Page 28 of Second Chance for Mr. Alden

I rolled my shoulders and paced the room.

“You should receive your gown tomorrow. Our seamstress used your measurements to make sure it’s the perfect fit, but just in case it’s not, please reach out to us, and we’ll be sure to rectify it immediately.”

“Thank you, Sean. I appreciate that.” I made sure to stretch my lips into a big smile so that he could hear it through the phone. “It’s been lovely talking to you, but I have to run. I have another meeting to attend.”

“Absolutely, Ms. Sulton. Take care. We’ll see you soon.”

“Of course. Bye.” I drew my lips into my mouth and let them go when I let out a breath before turning to face Alden.

As I predicted, his eyes were fixed on me. “Jess—” he elongated the s sound in my name.

“Alden,” I said, cutting him off. “Listen, this is an important event. And I know you’ll keep me safe.” I moved closer to him, slowly inching my way as though approaching a predator. A pictured him in a tux and gave in to an involuntary shiver.

“It’s a bad idea, Jess. The logistics will be a nightmare.” He ran a hand through his hair.

I laid a hand on his arm. “Alden, I’ve put off so many of these functions over the past few months. It’s part of my job, it’s what I do. Ihaveto attend this one.”

He grunted, but I persisted.

“We need to find a way to make it safe for me to go.” I rubbed my thumb against his biceps until he looked at me. My lips parted as I tried to focus on what I was saying. Touching him had been a bad idea. Desire curled in my belly, threatening to spread to the rest of my body the longer I kept my hand on him.

He grunted or maybe groaned, pulling me out of the lusty haze I’d fallen into.

“Please,” I whispered, focusing back on what we were talking about.

His soul-searing gaze kept me prisoner, locked in an intimate battle I knew I’d never win. I wanted to place my palms against his cheeks and yell at him, ask him if he felt any of this too.

“Alden, I know you want to keep me safe.” I hated to beg, but I’d worked hard over the years to build my brand. There were always people willing to step in and take my place. The longer I was out of the spotlight, the easier it would be for people to push me aside. “I’ll find a way to go if you leave me no other option.”

His lips thinned. “Jess, I can’t have you sneaking off like yesterday.”

I nodded. “I know.” Inside I wanted to rail at him and tell him that I could do what I wanted, but he was right. I’d hired him to protect me, and I wasn’t letting him do that if I snuck off. “What if I work within the guidelines you set? If we plan ahead?” I cleared my throat. I was not a planner.

A faint smile curled at the edge of Alden’s lips. “You’ll set up a plan?”

I tried again. “Yes, I’m willing to plan for contingencies and all that crap if you loosen the leash.”

“I need you to be serious about this, Jess. Something could’ve happened to you yesterday.” He gently cupped my face. I had to hold myself still so I wouldn’t lean into his light caress. “I wouldn’t have been there to stop it in time. Do you understand that?”

The raw concern in his voice had my stomach clenching. “Yes.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “You can’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t.” It was good he didn’t know the effect of his hands on me right now, because I was ready to give him anything he asked for.

His body relaxed. “Okay.”

I melted into him. So much for not leaning into his hands. My body swayed, trying to get closer to him. It knew that the only place it should be was next to Alden. I wanted to wrap my arms around his waist, lay my head in the middle of his chest, the only place I’d ever felt safe. The only place I’d ever felt like the real me. And the only place, for a short time, I’d ever felt loved.

When he pulled away, I wanted to force his hands back to my cheeks, to yell for him to stop so I could press my lips to his. I’d missed his presence in my life and having him this close was torture.

Instead, I let him step away and I moved back to the other side of the room. I picked Reina up from my chair and sat down at my desk. With my back to him I laid my shaking fingers onto the keyboard, hoping he didn’t see my reaction.

“Let me pull up my calendar. We can review the upcoming events and the ones I really need to attend next month.” I hated that my voice shook. The last thing I wanted was for him to know the extent of his effect on me.

He released a sigh. “Okay. Then I’d like to go over our daily schedule so you know when I’ll be here and when Gage will be around.”

I nodded.

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