Page 30 of Until

“I could definitely get used to that Miss Odessa stuff,” she says. “You really are in over your head.”

“Shut up,” I say.

“And look at him. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you. Mmm! I wish a man would look at me like that.”

“Stop. It. You’re reading into things.”

“Am I? Because you can’t seem to stop looking at him, either. Mmm-hmm! There’s some chemistry here.”

“No, it’s not like that at all,” I say.

“The library,” Alex says. “Now.” He disappears through the entryway.

“What was that?” I whisper.

“That’s billionaire speak for let me intoxicate you with the smell of books as I bend you over my desk,” Odessa says. “If you’re not interested, I love a good, ahem, library. I’ll go in your place.”

“You’re crazy,” I say as I playfully elbow her. “Now I’m going to feel even more uncomfortable in there. But trust me, it’s nothing like that.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Miss Odessa, you are welcome to stay the night if you’d like. Miss Carina won’t be leaving until morning,” Reggie says.

“Excuse me? What? Who says I won’t be leaving until morning because it wasn’t me.”

“Master Alex has stated that by the time you return from the ball, you should get some rest.”

“Well, Master Alex doesn’t tell me what to do. I’m not even going to the ball.”

Reggie leads Odessa and me into a two-story foyer with a curved staircase leading up from the marble floors to the next level. My apartment could fit in the foyer. Ahead, I notice a wide room with a stone fireplace. Reggie waves his hand towards that room.

“Miss Odessa, make yourself at home. I’ll show you to your quarters later unless you’d like to freshen up now. I’ve arranged for you to have adjoining rooms with Miss Carina in the south quadrant overlooking the lake.”

“Ohhhh, sis, I could definitely get used to this,” Odessa says as her eyes light up. “I won’t be far if you need me. Good luck!” she says as she heads to the next room.

“But we have to go,” I say, my voice echoing.

“The library is this way,” Reggie says as he begins to walk behind the staircase and down a hall.

I follow, knowing that I need to talk with Alex about my not wanting to do this. From the look on his face, I can tell he already suspects what I have to say.

Reggie stops before a pair of large carved wooden doors with golden handles, squeezes the plunger of a handle down, and opens the door. As I step into the library, I let out a gasp.

I’m hardly aware of the door closing behind me. The library is two stories with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace at one end and a wall of glass on the other that faces the lake. Along the long walls of the room are books filling every shelf, from floor to ceiling.

In front of the fireplace is a fluffy throw rug, and two oversized couches scream for me to take a nap. By the glass wall is a broad, simple desk with two upholstered chairs facing it. Dark wooden beams run across the ceiling. The library is rustic and stunning but with a relaxed feel that’s different from the chateau’s exterior.

Alex is staring at the river with his hand on his cushioned desk chair.

“You’re having second thoughts,” he says without looking at me.

“No… yes,” I say with a sigh. “It just doesn’t feel right.” I look around the room again, stunned by the massiveness and beauty of everything.

“You don’t feel right. You feel out of place. That’s it, isn’t it?”

He turns around to face me, sliding his hands into his pockets again.

"I don't know. I’ll be honest with you, I'm torn."

---