Possess Me by Michelle Heard
Chapter 38
Everleigh
Holy crap, that was intense.
My heart is fluttering in my chest as I drive home.
Did I like that?
Why?
God, the man was hot as hell laying the law down.
“Mommy, what’s for dinner tonight?” Vincent asks.
Something to cool me down.
“Ahh…we’ll see when we get home. Is there anything you’re in the mood for?”
“Pizza is for special times, right?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“So it’s special that Daddy came back.”
I let out a chuckle. “Okay. We’ll order pizza tonight.”
“Yay!”
With Vincent happy, my thoughts return to Alek. He’s been amazing with Vincent, and I love watching them interact.
I’m still apprehensive about a romantic relationship with Alek, but I said I’d give him a chance, so that’s what I’m going to do.
When I pull into the driveway, Alek stops behind my car. I climb out of the vehicle and notice an SUV parking in front of my house.
“Who’s that?” I murmur before I open the door for Vincent to get out.
When Alek walks toward us, I gesture to the car. “Will you check what that man wants?”
“He’s with me,” Alek explains. He waves for the man to come closer. “This is Peter. He’ll guard you and Vincent when I’m not around.”
“Guard?” I gasp like a fish out of water.
Alek gives me a patient look. “It’s for your protection, moya malen'kaya lyubov'.”
“Ooookay.” Not too sure about this, I hold my hand out to Peter. “Hi.”
He shakes my hand, then says, “Hello, Miss Adams.”
I glance at Alek. “I’ve never had a bodyguard before. What do I do? Does he come into the house?”
“No, Peter will always keep his distance. Just go on as normal. Pretend he’s not there.”
I scrunch my nose. “I feel like that would be rude. I can’t just ignore him.”
“Interacting with Peter will distract him. Just let him do his job.”
“Oh…okay.” I give Peter a lame wave before I usher Vincent to the front door.
Only then do I notice the door cam. “Did you install the camera?” I ask.
“Yes. There’s also a state-of-the-art security system. I’ll show you how everything works.”
Holy freaking crap. When the man said he would protect us, he meant it.
We step into the house, and a beeping sound fills the air. Alek keys in a code on a keypad before explaining, “You have five seconds to disarm the alarm.”
“What happens if I take too long?”
“A couple of things will happen. Myself, Peter, and Alexei will be notified, and you’ll have half the bratva on your doorstep in minutes.”
Jesus. That’s one hell of a security company to have.
“What’s the code?” I ask.
“Five, one, one, six. Everleigh and Alek forever.”
I stare at Alek for a moment too long before I say, “That’s kinda romantic.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
Letting out a chuckle, I walk to the living room to turn on the TV for Vincent. “What do you want to watch, baby?”
“The Incredibles.”
I search through Vincent’s collection of movies, then press play.
With our boy watching The Incredibles, I turn my attention to Alek. “Vincent wants pizza for dinner. We only get it on special occasions.”
“What’s the special occasion?” Alek asks while he pulls his phone out of his pocket.
“You.”
His eyes flick to me, and a hot-as-hell smirk tugs at his mouth. “What kind of pizza?”
“One pepperoni and one Hawaiian.”
“Let me guess, the Hawaiian is for you,” he teases me.
“Of course,” I chuckle. “And get whatever you like.”
“I’ll have the same as Vincent.”
“Like father, like son,” I whisper as I walk down the hallway to change into something comfortable.
In the safety of my bedroom, I take a moment to calm my racing heart because the organ hasn’t stopped fluttering since Alek went all alpha on my butt.
I grab a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt and change into the comfy clothes.
When I walk back into the living room, it’s in time to see Alek rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. My eyes lock on the tattoos covering his skin, and then I see the scars on the back of his right hand and left forearm.
I remember tending to his wounds with the little supplies we had and how I prayed day and night he wouldn’t get an infection.
“Everleigh?” Alek says to get my attention. When my eyes dart to his face, he asks, “You okay?”
I nod, and pointing at the keypad for the alarm, I remind him, “You were going to show me how everything works?”
“Right.”
Alek walks me through the house, showing me where all the cameras and panic buttons are. He also demonstrates how to activate and deactivate the alarm, then he programs Peter’s number into my phone.
“And your number,” I say before he can hand the device back to me.
The corner of his mouth lifts, and I watch as he keys in the numbers under ‘the love of my life.’
With a chuckle escaping me, I shake my head. “You couldn’t resist, could you?”
“Nope.” He glances at Vincent, then he says, “The pizza should be here soon.” Then his eyes lock with mine. “Let’s sit in the kitchen so we can talk.”
“Okay.” I go straight for the coffee machine. “Do you want coffee?”
Alek shakes his head. “Come sit, moya malen'kaya lyubov'.”
We take a seat at the little nook, and I feel a nervous fluttering in my stomach.
Alek looks confident as hell as he asks, “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
A smile spreads over my face, and I decide to tease him. “I don’t have a babysitter.”
“Let me rephrase my question.” With a dangerously attractive look, he asks, “Will you and Vincent have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“We’d love to.”
“Good. I’ll have a dress delivered for you. Please wear it.”
My eyebrow lifts. “Okay, and what should Vincent wear.”
“There will be a little suit for him.” He tilts his head. “Which reminds me. I’ll take Vincent to the store to get the right size suit.”
He’ll take Vincent. Alone?
Alek must see the panic on my face because he says, “Vincent will be safe with me, Everleigh. I’ll never do anything to hurt him.”
“I’m just not used to letting him out of my sight. This will be a first.”
Shoot, it’s happening too fast, but how do I tell Alek he can’t spend time alone with Vincent?
Alek gets up, then crouches in front of me. “Vincent will be safe with me. I’ll send you a photo every ten minutes.”
Knowing I can’t be selfish when it comes to Vincent, I nod. “Okay.”
A smile spreads over his face, and rising to his feet, he leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek. Instead of pulling away, he keeps still, and I feel his breaths fan over my skin.
Butterflies go crazy in my stomach, and tentatively, I turn my head until I meet his eyes. The golden flecks are on fire in his irises.
“Do you still want me to wait until the third date?”
He wants to kiss me.
Anticipation builds between us, and I love it so much, I nod. “I want you to wait.”
Letting out a groan, he sinks back onto his chair. “You’re torturing me.”
“You’ve survived worse.”
Our eyes lock, then he whispers, “So have you.”
Knowing Vincent can’t hear us, I ask, “Did you speak to anyone about what happened?”
“Just Misha.” He tilts his head. “You?”
“No. You’re the only person who will understand what I’ve been through.”
Alek reaches for my hand and links our fingers. “Do you need to talk about it?”
I shake my head. “I’d rather leave the ghosts in the past.”
“What would you like to talk about?”
I think for a moment, then ask, “Why did your father shoot me?”
Alek's face turns grim in a heartbeat. “He saw you as a liability.”
It hurts to hear the reason. My life was almost taken just because some man thought I was a liability. I never would’ve talked.
God, some people are vile creatures.
“I know you said you weren’t close with your father, but if things work out between you and me, you need to know I never want to see him. He’s not allowed near Vincent.”
Alek nods. “Things are very volatile between my father and I. Honestly, it’s only a matter of time before I kill him.”
I’ve always been against violence, but this is the one time I’d make an exception.
“What about your mother? Is she still in Russia?”
Alek nods. “Yes, but I’m going to bring her to the US.”
My tongue darts out to wet my lips, then I whisper, “I’m sorry about Vincent…your brother. How are you coping with it?”
“With seeing him die?” Alek asks. There’s a flash of pain in his eyes, and I hate that I asked the question.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
He shakes his head. “Some days are better than others.”
Unable to stop the question, I ask, “Why did you choose him instead of me?”
Alek takes a deep breath before he answers, “Vincent couldn’t take it anymore. He reached his limit.” Guilt tightens his features. “I just couldn’t let Prodi shoot you.”
Climbing to my feet, I wrap my arms around Alek’s neck and hug him as hard as I can. I press a kiss to his neck while he grabs hold of me.
When I close my eyes, I feel the intense bond between us.
Four years later and I just know I’m already falling in love with him again.
It’s like we were destined to be together, and nothing will change the fact that our fates are intertwined.
