week after, I woke up and he was there beside the cage, looking at me. I was beyond happy. I couldn’t believe that he came back. That’s how I feel right now.” He touched her lips with his thumb and then pulled her lower lip down. He dipped his thumb in. Unable to resist the temptation, he lowered his head and captured her mouth.
* * * *
Seductive Knight Page 10