Three Thousand Miles (44 page)

“I will stop staring the day you make me,” he laughs at me and he escorts me down the stair. We enter the lounge once again and there is Michael. My smile
fades as I see him. He is dressed in a similar way to Adrian as
is  the
case with all of the other men that fill the room. Adrian grips me tightly as he makes his way further into the room. Michael instantly smirks when he sees us and he quickly embraces Adrian with a firm handshake. He lightly takes my hand and places a soft kiss onto my skin. I cannot resist smiling at him as he embraces me in such a gentle way. I hear Adrian exhale rather deeply at Michael’s actions so I quickly pull my hand away from him. Michael grins at me and I feel that he can see into my soul. I gaze into his ice blue eyes and my dreams come flooding back to me. I lightly close my eyes as I try to shake off that image. My eyes instantly open at the sound of Michael’s voice.

“How have you been mate?” Adrian quickly responds.

“Good,” I am sensing a little tension between them and I feel instantly guilty. I clear my throat as I pick up the courage to speak.

“Michael how have you been,”

“I am good Alanna,” I smile at him and he looks as if there is something that he would like to say. My heart flutters and I fear the worst.

“Adrian, I feel that you should know that Chad is in the other room,” Adrian nods and I think back on what Adrian did to him. I again try to shake off my anxiety as I watch the two brothers communicate.

“Have you seen him?” Adrian asks.

“Yes and I have also seen Zara,” my heart rate is increasing again and now I know that she is here and I don’t know how I feel about that. After all, she was the only other girlfriend that Adrian had and I feel anxious about seeing her. How will she react to seeing me here with Adrian? What also scares me is that I do not know if Zara and Adrian have unfinished business. For all I know he could be totally hung up on her and she could be the same. What if she tries to start things up again and what if he leaves me for her? I cannot breathe as these thoughts are spinning around in my mind. My blinking is becoming more rapid and I feel light headed. I grip onto Adrian as I try to keep my balance. He turns to me.

“Alanna are you okay?”

“Yes, I am fine,” I choke out he shakes his head at me.

“Baby, you don’t look fine,” he says as he lightly feels my forehead.

“You feel very warm, come on I will take you back to the room.” Adrian says firmly.

“No I am fine, I just need a drink can you get me one?” Adrian looks unhappy as he walks over to the bar. Michael is staring at me and I can tell that he wants to question me.

“You know if you wanted me alone then all you had to do was ask!” He says very sarcastically. I frown at him and he quickly straightens his face.

“What’s wrong Alanna?”

“Zara,” I confess. Michael rolls his eyes.

“Why are you worried about her?”

“I know that Adrian was with her he told me everything,”

“I see but why are you worried?” Michael quizzes.

“Because I don’t know how she will react to me and I don’t know how Adrian will react to her.”

“So you are worried that he still has feelings for her?” I grit my teeth as I answer.

“Yes, I don’t know how much she meant to him but I am guessing she meant a lot when he betrayed his stepbrother.” Michael looks annoyed with me as he gently pushes his hair from his face.

“Alanna, she is nothing, don’t worry about her.”

“What about Chad?”

“What about him?”

“What is he like?”

“Why don’t you ask me yourself, love?” I hear a husky, British voice say. I turn around and I see a tall, dark haired man standing before me. I gaze up at him and I realise that this is Chad. He has the same build as Michael but his eyes are a darker shade of blue than his are. His hair is short and flopped down onto his face. He is dressed in faded jeans and a white shirt. He also has on gumboots and I take in his looks as he stares at me.

“Who are you?” He says softly. I force a smile from my lips as I introduce myself.

“I am Alanna,” I say nicely. He smiles at me and I am instantly reminded of Michael. His lips curve in the same way and his eyes are playful. He reaches down and takes my hand in his. I flinch a little at his touch but I try to compose myself as he gently kisses my hand.

“I am Chad and it is nice to meet you Alanna.” I break free from his grasp as I start to feel a little uneasy. Michael glares at me and he briefly shakes his head.

“So why are you here if you don’t mind me asking?” I try to reassure myself to be strong but I cave at very thought of mentioning Adrian’s name. I don’t know anything about this guy and he could freak out if I talk about Adrian. I quickly gaze at Michael and I am hoping that he will sense my uneasiness and jump in. Michael rolls his eyes at my pathetic behaviour.

“Alanna is Adrian’s girlfriend,” Michael says firmly. I watch as Chad stares at me and it looks as if his mind is desperately trying to figure out a reply. He gently sighs as he again takes my hand.

“What is a beautiful girl like you doing with a bloke like him?” My eyes bolt at his words and I instantly pull my hand from him. Before I get the chance to respond I feel an arm draping over my shoulder. I look up and Adrian is there. He stares blankly at Chad and my heart is pounding.

“Oh, here he is, the golden boy himself.” Chad says very sarcastically. I quickly wrap my arm around Adrian’s lower back and I squeeze him gently. I look up into his green eyes and silently I plead with him not to argue back with Chad.

“It is nice to see you again Chad, please tell me how the wife is?” Chad’s nostrils begin to flare at Adrian’s rude words. I squeeze him harder and he looks down at me.

“Adrian there was no need for that,” I protest. Adrian runs his hand through his hair as he chews his lips.

“Okay mate that was out of order on my part,” Chad laughs.

“I never thought I would see the day that you were scared of a little girl.” I shoot Chad a darting look and he smiles at me. “Oh don’t be offended, love,” I roll my eyes at him. Adrian deeply exhales.

“Chad, I have not come here to quarrel with you,” Chad bursts into hysterical giggles and I watch as Adrian’s fury builds. I do not want him to lose his temper so I feel that I need to take this situation under control.

“
Chad
,
I know that you are mad for what Adrian did but that was in the past and you need to move on. I know that you two will never be best friends but can you at least try to be civil for your parent’s sake?” I say very firmly. Adrian and Michael are gazing at me in surprise and I do not make eye contact with either of them. Instead, I focus my eyes on Chad and I await his response.

“You are a feisty little thing aren’t you?” Chad says smoothly. Adrian tightens his fists as he stares at Chad. “I could never resist a pretty face so
,
yes sweetheart
,
I will call a truce.” Chad again leans in and takes my hand in his, he gently kisses my skin and Adrian quickly pulls my hand from him. He pulls me close towards him as he stakes his claim on me.

“I thought that jealousy was beneath you?”  Chad says to Adrian in a slow voice. I sense that this situation could spiral out of control very quickly so I say my goodbyes to Chad.

“It was nice to meet you Chad,” he smiles at me.

“Brother, Adrian, beautiful.” Chad says as he walks away. Adrian instantly turns to me.

“Baby I need you to stay away from him.” Adrian says in a desperate voice. I frown at him.

“I was not planning to be around him but why would you want me to stay away from him?” Adrian again runs his fingers through his hair as he responds.

“Just do as I say
,” I roll my eyes at him and I watch as his anger builds. I feel that I need to question him more.

“Not until you tell me why?” Adrian shakes his head at me as he turns to Michael.

“Will you try and talk to her?” Adrian says firmly. Michael lunges forward and he is now standing right in front of me. He slowly lifts my hand.

“Alanna you need to stay away from Chad.” Michael says in low voice. Adrian steps back from us as he again runs his long fingers through his hair. I look up at Michael and I wonder as to why he and Adrian are so desperate for me to stay away from Chad? I feel that if I were to find out the reason then the only person who would tell me would be Michael. Adrian is too angry to even think about explaining things to me. So as I stare at Michael I slowly begin to ask him again.

“Michael, you need to tell me why?” He sighs as he lightly pushes my curls away from my face.

“Chad is a very dangerous bloke. He will manipulate you and turn you against all of us. Please listen to me and stay away from him.” I let out a sigh and I gaze at Michael. His words are tense but at the same time, I feel that he is sincere. His eyes are worried as he urges me to stay away from Chad. His strong hand is caressing my cheek and his smile is sinful. I close my eyes for a second and I take a deep breath. I open my eyes and I turn to Michael.

“Okay,” Michael smiles at me as he lets go of my hand. Adrian strides over to my side and he loosely places his hand onto my waist. He looks at me and I feel that he might be mad at me. His eyes are deep and they look as if anger is building in them. My heart races as I realise that Michael had to talk me into
staying away from Chad while Adrian watched. I shake my head as again I feel that I have led Michael on. I quickly focus on Adrian as he stares at me.

“I am sorry I didn’t listen to you,” I say firmly to Adrian. He smirks at me and he leans in and kisses me softly on my lips. I pull back as I am suddenly aware that Michael’s blue eyes are fixed on us. I feel self-conscious and guilty for flaunting my relationship with Adrian in front of him. I stand in silence with Adrian griped at my side and Michael glaring at me. I open my mouth to speak but Mr Jenkins stops me from doing so.

“Come on lads it is time to go,” he says as he rushes over to us. Adrian instantly looks down at me and I stare into his green eyes.

“Baby I won’t be long, please stay out of trouble.” I flinch a little at his words and then I agree.

“Okay doll, see you when you get back,” Adrian leans down and kisses the top of my head. He briefly smirks at me as he walks away. I sigh and then I turn to Michael. He moves closer to me and he is now holding my hand again. I feel his skin on mine and I desperately try to put my vivid dreams of him out of my mind. I close my eyes for a second and there he is. We are dancing and he kisses me and tells me that he loves me. My eyes jolt open as he gently squeezes my hand.

“Alanna I am sorry for the other night I didn’t mean to blame you. I know that you would never do anything to hurt me and I was being an idiot. Can you ever forgive me?” I press a smile from my lips.

“I could never stay mad at you,” Michael smiles at me and I feel my heart race.

“Alanna you are my angel and don’t worry about Zara she is just a hag compared to you.” I burst into laughter at Michael’s words. He briefly takes me in his arms as he gently kisses my head. I squeeze him tightly until he pulls away.

Later that night when Adrian returns I am nervous, as I fear that he might be mad at me. I sit anxiously on the massive four-poster bed as I hear him open the door. He glides into the room, he quickly takes his cap from his head, and
he places it onto the table by the door. I shift nervously as I await his words. He walks over to me and he kneels by my side. I reach out my hand for his and he slowly grips my fingers. I let out a sigh of relief as he smirks at me. His lips are full and I cannot resist them. I lunge forward and I wrap my hands around his shoulders. He kisses me intensely and then he pulls back from me. His forehead is creased as he stares deep into my soul. My heart rate increases yet again and I feel as if my heart could burst from my chest. I focus my eyes on his as I hear him talk.

“Baby, I missed you,” he says softly, I lean in to kiss him again but he moves his head away. I frown at him, as I feel rejected.

“Is there something wrong Adrian?” I ask not really wanting to know the answer.

“No, but I do have something I would like to talk to you about.” My heart is now racing.

“Okay go ahead,” I say quietly. Adrian loosens his hand from mine and he leans back from me. I stare at him in wonder.

“Why would you only listen to Michael?” I shift nervously as I think of my reply.

“It wasn’t like that,”

“You need to explain better Alanna,”

“I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else.” I finally say after a long pause. Adrian shakes his head at my response.

“I should have been enough Alanna,”

“I know but you overprotect me and I couldn’t see a valid reason for staying away from Chad - other than you just did not want me to talk to him. I needed to hear that the reason wasn’t just your paranoia or jealousy.”

“Michael provided you with that reason,”

“Yes, that’s all it was, Adrian I love you and I am sorry if I made you feel like you weren’t enough.”

“Don’t apologise to me,”

“Why?” I ask intensely.