Chapter 41

[Evelyn’s POV]

Oh, God. I really don’t want to get out of bed.

What if my lessons with Alexander end up going horrible? Would it make him regret wanting to take a chance on me? Would we stop talking altogether?

I hardly remembered closing my eyes the night before. All I kept doing was replaying the conversation Alexander and I had in front of my door. I wasn't sure what to make of it.

It was so...normal.

Granted, there was a bit of tension here and there mainly because I wasn’t sure how he was going to take to me speaking so openly and honestly to him about what’s been going on between us. I hadn’t meant to throw all of those thoughts and feelings at him. And from the puzzled look on his face, I’d certainly given him a lot to think about.

It made me wonder if he managed to get any sleep last night either.

I genuinely hoped I hadn't crossed any lines last night. Everything I said was backed with one hundred percent honesty.

I still couldn’t believe that Alexander was looking to help me with my etiquette lessons. Just the thought of inevitably embarrassing myself in front of him was enough to make my skin crawl.

As tired and nervous as I was, I knew that I couldn’t simply hide away in here. Glancing over at the clock on the nightstand, I could see that it was early enough to where the staff was beginning to move around the house.

If I were to stay in bed any longer, I ran the risk of either Nina or Wendy coming in and yanking me out of bed by my ankles. Against my better judgment, I pulled back the blankets and lifted myself out of bed.

I headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower and raised up the temperature. My muscles were tense and aching.

While trying to keep my nerves under control, I stepped under the steady steam and allowed the hot water to work on my shoulders and neck. I was right in the middle of running my conditioner through my hair when I heard a sudden knock on the bedroom door.

It’s probably Nina. Crap! How long have I been in here?!

I must have lost track of time when I was letting the water work the knots out of my back. Damnit! I quickly turned off the water and grabbed the nearest towel to wrap around myself. I practically stumbled out of the bathroom with an apology hanging off the tip of my tongue.

However, when I had thrown the bathroom door open, it wasn’t Nina who was staring back at me...It was Alexander.

My eyes widened as a vibrant, heated blush seeped into my cheeks. I felt my heart and lungs seize within my chest. Oh my God.

In all fairness, Alexander looked as shocked as I felt. Thankfully, he was alone. Normally, he would be tailed by Oliver but, luckily for me, he was alone. Alone and totally gaping at the fact that I was standing in nothing more than a skimpy towel.

For Christ’s sake, there were still water drops rolling down my back. Why the hell hadn’t I properly dried myself off before throwing the door open and rushing out?

I should have just turned around and headed back into the bathroom, however, I couldn’t bring myself to pull my eyes away from Alexander. I felt the weight of his gaze press onto me with every passing second. His eyes grew dark with something resembling arousal?

Surely, I was mistaken. I mean, there’s no reason why he would look at me in that sort of way. The man and I shared one semi-deep conversation and already my emotions and thoughts were running wild. But were they?

Alexander stared at me—almost unblinking. It felt like he was trying to mentally remove the towel I had wrapped around me. My own gaze began drifting over him to where I had discovered that Alexander was growing hard in his pants.

Both my throat and mouth grew dry as my mind brought back to the time we were in the bath together and my hand had accidentally brushed against him.

My breathing grew even more hitched when he lowered his head to allow his gaze to rake over my exposed skin. He clenched his hands into fists while taking in ragged breaths.

I tried to clear my throat while faintly hearing a disgruntled curse slip under his breath.

“I...Uh, thought you were Nina or Wendy,” I said weakly.

He raised a questionable brow. “Do you also greet them in nothing but a towel?” he asked bluntly.

Another wave of embarrassment hit me like a slap to the face. I blew out a frustrated sigh and refrained from rolling my eyes.

“No. Obviously, I was taking a shower and I guess I lost track of time,” I huffed.

The corner of his mouth started to curve upward into a smirk, yet he remained silent.

My feelings of self-consciousness were swiftly turning bitter. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’m going to grab my clothes and finish getting ready.”

Just as I turned around, Alexander spoke out. “Wait.”

Without a word, he moved himself over to the large wardrobe and began shuffling through all the hangers. My nerves coiled and twisted when I noticed him pulling out one of the hand-designed blouses Claire had made especially for me.

I held my arms close to my chest, feeling sheepish over the fact that I hadn’t worn a majority of the clothes that he was searching through. Although, I was slightly surprised by the next piece of clothing he decided to take out. A pair of my old faded blue jeans.

“Here. Wear this,” he insisted.

A weird feeling spurred through my chest, knowing that he’d intentionally merged my old wardrobe with my new one. It seemed like he was trying to ease me into trying something new all while letting me remain comfortable in my usual attire.

“You need to get comfortable wearing clothes that you may not be used to. As other events happen, you’ll be expected to wear clothes that fit your title. When you’re home you can wear whatever you want, but when you leave the grounds, you now represent the Kingston Family.”

It made perfect sense. Yes, I preferred my regular clothes compared to finely tailored ones. But I would never want to intentionally embarrass Alexander or the Kingston family in such a way.

“I understand.”

I took the pile of clothes from him and headed back into the bathroom with heavy steps. Well, that was certainly not how I imagined today starting.

With any luck, there weren’t going to be any further issues. However, I came to realize such a thing was going to be rather impossible.

The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed, Alexander gave me an appreciative look.

“Very nice,” he said. “Now, during your lessons today, I want you to wear these.”

My heart sank to the floor. Alexander couldn't be serious. He sat there patiently with that same smirk he’d worn before. This time, he held up a pair of strappy high heels.

“Oh, no,” I murmured.