Limits of Destiny (Volume 2)

  “You’re prickling me.” I smiled and put my fingers on his face. He gently nibbled at them. It didn’t hurt, but I instinctively withdrew.

  Alexander propped himself up on his elbow and took my hand into his. He gently kissed each finger, which kindled the sweet sensation between my legs. There was no way my body wouldn’t respond to his touch.

  “This dreamy look and these lovely, slightly parted lips whispering, I want you, Alexander… I know them well. I better take you inside to avoid anyone seeing us out here,” he said softly.

  He carried me to the bedroom and we made love—tenderly, sweetly, and passionately, like only Alexander and I could.

  9

  I poured some coffee and a little milk in my cup and spread butter and jam on a slice of bread.

  Alexander was sitting on the chair beside me, having a second breakfast.

  Where does he manage to fit all this food? The truth was he trained intensively, so he needed more protein.

  “Baby, are there any developments in the search for…”

  “For that bastard?” He finished my sentence. I saw his Adam’s apple move when he swallowed his food.

  “The very same.”

  “Unfortunately, they haven’t found him yet.” He sighed.

  Dammit! My stomach twisted into a ball. Well, what if they didn’t find him? And he was planning on doing something bad to Alexander.

  “They’ll get him,” he said quietly, reading my thoughts. “Don’t torment yourself.”

  “I’m worried about you.”

  “And I about you.”

  I rested my head on his shoulder.

  “I forgot to tell you.” He continued. “Rahel Tresh, the chief editor of Emmanuelle Magazine, has sent me her questions for you and asks about a date for the interview.” His blue eyes sought out mine. “Do you want us to look through them together?”

  Once again, he was thinking of me and trying to help me. How could I not fall in love with such an attentive man?

  “You’re swamped with work. I don’t want to waste your time with this,” I replied and stared at my coffee cup.

  “What are you thinking about?” He was always very observant.

  “To be honest, I don’t know how I should answer.” I was afraid the journalists might misinterpret my words.

  Alexander put his index finger under my chin and turned my head to him. “We’ll look through them while having breakfast,” he suggested.

  He stood, picked up his laptop, and sat back down next to me. He smiled at me. Stroking his biceps, I snuggled up to him.

  “Let’s see the questions now. The first one is, Do you like living in Zurich?”

  He took my hand in his and tenderly kissed my knuckles, gazing at me the entire time.

  “If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t stay there. I’ll say how wonderful Zurich is, how in my opinion it’s the most beautiful city, and so on.”

  “Is that true?”

  “Yes, I fell in love with the city the very first time I saw it. It’s not that Boston isn’t a beautiful city, but Zurich definitely captivated me with its gorgeous views of the Alps and the lake, the architecture too.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He leaned in and pressed his lovely lips against mine.

  “Next question: Can you see yourself staying to live in Switzerland forever? I’m also interested in the answer.”

  “Yes, I’d love to, but nobody knows where fate will take them.”

  “I’m your fate,” he said cautiously, watching me carefully.

  Was he worried about whether we shared the same opinion, or was I just imagining things?

  God as my witness, I wanted us to be together more than anything, but who could say with any certainty what the future held for them?

  “I hope so, but nobody knows—”

  “Well, I do.” He interrupted.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I shook my head. If only I could be so certain too…

  “I always know, Alexia. Let’s see what’s next. Where did you grow up?”

  “The answer is simple—in Boston, USA. I’ve always lived there.”

  “We must go to Boston sometime,” he slipped in and smiled.

  I was delighted by his words. “Do you really want to?”

  “Of course. I want to see where my girl grew up.” He reached over and pulled me into his lap.

  I’d never taken a boyfriend to my home, and I really liked the idea. To sleep with and nestle next to Alexander would be great. “I’d love to show you. It will be fun. We’ll swim in the pool—”

  “You have a pool?”

  “Yes, ever since I can remember. My father’s really into sports, and I learned to swim at a very young age.”

  “Ah, so that’s why you’re such a good swimmer. And do you ski?” he asked and rested his elbow on the table.

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s go skiing in St. Moritz this winter. I own a hotel there and I have suite permanently reserved for me.”

  “Cool.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling incredibly happy.

  My Alexander wanted to see my home and take me to a winter resort—and not just any resort, but St. Moritz, one of the most luxurious winter resorts in Switzerland. Just wonderful!

  “Okay, sweetie, let’s continue with the questions. How did you learn to speak German so well?”

  I frowned. “If I tell the truth—my mother taught me—I would have to mention she passed away. I’m not sure I want to talk about that.”

  I took a bite from my slice of bread and got jam on my face in the process. Quickly, I reached for a napkin to wipe myself, but Alexander was faster. He wiped the jam with his fingertip and licked it.

  “Mmm, this jam is very tasty when it comes from you. We should spread it on other bits of your body.” His eyes sparkled mischievously.

  “Alexander, I hope you’re not being serious. We just got out of bed.”

  Was he kidding or not?

  “Honey, we can make love all day long, or we can fuck—call it whatever you like.”

  “So in your opinion, we simply fuck?”

  He scratched his chin, considering his response. “We make love… while fucking,” he said and chuckled boyishly.

  “Well, I never! A nicely formulated answer, by the way.” I looked at him, feigning shock.

  “You’re funny. It’s nice being with you,” he said with a grin and ran his palm up my thigh until he reached my panties and his fingers were between my legs.

  “Alexander.” I looked him in the eyes.

  “Yes, darling.”

  “If you continue like this, we’ll end up pushing the bed all day, and there’ll be no walk across the dunes, let alone time for you to do any work,” I warned.

  “Hmm… Pushing the bed… Sounds soo good. How am I meant not to find you funny, sweetie?”

  “You’re joking. Oh, stop… You’re turning me on.”

  “Shall I kiss you down there…? Mmm… We’ll spread a little jam…” His eyes gleamed with delight.

  “God! The thoughts that pop into your head.” I giggled and shook my head.

  “Fine, later, then.” He reluctantly removed his hand. “Next question, then.” He stared at his laptop. “Where were we up to…? Ah, yes. How often do you travel to the States annually?”

  “Huh, who’s interested in that?” I wondered.

  “Alexia, people are interested in all kinds of petty details, some of which do sound silly.”

  “Okay. Once a year, occasionally twice.”

  Alexander paused to think, looked at me, and scratched his temple.

  “You don’t intend to fly out to Boston soon, do you? I have a lot of work right now and wouldn’t be able to come with you. I don’t want you to go anywhere by yourself.”

  “No, honey, relax.”

  He exhaled and said, “Good.” Then he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Hmm, I’m starting to really like these questions. This way I get to find out much more about my Jammie.”


  “Jammie?” I was quite surprised by this new term of endearment for me.

  “Yes, Jammie, the sweetest in the world. I see you put away a lot of sweets, but it doesn’t show. I’m very lucky.” He grinned widely.

  “Ha, it doesn’t show. If I stop going to the gym, it sure will.”

  “Here is an apt question on this very subject. Do you do a lot of sports?”

  “Once or twice a week.”

  “What is your favorite sport?”

  “There are many—skiing, surfing, swimming, running.”

  “It’s getting more interesting.” He smiled. He was definitely having a lot of fun. “Do you have to go on diets?”

  “I don’t go on diets, but I eat less whenever necessary.”

  “Do you like working at the bank?” he read out and looked at me thoughtfully.

  “Well, how am I supposed to answer this question? I liked it until my ex decided to become my boss… Stupid, right?” I took a sip of my coffee. “I’ve lost my appetite. My stomach twists into a ball whenever I think about that.”

  Alexander took my hand in his and intertwined his fingers with mine. “Say you like it and you work with a very good team. Use boilerplate answers, baby.”

  “Yes, but it’s not true. I like the work, but the team is far from perfect. There are so many of us working together, and I don’t think all of them are cool. You get that, right?” I wound a lock of my hair around my finger until it curled.

  “Things that deviate from the truth are sometimes said. So don’t worry. Let’s keep going. Do you put your career before your personal life?”

  “No, my personal life and family come first.”

  “That’s how it should be,” he said firmly. “The woman has to look after the family and let her husband take care of the money.”

  Excuse me? I frowned. That’s not going to fly with me.

  “Putting my family first doesn’t mean I’d stop working.”

  “Now isn’t the time to discuss this. Do you regularly take your contraceptive pills?”

  “No… That’s going too far. She can’t ask me such a question.” I was angry, or to be more precise, I was in complete shock. In their effort to extract as much information as possible, journalists sometimes took too many liberties.

  Alexander laughed. “No, she doesn’t ask you this question. I am.”

  “Of course I do.” I pouted. Do you think I’m stupid?

  “Don’t pout at me. You know it’s really important, right?” He looked at me as if I didn’t know. He seemed quite tense.

  “I know.”

  He waited a few seconds before he said, “Look, Alexia, I don’t intend to have kids.”

  I gaped in surprise. His words hit me like a wet towel snapped to the head. “Never…? I don’t get you. You help so many orphans, you give them happiness, but you don’t want to have your own kids?”

  “Not in the next five to ten years.”

  What?

  I didn’t like his admission at all. Not that I wanted to have kids in the near future. But ten years was far too long.

  Am I prepared to wait so many years? What if it becomes too late and I can no longer conceive? Am I prepared to give up being a mother because of this insanely handsome man? Yes, I’m deeply in love and prepared to do anything for him… What if he then decides he has to have kids? A man can become a father even at seventy, but for women, it gets harder with age… God…

  I was starting to feel queasy from all these dark thoughts.

  “Alexia.” He gave me a serious look and tapped his lips with a finger. “What are these thoughts running around your head?”

  “Nothing important,” I lied.

  “I can tell you’re lying. I know you… Fine, if you don’t want to tell me…” After a brief pause, he added, “I have a surprise for you.”

  “Really? I hope it’s a good one,” I said cautiously.

  “When have I had bad surprises for you?”

  Your admission about children just moments ago wasn’t just a bad surprise, but a complete shock to my system. I wanted to tell him this, but I couldn’t pluck up the courage. I decided there was no point in tormenting myself by thinking about the future.

  “Well, spit it out,” I prompted.

  “Francesco and Lily are coming tomorrow. This way you can have fun with your girlfriend and you won’t be bored while I’m busy with work. Henry will accompany you.”

  “I can’t believe it.” I was very pleasantly surprised.

  “They’ll be staying at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which is directly opposite ours. So they’ll be close to us.”

  “Thank you, baby.” I took hold of his face and kissed him on the lips.

  “To be honest, I didn’t arrange it… It all happened quite unexpectedly. I need Francesco for hotel business, and he apparently managed to convince Lily to come with him.”

  “So it’s him I have to thank.”

  “You’re not thanking him,” he snapped.

  “Don’t tell me you’re still jealous.” I gave him a sidelong glance.

  “I’m jealous of everyone. Just because he’s with your friend now doesn’t mean he no longer has his eye on you.”

  “You’re so jealous.” I ruffled his tousled hair.

  “That I am. So be careful,” he threatened.

  “Oh, come off it. When have I given you a reason to be jealous?” I stood and put my hands on my hips.

  “Sit,” he ordered.

  “No,” I said stubbornly.

  “Please, sit next to me,” he said, this time in a much softer voice, so I decided to comply. He looked at me cautiously and continued. “Unfortunately, you’ve given me a reason to be jealous many times—of Sebastian, your ex, your coworker.” He spoke quite seriously.

  “Alexander, I just talk to them. I don’t throw myself at them, and I don’t flirt with them. There’s a difference, you know.”

  “If any of them tries something and steps over the line, he’ll get a taste of my fists. I won’t be responsible for my actions, Alexia,” he replied in an ice-cold voice.

  “Oh, come on…” I didn’t want to believe him. I hoped he was joking.

  “Oh, yes. The game might get rough. I don’t like sharing what is MINE with anyone.” He deliberately stressed mine to remind me I belonged to him. As if I could forget…

  “You’ve gone crazy.”

  “Yes, for you. Don’t you forget it.”

  “Alexander, I understand… Strike that. No, I don’t understand. I can’t talk to my friends? For God’s sake, I work with Roberto, and I will have to work with Ralph. How could I not talk to them? That’s ridiculous.” I sighed. I didn’t want us to argue any longer.

  God, this guy is incredibly jealous.

  “Does Mrs. Tresh have any more questions for me?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  Alexander stared at me through narrowed eyes and then looked at his laptop. “Yes, there are a few more. Would you take a job at Kraftberg International?”

  “Now that’s too far. I don’t want to answer this question.” I pouted.

  “Yes, you’re right. There’s no point in stirring things up. I’ll write to her that it’s an inappropriate question.”

  I was surprised he agreed with me so quickly. “Thanks.”

  “Baby, you don’t have to thank me. I got you involved in this interview. The least I could do is support you,” he said and looked at his laptop again. “Ha, now it’s my turn. How did you meet Alexander Kraftberg?”

  “At a birthday party.”

  “That’s right. Oooh, the next question is very interesting. Even I’m excited.” He laughed softly. “What do you like the most about Alexander Kraftberg?”

  “Hmm… I like your eyes the best. I get the feeling I’m losing myself in them. I adore your lips—they know how to kiss so well. I like the way you move, your voice… I also like that you worry about me. Hmm… I love your masculine body, your butt too. I find it super sex
y, but I’m not going to say that.” I giggled. “Actually, I’m not sure exactly what I’ll say. I just like you as you are. All of you. And what do you like about me?”

  “Me, sunshine? My pearl, your perfect tits, sweet butt—it’s all mine.” He stared at me to see how I would react.

  “So is that your only reason for being with me?” I was definitely disappointed.

  Laughing, he shook his head. “Of course not… I was only kidding. I like your soft lips, gorgeous green eyes, tiny nose, hair, delicate hands, and long legs. The fact that you’re gentle, tender, devoted. Everything—the whole package.” He grabbed my face and kissed me. His tongue quickly found mine.

  “Mmm… You’re such a great kisser.” I moaned.

  “Only kisser?” He bit my lower lip.

  “No, the other thing too.”

  “What? Say it.” He sucked hard on the bottom of my ear.

  “You’re incredible at fucking.”

  “You too.”

  “Me too?” I was surprised.

  “Yes, when you’re on top, riding me insatiably—I like it. Let’s get through these questions more quickly so I can throw you on the bed.”

  “Throw me…?” I grinned.

  “Yes, it would be my pleasure.” He glanced at the laptop. “Great, only one question left, and it’s a very important one, Miss Welson.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Is Alexander Kraftberg the love of your life?”

  “Yes, but does everyone have to know it?”

  “Absolutely. You’re my girl, my love, and I’m yours.”

  Standing, he carried me to the couch. He sat and I straddled him. He pulled up my dress, taking it off over my head and arms. I was left wearing just a thong.

  “Oh, Alexia, I can admit in all honesty that I worship your body. You’re the most beautiful woman my eyes have seen.” He ran his fingers across my neck and down toward my breasts.

  “I don’t believe you. You’ve been with all kinds of supermodels.”

  “Don’t believe me if you don’t want to.” I could tell by his voice that he didn’t care either way. “The most incredible thing is you’re so gentle and so sexy at the same time. Come on, baby. It’s your turn. Do to my body what you will. Fuck me. I’m yours.”

  “You’re letting me do whatever I want?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.