“What?” I prompted her.
Looking to the side, her eyebrows crinkled ever slightly. “Nothing.”
“No, tell me.”
Alexis wasn't watching me, but she also wasn't looking at the wall. Where was she in her head? What did she see? “This thing we're doing,” she whispered. “Have you done it before?”
Gently, I guided her off of me. We both winced when my cock slid free. “You're thinking about what Gerard said in the club.” That fucking asshole. I'd come close to knocking him out just to shut him up.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she shrugged. “I am. And I'm also not. I don't know.” Her laugh cut into me. Right then, I thought I'd tell her anything—everything—if she only asked. “Am I just another girl you'll forget about?”
In front of me, she seemed to shrink. This wasn't the woman I knew. This was a stranger to me. The Alexis I wanted was strong... giving... and willing to put others before herself. Where had all that confidence gone?
My fingers brushed hers on the bed, making her look at me. “I could never forget you, Pet.”
Her lips made the shape of an archer's bow. “Really?”
“Really,” I said seriously.
Her green eyes sparkled, considering me dubiously. I must have passed her test, because the tension slid from her body in a great wave. She kissed me, a soft, quick thing that had as much impact as if it had lasted for hours.
I didn't speak anymore when she hugged me, and I didn't argue when she ran off to clean up in the bathroom. As I watched her slip out of view, her voice still chatting at me through the walls, I let my smile fade... and I endured the painful secret rolling in my skull.
I'd never forget Alexis. I knew I couldn't.
Because I'd already tried to.
- Chapter Eighteen -
Alexis
It was a bluish black throughout the condo. The giant curtains blocked all but the most bare fragments of the early light outside. It highlighted the smooth, strong shoulders and back that faced away from me.
Shifting gently so he wouldn't wake up, I stretched out on the pillow and just... watched him. I counted his breaths, how his ribs would flare and make his tattoos ripple like the sea. He was gorgeous when he was awake, but there was something beautiful about his sleeping face.
Peaceful, I realized. I don't get to see him like that.
It was too easy to stay there. Of course, my rumbling stomach became the first problem. My need to pee came second, and then my caffeine headache joined in.
Carefully, I slid out of the blankets. The bed didn't make a sound, it was one of those expensive brands that they brag about on TV, the kind where they'd show how good it was by jumping next to a glass of red wine on the mattress.
Ducking into the restroom, I navigated in the near-dark. When I was done, I tip-toed across the smooth wooden floors. Silver had bought me a pink “I Heart LA” hoodie from the airport; I snatched it from the suitcase, knowing the morning weather would be a little chilly, even here.
Tugging it over my messy hair, I winced as it caught the edge of my emerald earrings. I hadn't been able to take them off, they'd become a constant companion for me.
Hurrying to tie on my shoes, I gathered my phone and my purse and quietly snuck out the door. Riding the elevator, I smiled at myself in the mirror, humming a perky tune. I felt so alive, so fucking good!
Being with Silver was like taking a shot of adrenaline right to the heart.
I was nearly whistling by the time I was standing in line at the Starbucks right outside the condo. The barista slid me my change, then a grey tray with two paper cups of coffee stuck in it. I hope Silver likes it black. To be safe, I grabbed up a few packets of sugar. Shit, is he a splenda guy, a raw sugar guy, what?
My phone was buzzing. Sighing, I abandoned my sweetener crisis and used my free hand to dig out my cell. Maybe it's Silver, wondering where I am. My screen blew up with a myriad of texts. I didn't know the number... but reading the first sentence, I realized who they were from.
Unknown: Alexis, I'm sorry if I upset you. I don't know why you ran yesterday, but I'm sorry.
Unknown: And I'm sorry to send you this, because it might make it harder.
Unknown: But I need your help. I still believe you can be the key in this crime.
Unknown: This is the last thing I'll ask of you.
Detective Roose. I knew he had my number, but he'd never messaged me like this. The last text was a video. My thumb was pressing down before I even considered what he'd sent to me.
Instinct can be a real bastard.
On my screen, a black and white video rolled. I saw people standing around, the angle difficult to read any faces. It had to be security footage, a camera set in a high corner.
Then I saw myself.
Crushing the phone, I began to hyperventilate. I looked so young, a sweet and innocent eighteen year old. I was wearing a dress that I didn't recognize, a fluffy thing that made me glow in the video when compared to the rest of the muted world.