Page 51 of Catch My Fall
How I wish we could repeat that kiss…
“Oh, hey.” His voice snaps me from my thoughts.
“Let’s go to a bar,” I say, and it comes as no surprise when he shoots down my suggestion.
“That’s not a good idea, Sierra.”
“Why not? It’s like you said, there’s a slim chance they’d ever find us out here.”
He looks over the side of the boat and I have to crane my neck up to meet his eye. “It’s Friday night during the summer break, the bars and restaurants will be packed. Are you sure you’re ready for that? You could barely handle the shopping mall the other week.”
I sigh. “I’m bored, Alec. And besides, I have to start socialising sometime otherwise I’ll become a hermit who never leaves the house.” I’m not going to lie, I’m slowly growing accustomed to being inside, not having to face anyone.
It’s comfortable. Safe.
He considers it for a moment before climbing down to join me. I have to force my eyes to remain on his face and not on the sweat that beads on his broad, muscular chest.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Alright, but you have to listen to every word I say. You stay by my side at all times. If I can’t see you or you can’t see me, we’re going to have a problem. And you absolutely do not take any unnecessary chances. A couple of hours and we come home. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir.”
I’m sure I catch a low growl rumble up his throat at my response as I turn and skip into the house.
21
Taking careful steps down the stairs, making sure I don’t slip or roll my ankle in my pair of heels, I find Alec at the bottom of the stairs with his hands clasped together in front of him, dressed in a jet black suit, a crisp white button-up shirt with a matching tie.
The sight of him takes my breath away.
He looks like James Bond.
His eyes widen when he sees me, taking in my red floral peplum top with tie waist. The sleeves are three-quarter length, so it hides most of my scars. My skin-tight washed black jeans hug every curve. They’re high-waisted so the waistband comes up high enough not to irritate the scar on my abdomen. My hair is pulled into a high ponytail with tendrils of hair framing my face. It feels weird wearing makeup again, but luckily, I managed to hide the scar on my face the best I could underneath a layer of foundation. I lined my eyes in black, using my favourite red lipstick to finish off the look.
I admit, a part of me dressed for Alec. It’s the first time I’ve felt even remotely sexy in weeks and it feels good to dress up, and the way his eyes look me over, I know it’s worked.
A small smile touches his mouth. “You look beautiful, princess.”
I smile. “You look as handsome as ever, but you can’t wear that.”
He frowns, glancing down at his outfit. “What? Why?”
“The suit. Absolutely not. Alec, we need to blend in. If you go in there dressed like that, it’ll draw too much attention to us.”
He thinks for a moment. “You’re right. Give me a minute.”
He brushes past me and disappears upstairs, coming down a minute later. Still wearing the white shirt, he’s ditched the tailored jacket and swapped out his suit pants to dark jeans and changed into a pair of black boots.
“Do I meet with your approval now, Ma’am?” he jokes with a smirk.
“Very much so.” I beam before we head out to the car.
It’s a short drive into town and I can’t help but admire the view as the sun begins to set. The sky is a watercolour of reds, pinks and oranges, the glow of the late sun glistens off the water as we drive along the coast.
When we pull up into the small parking lot of a bar along the harbour, he rounds the car and opens the door for me, giving me a helping hand out.
“So what should I say if a man approaches me wanting to buy me a drink or asks for a dance?” I ask.
His eyes darken. Slamming my door shut, he backs me against the car, bracketing me in with his hands either side of me. “You tell them your boyfriend is buying your drinks, and if he sees anyone’s hand on you except his own, he’ll snap it off.”