Page 52 of Forever After All

Dr. Taylor tries his hardest to suppress his smile, but he fails, while Alexander just ignores my reprimands.

Alexander staring at the doctor so hard that even I am nervous. All he’s doing is touching my hand and feet, but the way Alexander is looking at him is so threatening that I feel bad for him.

Dr. Taylor and I both breathe a sigh of relief when he’s done, and Alexander finally relaxes when he packs up his stuff.

He greets us politely before walking out, and Alexander stares at the closed bedroom door. “I don’t like him,” he says. “I don’t like the way he looked at you, the way he touched your feet. He’s too young to be a doctor anyway. I’m requesting another background check on him.”

I bite down on my lip to keep from bursting out laughing. “You don’t like the way he touched myfeet?”

He looks at me, dead serious, and nods.

“I mean, yeah, he’s quite handsome, isn’t he?” I say, my tone teasing.

He frowns and grits his teeth. He grabs my chin and turns my face toward his. “You’re mine, Elena. Your body is mine, but make no mistake, your every thought is mine too. Don’t you dare evendreamabout anyone else.”

I smile at him provocatively. “Oh, yeah? And what will you do if I don’t listen? The way you touched me after you found out I went shopping with Lucian was amazing…”

He looks at me through narrowed eyes and lifts me into his arms, repositioning me on the bed before leaning over me.

“Elena, don’t tempt me. Your injuries won’t stop me.”

I laugh, I can’t help it. “Injuries, huh?” I whisper, my fingers tracing over his face. I pull him closer and kiss him, startling him.

He grins and lowers himself on top of me, kissing me gently, carefully. I whimper underneath him, eager for more. “You do realize that I’m not actually injured, right?”

He holds himself up on his elbows and looks into my eyes. “But you are,” he says. “I don’t want to see you hurting in any way, Elena. I don’t want any harm coming to you—not even something so small as a paper cut.”

I smile at him, my heart twisting painfully. He’s hurting me every single day by withholding the one thing I want from him most. Things have gotten much better between us lately, and he’s never treated me this well before, but it’s not love.

Chapter 38

Alexander

I stare at the engagement ring and rotate it to see how the light catches. “Magnificent job,” I tell Francesco, the owner of the jewelry store my family has frequented for years. I can’t wait to see the look on Elena’s face.

The ring in my hand is the one she couldn’t stop looking at when I brought her here to pick her ring. It’s the one she so clearly wanted, yet didn’t dare ask for. I smile to myself, imagining what it’ll look like on her hand.

“Six carats, emerald cut,” Francesco tells me. “Perfect for Mrs. Kennedy.”

I nod at him. “Perfect, indeed.” The carat weight is perfect for someone of Elena’s stature—for my wife. Yet the band itself is simple. It suits her.

“Alec.”

I freeze with the ring in hand, chills running down my spine. I’d recognize her voice anywhere, and it makes my heart ache. I don’t turn. Instead, I keep my eyes on Elena’s engagement ring.

“That… what is that?” Jennifer says.

Francesco nods at her, his poker face in place. I’ve brought Jennifer to this store countless times. She owns many of Francesco’s priceless pieces, and it’s here, at my family’s jeweler, that I came looking for a ring for Jennifer.

“Pack it up for me,” I tell Francesco, and he nods politely.

“Alec,” Jen repeats, her voice soft.

I turn to face her, bracing myself. She smiles at me, and my heart twists painfully. Her long blonde hair is perfectly straight, and she looks at me as though she never stabbed me in the heart, and then twisted the knife.

“It’s Alexander,” I correct her.

She looks stricken and glances at Francesco. “That… was that an engagement ring?”

---