Alveus (ABC's Inc. Romance #1) (20 page)

“I
have a scrapbook in my room,” she told him. “I never stopped thinking of you, wishing
we could just talk. I saved everything I found on the internet about you, and
put it in the book.” She looked down shyly. “I never got over my childhood
crush, and I dreamed, fantasized, and talked to you when I couldn’t take…
things. It helped me – my memories of you, helped me.” She paused, taking a
deep breath. Dane stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

“You
have to understand, Dane, I was in a thick cloud of emotionless… limbo, by the
time we met again. It wasn’t just that I didn’t care what happened to me – I
didn’t feel anything. Nothing, Dane! I was depleted – empty…”

“Alveus,”
he filled in.

“Yes,”
she agreed. “I wasn’t looking for escape, not even death, cause you see, I’d
already escaped. I’m sorry, but any hope you could have given me was quashed by
your cold heart. It… it only pushed me deeper into the abyss.” She looked at
him then, and placed a comforting hand on his cheek. “You weren’t to blame, it
was Keith Ingram’s description of you that was planted in my head. How was I to
know that you had no idea I’d been purchased like a slave? He told me what you
expected of me, and what would happen if I disobeyed. I was to perform sexual…”
the words came out as a gasp. “I never…”

“Oh
God, Lexi,” Dane pulled her into his chest. “I honestly had no idea. It’s no
wonder you confused the hell out of me. You drew out emotions I never knew I
had inside me. You still do. When I found out who you were, it all clicked into
place. I felt like a beast and just couldn’t face you. I figured you were better
off with as much distance between us as possible.” He pulled back and looked into
her teary eyes. “But, I can’t stay away, Pips. God help me, I can’t stay away.”

“Don’t
call me…” Lexi didn’t get the rest of the sentence out, for another set of lips
had quickly covered hers.

Surfacing
from what she was sure had been a delectable dream, Lexi felt a finger lightly
spiraling up the mound of her breast. Softly caressing, it reached the tip,
sending a tingle which shot through her body and settled lower in a very
sensitive, slightly sore part of her physique. She shivered, stretched, and
turned to the figure lying next to her.

“You’re
still here,” she observed with a husky sleep-laden voice. She reached out to stroke
the contours of his chest.

“Mmm,
Mmmm,” Dane groaned, shifting his body closer. “I have no inclination to ever
move from this spot,” he said. Pulling his eyes off of her, his gaze turned
south. Observing the clear indication of his arousal, he revised the last
statement. “After I’ve procured additional protection, that is. You don’t
suppose Fani might have left some in her room?”

Lexi
kissed her way to his nipple and took a swipe at it with her tongue. She
received a satisfying tightening of his gripe around her waist, and he pulled
her on top of him. With a mischievous grin, Lexi’s hand slid lower.

“It’s
worth a check,” she teased, “but if I have to get up I’m going to want
breakfast. I’m starving.” Dane growled and stopped her hand’s exploration.

“Do
you give out rainchecks?” he asked.

“Just
so happens there’s a special going on today,” she answered, “two for the price
of one.” He rolled her over onto her back and looked down from his perch above
her.

“And
what would that price be?” he enquired, his voice low and sensual. She gasped
as he ground against her, emphasizing his sacrifice.

“Uh…
a kiss?” Her voice came out breathless. He smiled – a beautiful dimpled smile
which caught her breath once again. His eyes carried a roguish glint as he
lowered his lips to hers. At the last minute, he veered away and landed his
kiss on her neck. His whiskers tickled, as he placed kiss after kiss along the
sensitive points he’d discovered the night before. She giggled and squirmed
until his lips finally found hers, lingering to convey a promise of future delights.
He pulled back, their eyes locked, and they both grinned happily with
understanding. The silent communication they’d shared as children had surfaced
once again.

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

Dane
was… happy. Almost giddy. He hadn’t seen that coming. Actually, he never would
have believed it was possible. Shit, he never thought he was unhappy – but
this, this was euphoric. Lexi was so… Dane scraped around in his brain to find
words that could encompass the entity that was Lexi. He came up lacking. There
just were no words. When they made love, she matched him perfectly. She was
innocent, but she knew instinctively how to please him, and pleasuring her was
addictive. He couldn’t get enough of the sweet sounds she made. Never before
had he… wow! And her giggles – a whole different kind of addiction. They were
the cherry on the top of his happy. A small niggling down deep inside of him,
(sounding suspiciously like Keith Ingram,) taunted that he had it bad. Well, if
that was true, he wanted no part in a cure. The reminder that he’d once
referred to her as the ice queen made Dane laugh out loud. How wrong could a
bloke be?

Lexi
paused on the staircase to give him a questioning look. She wanted to know what
he was laughing about. He knew now why she had been cool toward him, causing
him to dub her with the nickname, but he’d prefer to have her in bed when he pointed
out the absurdity of it.

“Later,”
he promised, squeezing her hand. She raised one seductive eyebrow in response,
causing him to laugh, again. God, he wished that they could stop time and just
bask in each other.

Rounding
the corner at the bottom of the stairs, they entered the dining room
hand-in-hand. Edith was just putting the finishing touches to a breakfast
buffet located on the sideboard. She turned and smiled broadly at them.

“It’s
about time,” she said in an insightful tone.

Both
he and Lexi understood that she wasn’t referring to the lateness of their
arrival. Dane realized that there were a lot of people close to them that would
gloat in the knowledge of their intimacy, as if they’d had something to do with
it. Even so, the happiness he carried seemed to be infectious and he saw
nothing wrong with that.

“I
believe I remembered your favorites,” Edith told him. “Although, I wasn’t sure
if you’d prefer coffee or tea, so I’ve included a pot of hot water along with an
herbal selection. I know Miss Lexi can’t face the day without her coffee,” she
added, maternally.

Dane
caught her manner when she spoke of Lexi, a gentle warning, and appreciated her
protectiveness. Although she was fond of him, she’d helped to raise Pips and
would not tolerate anyone hurting her. He nodded his head and told her that
coffee would be fine. Lifting the lid off of the heated pan she’d motioned to,
he smiled gleefully.

“Caramel
cinnamon pancakes! You remembered correctly, Mrs. Jensen.” He leaned over to
give the elderly woman a kiss on the cheek.

“Get
your own girl, that one’s taken,” announced a gruff voice from behind him. Dane
turned, put on a teasing grin and held out his hand.

“Mr.
Jensen,” he greeted, shaking the old man’s hand. “Don’t you think you’ve kept
her to yourself long enough? No doubt she’s grown tired of you by now.” The
white headed man slapped him on the shoulder.

“Miracle
of miracles, she still puts up with me,” he replied. “It’s good to see you here
again, Son.”

Dane’s
eyes threatened to mist. The whole scene brought fond memories crashing down
upon him. There had been many visits to the Alberton estate when the Carstens
hadn’t been in residence. Harold Jensen had taken the time to hold
conversations with the young boy – had made himself approachable to the
inquisitive youth. Dane’s grandfather was a good man and affectionate in his
own way, but Harold was down to earth, and easy to talk to. When Pips was off
with the women, Dane would search out Mr. Jensen and assist him with his chores
as they conversed. The elderly man had taught him much about honest work and
humble respect. Dane realized that what he felt for the Jensens was a familial
love. He examined the room and its occupants with the fresh revelation that he
was returning home and had missed it terribly. The expressions on the elderly
couple’s faces reiterated that he belonged there. Lexi’s eyes were damp – she
had correctly read each of his thoughts as they’d traveled through his mind.
Carrying a heavily laden plate, he set it down on the table and slipped into
the chair beside her. She reached over to clasp his hand in hers.

Edith
nodded approvingly at Lexi’s plate, piled high with sausage, scrambled eggs
with mushroom and onions, and a slice of homemade bread with honey. Giving her
a meaningful glance, she looked affectionately at Dane, while refilling her
coffee mug.

“Pure
ambrosia,” Dane announced after swallowing his first forkful of pancake. His
eyes closed in ecstasy. The flavors unlocked deeply buried memories which
surfaced and wrapped him in a contented cocoon. “I could definitely get used to
this pampering,” he told the elderly housekeeper. Edith blushed, pleased at his
approval, and led her husband out of the room. “I could also gain a hundred
pounds,” he added wryly. Still, it didn’t deter him from shoveling in the
delectable treat.

“I
may have a suggestion as to how you can work it off,” Lexi said, taking a
dainty bite out of her honey laden bread. Dane’s eyes lit on a small drop of
the sweet syrup which remained on the side of her mouth. Deciding not to resist
the urge, he leaned in and licked it off with a swipe of his tongue.

“And
what kind suggestion have you in mind, little minx,” he inquired, helping
himself to another taste of her lips. He felt her smile, even before he looked
up to catch the mischievous glint in her eye. It required every ounce of
strength he had to resist taking her in his arms and making love to her right
there in the dining room.

“Well,
remember the rumpus room set up for us to play in when the weather was bad?”
she asked.

“Ye…es,”
he answered sensually. Trying to picture the room in his mind, Dane wondered
what kind of
play
she was thinking of doing in there. His body came
alive with anticipation. He watched as she stabbed a piece of link sausage with
her fork, brought it to her mouth and closed her luscious lips around it before
biting a small piece off and slowly, contemplatively, chewed. His innocent girl
was a master seductress, and he was a mesmerized fly willingly caught in her
sweet web of paradise – waiting.

She
looked at him with childlike honesty and said, “We turned it into a home gym.”
Reacting to his perplexed expression, the unwary siren continued, “What? It’s
really state of the art; I think you will find it quite suitable.”

He
stared at her, incredulous. Was she truly that unaware of her sensuality? But…
but, the mischievous glint he’d caught in her eye… He was sure he hadn’t been
mistaken… There! It flashed in again! He narrowed his eyes. Okay, I’ll play her
game. His body took up the challenge, warming in contemplation of the
conqueror’s reward.

“Is
that your way of inviting me to move in here with you?” he asked.

“Of
course,” she replied, still playing coy. “I’ll have Edith prepare your old
room.”

Dane
lunged for her. I’ll teach her to play with the big leaguers, he promised. She
squealed as he grabbed hold and threw her over his shoulder. Giving her a
gentle slap on her perfect little behind, he turned with the intention of
carrying her back up to the bedroom, and then paused at the sight of his
nemesis casually leaning against the doorframe.

Dane
set Lexi down and released his hold on her. Talk about a mood killer. His first
instinct was to pull her against him possessively, but he didn’t. He waited,
needing to know the true relationship between Lexi and the man who had escorted
her to the formal dinner the other week. Hurt and anger mingled in his gut.
Maybe she’s not as naive and innocent as he’d come to believe. The bloke just
stood there, he didn’t even have the decency to be shocked at Dane’s presence.
Actually, he seemed amused. Was he that confident of his position in Lexi’s
life?
Who the hell is he!
When no one spoke, Dane threw Lexi an angry
glare and stormed into the foyer leading to the exit.

“Wait!”
she shouted after him. Pausing with his hand on the door, he resisted the urge
to look at her, couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the guilt on her face.

“Look,
it was my fault,” he told her, staring at the door. “I needed to explain things
to you and I did. No doubt I misunderstood the… uh… your… feelings.” He opened
the door.

“No,
you didn’t,” she grabbed his arm. “Look at me Dane. You didn’t misread my
feelings for you.” He did turn to face her, then.

“Who
the hell is he, Lexi?”

“Reggie
Mangus, my father’s personal assistant – mine now.”

Dane’s
lips curled into a snide grin. “Convenient,” he observed drolly. Lexi put her hands
on her hips impudently and pushed her face up to his.

“And
just
what
are you implying?” she hissed.

“I’m
not a fool,
Pips
,” Dane purposely emphasized her nickname, knowing it
would incite her. “It’s obvious that you two are close – I’ve seen the way he
looks at you.” She stared at him, eyes shooting flames.

“Oh
yeah, and have you noticed the way he looks at
you
?” she asked.

He
met her stare and glowered back. What the hell was she talking about? Of course
the bloke… I mean anyone worth their salt, would… Dane sensed someone watching
them and re-adjusted his gaze to glide beyond Lexi’s shoulder. Reggie smiled
and waved his fingers in greeting.
What?
He looked back down at Lexi who
had an eyebrow raised, a glint of humor reflected in her beautiful pale blue
eyes.

“He’s?”

“Not
interested in me,” she finished for him. “Other than brotherly,” she corrected.

“Oh,
then…” Dane looked back and forth between the two, both were grinning at him
like he was an idiot – well, maybe he was. “I’ll just go to the hotel and pack
my things?” he offered.

“Sounds
like a good idea,” Lexi said as she rose on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his
lips. He put his arms around her and sighed.

“I
hope you realize there will be repercussions for your behavior this morning,”
he warned, as he turned to leave. She smiled at him challengingly and swatted
him on the tush.

“Go,”
she said, “And hurry up!”

»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«

“Oh,
my God!” Reggie fanned his face with his hand. “You two are hot, hot, hot! I
know you sizzled the night of the IMS dinner, but I thought it was passion born
from antagonism. Knowing his reputation, I figured he was just using his overpowering
sex appeal to secure a business deal. Every time I tried to ask you about it
you conveniently changed the subject. You have got to open up, girl, and tell
me everything. How did you manage to reel in Europe’s most eligible playboy?
How did you meet? Is he really moving in here?”

Lexi
laughed and put her hand out to ward off his copious inquiries. “Slow down,”
she pled. “I can only answer one question at a time.”

“Where
did you meet; was it love at first sight?”
That was two.

“Here
– and, yes,” she replied, intentionally vague. “Right now, I have to get
properly dressed. Dill will be showing up here for our meeting, pretty soon.” With
one foot on the staircase, Lexi turned back to face Reg, knowing she was wicked
for leaving him hanging. It was just too tempting to mess with him and then watch
his reaction. Sure enough, he was bouncing from one foot to the other like a
toddler who needed to use the bathroom!

“Why
don’t you go ahead and pull up the stats we need to review with him. I’ll be
down in a jiffy.” She bounced up the stairs and chuckled at the groan that
floated up behind her. The sensations Dane brought out in her were just too new
and fresh to share. Lexi needed some private time to sort through them, and
yes, savor them.

Upon
spotting her bed, still rumpled from their intimacy, Lexi’s body heated with memories.
It seemed as if Dane’s goal had been to find how many new pleasures he could
introduce her to. One, most enjoyable for her, was exploring the curvatures and
ridges of his beautiful hard body. Feeling it respond to her touch. The sounds
she could evoke from him, and his scent – all his own. She quickly pulled the
covers up over the pillows, warding off the urge to hug the one he’d slept upon,
to revisit his fragrance.
He’ll be back tonight.
The thought drew a
smile to her lips.

The
smile was still there when Lexi exited the shower and selected some lingerie
from her bureau. Thankfully, she loved sexy feminine under clothes and the drawer
was full of tiny bits of silk and lace. The thought of Dane seeing them on her
refueled the grin. Spying the jewelry chest atop the dresser, another memory
was brought to surface, leading her to rifle through its copious drawers and
cubbies in a frantic search.

She
was aware that her uncle had already ransacked it looking for anything of
value, pilfering her gold chains and earrings, her pearls… but there was no way
he would have been interested in the trinket she was now seeking. Luckily, all
of the family’s valuable jewelry had been safely tucked away in her father’s
safe, and out of Richard’s grasp.
There!
Reaching to the back of a
drawer, Lexi pulled out a clear plastic box revealing a cute, novel, ladybug
necklace. She knew he would have been deceived by its childish appearance!

A
gift from her mother, the innocent bauble held precious sentimental value for
Lexi. Releasing the necklace from its cheap plastic confines, she marveled at
the ignorance of her uncle’s self-indulgence. One of a kind, Alicia had made it
herself out of precious metals – gold, silver, platinum – so in truth it was
priceless. The chain was gold mixed with copper to give it a pink tint. An
expert with micro circuitry, her mother interwove and fused the metals to form
texture and color resembling a simple, beautiful, lady bug. Alicia had
presented it to her daughter at the beginning of her womanhood, stating that
she was now a lady. Today the gift had new meaning. The piece of jewelry held a
secret.

Expertly,
Lexi grasped the lady bug and pressed her finger down on its antennae. The head
popped up. By pulling up on its head, the metal insect’s wings swung out and up,
clicking into place to form a heart. The necklace now held a romantic locket. Turning
once on the filigree that had been the insect’s antennae, and again pushing
down on it, the locket opened to reveal space enough to hold a small treasure
or picture. In this case, it already held a photo of an adolescent Dane. With her
smile still in place, Lexi closed the locket and attached the necklace, still
in its heart shape, around her neck. She looked into the mirror and gave it a
satisfied pat.
Thank you, Mommy.

Lexi
skipped down the stairs, with a light heart. Her spirit felt free and strong, able
to tackle any challenge. Time reversed back to before her mother’s diagnosis,
when life was an open door filled with possibilities. Before things had
changed, Lexi never gave up, would have never stopped believing in her dreams. That
same power infused her again. Confidence!
Lexi gots her mojo back
, sang the
voice inside of her!

Al-Tech’s
new whiz CPA was just arriving as Lexi swung down the hall passing by the
entrance foyer.

“Hold
on, I was just on my way there,” she told Edith, who was getting ready to
escort him to the office. “Could you do me a favor and have one of the girls
make up Dane’s old room? We can’t have him staying in a hotel when he’s in
town, now can we?”

“No,
we certainly cannot,” the housekeeper agreed. “Harold and I will enjoy having
him around again; he was always such a nice boy.”

“Well
then, I guess you’ll want to stock up on all of his favorite goodies, too.”

Edith
smiled. “I don’t think that will be a problem. When you two were children you would
only eat what he ate. I haven’t noticed much change in your preferences since
then, so I’m fairly certain we have it covered.” She gave Lexi a wink and then
her eyes lowered to the necklace.

“I
remember this,” she said, fingering it. “Funny, it reminds me of something
similar…” Shaking her head, she continued, “I can’t for the life of me remember
where I saw it, though.”

“You
know, I felt the same déjà vu, myself.” Lexi shrugged, “Oh, well, I’m just
happy that Uncle Richard didn’t filch it.”

She
turned and slid her arm through Dill’s, parading him, red-faced, into the
office where Reggie awaited. Wallace Dillsworth was shy, especially around
women, but he was a genius. He was no slouch with technology, either. Although,
when it came to women he seemed out of his league – thus his flush at Lexi’s
touch. His older brother Stan was a special friend of Reggie’s; in fact, they
shared a condo.

“Dilly,
Dilly, Dilly,” Reg said reproachfully. “What’s this I hear about a beautiful
blonde?” If possible, Dill’s face deepened in color, before his brows came together
in a grimace.

“My
brother has a big mouth,” was all he said in reply. “Now, if you don’t mind?”
He motioned for Reggie to move so that he could study the monitor.

“My
two little nestlings are growing into their sexuality,” Reg cooed, as he
vacated his chair for the accountant. Dill looked up at Lexi as if to roll his
eyes at their companion’s audacity. She just kept the satisfied grin she’d been
sporting all morning, plastered across her face, although, couldn’t help being a
bit curious.
Blonde?
– she mouthed to Reg, her eyebrows raised.

“Oh
yes, my sweet, sexually contented little red-head…” Lexi’s grin faltered
slightly, but even her pseudo-sibling’s ridicule couldn’t erase it completely.
“…Dilly here, has a honey of a blonde buzzing around his pollen cone – don’t
ya, Dill?”

Dill
ignored him, focusing instead on the information shown on the screen, but a
crimson blush again rose from his neck revealing the fact that he’d heard the uncouth
remark. Ducking down, he pulled a tablet out of his briefcase and positioned it
next to the monitor to compare figures.

The
office was still set up the way her father had arranged it when he was alive,
with the personal assistant’s desk in the opposite corner from his. Dill was
seated at the PA’s desk, now Reginald’s, so Lexi moved to sit behind the other,
which was hers. She knew that Dill may be occupied for a while and wanted to
get started checking her email for correspondence and hopefully new orders.

Alberton
Technologies had patents on several hundred items that were used regularly by
corporations worldwide. Lexi concentrated their labors on those mainstays,
making sure that they shipped out to customers in pristine condition. High-grade
materials, extensive testing and quality control were foremost in Lexi’s
efforts. She was determined to bring back Al-Tech’s reputation – no matter the
cost. She knew it was already paying off, and a slew of new orders confirmed
it. Still, her parents’ company had also been the lead inventor of innovated
technology, bringing the future into the palms of humankind. Unfortunately,
that took money – a lot of it, and had to be put on the back burner, for now.
She knew her scientists were getting antsy and only hoped that they could be
patient for a while longer. She glanced over at Dill, hoping to find a sign of
encouragement on his face, but it remained unreadable. There was a quick tap on
the door and Edith’s head popped in.

“Miss
Lexi, there’s a woman here, a Contessa Arrivista, who claims to be the new
owner of the house. She says she wants to tour it and get an idea of what she
wants to have shipped here from overseas.” Lexi frowned.

“Is
the realtor with her?”

“No,
she seems to be alone.” Edith’s tone relayed that she thought it strange.

“Try
to keep her from wandering. I’ll make a quick call and be right out.”

After
speaking with Jean, the realtor assured her that she would be right over. Lexi
then made her way to the front parlor where she knew Edith would have made the
woman comfortable. Approaching her guest, who was circling the room with critical
appraisal, she held out her hand in greeting.

“I’m
sorry to keep you waiting, I’m Alexiah Alberton. The realtor will be here
shortly to show you around. Your visit was quite unexpected,” Lexi was polite,
but firm in her disapproval of the stranger’s unorthodox visit. The woman
turned around and, ignoring her outstretched hand, openly accessed her from
head to toe, before dismissing her as unimportant. The contessa stepped closer
to a painting of Lexi as a young girl, posing with her parents. She glanced
back at Lexi as if verifying her resemblance to the portrait, and then focused
on the artist’s signature.