Page 179 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Yes.” Anna pressed her lips together. Why had she admitted that?

“I’ll have to remember that.” She could hear the smile in his voice, which made her smile. “How does six o’clock sound? I know you have to be up in the morning for class.”

Anna glanced at her clock. It was just before one. She could sleep for a few more hours before she needed to get ready. “That sounds good.”

“Then I will see you at six.”

They said goodbye and Anna dropped the phone on her bed after setting an alarm. Dinner with Alex? What did he want from her?

She lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe he finally wanted to have sex with her? But why would he bother to take her to dinner first?

Why did Devin take her out to dinner? Business reasons. Maybe Alex had something he needed help with? Though he didn’t seem the type to manipulate people like Devin did...

Anna shook her head. Whatever his reasons, she would find out soon enough.

Her alarm went off at four-thirty. She stood and stretched before standing and heading to the bathroom to get ready. She still didn’t know what to expect when Alex arrived and mentally prepared herself for... well, anything. She prayed that if he wanted to have sex with her, he would be gentle. She could still feel the aches deep inside from whatever Devin and his friends had done to her. If he wanted her for business reasons, she hoped the man was kind.

She chose a silver silk A-line dress and silver-heeled sandals, hoping Alex would be pleased.

At precisely six o’clock, a knock sounded at the door. She walked to the door on trembling legs and when she opened it, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Alex. Why did she always seem to forget his kind smile? And how could she forget how tall and handsome he was? Tonight he looked even more handsome, dressed in a tailored black suit with a dark gray dress shirt and black silk tie. His hair was tousled fashionably and his piercing cobalt-blue eyes looked at her with such emotion, she had to look away.

“Hello, Anna,” he said in that deep, accented voice of his. “You look beautiful.”

She gave a timid smile. “Thank you. You look very handsome as well.”

His boyish grin lit up his face. “Danke.”

She hadn’t noticed he’d had one hand behind his back until he brought it forward, holding a dozen pink roses bundled in clear cellophane and wrapped with a pink ribbon. “These are for you,” he said, a tremor in his voice as he handed them to her.

She stared at him for a long moment. Devin had never brought her flowers. Was it possible he wasn’t here to use her?

She searched his eyes and found nothing but kindness and affection in them. She sensed nothing from him but the desire to make her happy.

Devin had been wrong about him. He wasn’t scary.

“They’re beautiful.” As she accepted them from his hand, she brought the flowers to her face and was momentarily transported back to the small apartment she’d lived in with her parents, where her mother had rose bushes on the balcony.

Alex silently watched Anna smell the roses he’d brought her. A thrill ran through his body at her delight. He’d spent the better part of an hour at the florists that afternoon, looking at every possible combination of flowers, but he kept going back to the pink ones. Finally, he just decided to go with his gut, and his gut had been right. Thankfully. He was so tired of making the wrong decisions when it came to the precious woman standing in front of him, lost in some happy memory.

He wondered what the sparkling eyes represented, but didn’t want to intrude. She surely didn’t have that many happy memories, and it would be cruel to deny her that simple pleasure most people took for granted. Besides, he was perfectly content to watch her.

She looked up at him suddenly and her face turned pink. “I’m sorry,” she said in a trembling voice. “Let me see if I can find something to put these in.”

He mentally smacked himself in the head; he should have anticipated she might not have a vase. Following her into the kitchen, he tried to remember the closest shop that might carry one, but sighed with relief when she opened a cabinet and smiled in triumph. It was on the top shelf and he easily pulled it down and handed it to her. Their fingers brushed as she took it from him and electric shocks coursed through his body.

He cleared his throat. “I’ll unwrap them if you want to fill the vase with water.” He took the roses from her and laid them on the counter to untie the ribbon as she went to the sink.

Within a few minutes, Anna had artfully arranged the roses in the vase and was tying the ribbon around it. She stopped as she finished the bow. “Is this alright? Or should I just throw the ribbon away? I haven’t gotten flowers since—‍” She swallowed. “In a really long time.”

He suspected it had been before her parents died, but didn’t want to upset her by voicing it. Instead, he gathered her into his arms, ready to step back if she tensed. She didn’t resist, and he inhaled deeply, the scent of jasmine tickling his nose. “I like the ribbon around the vase.”

She slowly leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, melting into him. Oh, he could stay like this forever. It was heavenly, having her willingly in his arms. As he stroked her silky hair, he imagined what it would be like to have her with him all the time.

They stood like that for what felt like a charmed eternity, until she stiffened suddenly and pulled away. His heart broke as she stepped away and looked up at him with frightened eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have?—‍”

“Anna, never apologize for being comfortable in my arms.” He stepped toward her and cupped her cheek. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

He gazed down into her softening green eyes and fought with himself about the wisdom of kissing her. When her tongue darted out to sweep across her bottom lip, he lost the battle and lowered his head to brush his lips against hers. She sighed and he slid his hand around the back of her head, pulling her toward him and capturing her lips with his.

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