Chosen Heart (7 page)

“I believe she said it was nice
meeting you.  So, how about you run along?”  Mr. James is now glaring
at Sam through narrowed eyes, fists at his side, with his sleeves rolled up
showing the tension in his forearms underneath his charcoal grey shirt.

“Who the fuck are you?” Sam
slurs, ignoring the threat standing in front of him.

Through gritted teeth he seethes,
“She’s mine.  You put your hands on her again and I’ll fucking break
them.” 
Wow, that sounded too real.  Even if it is a lie, I like
the thought of belonging to him.

Sam holds his hands up in
submission, “Dude, she didn’t tell me she was taken.  Maybe you should
tell your woman to stop being such a whore!”  Grabbing his scotch, he
tries to flee in the opposite direction.  But, unfortunately for him, Mr.
James pounces the moment the word whore escapes his lips.  With the force
of a thousand men, he seizes Sam by his shoulders, shoving him to the ground.

With a fear stricken face, Sam
cowers on the floor as Mr. James retracts his arm, readying himself to
attack.  But, before he can pound him even further into the ground, I
quickly move around his muscular body, placing my hand on his chest.  In
an instant, his gaze meets mine and I’m hit with his rage and desire. 
Holy
hell.

“Please don’t.  I’m fine,
see.”  Stepping away I gesture towards my intact appearance.  “You
don’t have to do this.”

Leaving Sam on the floor
practically urinating himself, he grabs my hand, yanking me towards the
back.  Just out of sight, he stops abruptly, and leans me against the
solid brick wall, placing both hands against the stone behind me. 
Encircling me in his muscular arms for protection, he finally speaks. 
“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” 
A
little stunned, but fine nonetheless. 
I stare up at his anger flushed
face, a brief smile of relief sweeps across his lips as he surveys me.  My
breath hitches as the back of his fingers gently traces my jaw line, staring
into each other’s eyes for what seems like an eternity, but not long enough; green
eyes to blue. 

“I saw that he wasn’t taking no
for an answer and I thought he might need a little convincing.”

“You saved me from having to
rough him up myself.”  We both laugh and the tension rolls off both of us,
leaving a weightless feeling of joy.  At least for me it does and from the
sight of his laughing eyes, I hope his anger has subsided.

I look around and my brain
finally catches up with the realization that he’s here. 
When? 
How?
  “Wait?!  Why are you here?  Are you here for happy
hour?”

He shakes his head, a little from
the laughter, but also to answer my question, but doesn’t utter a word.  I
guess I’m supposed to be a mind reader.

“I don’t understand.  You’re
going to have to be a little clearer than that, Mr. James.”

Looking down, staring at his
impeccably shiny dress shoes, he sighs and places his hands in his
pockets.  He ignores me completely.  “Well, as long as you’re not
hurt, I should go.  Do you have a ride home?” 
Why won’t he answer
me?

I tense, peeking around the
corner to where I left Janice and Autumn.  My eyes reach the now vacant
table. 
I can’t believe they fucking left me! 
“I came with
Janice, but it appears she may have left without me,” I sigh in
disappointment. 
I really thought Janice and I could be friends.
 
“It’s okay; I can take a cab back to work to get my car.”

“I can give you a ride back,” he
offers hesitantly, obviously trying to gauge my reaction.

“You wouldn’t mind?” I chirp, a
little too eager.  It would avoid a cab ride.  Oh, and the little
fact that I would be spending time with a man I’ve been dreaming about for the
past four nights.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I
minded, Ms. Hart,” witticism laced in each word.  “Do you have all your
things?”  Nodding, he clutches my hand, escorting me through the
crowd.  As the ocean of patrons thickens, he tightens his grip.  My
hand fits perfectly, as if this is where it was meant to be.  
Seriously,
Ely?  You’ve had all of five conversations with him.  Slow down!

I’ve imagined numerous times what
it would feel like to be close to him, to feel him, and now here we are, my
hand engulfed in his, making my heart flutter.  This is even better than I
imagined. 
Thank you, Janice!

The scent of citrus from Alex’s
cologne clings to the interior of his car as I enter into a whole other world;
one of privilege, something I know nothing of.  With his leather seats
hugging my hips, I can almost picture how it would feel to be taken into his
embrace.  Breathing in, I’m lost in his aroma.

In the blink of an eye he’s
sitting next to me, frowning as he brings the engine to life.  Leaving the
car to idle at a dull roar, Alex sits in silence, deep in thought. 
What
I wouldn’t give to know what he’s thinking.
  Our moment of tranquility
is disrupted as he reaches over, brushing his forearm against my thigh.  I
tighten at his unexpected movement.  Sending tingles throughout my body,
I’m suddenly very aware of how close he is.  His neck just inches away
from my mouth, I let my mind wander and imagine my lips against his throat,
inhaling the musky flavor of his cologne as my tongue runs from his throat to
his ear and then back.

My lips quiver as I run my eyes
across his jaw line.  Alex swallows back his words as his lips part. 
Turning his head slightly, his eyes meet mine as his focus turns to my awaiting
lips.  This is the moment; the moment of opportunity.  If he could
read my mind he would know how I long for his lips against mine.  Resting
my eyelids in anticipation, I wait for the feel of his soft lips, the coolness
of his breath pushing through my heated awareness.

CLICK!  My seatbelt fastens,
hugging my chest tight against the seat. His scent fades as he brushes against
me returning to his seat.  My eyes fly open, realizing he’s no longer within
kissing distance and with a pang of disappointment I turn and mutter my
appreciation, “Thanks.”  Hopefully he doesn’t sense the disappointment in
my tone as I’m sure it’s clearly written on my face.  I turn to face the
passenger window, hoping to mask my frustration.  That was too close.

The silence is maddening as we
head towards work.  I need to know more about him, more about what makes
him tick.  But, instead of engaging him in conversation, I sit with my
hands folded in my lap, staring out at the passing street lights.  Maybe
his appeal is a figment of my imagination.  Maybe my fantasy is better
than the real man. 
Ha!  Who am I kidding?! 
The only way
I’ll ever know is to seize the moment. 
Carpe diem!

Sitting waiting for the light to
turn green, I take my chance.  “So do you have plans for the weekend?”

“Just the usual.  What about
you?” 
I barely know you, how would I know what the usual is?

“Not sure.  Didn’t really
make any other plans and considering they ditched me, tonight turned out a little
different than what I was expecting.”

Hopefully he can read between the
lines because the bait I just threw out is fresh.  But, I wouldn’t even
know what to do with him if he took the lure and ran with it.  With his
eyes fixed on the road ahead, he rubs his thumb across his lower lip. 
Finally able to make our way through the light, we continue heading north
passing a few more streets, before he speaks again.

“Have you ever been up to Red
Rock?”

He took it…reel it in!
  “I’ve been meaning to go
hiking there, but haven’t had a chance.”  I don’t know if I’m more excited
that my poor effort at flirtation worked or the prospect of just spending the
night with him. 
Just the anticipation is more excitement than I’ve had
all year.

“Really?  There are some
amazing views of the city up there.  Of course, a few years ago when there
weren’t as many homes, it was nicer, but it’s still a spectacular view. 
You can see the whole valley, all the way across to the Frenchman
Mountains.”  Peeking over at me his face lights up, as if he’s discovered
a lost secret treasure.  “If you’re up for it, we can go.”

“Now?”  Biting my lower lip,
I try to hide my excitement.  Not wanting to sound too eager, I simply nod
in agreement.  Inwardly, I’m screaming like a neon sign…YES!  Turning
towards him, I see a hint of a smile spread across his lips, mimicking mine.

Who would’ve thought that going
to Happy Hour with Janice would turn into a trip to Red Rock?  This
unexpected turn of events has me thinking back to the bar and what led up to
this crazy moment.  He never explained how he ended up there.

Knowing he doesn’t like it when I
blurt out my questions, I try tact this time, hoping he’ll give me a straight
answer.  “Can I ask you a question?”

“You can ask, doesn’t mean I’ll
answer,” he says smugly, continuing north.  Of course that would be his
answer.  Should I expect this every time I want to know something more
about him?  Then again, everything he does seems to be out of the
norm.  It’s peculiar that he would almost get into a fist fight at the
bar, but doesn’t take the two opportunities he had to kiss me.  Instead
I’m left feeling bereft.  One minute I think maybe, just maybe, he feels
something for me, but then he makes me feel as if I’m a charity case.  As
if he’s just another man sent to protect me from myself.

“You never answered my
question.  Why were you at the bar?”

Without thinking, he
answers.  “I saw you leaving with Janice, and wanted to know what your
plans were.  Not that I would have, but I couldn’t throw myself in front
of her car to ask.”  With raised brows, he momentarily takes his eyes away
from the road to look over at my expression.  “So to satisfy my
curiosity….I followed,” he shrugs, like what he said was a perfectly good
explanation.  It may be the truth, but unfortunately for me, he isn’t
giving much away.

“Okay, so that explains how you
got there, but doesn’t explain why you stayed.”

He doesn’t get a chance to
answer, because just as we pull onto Charleston Blvd, he reaches into the
breast pocket of his jacket to answer his phone.  It must have been on
vibrate.  “Yes?  What’s wrong?  Did she take her
medication?  Ok….yes….I’m ten minutes away.  I’ll be right
there.”  His brows furrow, his forearms tensing as he grips the steering
wheel.

“We need to make a detour.” 
Taking a left onto Town Center, he heads in the opposite direction even before
I can object.  His tone seems short, even frantic maybe.  I just hope
everything’s okay.

~~~~~

The driveway is lined with
perfectly groomed bushes, trees, and lights that sprinkle the shrubbery, making
the house look magnificent.  Parking to the left, he rushes out of the car
and within seconds is opening my door.  Taking my hand in his, I feel the
momentum from his muscles as he lifts me from the seat.  Flushed against
him, my eyes are fixed on his collarbone; still unable to meet his gaze. 
Thankfully, he never releases his grip, giving me the connection I crave as he
ushers me towards the house.

Stopping at the front door, Alex
turns, “It’s because you’re…different.”  My heart stops. 
Is he
finally answering my question?

Before I can even speak Alex
pulls me through an entry way to a place that can hardly be called a home; more
like a work of art.  “Where are we?” I ask, glancing around.  He
doesn’t answer.  Passing by exquisite abstract paintings in burgundy, plum
and cream, with delicate pottery framing the walls, the elegance of this home
is truly understated.

Walking through the foyer I’m
startled by a woman’s voice yelling in the distance.  Because the sound
ricochet’s through the spacious rooms, it’s hard to tell where it’s coming from
and I can only follow his lead.

“No, I don’t want to take them!”
her voice trembles with fear.

“Please, Mrs. James.  You
have to take your medicine,” begs another voice, echoing in the distance.

Pulled towards the yelling, we
pass by a stark white sitting room with even more burgundy paintings and I’m
immediately mesmerized by the vastness of this place.  As confused as I
am, I’m in awe.

“Nana?” he calls into the
distance.

A woman’s voice replies, “We’re
in here, Mr. James.”

As we enter the large room, which
I assume are the guest quarters, there is an elderly woman sitting in a
recliner that looks to be just as old as she is, tattered in all the right
places.  Not trying to compete with the rest of the home, the furnishings
match the woman sitting before me.  Aged and definitely lived in. 
With her arms crossed and a frown on her face, she reminds me of a disobedient
child.  Another woman, who appears to be in her early forties, hovers next
to her in a protective stance.

“Thank you for coming home, Mr.
James.  She’s having one of those nights.  She just won’t take her
medicine.”  Looking at the elderly woman, she playfully shakes her head,
“Will you, Miss Molly?”

Releasing my hand, he travels to
kneel next to the recliner.  “Nana, look at me,” he demands.  She
lowers her head leisurely to meet his gaze.  “You need to take your
medicine.”  She continues to stare at him without acknowledging his
request.  “Nana, you need to cooperate!  Can you do that for
me?”  Urgency fills each word as he searches her face for a sign.