“And you are not speaking to them, why?” Getting coquettish with Alex she tilted her head and smirked, battling her eyelashes. “Would I be the reason why?”
“Actually not at all,” Alex stated baldly, instantly returning the mood to a serious one. “It’s because I want to take their lies and make them public. Their lies and mine.”
Alex had Charlotte’s full attention. “What lies?”
“I have been wanting to tell you this for ages, Charlotte, but technically it wasn’t my tale to tell. I had to wait until after Aubrey’s marriage and then I told my mother I was going public but you had left me already. She is not happy with me. That is why we are not speaking.”
“What? What story?”
“Charlotte, I am not technically Alex Gaines. I mean, I am. Charles adopted me when I was still a toddler.”
“Right, I know that. When your father died, your mother married Charles and he adopted you. That is not a secret, Alex.”
“Except my father didn’t die. He is very much alive, living in California. He is the skeleton in my mother’s closet. I could not tell anyone my father was alive without showing her to be a complete liar for saying he was dead. So you see the problem?”
“Yes, but why tell the world now and upset your mother? Is something going on? Are you in touch with your father again?”
“I have been in touch with my father all along, Char. I run his business, which will someday be mine.”
“He owns the bank?”
“No, not the back. Of course not. The bank holds power of attorney for his business. I own the bank. He owns Maverix”.
“The surfing Maverix?”
“Yep.”
“Your father is Zack Fairchild?” When Alex nodded the affirmative, Charlotte started bouncing on the sofa like it was a trampoline. “I love Zack Fairchild. I saw him speak at Harvard. I have followed his career in the “Harvard Business Review” and his personal life in…well in every publication imaginable. When he took over the sports channels…My god, Alex. Your father is a friggin’ legend,” she finished, short of breath.
“Yep. That’s my dad.”
“But then why would your mother want to say he was dead? Or make you pretend he was dead? Frankly, why on earth would she let another man adopt you? This makes no sense.”
“Okay, you are right. Life is a little complicated.” Alex explained about Laurel’s days on the beaches at Laguna, of meeting the surfer Zack and spending a summer with him. Of her falling in love and of him chasing the waves. Of her family’s efforts to break them apart.
“So when my mother found herself pregnant while Zack was on the other side of the world chasing ‘the big one’, they put the wheels in motion to send her off to Chicago to an aunt. They tried to keep the fact of my birth from Zack entirely, but when that failed, they simply convinced her he was a loser. So off she went to Aunt Connie, telling the world that her husband was dead. Next thing you know, my mother married Charles. How to keep him from adopting if there was no impediment? That was a challenge, of course, since there was an impediment.
“Deals were made and I was adopted. Of course, then Zack reached out. As I got older he wanted me back. Not happy about the arrangement, to say the least, he insisted on being part of my life and Laurel agreed. But everything has been hush-hushed. I just told the guys about a month ago.”
“You didn’t even tell your best friends? That must have been so hard for you,” Charlotte said. “Wow, Zack Fairchild. That explains so much about your looks. Oh, and why your father would want to buy this house with you. You meant Zack, not Charles. Of course, he skis. He was into all those sports.”
“You know how a secret snowballs, Charlotte, and this one did too. I got sick of the lies. I wanted to tell you the truth. So you see, my family has its own skeletons, Char, just like yours.”
“You should have told me this when I told you the truth. I should be furious with you after the way you treated me. Why wait? You certainly could have told me as soon as we got here.”
“I should have, but I wanted a little time with no drama. Forgive me?”
“But Alex, this is worse still. Now you have the blue-bloods and Zack Fairchild in your genetic makeup.”
“Charlotte, I am a bastard, for heaven’s sake. I don’t think I am in a position to lord anything over you, do you?”
“Don’t call yourself that, Alex,” she admonished, giving him a stern look. “You were adopted, for starters. If you have to say anything, say you are illegitimate. Alex, how the hell could you get so furious that I lied to you when you were lying to me the whole damn time?”
“I couldn’t tell you Charlotte, not without talking to my mother first. That would not have been fair. Like you felt you had to tell Regan before you spilled your story to me.”
“I understand, but that was not my point. I think I am entitled to storm from the room, slam a few doors and give you the silent treatment, not give you what you want.”
“Look where that got us, Charlotte. Look at the mess I set into motion. I have apologized and admitted I overreacted. I felt a lot of hurt and distrust. You hit a nerve.” Alex threw his hands in the air in surrender, “Not that I am making excuses, mind you. I was awful to you. My behavior was dreadful. But now, don’t you think coming home is a better answer?”
“You were awful, but I get that you had your reasons. To be fair, I think that mess you think you started was already in motion.”
“You may be right about that, Char. Please, just agree to move back in.”
“Are you sure? Are you sure you are done with all the models? Are you sure we have no more secrets? Are you absolutely, positively sure?”
Alex wiggled out from under Charlotte’s head and reaching into the space between the sofa cushion and arm he produced a Keeli Larsen Design jewelry box and opened it. Laying against the chocolate brown satin was the most beautiful ring Charlotte had ever seen, a large emerald cut diamond, easily four carats, with two large emerald cut diamonds on either side. The stones were dazzling, almost overshadowing the unusual setting that raised the stones slightly above a filigree of platinum.
“I am totally sure that I want to share my life with no one but you, Charlotte Roche, “ Alex said solemnly, dropping to one knee in front of an astonished Charlotte. “I want to wake beside you and sleep beside you. I want to run with you and rest with you. I want to argue with you and make up with you. I want you to teach me to cook and I will teach you to surf.”
“Really, Alex? Can you surf?”
“Don’t interrupt, please.”
“So sorry,” Charlotte laughed. She tried to school her features back to a serious expression, but her wide smile persisted.
“I believe in you, Charlotte. I believe in us. You are brilliant and funny, kind and loving. I have been searching for you without knowing it. Please walk beside me through life. Marry me, Charlotte Roche. Will you please make me the happiest of men and do me the honor of marrying me?”
Alex watched as tears slowly filled and dropped from Charlotte’s eyes in spite of the dazzling smile. She could not stop the tears, wiping them sloppily with the back of her hand. Unable to find her voice, Charlotte sat there frozen until finally she nodded her head yes.
“Yes? Yes?” Alex confirmed.
“Yes, of course,” she finally answered.
Alex lifted Charlotte into his arms and kissed her hard, twirling her about the room until her legs knocked a stack of books off the coffee table.
“Ouch. Alex, you need to put me down,” she told him before resuming the all-consuming kiss.
“Never,” he countered, adjusting her in his grip so that he could carry her to the bedroom.
“Never,” he repeated in a whisper as he began removing her winter wear and pushing her back on to the overstuffed quilt.
Charlotte peppered his face with kisses as Alex pulled his turtleneck over his head, getting stuck when she refused to move out of the way.
“Stop
kissing me,” he ordered causing her to pull back abruptly. “Only long enough for me to get this thing off, though.” Charlotte helped him pull of the shirt, then made quick work of the rest of his apparel too.
“Anxious, are we?” Alex laughed as he dropped back onto her body, skin against warm skin. His scent teased her nose and her hair tickled his face as he nuzzled into her neck, kissing his way down her body. Her strong, gentle hands pulled at the muscles in his shoulders, holding him close against her, small mews of pleasure interspersed with her breathing.
“Make love to me, Alex.”
His mouth closed over her breast, warmth and sensation unleashing an immediate response from Charlotte who squirmed beneath him. She stroked him with long, lingering touches, as his ruthless hands sought her core and closed over it. Dipping into the well of her womanhood he found her wet and ready for him and wasting no time, he slid his hands around her hips and moved into her with slow, painstaking deliberation.
Alex scored her lips lightly with his teeth before sliding his probing tongue into the moist recesses of her mouth. The erotic stimulation of him in her mouth and in her hot core sent sparks of electricity through her body. Alex gave her everything he could, helping her achieve her pleasure. He was totally exposed and vulnerable when he was with her, even as he controlled their lovemaking. She felt him strain to make it last, to give all he could even as he took. He was patient, caressing her with his strong hands, loving every inch of her with his lips and she responded, writhing and moaning under his expert touch.
Charlotte slid her legs against his backside, pulling his torso deeper into her, stroking with her hands and feet, brash in her need. She pushed to overpower Alex, flooding him with desire. She reveled in her power as his body spiraled quickly toward a climax.
“Char, honey, slow down,” he begged even as he pumped into her, straining for his release. “Please, before I lose control.”
“I want you to lose control,” her honeyed voice whispered, warm against his ear.
“Then, come with me,” he begged. “Come with me, Char.”
He dropped his head to her breast, mouthing it, licking it, sucking the distended nipple, pampering her body. He moved to the other, gently kneading it with his fingers as he lightly scraped his teeth across it.
Charlotte’s breathing increased and he felt her bucking beneath him, her need rising. Her demands on his body increased in tandem with the friction of their bodies. The exquisite pressure and slide of him hard inside her was eliciting the response he had pulled from her and she had tried to delay. She held her body tight, on the edge of release as Alex returned to her mouth, bruising her with his kisses and bearing down on her softness.
“Oh Alex,” Charlotte let go with a shout as she felt her body spasm, her orgasm shaking her with its power. Alex pounded into her body once, twice and fell upon her as he was wracked by the intensity of his own release. It just got better and better with Alex, she realized as she basked in the aftermath of their intense joining. A heavy drowsiness overcame her almost immediately, but she fought it off, allowing the sensations slowing but still racing through her blood to linger.
Dropping like a stone onto her body Alex attempted to roll away but she held him tight as he softened inside her.
“Not yet. Don’t go yet,” she requested in a quiet voice. “I love the feel of you.”
So Alex remained, wrapped against her as she held on like a monkey, arms and legs holding him lightly, her fingers soothing as she trailed them against his skin. She kissed him slowly, longingly, ending with a whisper of kiss as she released his body.
Rolling beside her, he reached to fiddle with the ends of her hair clinging to her damp neck. He couldn’t stop touching her as they came down and relaxed into sleep. In that moment, and all others, she loved this man fiercely.
“Alex.” Charlotte said in a small voice just before she was dozing off to sleep. “You do know I am Catholic, right?”
“We’ll deal with it Charlotte. If we can deal with a potential murder, a dangerous stalker, my being a bastard, your almost marriage and everything else we have survived, we can deal with a little religious difference.”
“Well,” she conceded, “when you put it that way…”
“Sleep, my love. We can tackle that tomorrow.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Malibu was more beautiful than Charlotte could have imagined, better than the movies she had seen over the years. Yes, it was crowded in places, but the beach and the ocean made up for everything. It even had its own special smell. Charlotte quickly discovered that she loved California. She wanted to stay here forever. Of course, she said the same thing about Aspen when she was there.
That was before I saw Malibu.
Alex had brought her here more a week ago to meet his father and to see his West Coast offices. She let him drag her everywhere he went, running errands, to the office, to the beach. The surfing lessons had been an education. Not that she was successful on a board, but watching Alex and Zack together had been eye opening. She wondered if Alex was aware of how much he emulated his father. He copied his surfing style, certainly, but he had a similar inflection in his voice and swagger in his step. Alex showed a comfort and confidence with his father that exceeded anything she had seen previously.
It was love, she realized. Alex felt unconditional love from Zack and it allowed him a freedom he clearly did not feel in Chicago. He took more chances, thought outside the box more frequently. He took charge at work, but in a more democratic manner. She loved watching him with the young, “granola gang” as she had dubbed them. He encouraged their participation in strategizing, in planning and in execution of plans and they rose to the occasion. The meetings appeared to be a free-for-all, with people shouting over each other and throwing darts at a board to make choices, but Alex assured her that they were accomplishing a lot and at day’s end, that seemed to be the case. Although their styles were totally different, Charlotte found Alex to be a highly effective manager.
“You are having fun, aren’t you?” she asked him as they drove home from his office one evening, the sun setting over the ocean in shades of pink and red that had her awestruck. “You are always so serious at home, but here you are – what is the right word? I know,” she said, turning in her seat to face him. “You’re silly. You are actually childlike and silly.”
“Silly? Me? No one has ever used that word to describe me.”
“I mean it though, Alex. You are completely different here. Are you happier here?”
“Char, I am happy wherever you are. You are my happiness. Are you happier here?”
The question stopped Charlotte in her tracks. She considered the time she had spent in California. It seemed unfair to ask if she was happier here. She had been in Malibu only ten days and she had been in ‘vacation mode’ the entire time. She had no work hanging over her, she was still on a leave from LHRE and had not set a date to return.
Her life had been ten days of decadence. She had shopped on Rodeo Drive, eyes popping at the stores, the people, and the price tags. While she had been unwilling to splurge for herself, she bought Bijan ties for her father, brothers and Alex. She skipped Zack only because he had mentioned that he had never worn a tie, and never planned to. She had never seen ties that were numbered like fine art, or that were kept in boxes covered in the same silk as the tie. She found it lavish, but Alex was happy with her choice and her family was over the moon.
“I saw so many celebrities too, Alex. They just walk around Rodeo Drive like normal people,“ she told him, her voice rising almost to a squeal.
“Hon, I hate to break this news to you. They are normal people.”
“Are you laughing at me?”
“I would never,” he assured her with a quick kiss.
Another day she wandered to Venice Beach, watching the skaters, swimmers and surfers, wowed by the level of activity. Over the weekend, she and Alex flew to San Francisco, sailing on the bay, driving across the
Golden Gate Bridge to dine on the Sausalito waterfront and pigging out on hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli’s. When she asked it he would take her to Disneyland, he hesitated.
“Do we have to?” Alex asked. She offered to let him off the hook, but she was openly disappointed. He capitulated. Clearly, he could deny her nothing. They had ridden roller coasters and wandered past cartoon characters before Alex kissed her repeatedly while the fireworks went off overhead. Her heart was so full at that moment that it threatened to explode in her chest.
She spent ten days as the consummate tourist but now she wondered, was she happier here? If it were not a vacation, if this were where she spent her daily life, would she be more content?
One month ago, Charlotte was living a nightmare, planning the wedding from hell to her nemesis. Now she was free of Gil completely. Although he would take no credit for it, and kept insisting that he couldn’t understand what happened, Charlotte was sure that Alex had been involved in shipping Gil back to Porto. She suspected he had paid him to leave, but she couldn’t confirm it.
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