The Guardian of My Soul (Soul's Desire) (25 page)

“Really? And are you sure this is for me? It doesn’t have a card.”

“Yes. The man asked for you.”

“All right. Thank you.”

She nodded and walked away.

My brow furrowed as I stared at it intrigued, an uneasy feeling washing over me.
Alec would have told me about this for sure.
And he didn’t leave the house the entire weekend. He can’t have bought this.
I picked up my phone and sent him a text telling him to come to me.

He walked in a minute later without bothering to knock. “Yes, dear?”

“Alec, what’s this?” I asked, pointing at the box.

He shrugged, moving closer. “Looks like some ridiculously expensive underwear.”

“It arrived this morning through a courier.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Who’s sending you underwear?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” I replied, a little disappointed it wasn’t from him.

“You thought it was from me?”

“Well...you’re my
boyfriend
, right?” I said the word in a low, hushed voice.

“Oh, baby, when I buy you underwear...I’ll help you put it on, enjoy a private showing and then take it off—slowly.” He smiled when I blushed. “I hope you’re not planning to wear what some other man bought you.” His arms crossed at his chest.

“Of course not! But who could it be? It looks like they knew my exact size.”

He scowled. “An ex
lover
maybe? Ian?”

“You know better than anyone that there’s been no other lover before you.” I pinned him with a stare. “So, no. I don’t think so. He didn’t gift me anything like this while we were together. Why would he start now?” I sighed. “Please, just throw it away. I don’t want it anywhere near me.”

“I’ll try to find out where it came from.” He kissed my forehead, then took the box. “See you later, fancy pants.”

I slapped his butt in a playful manner, loving how he always found a way to put a smile on my face and take my worries away.

*  *  *

Another gift arrived the next week, driving me insane and making Alec furious. Their sexy nature caused enough tension to rise between us and we often went to bed upset with one another. Who was sending them and why? Was it the same person who’d sent those cards? I shuddered at the idea, but decided not to tell Mom for fear she’d hire an army of bodyguards to watch over me. The pressure and constantly having to watch our backs so we’d not get caught together weighed us down, and the last thing I needed was more men tailing me around. To make matters worse, the suspicion in his father’s eyes caused goose bumps on my skin whenever our eyes locked, so I tried to avoid him as much as I could. I had to get away.

“Mom, I’m taking my friends to the ranch this weekend,” I told her while having breakfast with her and Paola.

“All right, if you take Alec with you. You can leave on Friday if you want. I’ll give you the day off.”

“Of course. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“No, you’ve been working hard lately. You deserve a break.” She winked. “What about you, Paola? Want to go with them?”

“Maybe some other time. I want to spend the weekend with Jake.” She grinned, floating on a cloud of happiness.

“Things are becoming quite serious between you two,” Mom said, eyeing her curiously.

She nodded, her cheeks turning pink. “I really like him. And he’s great to me, so...”

“What will you do when you have to go back home?” I asked before I could catch myself, surprised by how fast Jake had switched his interest from me to her.

“I want to go to college here. Hopefully Mom and Dad will agree. Right now they’re not so happy with the idea of me being so far away from them for so long.”

Oh, goody!
“I need to get ready for work.” That said, I started for the stairs.

“Kris, wait up. I need to talk to you about something,” Paola said, following me all the way into my room. She closed the door and leaned back against it.

“Well?” I prompted.

“I...I think I’m going to have my first time this weekend,” she confessed, chewing nervously on her lower lip.

My eyes grew large, taken by surprise. “What? With Jake? Why? Did he ask for it?”

“No. But I want to,” she murmured, sitting on my bed.

“And him? Does he want it as well?”

“I think so. I mean, we haven’t talked about it, but...”

“Maybe you should talk to him first. He’s twenty-eight and you’re barely nineteen. It’s probably best to tell him you haven’t done it before,” I said, remembering the surprised look on Alec’s face when he realized I was still virgin.

“What if he won’t want it then?”

“If he really cares about you and wants to be with you, I’m sure he’ll be glad to do it. Jake is a nice person. Not the kind of guy looking for fun or recreational sex with no strings attached. If he says no, then I guess you should wait to get to know each other better. Either way, make sure you’re ready for it and that it’s what you really want. There’s no turning back, you know?”

“Yes, I know. Thanks for the talk, Kris.” She hugged me unexpectedly and kissed my cheek before walking away.

I shook my head in confusion, not knowing what to think of Jake’s behavior anymore, but I chose not to give it much thought. My mind was occupied with my own problems.

*  *  *

Martha and John welcomed us excitedly when we arrived at the ranch on Friday afternoon, and I rushed straight into their arms, pleased to see them. After greeting everybody, John offered to help Matt and Sam with the luggage, while Alec helped me with mine. I strategically offered him the room next to my own, needing him close so he could easily sneak in with me at night.

“Guys, I’ll see you in a bit. I cannot wait to see the horses,” I announced, smiling brightly.

“I’m totally going for a ride with you tomorrow,” said Matt.

“Be my guest. Your lovely girlfriend won’t go anywhere near them for fear she might break a nail.” I giggled.

“Don’t mock me. You know I’m not much into riding them.” Megan crossed her arms.

I kissed her cheek and she softened a little. “Love you, crazy.” I quickly disappeared out of sight and it didn’t take long before I could hear his footsteps following me.

Alec caught up with me when I arrived at the stables, his arms locking around my waist from behind.

I turned on my heels and when his mouth urgently found mine I moaned in pleasure, trying to convey my delight. “I knew you’d follow,” I whispered. My teeth gently grazed his lower lip before easing into another tender kiss. He grunted a little into my mouth, pulling me flush against him.

“Ehem.” John cleared his throat, startling us both. But Alec’s arms remained locked around me as he stared at him wide-eyed, tense and immobile like a statue. “Kids...” He approached us, smiling. “I am sorry to interrupt, but it’s dinner time for the horses.” He beamed. “Um...it’s good to see you two are still together.”

My face dropped. “Still?” I barely whispered.

He nodded. “I saw you kiss last time you were here,” he said. I gaped as he confirmed my suspicions. “But don’t worry, dear. Your secret is safe with me. You’re smiling again and it makes me happy. It was about time.”

My eyes shot up at Alec as soon as John disappeared inside the stables, and I literally had to shake him out of his obvious state of shock. “Baby, it’s okay. He won’t tell,” I murmured, hugging him tighter. “Come on. Let’s check on Marley.” I kissed his cheek and dragged him inside with me. “How has he been?” I asked John after kissing my horse.

“Missing you for sure. He must be eager to go for a ride with you.”

“First thing in the morning.” I kissed Marley again between his big brown eyes.

“Can I join you? Or...you can go with Matt,” Alec said, stepping closer to caress him.

“Of course you can come. We have three horses. We can all go.”

After the short visit to the stables, Alec and I walked slowly toward the house, enjoying our moment alone.

“I keep thinking about those damn gifts,” he declared suddenly. “It’s getting out of hand. I might have to tell Dad.”

“God, no! He’ll tell Mom and she’ll most likely freak out and add more leashes to my collar, if you know what I mean. We’d never be able to escape together anymore.” I worried.

“This is serious business, Kris. It could be the same person, the reason why I was hired to guard you in the first place. I searched and searched but couldn’t find a damn thing!” He paced back and forth, brooding as he walked. “Whoever it is has done a great job covering their tracks. There were no fingerprints on either of the gifts, no hairs, no evidence of any kind—”

“Wait, you went to the police?” My mouth dropped open.

“I know a guy whose father is an officer. I met him in college. I had him look over them for me. Don’t give me that look. I was concerned, okay? I still am. The courier company was a dead end. I even talked to Ian and he denied ever sending anything. What was I supposed to do?”

“Jesus!” I ran my hands through my hair, not knowing which way to go next. “There were no cards. Since that person was so good at sending cards, wouldn’t they have attached some more to the gifts? You know, like a signature brand so we’d know it’s the same person?”

“I
don’t
know, Kris. It could be anyone.” He paused. “Or maybe it’s Jake. He used to be in love with you, or whatever that was.” He frowned, kicking a rock in frustration.

“Nah, he wouldn’t do such things. Besides, it looks like Paola is planning on having her first time with him this weekend. She told me so a couple of days ago.”

He blinked several times. “Don’t you think this is strange? I mean...he tells you he’s in love with you and then hooks up with your cousin all of a sudden? What the hell? He forgot you so easily? That guy is weird and he certainly acts weird around you whenever he comes for your workout.”

I sighed grumpily. “He’s less friendly than he used to be. We always had fun working out together. We laughed and joked a lot. Now it seems to me he only comes because Mom pays him for it.”

“Well, it is how he makes his living. But, it could be him. You refused him and now he might be fantasizing about you. Why else would he be sending you sexy lingerie?”

“Alec, we don’t know it’s him. Let’s not accuse anyone until we know for sure.”

“Hey! What about that guy you told me about? The one who used to harass you.” He stopped dead in his tracks, a combination of anger and worry sweeping across his face.

“We talked about him before. I honestly don’t think he’d start sending me packages after two years. He’s probably forgotten about me by now.”

“A crazy stalker doesn’t forget.”

“Okay, now you’re scaring me.” I took his hand in mine and squeezed it lightly. “Alec, I wanted to come here to clear my mind and forget about these disturbing things. Please, let’s just not talk about it while we’re here.”

He nodded gently and put his arm around my shoulders while we walked, but as we got closer to the house he stepped away, maintaining a respectful distance.

Having my friends at the ranch with us lifted my mood. After enjoying a fun dinner with everybody outside in the garden, eating Martha’s delicious food and drinking beer, we all went to our respective rooms for a well deserved good night’s sleep. But no matter how tired I was my eyes refused to close. I was waiting for Alec. He didn’t disappoint. When he slipped through the door, his appearance gave my heart a flutter like falling in love for the first time again and again.

He locked the door and I lifted the covers, accepting him into my bed and arms. He settled comfortably before capturing my mouth, both of us in desperate need to consume our passion.

*  *  *

“Kristen?” Megan asked, banging at my door. “Jesus, wake up! It’s almost eleven. How much longer do you plan to sleep?”

The loud noise caused my eyes to flicker open and I glanced around sleepily. It took me a moment to realize what was going on. Alec’s naked body was splayed on top of mine, holding me captive in his warm embrace. After making love for hours my body felt weak and sore, but also deliciously satisfied.

“Megan, go away. I want to rest some more,” I whispered, shaking Alec awake.

He looked at me and I pressed my index finger to his lips to keep him quiet.

“Come on, we’re hungry. We were supposed to have breakfast together. And where the heck is Alec? I checked his room and there’s no sign of him.”

“How should I know? I was sleeping until a moment ago,” I replied grumpily.

“You’ve got five minutes to show up downstairs or else we might break your door down and scoop you up.”

“Very funny!” I grunted.

“Five minutes!”

“All right!” I rolled my eyes and squeezed Alec in a tight embrace. “Nothing feels better than waking up with you in my arms,” I said after I couldn’t hear her anymore.

“Last night was amazing.” He smiled, nuzzling my nose.

“Just like every night with you.” I brushed my lips lightly against his.

“I’m still here, you know? I can hear you,” Megan said on the other side of the door.

Alec and I stared at it for a second before we both jumped out of bed alarmed.