He looks deep into my eyes. “Did I get that wrong, Cindy?”
You so know you didn’t, I think to myself. Hell, we’ve already done a spot of riding this morning. It’s clear he wanted to get a reaction. Well, two could play this game.
“No, you didn’t get that wrong. I love riding. There’s nothing to beat the sensation of being on top of a strong, powerful, beast, and feeling it move underneath you. It makes the blood in my veins sing,” I say throatily, feigning the same innocence he did.
Now it’s Alex’s turn to almost choke on his breakfast and I smile into my glass. That’ll teach him.
“You should take her riding one day while you’re here Alex. Take her out to the creek. It’s really romantic there,” Babushka puts in, saving me from any comeback Alex was thinking up.
“I already have. We’ve even been on a ride to the lake,” Alex says.
“Take her to the creek, but no galloping though. I don’t want any accidents. Cindy needs to give you lots of big healthy babies,” Babushka adds with a cheeky grin.
I swear that old lady says these things on purpose. I squirm in my seat with embarrassment as I try to smile nonchalantly, the way a real fiancée would.
“I’ll remember that, Babushka,” Alex says with a mocking smile. “Although, I think it’ll be a long while before we start thinking about babies. I’ve got my hands full with just Cindy.”
“Don’t wait too long now,” Babushka replies. She is no longer smiling. “I would love to see my great, great nephew or niece before I leave this body.” She turns to me and leans forward. “Will you give me a great grandchild before I die?” she whispers.
Confused by the undercurrents I do not understand, I look to Alex for help. To my surprise, the blood has drained from his face.
The ice sisters are watching me with a mixture of dislike and glee, which isn’t helping matters at all. But worse, I really, really, really hate lying to Babushka. More than I ever thought possible. She is a grand old lady with a heart of gold and Alex and I are cheating her. I wipe my mouth on my napkin and stand.
“If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to go up to my room for a while. Change of air from London, I suspect,” I explain apologetically.
“Of course, dear. You relax.” She smiles.
There is something lost and sad about her smile. As if I haven’t passed a crucial test. I want to reach out and hug her, hold her thin body close to mine, and tell her, I would have a dozen of Alex’s babies for her … but I can’t. I’m only pretending. This is not my life. I have another life in London. In a week or two I will be gone, and never see her again.
“Oh, and I’m sorry about your heating,” she adds. “Someone will come by today to fix it.”
I smile my thanks and scuttle away before Petra can make any more jokes at my expense. I am halfway up the stairs when I hear footsteps behind me. I don’t need to turn around to know it’s Alex.
“You made a sharp exit there,” he says, catching up with me
“Yeah. It’s funny how everyone making jokes at my expense made me not want to stay at the table,” I snap as I take the stairs two at a time.
As I reach the top of the stairs, Alex grabs my wrist, spinning me to face him.
“It was in the job description,” he says, his eyes cold and hard. “Don’t forget. This is a job.”
The shock of seeing him so cold and distant is like being doused with freezing water. “I’m sorry.” My voice sounds small and foreign, even to me. “I’m just tired. I guess I might take a nap after all.”
He walks me to my door. “Get anything you need and come to my room in five minutes. You can nap there,” he says.
He walks away before I can respond, which is probably a good thing, because he wouldn’t have liked my response one little bit. Yes, I work for him, but if he thinks he can order me around like that, he has another think coming.
I go into my room and sit down on the edge of the bed. I don’t doubt that Alex was serious about what he said, but I wonder what he will do when the five minutes pass and I don’t go into his room. Will he come to get me?
The five minutes feel like an eternity, but they pass, and after ten minutes, I realize he’s as stubborn as I am. He won’t come to me, because he told me to go to him and I didn’t. He’s so frustrating.
I decide I am not going to just sit here thinking about Alex. The longer I sit on the end of the bed looking at the connecting door between my room and Alex’s, the more likely I am to cave in and go to him. I stand up and grab my cell phone and then I move into the bathroom. I think it’s time I had a long soak in the beautiful big bathtub. I start the taps running and then I call Raven.