“So that you can wake up on time for our flight. What else did you think?” he said, walking into her room and grabbing hold of the suitcase she had already packed up.
“I can manage to wake up before time on my own. Thanks for the offer, Alexander.” She grabbed her suitcase to stop him from taking it away. Amidst the fight for possession of the suitcase, Eva hardly noticed how close she was to him. He gazed at her lips longingly, his mind prodding him to leave the suitcase and grab her instead for the kiss he was dying for. “Leave my luggage, will you?”
“Fine,” he said with a shrug, and grabbed her hand instead. “You’re coming with me and that’s final. I’ll carry you with me if you don’t cooperate!”
“Why are you such a bully?”
“Only with you when you disobey me. Still, you love me. Don’t you, Eva?” he asked, searching her eyes.
“Let’s go to your apartment.” Alexander released her hand with a victorious smile on his face and picked up her luggage.
“I’ll order your favorite dinner tonight. Happy?” he walked out of her bedroom, looking happy instead.
“That’s so kind of you, Alexander. I’ll be happy if you allow me to pay for this trip,” she argued, following him to his apartment. He grunted with annoyance and gave her a brief glare.
“I can’t take your money, Eva. So don’t bring up this topic ever again. I’m paying and you will just relax and enjoy yourself. Is that understood?”
“Yes, my bully!” said Eva, making him raise an eyebrow at her with amusement. Eva looked down at her feet, her cheeks flushed with color at the stupid slip of the tongue, while Alexander looked quite pleased with her addressing.
“I am yours!” he leaned in to whisper as the elevator climbed up to his floor.
“No, you aren’t.” She shook her head vigorously.
“Yes, I am.” The doors slid open and Alexander walked out, pulling her suitcase along, an impish grin trying to break free on his face. Eva could feel the excitement in the air. This time it was more than the last time when they went on a trip together. “It’s good that you’ve at last accepted it,” he said when she stopped arguing to measure the degree of excitement in the air surrounding them.
“I didn’t,” she said, blushing more. Why was he still harping on the same topic? “Open the door fast. I need to change out of this uniform.” Alexander unlocked the door and Eva rushed in, wheeling her suitcase along to the bedroom she always occupied.
“I’m ordering dinner. Come quickly.” She heard him say before closing her door to change. Eva smiled at his enthusiasm, her heart racing with anticipation. Would this trip be as memorable as the last one? Would Alexander kiss her again? Why did he emphasize he was hers? Why did he want to pursue her instead of his fiancee? She felt excited that he wanted her instead of Beatrix to accompany him on this tour. So did he love her the way she loved him?
Changing into her pajamas, she felt relaxed and opened the door, her eyes going straight towards Alexander, busy arranging the table. He checked her out the moment she emerged and an electric tingle coursed through her as his warm gaze swept over her body.
“Wow! All my favorites! I’m dying of hunger,” said Eva, sitting opposite him, and serving herself.
“Did you skip lunch?” asked Alexander worriedly, and Eva gave him a guilty look.
“I didn’t get time, actually.” She looked at his face and stopped immediately. He knew her so well that he wouldn’t take in any excuse. The last few days, her eating pattern hadn’t been perfect at all. There was hardly anything at home to cook, and her last month’s salary was already drained out. If she somehow pulled two more days, she would get her salary.
“This is the reason I bully you, forcefully take care of you, Eva.” He sounded a little upset and served her more. Eva felt overwhelmed by everything he did for her. Somehow, she could feel his love in everything he did. Alexander fed her the first bite of his pecan pie. His mom had made it and brought it for him the last time she visited him. Eva avoided tasting it and would have skipped it totally had Alexander not fed her a little.
“How’s it? Don’t you like pecan pie?” he asked, feeding her more.
“I love it. This is the first time I’m having homemade pecan pie.” Alexander felt bad for her. Of course, she had no one to make one for her. “I think I’ll bake one for myself.”
“I would have made it for you, but I don’t know how to. So I’ll help you instead.” Eva smiled at his offer which melted her into a puddle. For the first time in days, he seemed to be in a good mood, and having a normal conversation with her without getting annoyed.
“Thanks, I’m honored, Mr. Van Every. What’s the catch?” Alexander laughed, his eyes twinkling with excitement at being caught.
“You know it,” he breathed, picking up a piece and holding it to her mouth. Eva opened her mouth, and he pushed the food inside, his eyes dropping to her pink mouth. Eva could feel the electric charge in the air between them as her cheeks flushed more under his intent gaze. Of course, she knew what the catch was. He wanted her!
“You hardly ate your dessert,” she said, breathless under his unwavering gaze.
“I’m looking forward to another dessert.” Eva blushed at his implication and jumped up to clear the table, glad to have something to do with her hands while he sat watching her with a lazy grin on his face. With the dangerous mood he was in, Eva felt flustered and shaky, wondering what he would do next.
“I think we should sleep early tonight. What time is our flight?”
“Ten o’clock in the morning. We can leave at 8, after breakfast,” he said, making no attempt to get up.
“Are you planning to sit here all night and wait for my delicious breakfast tomorrow?” she asked with an eye roll.
“What else can a lonely man do? I can sleep with you instead,” he said, getting up. Eva panicked and gave him a look of warning.
“No. Have you gone crazy? Sleep in your room or I’ll cancel the trip.”
“Chill! Maybe another time!” he said with a wink, leaving her and heading towards his bedroom. Eva released the breath she was holding and quickly cleaned up everything before he returned. She dashed off to her room to catch up on some sleep. After a long time, she saw this side of Alexander. The se*ual tension between them was so much that she wondered how they would stay away from each other on this trip. This time, Alexander didn’t at all hide his need for her. He seemed more desperate now than ever before.
The next morning, she was up before time and after a quick shower, set about making breakfast. After fifteen minutes, Alexander’s door opened, and he grinned at her. “Good morning! Hope you slept well without dreaming about me?”
Eva rolled her eyes, noticing that his mood still was the same as it was last night. “Good morning! No, I slept like a baby! No nightmares disrupted my sleep.” Alexander chuckled and pulled a barstool to sit nearby, his eyes checking her out shamelessly. Eva fumbled under his gaze, a warm blush creeping up her neck. How could someone cook this way?
“Can you wait at the dining table?” she said desperately, but he shook his head.
“No, I’m loving this. God, I can do anything for this breakfast!”
Eva chuckled, thankful that his attention was more on the food than on her right now. Alyssa came over to see them off, and Eva offered her some breakfast.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to go?” asked Eva, and Alyssa nodded.
“I’ll lose my job if I went.”
“It’s no big deal. You’ll get another. It’s not every day that we go to Paris,” said her brother.
“It’s okay, Alex. You guys enjoy yourselves. Just get me a few mementos.” Eva had the feeling that her friend didn’t wish to go because of Nicholas Donnelly, and it had nothing to do with her job. She decided to ask her when she returned. After a few minutes, they loaded their luggage onto a cab and sped off towards the airport. Thankfully, with Alyssa around, Alexander calmed down and stopped hitting on her non-stop. For the next few hours, they were busy with check-in and other formalities. Afterwards, Alexander led her to the business class executive lounge to relax before boarding.
“Excited?” he asked her as they sat down, side by side, to sip a refreshing drink.
“Yes, very excited.”
“So am I,” he admitted softly, almost to himself.
“How? You’ve been to Paris before, haven’t you?” she turned to face him.
“I have, but this time it’s different.”
“How is it different?”