Three Thousand Miles (50 page)

“Baby, what movie
would  you
like?”

“Anything, I don’t mind,” I say lightly as he raises a thick, dark eyebrow. He quickly chooses a movie and then he dims the lights. I lean back into the sofa as Adrian strides back over to me. He lies in the corner of the sofa with his legs fully stretched out. He leans over and pulls me alongside him. Adrian wraps his arm around me and I gently place my hand onto his chest. I cannot hold back my smile as I focus my eyes on the TV.

“Adrian, I love this movie,” Adrian laughs.

“Doesn’t every girl love ‘An Affair to Remember’?” Adrian says smugly. I laugh at him and then I sigh as I begin to watch the movie.

The movie is halfway through and as I watch the romance unfold before my eyes, I smile at Adrian. I would have never expected him to like this movie but he cannot tear his eyes from the screen. He is lost in the world of Cary Grant and I gently laugh as his eyebrows rise in excitement. He notices my amusement and he questions me.

“Alanna, why are you laughing,” he says in cool voice. I slide myself further into his body as he strokes my hair.

“Nothing, I just never expected you to like this movie.” He laughs at me.

“I can watch any type of movie and especially love stories.” I burst out laughing and so does Adrian. I bask in the sound of his laugh and I love it when I get to hear it. The sound is captivating to me and it makes me feel as if I matter to him. When he is controlling and serious, I feel that he is unhappy but when he smiles and laughs, I feel that he is overjoyed with glee. It makes me feel special when I make him laugh. I cannot imagine that he had much to laugh about
when he was a child so I love it when he lets his laughter out. I cannot contain my smile as I gaze at him. His crisp white shirt is slightly unbuttoned to reveal his tanned skin. His hair is messy as it gently touches his forehead, his long slim legs seem to go on forever, and his black suit trousers fit him like a glove. I look at his face and I am reminded of William. The thought of that little boy will not escape my mind and I cannot hold back my feelings any longer. I need to talk to Adrian about him and I need to know what is going on in his head. I take the remote from the table beside the sofa and I slowly turn down the volume. Adrian instantly looks at me and he has a wicked smirk on his face.

“You know if you want to kiss me all you have to do is ask!” I hold back my smile at his sarcastic words as I begin to tell him how I really feel.

“That’s not why I turned down the TV; I have something I need to talk to you about.” Adrian sits up and I fall from his grasp. I quickly readjust to his new position and I wait for his reply.

“Is there something wrong?” He asks firmly. I shake my head at him.

“Nothing is wrong but I need you to tell me how you feel about William.” Adrian’s eyes widen at my words and I can see that he is nervous. I maintain eye contact with him so that he can see the pain in my eyes. Adrian gently holds the bridge of his nose in annoyance but I still maintain my gaze. He looks at me and I can tell that he is hurting.

“Alanna what do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me how you are feeling. This cannot be easy for you and I don’t want you to go through this alone.”

“Alanna, until I know for sure that little boy is mine I don’t know how I feel.”

“Okay but what if he is your son what will you do about it?”

“Alanna I cannot answer your questions,” Adrian looks as if he is getting angry but I insist on quizzing him more.

“You need to, now please answer me.” Adrian rolls his eyes.

“What do you want me to say?” He says in a loud voice. I jump a little from the sound and Adrian quickly reaches for my hand.

“Baby I am sorry, but as I said I don’t know how I feel about him. He thinks that Chad is his father. How can I break his little heart like that?”

“Adrian, if Chad is not his father then he deserves to know.”

“Yes he does but until I know for sure I cannot think about him as my son. Every bone in my body is aching with fear that he might be mine. I am not a good person and that little boy deserves better than me for a father. I am a monster who, until I met you, despised love. I wanted it so badly that I hated it. I don’t know what type of father I would be but I wouldn’t want to be like mine. I could never abandon a child and if William is mine then I will try my hardest to love him.” I reach out and clasp Adrian’s face.

“Adrian you will be an amazing father and if William is your son then he will love you. I know that you will love him too with all of your heart. You just have to believe in yourself and don’t let your fathers choices influence you. Be the guy you are with me. Show William the real you and he will not be able to resist loving you. ” Adrian pulls me close to him and he instantly kisses me. I close my eyes and I know how I feel. If William is Adrian’s son then I will love him. I will treat him like my own and I will never let Zara ruin my relationship with Adrian. He means the world to me and I will never lose him to anyone.

We watch the rest of the movie in silence and as the credits roll; Adrian leans down and kisses me for the millionth time. I gaze at the clock on the wall and I see that it is quite late. I try to get up from the sofa but Adrian pulls me back.

“Baby where are you going,” he says as he playfully squeezes my ribcage. I laugh hysterically at his touch and then I begin to blush as he pulls me on top of him. I stare at his beauty and somehow I manage to tear myself away from him. Adrian again pulls me back; I straighten my face as I look at him.

“Adrian I need to take a shower,” he smiles as if he has something that he would like to say but he does not. He holds in whatever thoughts he has as he loosens his grip on me. I gently kiss him on the cheek and then I make my way into the bathroom.       

The next morning I wake in Adrian’s room again. I gently get off the bed as I make my way into the lounge. Adrian is standing by the window talking on his phone. As soon as he sees me walk in, he ends his call.

“Hey beautiful,” he says as he strides over to me. I cannot contain smile as he pulls me in for a hug. I catch the scent from his cologne as he holds me tightly and I inhale his scent. Adrian pulls back from me and I frown at him as I could have stayed in his arms forever.

“Now Alanna I must dash, do you remember the rules for today?” Adrian says in a firm but gentle tone. My smile fades as I nod in agreement.

“You must not leave this room and don’t answer the door to anyone.”

“But…” I begin to say however, Adrian butts in on my question.

“Alanna you are not going to make this difficult are you?” Adrian’s eyes are hot with anticipation as he waits for my answer. I fidget a little as I think of my response.

“I was just going to say, but what about Sophie? If she comes to the door do you want me to ignore her?” Adrian shakes his head at me and I lightly scowl at him. I wish that he would just tell me what he wants me to do instead of all this guessing.

“If Sophie comes to see you then Steven or Mitch will let her in. You will not be answering the door or the room telephone. When I ring you, it will be to your Blackberry and make sure that you answer me within five rings. If I text you then you must instantly reply.” I slightly roll my eyes at Adrian’s rules and I can tell that he is annoyed with my actions.

“Baby how many times must I tell you not to roll your eyes at me,” he snaps. I look up at him and I can see that he is furious. His eyes are bright green and glowing, but behind the beauty, there is deep anger. I know that his temper is short and very hot-blooded and I feel that it would not take much to set it off. I will always have a constant reminder of that night Adrian lost his temper with me. He terrified me and I am still terrified to this day. I am scared that Adrian will lose it completely and in the backlash, he will lose himself. Adrian has deep
issues that may never fade. I feel that he does not believe in himself and I know that he thinks that he is a bad person. That could not be further from the truth but there is no telling him. If Adrian were to get mad and if he were to hurt me, then I know that he would not get over that and he could not survive it. As much as I hate that Adrian controls everything, I know that I have to accept it. I would not disobey him because I know that it would only make him angry and I hate the person that anger turns him into. Some people might think that I am stupid and naïve but I am not. I truly believe that one day he will change his ways. I know that Adrian and I will be together and that we will be happy. If I let him take the control then perhaps I have a chance to fix him. My biggest dream is that one day Adrian will be free from his guilt. Until that day, I will do as he says. I focus my brown eyes on his, and he stares at me with a bold expression.

“Okay, is there anything else I should know?” Adrian’s eyes burn through me as he begins to talk.

“Yes, if Michael comes to see you then you cannot leave with him. Do you understand?”

“Adrian I have already told you that I won’t leave the hotel,” Adrian moves closer to me and he takes my hands firmly.

“Alanna, you didn’t answer my question,”

“I did, I won’t leave the hotel I promise you.”

“You did it again you avoided answering my question. If Michael comes to see you then you have to stay in this room and that means that you cannot go in search of him. Do you now… understand?” I look up at him and I am a little annoyed with him. Why does he have to bring Michael into everything? Then that is a silly question as I am reason that Michael is always around. I cannot cut my ties with him and I have to suffer the backlash of Adrian’s jealousy. I know that everything is my fault and that Michael sticks around because I lead him on but I still care about him and I hate it when Adrian tries to force the rules between Michael and me.

“Okay,” I say as Adrian stares deep into my eyes and then he pulls me closer.

“Baby, promise me that you will do as I say?” I force a smile from my lips as I glare into his green eyes.

“Yes I promise,” Adrian kisses me softly on my forehead and then he heads over to the door. I watch as he whispers something to the huge bodyguards and the he turns back to me just before he leaves the room.

“Until next time baby,”

Once Adrian is gone, I make my way over to the large kitchenette of the hotel suite. I rummage through the cupboards until I find some espresso coffee pods. I quickly turn on the
Tassimo
coffee machine and I wait patiently for my coffee to brew. I glance over at the door as I hear a firm knock. Steven quickly answers the door and I am happy when I see Michael. I rush over to the door and I instantly greet him. Michael laughs as he enters the room. He glides over to the kitchen and he smirks as he notices the rising steam and the loud racket from the coffee machine.

“Oh crap,” I shout as I run over and switch it off. Michael bursts into laughter at my stupidity and I feel a little annoyed so I playfully throw a napkin at him.

“Hey what was that for?” Michael says as he peels the napkin from his face. I smile at him and then I respond.

“You were mocking me,” I say in a low voice. Michael holds his hands up apologetically and I turn again to face the coffee machine.

“Would you like some tea?” I ask Michael in a soothing tone.

“Do I look the kind of bloke that drinks tea?” Michael says in a very sarcastic voice. I scowl at him as I think of a comeback.

“Silly me, you are more of a bourbon kind of guy, am I right?” Michael presses a smirk from his lips and I bask in his beauty.

“It is a little early in day for that so a coffee will be fine.” I smile at him and then I again turn to face the coffee machine. I quickly make two cups of coffee and then I make my way over the sofa. Michael follows me and he takes the seat next to me. I gaze at him and I cannot help but wonder about him and
Emma. However, I do not really want to know the answer to my queries so I put it to the back of my mind. Michael looks at me and I can tell that he has something to say. My heart lightly races as I hope that he does not want my advice on how to woo Emma.

“Alanna, how are you feeling,” my heart rate decreases as I am grateful that is all he asked me.

“I am okay. I mean don’t get me wrong I am still a little shaken from what happened but I need to move on.” Michael shakes his head at me.

“I can’t believe that Chad did that to you. I will never forgive him.” Michael’s eyes are sad and I feel awful that yet again I have come in between two brothers. Except this time, it was Chad, and not Adrian, that Michael is arguing with over me. I look at him and all I want is for him to hold me in his arms. I know that is selfish of me and I should not feel this way. However, I only have the feeling of true safety when I am with him. Now that the threat of the Marshalls is high once again, I really cannot stop thinking about Michael and about what he did. He actually took a bullet for me and I will never be able to repay him for that.

“Michael you shouldn’t hold a grudge. I know what Chad did was unforgivable but at the end of the day he is your brother.”

“He is nothing to me anymore.”

“Michael you shouldn’t think like that.” I say softly. Michael places his coffee cup onto the side table by the sofa. I sit motionless as he takes my hand.

“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. You are the reason that I breathe Alanna. Chad would have hurt you more if Adrian had not of found you. As long as I live I will never forgive him.” Michael’s words are ringing in my ears and I cannot bear the sound of them. I hate that I make him feel this way and I hate that I cannot break free from him. His ice blue eyes are searching into my soul and I am remained again of my vivid dreams about him. The way we danced together and the closeness, the soft kisses and his romantic words. I try to shake off my flashback as I look at him.