Chapter 70

[Evelyn’s POV]

My entire body was coursing with an undeniable, sensuous heat. I hadn’t anticipated Alexander to kiss me in such a way but I was, by no means, upset about it. Hell, if he kept it up any further, I would have pushed myself out of my chair and made my way onto his lap.

I wanted to tangle my hands through his thick, dark hair and pull him closer. I wanted to tear away at that annoying mask he wore and kiss the other side of his face he kept hidden for some ungodly reason.

My heart dropped into my stomach when the carnal realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

I wanted him. All of him.

My hands were itching to tear at his clothes and discover every unseen inch of his skin. All those previous times I’d felt the press of his hardness against me, it piqued my curiosity to no end. The man was by no means small.

Good God, who the hell am I kidding? He couldn’t even be considered average.

When I first felt Alexander press his tongue past my lips, I was already melting on the spot. My face flushed at the brief memory of our tongues swirling. Alexander was quick to take control and proceed to dominate the kiss to his own end.

I didn’t even care. I was actually quick to discover that I liked the idea of him taking control. He was far more experienced than me and knew how to make things work and feel amazing. There was no reason why I would try to get in the way of that.

It was like he’d turned on an internal switch I didn’t know that I had. My mind was still reeling over the notion of him hooking his hand under my jaw and pulling me forward. His scent enveloped me like a protective cloud. No way was I pulling back.

Whether he knew it or not, he started to awaken something within me. And wanted to explore it to its fullest extent.

The man knew I was a virgin. He’s known since the first day that we’d officially met each other. He hadn’t exactly hackled me about it; but, there again, he hadn’t done anything about it either.

For so long, I’d been convinced that perhaps it was because Alexander just didn’t find me attractive. Slowly, we’d been working our way around one another and gradually getting closer, and more comfortable in each other’s shared space.

But that kiss...Fuck.

That kiss sent me nearly falling out of my chair. I was so overcome with heat that I was sure my entire body was flushed. And for good reason. I was so tempted to press my thighs together, knowing damn well that I was going to feel the wet heat between them.

When Alexander had pulled back, I almost let out a friggin’ whine. I gave a silent prayer to myself that I had at least some sense of self-control still left. Otherwise, I would have hoped for the floor to split open and swallow me whole.

My heart had already been beating frantically from the intensity of everything, nothing could have prepared me for the heart-wrenching look that Alexander gave me. He looked so emotionally vulnerable.

It brought me back to the early morning when I’d finally come out of my Belladonna attack. Alexander was leaning over me with that same beseeching expression.

Clearly, he had something on his mind.

“Evelyn, I have to—”

“Sir!”

Alexander and I both turned our heads to find Oliver standing firm near the doors. He wore a look that demanded Alexander's immediate attention. Meanwhile, I cursed inwardly.

Son of a bitch!

I knew from that tone of voice that something was going on and that Alexander was going to be dragged away. I never thought of myself as needy. I was built to be self-sufficient and reliable.

When I first entered this marriage, I had made a clear promise to Alexander that I would never interfere with his work. However, the mere thought of having him be taken away for some unknown business had me feeling like a child whose new toy was being taken away.

“What is it?” Alexander asked with annoyance.

“A call has just come in,” Oliver said with his usual vagueness. “It’s rather imperative that you take it.”

Oh, please. Please, don’t. Stay with me so we can finish the conversation we started.

Alexander let out a long breath and paused.

“Fine,” he bit out.

I tried to ignore the disappointed feeling in my stomach and went on to lie through my teeth.

“It’s alright,” I said. “I’m going to find Wendy and Nina, let them know what an amazing job they did.”

I got up from the chair and headed off through the small cluster of people without so much as glancing over my shoulder. If I turned around to glance at Alexander, he would have been able to see right through me.

That kiss we’d just shared told me that we’d very likely entered into a new stage of the relationship; however, we weren’t at the stage in which I came before business. What bothered me was the worry that I may never reach that level of importance to him.

Thankfully, it didn’t take me too long to spot Nina near the refreshment table. The kitchen staff had really outdone themselves with the spread that was prepared. All of my favorites were laid out, yet I didn't have much of an appetite at the moment.

“Hey,” Nina greeted me. “How are you feeling?”

I gave a light shrug. “Tired, if I’m being honest.”

I must have gone through every possible extreme emotion in the last hour since I walked into this party. My body felt heavy and worn.

“I just wanted to come over and thank you again for everything,” I told her with a smile. “It’s incredible.”

Nina wrapped her arms around me and gave me a quick, meaningful hug.

“You’re welcome,” she hummed. “I ought to tell you, Wendy and I had a lot of fun planning it. It isn’t often that we get a reason to celebrate occasions.”

“Well, maybe we change that,” I suggested. “I’m not saying we need to have a party all the time, but we could surely plan smaller events that are just as enjoyable.”

Nina jumped at the possibility and began rattling off a couple of ideas that must have been sitting at the forefront of her mind. I was glad that of the two of us, she was still jovial.

Somewhere along the line, she must have noticed my pensive expression. She stopped her one-sided conversation and reached out to pat my shoulder.

“Evelyn, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Truthfully? I don’t know.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about opening up to Nina about my slow-building love life with Alexander. But there was something else that was eating away at my thoughts.

“Actually, I’m a bit curious to know something,” I began. “Has anyone from my family tried to reach out for me today?”

All that talk about my past with Alexander before, had me wondering if by some small chance at least one of them would have acknowledged the fact that it was my birthday. My own father, who all of a sudden wanted to treat me as though I was the gem of the family, should have at least been the one to reach out.

“No, I’m sorry.”

I merely waved her off. “Don’t be. I shouldn’t have even bothered to ask.”