Lost Heartbeats (Alexander & Maya Book 2) (10 page)

“And a very beautiful one at that.” I reached out and grabbed her hand. “You’ve been different from the very beginning.”

Before she could understand what I was saying to her, the owner of the place stopped by and cleared our plates, forcing me to retract my hand. Lifting her face, she gave the bastard a big smile. He’d been running in circles around her ever since we’d stepped into the goddamned place.

“Tack, Niko,” she said softly.

After the guy murmured something back to her in Swedish, I cleared my throat, and he threw me a displeased look before leaving us alone again. Maya turned back to me, a smaller smile on her lips.

I knew I was being irrational, but I didn’t want to share her smiles with anyone. I wanted everything that made her perfect to me to be only mine, and I wouldn’t stop until I had all of it.

“I’m a jealous guy, Maya.”

The smile slowly slipped from her lips.

“You’re sure you’re not seeing anyone? I will get possessive over you. So, if there is anything you think I should know, you should tell me now. If you are with me that means we are exclusive.”

“You are aware that the same goes for you too, right? I’m not the one who is sleeping around, Alexander. If someone has the right to get jealous here, I would say it would be me.”

Reaching over, I gripped her hand in mine.

“From now on, you will be the only woman in my bed, and there won’t be any other men for you either.”

“So essentially you’re saying you are mine? I think I remember you telling me that you weren’t looking for a relationship.”

“Things change.”

“Could you be more tightlipped? Be more specific, please.”

“It’s you,” I replied, fidgeting in my seat. I didn’t like to be questioned, but she deserved to hear what she already meant to me. “You changed the game the day you left. When you made it clear that you weren’t ordinary. I would have eventually seen it if you had stayed, but I knew I wanted more with you the day I got back from the airport.”

She seemed to mull over my response for a while. I was different for her too. I wasn’t someone she would usually consider being with, I knew that now. She was friendly with everyone around her, her home was just that: a home, not a freaking museum. If I could make a guess, I would say she much preferred to stay in instead of going out to some black tie event. She didn’t fit in my so-called world, which made her all the more attractive to me.

“Long-distance relationships are challenging. And truth be told, I don’t think you can handle something like that.”

“I’m touched to see how much trust you have in me.”

“Because you radiate trust, and I’m the one who is being unreasonable. Why go through something that will only last one or two months? What are we even going to do? Talk on the phone every day? Skype? We aren’t teenagers, Alexander.”

“Let me worry about all that.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t fight me on it either. I knew she would take me any way she could. Lucky for me, something about me made her happy. In a few days, it wouldn’t matter anyway. I wasn’t leaving without her next to me. As soon as I found my opening, I would convince her.

“Do you want to walk around a bit, maybe? I want to check in on Linn, but I can show you around before that, if you don’t mind walking that is.”

Standing up, I offered her my hand. “Show me everything, beautiful girl.”

The smile she gave me was bigger than the one she’d given that little blond bastard, Niko. When she got up, I leaned down and gave her a brief kiss. When I tasted the apple juice on her sweet lips, I smiled back.

“I think I’m craving apples. Maybe we should go back to your place first?”

She laughed, tipping her head up to me. “As tempting as that sounds, I doubt we’ll get back out again, and I really want to check in on Linn to see if she needs any help.”

“Fine,” I said. “Another small taste it is.” When my lips touched hers again, her breath hitched, and taking advantage of the small opening, I kissed her until we were both breathless.

“I’m a greedy bastard, Ms. Hart. I want to be the reason for every one of your smiles,” I murmured against her lips. “I want to be the one who makes you happy.”

She hummed a soft assent and opened her eyes. They were light, carefree. Not weighed down by grief.

“I’d say you are off to a good start.”

I linked her fingers with mine, and her gaze fell to our hands with something close to wonder in her eyes. It was a powerful feeling knowing that such a small gesture could make her happy. “It’s only our beginning, baby,” I whispered, my own voice filled with wonder.

Fuck being cautious.

After she showed me all her favorite spots around her small town, we found ourselves in front of a pharmacy.

“Can you wait here for a second?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, frowning.

“I need to get a morning after pill, Alexander, and some condoms,” she whispered, leaning into me so no one would hear. “We didn’t use anything the whole time. If it was just the time at the café, I’d say it was almost impossible for something to happen. I don’t like taking those pills, but after that many times, it would be plain stupid of us to leave it to chance.”

“You don’t like taking those pills? How many times have you taken them exactly?”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“Fine. But we have to come up with something else for protection. After last night, I’m not sure if I can go back to condoms.”

“I think condoms will be fine for the time being. You’re only here for a few days, right?” she pried.

“Come on, let’s get your pill.”

She searched my face, and when she couldn’t find whatever the hell she was looking for, she sighed and headed for the pharmacy door. I was right on her heels. Taking a number, we waited in silence for ours to be called.

***

“Hey guys.” Linn beamed at us as soon as we walked in and then ushered us to the table nearest to the cash register. It was getting late, but most of the tables were still full. For all that Maya was worried, Linn seemed to have everything under her control. “I was in a hurry last night, but it’s so nice to put a face to the name. Nice to meet you, Alexander.”

I guess she had decided it was better to act like we hadn’t been on the phone that morning. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“So, what do you think of our little town so far?” Linn asked once I settled down and Maya stood next to her, a strange look on her face as she, too, waited for my answer. “Next to New York, this must look boring to you.”

My lips formed into a natural smile as they always did when my eyes were on Maya. “It’s beautiful,” I said, letting them both know that I liked everything I found in this town. Then again, I would probably enjoy a ride in hell, too, if that’s where I would find Maya.

Linn gave me a slight nod with a small smile, then her smile turned bigger when she realized Maya was blushing.

“I have to check something in the kitchen, and we need your signature for an order. Can you come with me for a second? Then I promise I’ll leave you guys alone,” Linn said to Maya.

Her eyes shifted back to me, her gaze soft. “Will you be all right here for a moment?”

“Don’t worry about me, go ahead.”

“Do you want me to bring you anything first? Are you hungry? Maybe something sweet? I can find salty too. Or tea? Maybe coffee?”

Getting up, I held her face in my palms and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ll be fine. Please. Go and talk to your friend about what a good night you had. I don’t mind praises coming from your beautiful lips.”

She placed her hands over mine and chuckled. “She was too obvious, huh?”

“Like I said, I don’t mind.” Giving her another small kiss before letting her go, I added, “Go and take care of your business.”

Before she disappeared behind the doors where I had swallowed her cries just the night before, she had a huge smile on her lips.

I reached for my phone and dialed Adam.

“Hi Adam, how is everything?” I asked as soon as he answered on the second ring.

“Hey Mr. Ross. So far everything is under control. Mr. Jackson shows up every day, and he is taking all the important meetings Mandy couldn’t postpone for you. She is waiting for your call, too, by the way. Mandy I mean.”

“Adam, please don’t start calling me Mr. Ross again. You know Alexander is just fine. We talked about this. And if you see Mandy, tell her I’ll check in with her tomorrow.”

A brief silence.

“If it isn’t too forward, can I ask how Maya is doing?” he asked.

“You liked her, didn’t you?”

Adam was a sweet kid, and he’d been more than helpful to me these last two years, but he wasn’t good at hiding his dislike of the women I hung around with. He would never utter a word to me, but the difference when he met Maya was obvious even to my own eyes. I never knew what he thought about Claire though. Couldn’t imagine it would be something good, since he knew what had gone down between us.

“She is different… Nice,” he murmured almost uncomfortably.

Christ!

I wouldn’t be too surprised if he already had a crush on Maya. Just like me.

I rubbed my eyes. “She is doing okay. Better than she was in New York. Did you check in on Natalie for me?”

His tone changed, and he told me in great detail how the situation was at Natalie’s house.

“She also said she was trying to call you but couldn’t reach you. Her parents tried to take her back to Canada with them, but I don’t think she’ll leave the city. I think she is…” His voice trailed off.

“She is what? Tell me, Adam.”

“I think she is sleeping in Lucas’s bed. I mean, I don’t know for sure, but when I was there to see if they needed anything—just like you asked—the door was open, and Mrs. Lambert went into the room to check on Natalie to see if she wanted to talk to me.”

Agitated, I ran my fingers through my hair. “I see. Did she come out and tell you anything?”

“Yeah, to ask why she couldn’t reach you on your phone, and why you hadn’t visited her in three days.”

“You told her I was out of the country?”

“I shouldn’t have?” he asked hesitantly.

“No, it’s okay. With her parents there, I didn’t think she would need me. I’ll call her as soon as I can. Thanks Adam, I appreciate your help.”

“Of course. I wish there was something more I could do to help. I will miss seeing the little kid’s face.”

“Yeah, me too,” I sighed into the phone, noticing Linn helping a customer at the cash register. When our eyes met, she smiled at me.

“We’ll talk later, okay Adam?”

“Sure, boss. Say hi to Maya from me.” He chuckled, his tone nervous. “Of course, that is if she remembers who I am.”

“I’ll make sure to pass that along.”

Ending the call, I scrubbed the stubble on my chin. I felt guilty for leaving Natalie at such a difficult time and coming this far for a woman, but she was saving me from drowning in my grief. I would never forget Lucas, but she was helping me deal with it in my own way. When I got back to New York, I would keep doing my best to help Natalie deal with her loss.

Walking out of the kitchen, Maya’s eyes briefly met mine. A worried look crossed her face, then just as fast it was gone, and she focused on the customer her friend was laughing with.

I kept my eyes on her. While she was interactive and definitely attentive, I didn’t get the feeling that she was as happy as she’d been just an hour before when it was just the two of us. From everything she had told me today, I knew she loved the place. It was a piece of her after all, but it wasn’t too hard to see that something was wrong.

When a little boy laughed with joy, my attention shifted from Maya, and my gaze fell on the mahogany upright piano. For my personal use, I preferred grand pianos over upright ones; the sound was always richer due to string length, and of course the craftsmanship was another reason. But, even I couldn’t argue with how good the old mahogany looked with the café’s décor.

My fingers itching restlessly; I found myself walking up to it and touching the sleek surface. Getting acquainted with an old soul in his own right. Knowing Maya’s father had played for Maya on this piano caused a shiver go through my body. I hadn’t known the man, but at that moment I would’ve loved nothing more than to sit down with him and talk anything and everything about his daughter.

If I had noticed the look on Maya’s face, if I had just turned around and looked, maybe I wouldn’t have lifted the top and sat down on the small bench. But then again, maybe I still would have.

As I touched the keys lightly, I noticed that it was slightly out of tune; maybe they hadn’t noticed it, I thought. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little girl slouched in her seat. Almost like every girl I saw on the streets there, she had bright blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was still innocent, still had that wondrous little smile permanently attached to her lips, like every kid her age should. Like Lucas should still have.

She seemed to be lost in her own world as she clutched a Princess Jasmine doll to her chest and her brother talked a mile a minute to their mother while trying to eat his chocolate cake at the same time. They looked like they were a happy family, something I would know nothing about.