After lunch, Alex and I walk hand-in-hand along the periphery of his property across the vast expanse of perfectly manicured grass. The lush thickness is too inviting to pass up, and I slip off my flip-flops and allow my feet to be engulfed in the luxurious green. Alex is explaining the extensive renovations he had done to the landscaping when he first moved into the house.
Two large boulders sit atop a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, flat on top, nature's own park bench. Alex walks past them to the edge of the steep drop and points out the small stretch of sandy beach below.
"How do you get anything done working from home?" I ask, the water washing against the sand hypnotizing me. "I would spend all my time going back and forth between the pool and the ocean with a run tucked in at some point during the day."
"Feel free," Alex says.
"No swimsuit." I put my hands up and shrug.
"No problem. I encourage nude swimming and sunbathing." His gaze slides over to mine.
"Perfect. I'm not sure Maggie will appreciate it, but I'll bet Jake and Thomas will enjoy the show."
A thin white line replaces his full, kissable lips. "Perhaps not."
"Why, Mr. Stone, your eyes are suddenly a stunning shade of green."
"Miss Tate, I've seen you naked. It is a glorious sight to behold, for sure, but not one I'm willing to share." He wraps his arms around me tightly and draws me in for a seductive kiss that makes my toes curl in the sun-warmed grass. "No one else gets to see that but me."
"I'm good with that," I murmur, lost in his kiss.
Being here with Alex, at his home, provides me with so much more than a sense of security. Caring, deep concern, a man who wants me in a way that I have never experienced. It's not the violent, dark obsession I lived through with John.
With Alex, I feel desirable, beautiful, and respected. I gaze at him, but his eyes are locked on something in the distance, and he's a million miles away. I want so badly to crawl into his head, know what he's thinking.
Do his thoughts mirror mine?
The fear and pain John evokes in me has to stop. I can no longer live in constant terror. "I came to a decision earlier today," I say, and draw his attention back to me.
He narrows his eyes slightly, but waits for me to explain.
"I have to tell Jack about everything that's happened with John. I should've done it a long time ago, I know, but nothing will improve until I let someone at the firm know what he's doing to me."
"What about his threats to ruin your reputation in the legal community and get you fired?" Alex asks.
"I can't let it cloud my judgment any longer, and it might be inevitable at this point. He wants me back, if for no other reason than to beat the hell out of me for his own sadistic pleasure. He knows I'm with you, that I'm staying with you, and that you're protecting me. That has to be frustrating the hell out of him because he can't get to me."
I glance out at the sea. The sun creates sparkles on the water, and they dance with the waves. Everything about this place seems simple, and I'm seeing things clearly for the first time in a long time.
"It's more a matter of beating him to the punch. If he introduces his own twisted narrative of what happened, anything I say will look like I'm trying to drag his name through the mud to cover my own sins."
I sit on one of the boulders and look up at Alex. "I think Jack will back me. He's been my mentor and the closest thing I've had to a father. I trust he'll support me and refuse to believe the shit that’s about to be flung. He's the reason I have the corner office on the top floor. No one else believed in me or wanted me there, not even John."
Alex scratches his hand over his face and lets out a deep sigh. "I think you're right. Jack can protect your career. He's highly respected up and down the East Coast, and he's a force to be reckoned with when pushed to the limit." He sits next to me and places his hand on my knee. "And John is getting more desperate. I'm just not sure we can discount the physical threat of violence from him yet. I don't think he has the ability to back down. He sees this as a loss, and it's a major blow to his ego."
I don't want to think about what John might attempt next. Punishment is his new intent, and after what I experienced under the guise of his love, I know I will never survive retribution at his hands.
"I'm done with checking myself in the mirror to see the extent of damage he's inflicted on me. My sanity and safety are more important than my job." I shudder at the thought of not being able to practice law. It's such a huge part of me. I love it, live it. It's as important to me as breathing. "Plus, you can never underestimate the power of crossed fingers, prayer, and incantations of, 'Please make him disappear.'"
A smile finally breaks through the stoic veneer on Alex's face. He grasps my hand between both of his and squeezes. I soak up his strength, allow it to refuel me, comfort me, and engulf me in his protection.
But it scares me to need him so much. If Alex turns away from me, even at this early stage in our relationship, I’ll slip into the depths of darkness. I'll be lost. And that terrifies me more than any of John's beatings.
We walk back to the house, arm-in-arm, and Alex points out a trail that runs the perimeter of the property. The dirt path starts at the house, meanders through trees along two sides of the estate, and splits at the bluff. One path leads to the beach while the other traverses the rocky edge above. It eventually loops back around to the house.
"Can I go for a run?" I can't remember the last time I ran. The morning I met Alex?
"Of course. I want you to feel like this is your home. And it's probably safer than running along the street." He gives me a sideways glance and a lopsided grin. "You never know what type of riffraff will be broken down on the side of the road."
I shake my head and laugh. "Dangerous millionaires with crap cars."
"Billionaire, baby."
I roll my eyes, and he chuckles, apparently getting the reaction he was looking for.
We stop outside a set of double doors, and Alex enters a code into a numbered keypad. We walk into a large airy room with fluorescent lighting. Mirrors run the length of one wall and reflect hanging bags that line the opposite wall. Along the back are free weights, benches, and the latest fitness machines.
I point to the corner closest to the windows. "You have a boxing ring?"
"Mixed Martial Arts," Alex says. "Ever done it?"
"No. I took a self-defense class after...John. We did some takedowns and stuff, but nothing hardcore."
Alex entwines his fingers with mine. “Do you still take it? The self-defense class?"
"No. The class was held at some high school gym and lasted two Saturdays."
"Two whole Saturdays, huh?" An amused grin crosses his face.
I turn and face him and am lost in the laugh lines around his mouth. "Not whole Saturdays. Four hours each day."
"Wow. Eight hours total? Do you think that's enough?"
"Do you want me to poke you in the eye?"
He raises his eyebrows.
"You know, the classic self-defense moves—poke the eye, stomp the foot, go for the groin?"
"And how many of those did you employ when John came after you the other night? Or at the gala?"
I grimace and look away. "Not one."
He grasps my chin and forces me to look at him. "My point is not to admonish or embarrass you, Kylie. Two four-hour courses will not teach you what you need to know to stay safe. Instruction and constant workouts will make it instinctive. You execute the procedures automatically because that's what you've been trained to do. Get it?"
"I get it. I think it was less about actually learning self-defense and more about feeling like I could walk outside again without having a panic attack." I search his eyes for an indication he understands how mentally and emotionally fragile I was at that time in my life.
His eyes soften, but the hard lines of tension remain, as if he's reliving a memory—and not a pleasant one. I have no idea if it's a recent memory or from his past.
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it. "Want to try MMA? We could train together."
"Sure, but you're going to have to sign a waiver first," I say. "I don't want to be sued if I mess up that pretty face while sparring."
Alex grabs me around the waist, and our midsections crash together. Electric sparks shoot through me, a hunger for his skin on mine growing with each breath I take.
"I'm sure we can negotiate an agreement, Miss Tate. I promise not to sue you if you promise to let me take any award I might receive from a lawsuit in trade—in my bed."
I reach around him and grab his firm ass. "Well, Mr. Stone, you drive a hard bargain." I pull him closer. His erection pushes into my thigh, and I raise an eyebrow. "A very hard bargain."
He grasps the back of my head and his lips move feverishly on mine, suddenly desperate. The taste of wine is still on his tongue, mixing with his unique taste. A taste I am becoming addicted to.
I dig my fingers into his back and rake from his strong shoulders to the sexy dip of his tailbone. He is beautiful, and for the moment, all mine.
He moves his lips along my jaw and down the side of my neck. He's slow, hitting every sensitive spot and nearly driving me insane with desire. I want him, in any way I can have him.
My leg vibrates, and it takes me a second to realize Alex's cell phone is buzzing in his front pocket. He pulls the phone out and checks the caller ID.
"Damn," he mutters and looks at me, his eyes apologetic. "I have to take this. It's the call I've been waiting on all day."
I nod. His eyes lock onto mine, and I swim in the amazing blue no ocean can compete with. It's better than lying on a float with a drink in hand, soaking up the sun. They suck me in, and I am all too happy to be lost in them forever.
"Kylie?" he calls to me, and I'm pulled out of serenity. "I have to take this in my office."
Outside of his study, he lightly kisses my forehead before he walks in and closes the door. I sigh, wander into the library, and flop onto the chaise.
So much for my post-lunch sexual workout with the highly talented Mr. Stone.