Episode 147
EPISODE 147
THE FOUR OF US
Ariel
The world spins as Alex pulls me against him, his kiss fierce and demanding. He tastes like salt and coffee, and beneath it all is a passion I remember from our date.
I return the kiss, curling my fingers into his hair. The intensity makes my knees weak, as if I’m standing on the edge of a thunderstorm about to break. His touch sends shivers through me, and my heart races like the country wind. The world fades away, leaving just the two of us.
Marc didn’t kiss me like this. Zion didn’t either.
Neither did Sebastian.
Alex breaks away, but his hands remain on my waist, his fingers digging into the soft fabric of my sundress. He’s panting lightly, his chest rising and falling against mine.
“Okay.” He grins. “I said I had a few ideas. That was one. How about another?”
I raise a brow at him, breathless. “And what would that be?”
Alex’s smile grows wider. He takes my hand and leads me up the beach to a small cove I hadn’t noticed before. Hidden between two cliffs, it’s a little oasis of calm and privacy.
He sits down on the sand, spreads his legs, and invites me to sit between them. I tuck close against him, my back to his chest.
“We talked a lot on our date,” he says. “I know you like to fish, that you love Southern cooking—especially sweet potato pie—and that your kisses can set a man on fire. But I want to know more. I want to know the way you take your coffee in the morning, what book you’re currently reading, the song that’s been stuck in your head, your favorite color when you were a kid.”
I smile to myself. He said he could fall for me. Maybe he wasn’t kidding.
We’re here, sitting with our heels brushing against the cool sand, talking about our likes and dislikes as though we’re on a real date and not in this complicated game of love.
“Well,” I begin, “I take my coffee with a splash of cream.”
He chuckles, the rumble going through my back and vibrating through my body.
“Why are you laughing? Does that surprise you?”
“Not at all.” He traces patterns on my bare arm. His touch is warm and gentle, like a whisper against my skin.
What did he ask about next? A book? My cheeks warm. I read mostly magazines, though I did pick up a short romance novel at a library sale recently. I’ve only read a couple chapters so far. Alex writes New York Times bestselling thrillers. His books have been made into movies. I can’t tell him what I usually read.
But I don’t want to make up something to impress this man. For the last several days, I’ve been trying to get comfortable with who I am. I’m Ariel. I’m me. I’m not sophisticated like Emily, fiery like Heather, or brilliant like Sienna.
I draw in a breath. “I’m reading a romance novel,” I say, feeling an odd mix of embarrassment and defiance. “It’s called Seduction in Silk .”
Silence for a moment. Then Alex laughs...and I want to bury my head in the sand.
“That’s adorable,” he says.
“Adorable?”
“Absolutely.”
I nod, a small smile playing on my lips. “It’s not as intellectual as what you write, but it’s fun and light, and sometimes that’s exactly what I need.”
“Ariel,” he says, his voice softening, “there’s absolutely nothing wrong with reading what you love. Never feel the need to explain or justify it.”
His words are simple, but they resonate in me, soothing a part of me that I didn’t even realize was hurting.
“Is there a song stuck in your head?” he asks.
I nestle farther into his chest. “Actually, there is. It comes and goes, but it started the first night. It’s that song from Dirty Dancing that we danced to. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Sienna. She moves like a firefly on a hot Alabama night. All those twists and turns, and the way she moved her hips. It was so sexy.”
Alex goes a little rigid against me. Did I say something wrong?
I move forward, turn a bit, and look into his eyes. “Did I get that one wrong?”
“There’s no right or wrong, Ariel. I was just thinking...”
“About?”
“Nothing.” He pulls me back against him .
And it hits me.
He went off with Sienna that first night.
“About that favorite color?” he says. “When you were a kid?”
“Pink,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
He chuckles softly. “Pink, huh? You don’t seem like the pink type.”
I shrug. “It’s a childhood thing, I guess. Mama used to dress me in pink all the time. She said it suited my hair.” I run a hand through my chestnut locks—though now they’re more auburn thanks to Evangeline’s stylists.
“And now? Still pink?” he asks.
“No. Teal. It’s different, peaceful.” Then I let out a laugh. “At least it was until that’s all Evangeline dressed me in since I got here.”
“Teal...” he murmurs. “You do look amazing in teal. Evangeline knows what she’s doing.”
“I suppose.”
“It’s one of my favorites too,” he says.
“It is?” Alex doesn’t seem the teal type. He’s more forest green and mahogany.
“Yeah. My mom used to have this old painting in our living room. It was a simple landscape—nothing fancy or expensive—but it always caught my eye. It was a ranch in Montana, and the sky was painted in shades of teal, and I remember thinking it looked like heaven.” He laughs. “Sounds silly, I know.”
“Not at all,” I say. “Did you live on a ranch?”
“No, only River did. The other four of us lived in town.”
“Oh, that’s...” I move forward and turn, facing him. “Wait a minute. Four of you?”
“Yeah. Riv, Seb, Brett, and me. ”
“No. You said River lived on a ranch, but the other four of you lived in town.”
Alex drops his gaze. “I must have misspoken. Sorry. The three of us lived in town. Only River lived on a ranch.”
I stare at him. Wait for him to look back at me.
When he doesn’t...
“Alex? Are you okay?”
“I’m good.” He rises and brushes the sand off his trunks. “Let’s go back, Ariel.”
“Uh...okay.”
We walk out of the little cove along the beach until we come to the concrete pathway that leads back to the mansion. We put our shoes on, still in silence.
“Alex?”
“Yeah?”
“What happened? What did I do?”
“Nothing,” he says, this time a bit harshly. “Nothing, Ariel. I’m fine.”