I nod, still mute for the moment. I shake my head slightly, hoping to clear it.
“I … yes. I believe you about your aunt’s will. It makes sense. And I desperately want to believe you about the rest …”
“But?” Alex prompts me.
“But it’s been a week since I left you in Russia. You’ve been home for what? Days? And you’re just coming here now. That doesn’t feel like the actions of someone who is completely and hopelessly in love.”
“Actually, I’ve just got back. I came here straight from the airport. Well after I waited for you to go down to the casino floor so I could sneak like a damn thief into your locker and get your key,” he says with a sheepish smile. “I know I could have called you from somewhere outside of the house, but this wasn’t a conversation to be had over the phone. I needed you to be able to look me in the eye as I spoke so you could see the truth of my words.”
“You’ve just got back? Why?”
“After I saw for myself that my aunt wasn’t just being paranoid I started to fear for her safety too. I stayed on a bit longer to convince her to come to London and then to arrange to have her and Valeriya’s things sent here.”
“You got her to agree to it?” I ask, surprised.
He nods. “Yes. It seems you made quite an impression on my aunt as well as me. She wants to be around us. But don’t worry. No pressure. Now that she is away from danger there is no longer any need to pretend. You can tell her we ended things between us, if that’s what you want.”
“Or I could not do that,” I say with a smile.
He stares at me. He looks like he hardly dares to breathe. “What do you mean?” he whispers hoarsely.
“You said that nothing you told me at the house was a lie. Well it wasn’t for me either. Everything I said and felt was real. Alex, I love you so much I thought I was going to die this week without you.”
“You would take me back after everything that happened?” he asks.
I nod. “If you can forgive me for doubting you,” I say, nervous suddenly.
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Alex says, sweeping me into his arms
His mouth is suddenly on mine. As we kiss, it’s like no time has passed at all, like none of the bad stuff between us ever happened. I can feel it in his kiss that he feels exactly the same. He pulls me closer to him, and it’s like we’re made to fit together.
We had a whirlwind insta-lust attraction and a rocky road that lead us here, but now that we’re here, I know for sure I never want to walk away from Alex again. A week without him was more than I could bear. I was ready to give up everything for him. I can’t even begin to imagine living the rest of my life without him. I don’t want to imagine it. Not even for a second. I’m never letting him go again.
Alex takes his mouth from mine and already I miss his lips, his tongue. He has woken my body back up and I want him so badly. He pulls me close and holds me against him for a moment.
“I love you more than words, more than money, more than anything else in this world, Cindy. I want you to never forget that,” he whispers into my ear.
I cling to him for a moment and then I pull back so I can look at his face again.
“Should we take this to my bedroom? Or do you need to get back to your aunt?” I ask.
He stands up and offers me his hand. I slip my hand into his with no hesitation and he pulls me gently to my feet.
“First things first,” he says as he slips the beautiful ring I thought I’d never see again on my finger.
I look down at the ring with a mixture of amazement and delight. Wow! This time it’s for real.
“And now, bed for you, I think,” he says. “My aunt will be just fine without me. Why do you think I brought Valeriya home with her?”
My laughter dies in my throat when he throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and starts heading for my bedroom. I missed Alex with all my heart, but Alex missed me with his body. He falls on me with the intensity and hunger of a man who has been locked away in prison for years and years and this is his last day on earth.
All the pain and darkness magically disappeared. Soon the morning sun will come out and flood my home, but it is already flooding my heart.