Seductive Knight (13 page)

Alex sighed. “I’ve been gone for many years. You have no idea how these questions in my head are keeping me awake. I want answers.”

“You will. As I said, the questions and answers will happen only when Bors, Dad or Baskerville are with us. Okay. Baby, think about what you want to do that you’ve missed.”

“A lifetime is probably not enough to catch up on what I’ve missed. Remember, I was gone eleven years.”

“We’ll make a list.” Gawain opened a drawer and grabbed a pen and paper. “Don’t stop eating, babe. I spent hours making that grilled cheese sandwich.”

Alex laughed. “It’s really good. You’re a pro.”

“I love to eat. Mom said it is only right that I should learn how to cook. Besides, she told me that a man who knows his way around the kitchen is more attractive than those who couldn’t cook.”

“If you get more attractive, you’ll look like a woman.”

He heard laughter in her voice. Gawain leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. Cupping her cheek, he stared at her. “If I get more attractive?”

Alex leaned her cheek against his palm, but stopped right away. “You know what I mean,” she said, then bit her lower lip.

God, her mouth was driving him crazy. He ran his thumb back and forth on her cheek. “You’re beautiful yourself, you know.”

“Thank you.”

Unable to stop himself, he leaned in even closer for a quick kiss. Alex surprised him when she met him in the middle. He meant the kiss to be just a peck, but her mouth was warm, velvety, and so sexy. He moved his mouth over hers, caressing, testing, before claiming her upper lip. It was a simple kiss, but enough to light him on fire. His cock came alive and darn it, he didn’t want to end the kiss at all. His good sense won, though. He raised his mouth from hers and then gazed into her eyes.

Alex’s eyes were bright with pleasure. He touched her lips with the pad of his thumb, dipped it a little bit until he felt the moistness inside of her mouth.

Shit! What the hell am I doing?

Instant attraction. Yeah, this was it. And one that was too strong to resist. If this continued, she’d be in his bed before the week was over. Gods, she’d not even been here a day and he was already seducing her with his kisses. Worse, he was powerless to stop himself. What the heck?

“You shouldn’t be kissing me,” she whispered.

“Love, you kissed back.”

Alex shook her head. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“My fault. It’s just…”

“What?”

“You’re so fucking irresistible.”

“You made that sound like it’s a sin.”

“It is.”

“Ema said the same thing, but without using the
F
word.”

“Your brother thought you were irresistible?” He frowned. “A brother doesn’t say that to a sister.”

“And it is okay to kiss a friend you haven’t seen in years on the first day she came back?”

Gawain shrugged. “Like I said, you’re irresistible.”

“You know you’re my childhood friend whom I’ve haven’t seen in eleven years. Now I’m back. We’re in the same house and you’ve already kissed me more than once. That’s just not…right. Nanni will have a conniption if she finds out.”

“Is avoiding kissing a man one of the rules you have to follow?”

“Kind of.”

Clearing his throat, he started clicking the pen. “Well then, I highly suggest that you don’t ask questions about your past.”

“Why should I be the one kissing you?”

Because if I’m the one to kiss you, I’ll make sure you ask me questions about your past every minute,
he wanted to say. “Because a kiss is your punishment of some kind. It upsets you digging up the past, baby. Let’s try to make your stay here at least a memorable one. Something that you’ll cherish when you go back to the Philippines. Deal?”

“Fine.”

“All right. What are the things that you’ve missed that you want to try?”

“Driving.”

“You don’t know how to drive?”

“No. I didn’t need to know since we live on an island. No motor vehicles are allowed there.”

“Must be really quiet, then.”

“Yes. All you could hear are God-made sounds. I can swim, paddle, dive for aquarium fishes. I’m good in swimming. Sadly, can’t drive.”

“We can make it happen. Okay, number two.”

“Pancake Haus. I want to go there.”

Gawain grinned. “Three.”

“I want to drown in
Jell-O
, strawberries, and
Hershey’s
and chocolate chip cookies.”

Gawain’s imagination quickly ran away with him. He imagined Alex naked in the bathtub full of
Jell-O
and chocolates while he feed her strawberries and hungrily licked off sweet juice on her nipples. Damn, damn.

“Okay, what’s up with the grin and then the frown?” Alex pouted. “Expensive request?”

“Not at all. I’m just thinking about how to drown you in strawberries. My bath tub is quite big.”

“Gawain…it’s just a metaphor.”

“Consider it done.”

“Yay!”

“What’s next?”
Jesus Christ, Gawain. She’s talking about food.

“Watch Disney movies.”

Gawain laughed. “Lucan has a good collection of Disney movies. We could borrow them or you could watch them with Lucan. He loves
Nemo
.”

Alex clapped her hands. “Ah! I’ve been wanting to see
Nemo
. Please, please borrow the tape.”

“DVD, you mean.”

“Yes. DVD.”

“I’ll ask Tristan. Next?”

“
Cheetos
and
Fritos
.
Oreos
and…and…” Alex tapped the counter with her fingers.

“
Doritos
?”

“
Chips Ahoy
! I miss them so much.”

“All right. The Os family and
Chips Ahoy
. We could get those tonight if you want.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. Aside from food, anything else?”

Alex sighed. “The others things I wished I’d experienced are not easy to find or bring back.” Alex sighed. “Time passed me by already. You can’t unwind time.”

“Let me be the judge. What do you have in mind?”

“Prom,” she said softly.

“Prom?”

Alex’s face turned a lovely shade of pink. “Forget it. I called Luke earlier, but he didn’t answer. I left him a message. Do you mind if I use your phone again?”

The change of topic was quick, but he wrote down prom on the paper anyway. “You can use anything in this house. If you need something, let me know.” He fished his cell phone out of his pocket, then handed it to Alex. “You can use my cell, or the one in your room.”

“Thank you. I think I’ll just use the one in your room. I don’t want you to miss a call.”

Gawain shrugged, then stood beside Alex. They were so close that their arms touched. She didn’t move away. Damn, he liked that. “Check this phone out.” He turned on the camera feature. He anchored his arm around Alex’s shoulder and pressed her closer to him. “Smile.”

“I look horrible.”

“No, you don’t. Okay. One, two, three.” He pressed the camera button.

“Look at us.”

Alex laughed. “Nice. I want a copy. I’ll put it in a frame.”

“Okay.” He saved the picture. “Do you have Ema or Nanni’s cell number? We could send them this.”

“Oh, yes! Wait, wait. It cost money to receive a text.”

“What kind of phone do they have?”

“Globe. It’s a per minute payphone. Don’t send it, then. Please.”

“All right, but can I have their number just in case?”

Alex dictated the number. Later, he’d call Nanni or Ema. Before tucking the phone back in his pocket, he decided to send the picture to his siblings and parents.

“So, you really up for a short ride?

“Yes.”

“We’ll go shopping and I want to show you something tonight.”

“Sounds good.”

As if his hands had a mind of their own, he pulled Alex against him, then wrapped his arms firmly around her waist. “You know, I had a pet rat once. Somehow, the damn thing got out of its cage. My family went and searched, but couldn’t find him. And then a week after, I woke up and he was there beside the cage, looking at me. I was beyond happy. I couldn’t believe that he came back. That’s how I feel right now.” He touched her lips with his thumb and then pulled her lower lip down. He dipped his thumb in. Unable to resist the temptation, he lowered his head and captured her mouth.

* * * *

She shouldn’t let him, but couldn’t stop herself from returning Gawain’s kisses. Somehow, Gawain shattered the wall that she’d erected around her heart, sealing her emotions. Now, with just one kiss, the hunger for affection that she hadn’t realized she had bottled up inside her, finally escaped. Each pull of his mouth on her lips, each time his tongue swept in to taste, sent an indescribable pleasure cursing through her, making her hungrier.

She pressed her hands on Gawain’s chest, feeling his muscles move, while she returned his kisses. He was dominating her and she succumbed to it, giving herself freely to the passion that quickly enveloped her. My, she loved his taste, the feel of his tongue touching hers.

Twining his fingers in her hair, Gawain tilted her head up. “You taste wonderful.” He showered kisses around her lips before moving along her jaw.

Shivers ran down her spine when he kissed her shoulders before sucking the skin at the base of her neck. The tiny pain mixed with pleasure had her mewling. When Gawain cupped her butt with his free hand to press her harder against his erection, she gasped from the sheer pleasure of it. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Gawain, however, lifted his lips from her skin.

“Good God, woman. You made me lose my senses.”

“Is that good?”

“If you like what we are doing, yes.”

Yes, oh, yes. I like.
“Gawain?”

“Yeah?”

“When your pet came back, did you kiss him, too?”

Gawain laughed and hugged her tight. She felt his mouth nuzzle the top of her head. Alex closed her eyes and savored the moment. She’d imagined it would be difficult coming back here, but she never expected this.

“No, I didn’t. He isn’t as beautiful as you.” Gawain let go of her after one last kiss on her temple. “You sure you want to go out?”

“Yes. Do I have to dress up. I have a dress, but I don’t think it’s good enough for a fancy dinner somewhere.”

“Don’t worry. Jeans, yoga pants, shirts and a sweatshirt would work for what I have in mind.”

“I don’t have a sweatshirt.”

“No problem there. I got you covered.”

Chapter Nine

Dressed in a large Seattle Seahawk’s hooded sweatshirt Gawain had loaned her and stretchy pants she’d brought from the Philippines, Alex sat in the passenger’s seat while Gawain drove slowly on the dark road. Earlier, he put a mid-size cooler in the trunk of his Range Rover SUV. Tonight would be the perfect night, he said, but didn’t expound on it. She liked surprises, so she didn’t ask where they were going. Instead, she devoured a whole pack of
Chips Ahoy
.

Alex took a cookie from the container, then offered it to Gawain “Want more?”

“Sure.”

“Open.” She fed him the cookie. “This is evil.”

“I know.”

He drove into the woods through the rough dirt road with only the headlights and the moon’s filtered light leading their way. The trees were still, like giant sentinels watching them. Alex noticed it was so quiet.

Gawain kept on driving until they reached a spot that seemed to be the edge of the cliff.

“We’re here.”

“Where is here?”

Gawain unbuckled her. “Let’s get out and you’ll see. Are you still afraid of the dark?”

“I’m not ten anymore, Gawain.”

“Once I turn off the headlights, it’ll be super dark out.”

“But you’ll be with me, right? You’ll protect me?”

Gawain cupped the back of Alex’s neck and pulled her closer for a kiss. It was a lover’s kiss, so sweet and tender that it touched her soul. When Gawain ended their kiss and she looked into his eyes, she knew she’d go back to the Philippines without her heart.

“Baby, the squirrels here are aggressive beasts. They’ll bite your toes off. I promise though I won’t let that happen to you. I’ll eat their little paws first. I’ll give my life protecting you.”

“Aww. So noble of you.”

Gawain chuckled. “Let’s get out of this car before I change my mind and eat you first.”

One more kiss and then Gawain got out of the car. She should really put a stop to this kissing thing. Still, if she were to be honest with herself, she liked Gawain to keep kissing her. Alex opened her door. The smell of the water, fresh and clean, welcomed her.

On the island, the smell of Pacific Ocean had strong saltiness to it. Here, so different. Like spring water. She wrapped her arms around herself, then looked up at the skies. She could not believe what she was seeing. Billions and billions of stars winked at her. It felt as though she was inside the dome of dark skies dotted with dancing stars. It was breathtaking.

The water glistened from the moon’s reflective light. The contours of the islands on the other side and mountains from afar were so defined. And the stars…oh my word. They seemed so close. She raised her hand to reach out. “So beautiful.”

She turned around when she heard Gawain close the trunk. “Are we on the edge of the world?”

“Not quite.” He took her hand as he walked by her.

“You sure no bears will come and get us?”

“No. Maybe a cougar.”

Alex dug her heels on the dirt. “You’re kidding.”

“I am.” Gawain let go of her hand. “Such a scaredy cat.” He put his arms around her shoulder, then pulled her against him. “Warm enough?”

“Yes.”

“Here. Got blankets.” Gawain spread one on the ground, then handed her the other. “I’ll get the cooler.”

“Okay.” From where she stood, she didn’t have to look up. She could see stars as far as her eyes could see.

Faintly, she could hear the water splash against the rocks below. Other than that, there were no other sounds except for the nature breathing life around them.