Trista Ann Michaels

by Wicked Lies

  “Would you like some coffee?” she asked, as though unsure what else to say.

  He wanted to grab her to him, kiss her until she agreed they were meant to be together. She licked her lips and stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. She looked so vulnerable, so scared.

  “No,” he whispered. “I see you got the flowers.”

  She looked around the room. “Yes. I did. Thank you.”

  Alex sighed and turned to walk farther into the living room. “Sinclair, this is ridiculous.” He tossed his coat onto the sofa and turned to face her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I planned to, I just… I was afraid of this very thing.”

  “Why did you do it?” she asked as she took a step backward and leaned against the door.

  “I became Marcus right out of college. I had planned to marry this girl. No one in my family liked her. They all believed she was only after my money. Finally, I decided to put her to the test, put my family at ease with her. I told her I wouldn’t get a trust fund, that once college was over, I was on my own financially. My father believed it would build better character if I made it on my own.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “What everyone said would happen. She dumped me.”

  Sinclair’s eyes narrowed slightly as tears began to gather in the corners. “I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t want to experience that again, so I became Marcus. I was just a pilot for Alexander. Just an average guy, nothing more.” He grinned slightly. “It was amazing what I found out as Marcus, about executives for the company. It startled me just how arrogant and harsh they were toward the regular people that worked for me. Those I fired. I hired better executives and I tested them as Marcus. Found out how they treated the people beneath them and what was said behind my back, so to speak.”

  Sinclair smiled. “I bet that was eye opening.”

  Alex chuckled. “Yeah, it was. Then you came along.”

  Sinclair’s smile faded just a little.

  “You were adorable, sweet. I started fixing my schedule so I was the one flying you. I began coming up with reasons to get you to fly so I could spend time with you.” He slowly walked toward her as she leaned against the doorway, her hands clasped behind her back and holding on to the doorknob with a death grip. “There were so many times I wanted to tell you I was falling in love with you, but I kept replaying in my mind that girl and her…”

  “You should’ve known I wouldn’t care about your money.”

  “I know,” he replied. “I just wanted to hear you say you loved me as Marcus.”

  Sinclair shook her head sadly. “Alexander—”

  “Alex,” he whispered as he stepped even closer. “Everyone calls me Alex.”

  She stared up at him with wide eyes so full of love and sympathy, he wanted to fall to his knees, beg her to forgive him.

  “How can someone so confident be so…”

  “Insecure about love?” he asked, grinning.

  “Yeah,” she sighed.

  “I think for the first time in my life, I was in love. Not young, puppy love, but real, deep-in-your-gut love.” He snorted softly. “Sounds corny, doesn’t it?”

  “No.”

  He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I realized after falling for you what I felt for the other girl wasn’t really love. Not like what I feel for you, and I think it’s because we started as friends. I was terrified if I told you who I really was, you would hate me.”

  “Surely it’s not because I dislike rich guys and their arrogance and their—”

  He put his thumb over her mouth to stop her. “I am arrogant,” he whispered. “But I’m not a jerk. And I love you. I love you as Marcus, but I love you most as Alex. I’m dominant and I’m sure we’ll butt heads more often than not, but I don’t care. Forgive me, Sinclair, and say you’ll marry me.”

  Her mouth dropped open and he let his thumb fall from her lips. “Marry you?”

  “We joked about this on the island, remember?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square box. Sinclair gasped as he lifted the lid, exposing a single pear-shaped diamond in a platinum setting. He’d spotted it instantly and known the simple design would suit her perfectly. Not too big, not too little; the two carats would look perfect on her slender finger.

  She let go of the doorknob and lifted her hand. Her finger shook slightly as she touched the ring almost hesitantly. “It’s beautiful, but when did we joke about this?”

  “That last night. I was going to buy you a beach house.”

  Her gaze lifted to his. “I don’t want a beach house,” she whispered.

  “No?” he asked. “What do you want? Name it. It’s yours.”

  “I don’t want anything. I just want you.”

  He sighed and dropped his forehead to hers. Grasping her hand, he slid the ring on her finger. “You have me, Sinclair.”

  “Then that’s all I need.” She grinned wickedly as she cupped his face in her hands. “You and maybe a trip back to that island.”

  Alex laughed and covered her mouth with his.

  The End

  About the Author:

  Trista Ann Michaels can be found deep in the mountains of Tennessee writing her stories by a swift, flowing stream. The sound of running water has always relaxed, as well as inspired, her.

  Before becoming a writer, she worked as a paralegal for a prominent prosecuting attorney; that is until she met the man of her dreams, her very own airline captain by the name of David.

  When she isn’t writing, she can be found piddling about in her garden or watching movies. Her favorite pastime is traveling, and you can always find her at a RWA meeting, sharing her writing experiences and encouraging fellow writers to follow their dreams.