His challenges were maddening. He could obviously see right through me that I would likely fail in that duty. At least for now.
A shudder tore through my system. “Where is the first stop?”
“Where everything begins and ends.” His words were haunting, but no more so than the soulful kiss, his lips capturing mine in a quiet embrace. As always, there was no other noise, no interference. Just the two of us in a darkly passionate moment, a simple fix to last until later.
He swept his tongue inside while holding me tightly against him. The hard press of his groin, the feel of his throbbing cock increased my lightheadedness.
When he finally pulled free, he held out his hand, lifting his eyebrows as if preparing to test me. “Do you trust me?”
There it was, the single question that had weighed on his mind, something he wanted from me almost as much as the surrender of my body. I thought about the ramifications of the easy anger before wrapping my fingers around his.
There was no sense in lying.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER 17
Catherine
I wasn’t certain how many times Alexander could surprise me. While I hadn’t put much thought into where he might take me on his so-called adventure, a cemetery certainly hadn’t entered my mind.
He’d seemed reserved, even more quiet than usual during the drive.
There were beautiful creatures in every aspect of life and in every species. While there were people who couldn’t understand there was true beauty in all things, I’d learned a long time ago as a child that some of the ugliest creatures were the most loyal.
They’d become my friends.
Small animals at first, those damaged and unwanted. I’d kept them warm, nurturing and feeding them. My mother had been my accomplice, helping me build a safety zone for the sweet creatures.
Since I’d lived on a farm until moving to New Orleans after college, it had been easy to do, even easier to keep the secret hiding place from my father, who’d begun to work all the time.
I’d talked to them, cried my heart out when they’d died, burying them and even having my own version of a funeral. To this day, I could remember almost all their names.
My father had told me years later he’d known all along I’d been harboring animals. He’d even photographed my adventures and I’d never known. We’d been a happy family, just the three of us cocooned from the world.
When I’d gotten older, I’d used my love of animals to volunteer at a rescue shelter until the stories and tragedies had become too much for my heart to endure. People throwing out dogs and cats just because they were moving. Those who abused them in every sick fucking way. I’d tried to be strong, to give them comfort.
I’d held several in my arms knowing it would be their last day on earth. After two years, the experience had broken me both mentally and emotionally.
Maybe that’s why I had few friends in college. Even now, I could count on one hand minus a few fingers anyone I would consider important or special in my life. I simply was afraid they’d be taken from me. And I just couldn’t handle their deaths.
But here I was, standing in the most ominous place on earth for me.
A graveyard. An ancient yet thriving cemetery where families entombed their loved ones. I’d heard all about the ceremonies and how so many people truly believed the dead could return, to walk amongst us again.
I’d simply chosen not to believe it.
At least what I’d learned from the experience so many years ago was that I could find beauty in every human being.
Yet nothing had prepared me for the ever-present beauty of the man standing a few feet away.
His silence was unnerving, yet I sensed he’d brought me here not only for some theatrical explosion of emotion or admittance, but because the grounds were revered.
“Why are we here?” I asked when he didn’t offer an explanation.
“Come with me, Catherine. I assure you that I’m not here to hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“You’ve already told me that if you’d wanted to do so, you would have. I’m not scared of you, Alexander.”
