"Was there something else?" I asked, looking at his hand that still held my wrist.
He took a deep breath and looked around as if he were searching for something. "If Bonehead up there doesn't see how spectacular you are, then I'm always here. I'd be more than willing to step in." He took a step closer as if he intended to seal his declaration with a kiss.
Instinctively, I took a step backward, shocked by the intensity in his eyes. "Greg, no. What about being friends?"
He gave my hand a squeeze. "I lied. You know, trying to save face and all. Truthfully, it was the most spectacular kiss of my life. Anytime you find yourself in need of another, call me." He dropped my hand and turned to walk away, leaving through the front entrance of the hotel.
Shaking my head at the complexity of men, I sank down on one of the plush chairs in the lobby. I needed a chance to collect my thoughts before heading upstairs. Whatever happened, I wouldn't use tears as a weapon. I had to keep my emotions in check.
My steps felt heavy as I made the slow journey to my room and yet, I still arrived long before I was ready. I stood outside the door, taking several shallow breaths before finally raising my hand to knock.
The door swung open almost immediately. Alec stood before me, tall and handsome as ever. From the instant I first laid eyes on him, I believed he was out of my league. He'd stepped off the cover and into my life.
A strange whistling noise annoyingly teased my ears as I stood on the threshold of my room. It took me a moment to realize the sound was coming from me. My breathing was a bit labored and I felt warm.
Alec didn't speak as I stepped around him and walked into the room. I dropped my purse on the dresser and removed my jewelry without looking back. Now that I finally had him here, I was unsure how we should proceed. Sitting on one of the chairs by the window, I tugged my boots off and slid them out of the way before pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.
Alec moved to the other chair and sat down less than two feet from me. Our knees would have been inches apart if my feet would have been on the floor. I needed my legs tucked against me though. They were my shield.
Neither of us had bothered to speak yet. We seemed to be in a standoff, waiting to see who would jump first. Alec kept his head down with his hands folded over his knees. I couldn't even tell whether his eyes were open. It was strange not seeing him in his usual carefree and laid-back stance. He was serious when he needed to be, as Greg found out, but there was always something so approachable about Alec.
Each minute that passed felt like a rubber band stretching to the point where it was on the verge of breaking. Finally, as I was ready to cave and end the silence, Alec released his end of the rubber band with recoil that was more painful than I could have anticipated.
"You said the kiss meant absolutely nothing to either one of you. I didn't like it. No, fuck that. I hated it, but I dealt with the thought of another guy having his hands on you. Because it was nothing. That's what you said. Then I come here, ready to hash it out and put the whole thing behind us, and what do I find? You and Greg practically hanging all over each other. Not only did you lie, you already moved on."
I shook my head, trying to remember my conversation in the elevator with Greg. No way were we hanging on each other. "Alec, it's not like that at all. I've been torn to pieces over the thought of losing you."
He stood up abruptly. "How fucking stupid do you think I am, Nicole? I saw you. You were so wrapped up in that asshole you didn't even notice I was standing there. He's lucky I didn't do more to wipe that stupid fucking lovesick look off his face." His voice shook with rage as he paced around the small room.
"We were just chatting in the elevator. I'm telling you, there was nothing else happening. We are just friends," I whispered. Of course, there was no way I could tell Alec what Greg had said in the lobby, unless I wanted to be an accessory to murder.
He snorted mockingly. "Come on, Nicole. You can't be that naïve. That guy obviously wanted to be more than 'friends,'" he said, using air quotes. "God, it was fucking clear as day in New York. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to give you any grief before your tour. Well, that and I trusted you. My mistake."
I opened my mouth to argue. I needed him to understand. The words refused to come out. I could deny everything until I was blue in the face, but if the tables were turned, would I believe him? I couldn't say.
Alec paced back and forth, practically wearing a track in the carpet. I had my own questions burning inside me, but I wanted him to finish unloading so that maybe he would calm down. I still didn't know where we stood. Was he planning to end us? If I asked, would it speed up the process? My heart thumped painfully in my chest. Even as angry as Alec was, I wasn't ready for him to leave.
Eventually he stopped pacing and sat heavily on the edge of the bed, placing his head in his hands. He glanced up with bloodshot eyes, looking at me as if he expected me to say something. I moved from the chair and sank down in front of him. My knees hit the floor with a thud as I reached for his hands. He resisted, clenching them into fists. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry times a million, Alec. I can't undo what happened, but I also don't know what else I can say to make you understand it meant nothing."
He jerked his hands away so abruptly it startled me. Then he snagged my wrists and shackled them in place. "Maybe it meant nothing to you, but trust me. It meant everything to him."
I debated denying it again. Up until an hour ago, I would have assumed he was wrong. I would have continued insisting we were just friends. Now that I knew the truth and could see how angry Alec was, I couldn't lie anymore.
I nodded. "You're right, but just because he has feelings that are different from mine means nothing. I love you. I realize that even more now."
"You know, this trip has been planned for weeks," he said raggedly.
I nodded my head, confused. "Of course. It's the last leg of the tour. It was planned months ago."
"Not you being here. I'm talking about me. I planned on being here for weeks," he said, releasing my wrists and pounding on his chest for emphasis. "Do you know what today is?"
I nodded my head. In my despair, I had forgotten until someone at the signing handed me a homemade valentine fashioned out of my book covers. I completely spaced out that the romance tour was scheduled to end on the most romantic day of the year.
"I've been planning this for weeks. I even made an ass of myself and went to talk to your father. What an idiot I was."
What the hell was he talking about? Why would he possibly need to talk to my father? The thoughts flipped through my head, slowly at first before revealing what I was missing. I sank back on my heels, watching in shock as he pulled a small box out of his pocket.
"You were going to propose?"