Alaska stretched out on the sand beside Jesse. “It is so beautiful here.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“I still can’t believe you did this for me.” He felt her studying his profile as she breathed in the warm air and let it out slowly. “I knew there was a reason I always liked you.”
He angled his head to see her. “You always liked me?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I did. Don’t pretend you didn’t know it, either.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he teased as he flexed his muscles. “What’s not to like?”
She went up on one elbow and turned toward him. “How come you never acted on what was between us?” She winked. “God knows I tried to get you to.”
All humor fell from his eyes. “I’m not the guy for you,” he said soberly.
Her head jerked back. “How can you say that?”
“You don’t know me, Alaska.”
“Then let me get to know you.” When he went quiet, she asked, “Are you afraid I won’t like what I see?”
“I have nothing to offer you.”
Her glance moved over his face, taking in the scars he couldn’t hide with tattoos. “You’re right,” she said. “You were brought up in a horrible family, dragged up on the streets, and did what you had to do to survive. Really, you’re nothing but a bike-riding street thug.”
He flinched, and even though it was true, her words still stung. “Shit, why don’t you tell me what you really think?”
“I’d rather tell you what I know.”
“Go ahead, then. You know, since you seem to be on a roll and all.”
“Well, what I know is that for a guy who had to face what you did, you turned out to be pretty damn amazing.” He opened his mouth to cut her off, but she pressed her fingers to his lip and continued. “You’re the first guy, the first person in my entire life, who ever cared about me. You actually risked your life to give me a bit of excitement. Honestly, no one has ever put my needs first, especially at the risk of losing their life.” She shook her head. “Do you have any idea how much that means to me?” She trailed her fingers over his face, surfing the outline of his jaw. “But you’re right, any guy who would do what you did for me certainly isn’t the guy for me.”
“Listen, Alaska. You have a bright future ahead of you, and you don’t need a nobody like me dragging you down. In fact, when we go back home, I’m going to talk to your father. I’m going to tell him to let you live your own life.”
She smiled and settled her palm on his cheek. “You’d do that for me?”
“I would,” he said without hesitation. “And I will.”
“You know what he’ll do to you, right?”
“I don’t care what he does to me, because I’m not going to let him hold you back anymore.”
She traced her hands over his tattoo. “Just for the record, Jesse, you’re hardly a nobody. In fact, you’re my hero. You set all of this up, arranged a week at this amazing place, just for me. You gave me the opportunity to free myself in so many ways, and you showed me what real intimacy is.” She exhaled slowly and went back on her elbows. “And you should know, I’m not going back. I was offered a job dancing.”
Shocked, he stiffened, but then he smiled, because the more he thought about it, the more he knew this was perfect. Here, she’d get out from under her father’s control and live the life she wanted. “You’re so happy when you’re dancing.”
“I would ask you to stay with me, but I know you’d eventually get bored and abandon me just like everyone else I’ve ever cared about.”
Anger churned in his gut, and suddenly feeling very defensive, he shot back, “I took the job because I cared about your wellbeing. But the second I set eyes on you, I felt this jolt inside of me.” He shook his head. “I never felt anything like that before. It was like...like...”
“Destiny?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Alaska. All I know is that being so close to you, watching you every day, and not being able to touch you, kiss you, make you mine, damn near drove me out of my mind.” He cupped her face. “I’m not like your parents and would never tire of you, never in a million years. Believe me, I want to stay. If you’re not in Chicago, then there’s no reason for me to go back.”
“I guess that settles it then.” She gave him a triumphant grin.
His head came back with a start, realizing she’d turned everything back around on him. “Wait, did you just...”
She grinned. “Yeah. I’ve been taking psychology as my electives.”
“Alaska, I have nothing...”
“You have me. Do you need anything more?”
They stared at each other for a long time, and as he thought about her fantasies, he suddenly couldn’t stand the thoughts of another man’s hands on her body. He wanted to be the last guy to touch her, care for her, give her everything she wanted.
His fingers found hers as something in him gave. “Why do you want me, Alaska?”
“When I first stepped foot on this island, I felt like Cinderella. But then I realized Prince Charming didn’t exist because the men in my life were greedy and corrupt and cared only about themselves. You proved me wrong.” She squeezed his fingers. “You’re my Prince Charming.”
“I’m no...”
“Yes, you are. Believe me. I know what I’m talking about.”
There was a fire in her eyes that told him not to mess with her. “How?
“Because I believe in you.”
He swallowed and thought back to his fucked up childhood, his days street fighting. “No one has ever believed in me before.”
She nudged him playfully. “That’s because you’ve been hanging out with the wrong people.”
He grinned. “I should probably tell you that I was also offered a job here, as security.”
The excited smile that she aimed his way nearly stopped his heart. “It’s like this island knew what we needed long before we did.”
“Yeah, you might be right about that,” he said, thinking about how she crossed over into his reality at the motorcycle club.
Her eyes lit up with hope and joy. “So you’ll stay here.” She waved her hand toward the beach. “We can disappear here together on Eden.”
He pushed her hair from her face, his heart aching with all the things he felt for her. “Alaska, things won’t be like they were. Your fantasy ends on the weekend. You know that right?”
She smiled at him, a smile so full of love and warmth his chest swelled until he could barely catch his breath. She leaned into him, her sweet scent overwhelming him as she pressed her lips to his, a soft kiss, a kiss full of love and promise.
“You’re wrong, Jesse. My fantasy is just beginning.”
“Yeah?” he murmured into her mouth, knowing everything he ever wanted was right in front of him.
“Yeah,” she responded as she kissed him back.
Jesse pulled her in tighter. He might be a street thug, and she might be a mob boss’s daughter, but together, they were both half of something pretty cool, something he’d be a damn fool to walk away from. “I believe mine is, too, Alaska,” he murmured, deepening the kiss. “I believe mine is, too...”