Addicted (Addicted Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

Sara

Before I set the car in drive, I decided to give
him a quick call, letting him know I was leaving and would be a few minutes
late.

“Hello, sweetheart. Are you on your way?” he asked,
his voice instantly making my body bristle with anticipation.

Sweetheart
? I was taken off-guard by the term of endearment. Although I thought
it was a bit too soon for him to be referring to me in such a manner, I’d been
happy to hear it.

“Uh…yeah. I’m leaving now, so I should be there in
about a half hour or so, barring there are no traffic issues. Oh, and by the way,
thank you but no thank you.” I gave him a brief moment to respond. But there
was only silence. “The car is a very generous gift, but I cannot accept it,
Alek. I’m only driving it to your place so I can leave it there. I’m not taking
it home with me.”

He wasted no time. “Nice try, but you’re keeping
the car, Sara.” He was discordant on the other end of the phone. I could tell
instantly he was getting aggravated and I didn’t want to ruin the upcoming
evening, so I didn’t push the issue.

“We’ll discuss this later. I’ll be there soon.”

“I will be counting the minutes.” His voice was
calmer, much more content. Boy, I never knew anyone who could switch tones so
quickly.
Moody man.

The drive to his house was very relaxing. No
imposing traffic to speak of. Plus, it didn’t hurt the car handled like a
dream, a pure pleasure to maneuver. I had the radio on but kept the volume low
enough so I could hear the directions.

The female voice announced I’d arrived at my
destination. Making the final right turn, I drove up a wide, dark driveway. Just
ahead of me was a single security gate. When I’d pulled close enough, I stopped
by the box and pressed the call button.

“Hello,” a sexy voice called out.

“I’m here.”

There was no response, only the sound of the gate
starting to open.

 
It was but a minute before I’d come to the
front of his house, a large, circular driveway swallowing up the front section
of the home.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a
soft glow over the sky, so I wasn’t truly able to get a good look at my
surroundings. All I could see was a huge, red-brick house, the color of it
almost seeming old-worldly.

I turned off the engine and flipped down the visor
to get one last look at myself. Before I could grab the handle, my car door
opened and I was greeted by the man I’d come to see. He extended his hand,
welcoming me to exit the vehicle. His touch was warm, immediately putting me at
ease.

“Good evening, Sara. Thank you so much for coming.”
His voice always did strange things to me. “I hope you found the house without
much difficulty.”

 
“Hello.” I
flushed, naughty images already racing through my head. “Yes, I found the house
with ease, but it was mainly due to the navigation system,” I added.

 
He simply
smiled. “This way,” he said as he ushered me toward the front door, his hand
resting on the small of my back the entire time.

The entryway looked to have been at least fifteen-feet
tall, the big mahogany door encased by etched glass all around the framing. Although
beautiful to look at, I thought it wasn’t very private. Anyone could see into
the foyer, the carved glass only slightly distorting the view.
But I guess that’s what the security gate is
for.

My eyes roamed all around as we entered, trying my
best to take in as much as I could. But for as beautiful as his home was, I’d
envisioned something completely different.

Had I thought he lived in some sort of mansion? Maybe.

Had I thought his house was going to be a mixture
of homey and sophisticated? For some reason, no.

As he ushered me in further, I took notice of a huge
chandelier hanging directly over a center table, an arrangement of flowers which
would surely make Katherine proud sitting directly on top.

Looking down, I saw a gorgeous, cream-colored marble
which welcomed my every footstep.

Elegant and
beautiful, much like the owner of the house.

“Sara?” he called out when I’d stopped moving altogether.

“Sorry, I was just taking in the view.” He merely smiled
again and gestured toward a room which was off to the left of the main
entrance.

“Please, make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.
I want to check on dinner.”

After he left, I was really able to admire the
room. It appeared to be a formal sitting area. A huge fireplace, meant to be
the focal point, called to me as soon as I entered. Detailed stone impressions surrounded
the entire piece of artwork. It was breathtaking.

In the midst of my fascination, he had snuck up
behind me, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up when I felt his breath
on my skin.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Please, forgive me,” he
said as he kissed my neck.

I turned around slowly, taking my time before
actually looking at him. I needed those extra seconds to try to compose myself.
Once my eyes locked on his, I felt my heart skip a beat. Maybe two. Yes, I’d seen
him outside when he came to greet me, but it was dark. There, in the light of
his house, I could see how truly stunning he was. The soft burnt-orange sweater
he was wearing set off his devastatingly green eyes and thick, dark hair. As I
glanced him over from head to toe, I noticed he was wearing jeans, which immediately
put me at ease. Even though his clothes probably cost more than I made in a
month, the casual attire comforted me. Weird, I knew, but it did.

It was then I noticed his eyes mimicking my own,
roaming possessively all over me. An undeniable heat poured from his look, one
which needed to be tamped down immediately if we were ever going to make it to
dinner.

“Wow. Every time I look at you, I can’t quite get
over how beautiful you are.” He walked toward me, his tongue parting his mouth
and slowly running over his bottom lip.

Encroaching on my personal space, he eventually
stopped when the front of his boots hit my shoes. He reached out and hooked a
finger under my chin, coaxing my face upward until we were staring into each
other’s eyes. Without a single word, he leaned down and pressed his lips to
mine, his warm breath tickling my mouth. It was a soft kiss, but it was as
sensual as ever. He finally pulled back, making me stumble forward a step.

“I’m not starting something I won’t be able to
control, especially before I get a chance to feed you.” He consistently seemed
pleased with himself whenever he realized he rendered me a pool of desire.

I was disappointed to say the least. I wanted to be
consumed by the man every time I came in contact with him.

It couldn’t be healthy. Not on any level.

“Come now, dinner is almost ready,” he said as he
took my hand and led me toward what I assumed was the kitchen.

My eyes continued to dart everywhere. “You have a
beautiful home, Alek,” I offered, the smile of awe never leaving my face.

“Thank you. I’ve put a lot of hard work into this
place. I helped design it from the ground up. Even had a major hand in decorating
it. I’m very pleased with how it all turned out.” He grinned as he quickly
looked around his masterpiece.

His smile was one of the many things about him
which enticed me. Forget about when his dimple decided to make an appearance. At
that point, I was reduced to nothing but a horny woman.

Trying my best to rein in my overactive hormones, I
decided to find out a bit more information. “How long have you lived here?” I
asked, still gripping his hand.

“I’ve been here about five years now.” He suddenly
took on a faraway look, as if he was in deep thought. “I plan on being here for
quite some time.”

Okay…

Time to
gather some more info.

“Do you have staff who work here?” I wasn’t quite
sure why I’d even asked him that question.

“I have someone who comes in twice a week to clean,
but that’s about it. Why? Should I have a live-in maid, butler,
groundskeeper
?” he asked.

I suddenly became uncomfortable. “Uh…no…I…” I
stammered.

“You are too easy to rile up, Sara. I’m only
teasing you.”

With my free hand, I lightly smacked him on the
arm. “Don’t do that. I never know when you’re serious.”

He halted all movement and turned to face me. “Oh,
you’ll know when I’m serious,” he all but growled as he pushed me backward
until my back hit the wall. Hovering his lips above mine, he softly spoke, his
breath tickling my mouth. “I’ve made Coq au Vin. I hope you like it.”

He said nothing else.

He didn’t move.

He was teasing me.

Tempting me.

I closed my eyes, all too enthralled with the man who
was sweetly torturing me.

All of a sudden, he gifted me with a quick kiss
before pulling me onward toward our destination.

What the hell
was that?

We finally reached the kitchen and I was speechless
yet again. All of the top-of-the-line appliances were scattered throughout. Every
convenience one could ever want. There were a few items I didn’t quite
recognize, not that I was schooled in such expensive things.

My curiosity took over. I approached one such appliance
and ran my hand over it, willing it to perform for me.

“What is this used for?”

He furrowed his brow and tilted his head. Clearly,
my ignorance was shocking. “It’s a bread maker. I like to make fresh bread
every couple days.” His lips curved upward, seemingly amused by my every
question.

“The only bread I buy comes already sliced and in
individual plastic sleeves.”
Smooth,
Sara.

“I’ll make sure you get your own fresh batch to
take home with you then. You really don’t know what you’re missing, babe.”

There it is
again. Another term of endearment.
I could definitely
get used to being addressed in such a manner, but it was still throwing me off.

As if sensing my sudden disconnect, he continued
talking. “You’ll never want to eat store-bought bread again. You’ll see.”

We eventually ended up in a formal dining room, a
table so huge it took up the entire center of the space.
I hope he doesn’t expect us to sit at opposite ends.
My need to be
close to him was always too much.

Deciding to check out the piece of furniture, I walked
all around it, noticing there were already two place settings situated right
next to one another.
Thank goodness.

“This is a beautiful table. Where did you find something
so large?”

His back straightened and his head was held high,
obviously very proud of his possession. “I had it crafted in Italy and shipped here.
I was wandering through a local craftsman’s shop when I was there on business
last year and really liked his work, so I commissioned him to make this piece
for me. I’m extremely pleased with it,” he said, running his hand over the back
of one of the intricate chairs. “Look at the etched detailing he did up each of
the legs and all around the edge of the table. He’s a true artist.”

“It really is quite breathtaking.”

As I made my way around the rest of the table, admiring
it in its entirety, I noticed even the dinnerware seemed quite expensive.

Sensing my quick reservation, he made his way in my
direction. “Are you all right, Sara?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just…I kind of feel out of my
element here, Alek. Everything is so over-the-top, fancy and sophisticated, and
I’m …me. Simple.”

“You are anything but simple, my dear.”

I couldn’t help myself, the verbal spewing too much
to hold back. “Why do you keep referring to me in such ways?” I needed to know
if he talked to every woman with such sincerity and unabashed affection.

“What do you mean exactly?” I could tell I’d thrown
him for a loop with my sudden off-the-wall question.

“You keep calling me sweetheart and babe.”

“Do those names make you uncomfortable? Do you
not
want me to call you those things?” He
seemed perplexed—at my oddness, I was sure.

“It’s not that I don’t like to hear them. It’s
just…they seem like names you would call your girlfriend, or wife.”

 
“While I’m
not quite ready to propose yet,” he laughed, “Would you be more comfortable
with the terms of endearment if you were my girlfriend? If it’s something you’d
like, I could definitely do that.”

Wait…what? Where
the hell did that come from? Is he serious?
I looked
around to see if there was someone else in the room with us he could be talking
to.
Is this a joke?

“Well?” He breached the small space between us,
reaching out and pulling me into him. He stared at me, but all I could do was avert
my gaze, not sure what to think.