Romances de Alice May

CHAPTER SIXTEENALEX POVThe drive home should have taken twenty minutes. Somewhere along the way, I missed my turn. I didn't realize it until a red light forced me to stop.I looked up and none of the buildings looked familiar. I was already three streets past where I should have turned.I let out a quiet breath, made a slow U turn, and drove back.I found the main road again and kept driving, the steady hum of the car heater filling the silence with a soft warmth. Outside, the world blurred past beneath the fading city lights.The traffic lights ahead shifted from red to green, their glow casting faint reflections across the windshield. I drove through them without really looking at them.Every bump in the road sent a dull ache through my jaw. I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror. Even in the dim glow, the bruise was beginning to show. By morning, it would be impossible to hide.Theo.He was standing beside Ellis the first time we met..Back then, he was just another face bes

CHAPTER FIFTEENALEX POVThe second I got inside, the noise hit me. The music, the laughter and Glasses clinking.It all blurred together. A few minutes ago, it was just a regular party. Now, it felt like I was walking into a room full of strangers.Ellis was a few steps ahead of me. He straightened his jacket as he walked and nodded at someone who called his name across the room. My fingers drifted to my jaw,It was already starting to ache.I headed for the bar.“Whiskey please"I ordered.The bartender poured it without a word and slid the glass across.I picked it up, turned away from the crowd, and took a slow sip from the drink.The whiskey burned on the way down."What happened to your face?"My mother appeared beside me before I could set the glass down.Her eyes went straight to my jaw.“I hit a door""A door?" she repeated.“Yeah It was dark"She held my gaze.I'd seen that look before. It was the same one she used whenever she knew I wasn't telling the truth."Alex.""Mom it's nothing

CHAPTER FOURTEENELLIS POVMy tie was perfectly straight. I loosened it anyway, as if that small act could settle the restlessness inside me.The full length mirror showed a man in a black tux with combed hair and everything in its place. I looked like someone who had it all together. I looked like a Valmont.“No strings attached and no feelings involved” I’d repeated those words almost forty times since morning.I reached for my cufflinks, but my hands weren't steady. The first one slid into place while the second slipped from my fingers and rolled under the dresser.I stared at the floor for a second before dropping to my knees to bring it out.My phone buzzed on the dresser to notify me it's time to leave.I fastened the remaining cufflink, picked up my jacket, and slipped it on.The drive to The Hall took twenty minutes.I sat in the back of the car, watching London slide past the window. Saturday evening crowds filled the streets. People gathered outside restaurants, and couples wa

CHAPTER THIRTEEN ELLIS POVThe heavy mahogany door clicked shut loudly in the quiet penthouse. I stood by the big window, looking out at the London city lights. My reflection looked back at me, pale in the glass.I could still feel Alex's hand on my cheek. It was a touch that had felt safe for a moment despite it all.I took a shaky breath and pulled my robe tighter. I wanted to be angry. But deep down, underneath the fury, was a raw ache that felt like grief. I had let him in, shared my bed and my thoughts. I didn't want this silence. I wanted the noise, the fight, the anger, something real I could actually hold onto. Instead, all I had was the fading warmth on the sheets and a heavy knot of doubt twisting in my stomach.*******************************************By 8:00 AM, I was in the back of my car, typing on my tablet. Shaking off last night's vulnerability to become CEO Ellis Valmont was a familiar routine. I adjusted my cufflinks, a gift from Theo, and walked into the buildi

CHAPTER TWELVE ELLIS POVThe morning sun cut a sharp line across the mattress, waking me slowly.I was face down, my cheek pressed against the familiar, steady rise and fall of Alex's chest. The air in the room was cool, but the sheets tangled around my hips kept the warmth trapped between us.For the first time all week, the heavy ache in my shoulders had dissolved into the mattress.Alex's heartbeat picked up under my ear.It didn't speed up gently,it spiked, hard and sudden.Above me, his breath caught.The easy warmth that usually rolled off him vanished instantly, replaced by a rigid, freezing stillness.I kept my eyes shut, pretending to sleep as his arm began to slide out from under me.He moved slowly and gently.I let out a soft, low grunt and rolled onto my side to give him space, keeping my eyes heavy and closed.The mattress shifted as his weight left it.Through lowered lashes, I watched him s

CHAPTER ELEVEN ELLIS POVI stared at the message delivered twenty minutes ago. I set the phone down, only to pick it up again a second later. Still no response. I kept staring ahead until the walls started to blur together, sitting there in the quiet as the evening light slowly faded from the room.I paced back and forth between the couch and the window, checking the street every time a car drove by. After some time, I just stood off to the side of the glass, watching the traffic pass, unable to sit still.Then, my phone buzzed on the table.I grabbed it so fast I nearly dropped it, catching it against my chest. Three dots danced on the screen indicating that he's typing.“On my way”I set the phone down on the counter. For a second, I just stood there, staring at nothing. I dragged a hand over my face and let out a long sigh.“He actually said yes.” I glanced back at the screen like the message might magically change if I looked too long. I wasn’t ready for that answer.“Oh my