The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles) (14 page)

Chapter 25

“Alexi? Where are you?” Rhys dropped the clothesbasket on the entry floor, placed his Stetson on the hall table, locked the door, and set the alarm.

“Upstairs, Rhys. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

He headed up the stairs, lined with vanilla-scented votive candles. The flames cast flickering light across the stair risers. As he climbed the steps he blew the fire hazards out. Lexi needed a lecture on safety. The number of votives on the steps could burn down the house.

The votives gave way to rose petals and pillar candles burning on the landing side table. With a smile on his face, he blew those candles out, too. Suspecting what Alexi’s surprise was, he removed his shirt as he entered the bedroom.

The roses led to the bathroom door. Rhys slipped off his shoes and socks and eased the door open. Alexi lay in the tub, bubbles piled around her to her chin. The flicker of candlelight softened her features. His groin tightened as he imagined her naked body beneath the cloud of bubbles.

He leaned casually against the doorjamb. “Hello, beautiful,” he whispered.

She gave him a shy smile, then scooped a handful of bubbles and blew them at him. “Want to join me?”

Alexi’s face went dreamy as he dropped his pants and sauntered over to the tub. He planned to ease his way slowly into the bubbles, but when he got within arm’s length, she rose from the water to make room for him. The bubbles slipped seductively down her body exposing her. He stepped over the edge and then lowered her into the tub. Warm water slid over their bodies, the bubbles releasing all friction between their skin.

He groaned as he slipped up and down over Alexi. “God, woman, you drive me crazy.”

“It makes me crazy, too.” Alexi tipped her head back and covered his mouth with hers.

They moved in rhythm, the water slapping against the tub and his backside in a pulse that set Rhys on fire. Their bodies rocked in perfect harmony.

Then he felt it.

The beat shifted. The rhythm became ragged. The friction between them built, warming his skin, then heating it, and finally searing his molecules, melting their atoms together. It was happening again—like it had in the hotel.

He opened his eyes and watched Alexi straining beneath him toward orgasm. Pumping faster, he held his breath as he waited for the exchange—the proof he sought that they were soul mates. It came in an explosion of red and green.

Alexi’s eyes flew open as Rhys thrust harder and harder. His arms braced on the sides of the tub, he pounded against her as if he were trying to get under her skin. Something was different this time. Good, but different. She felt like she was melting into Rhys—becoming one person.

Determined to get the most from her last time with him, she took herself to the limits of her strength. She wanted everything he had to give her. Every ounce of his passion. This moment would have to last a lifetime.

As their ardor peaked, her body wrenched from her bones, spilling into a sea of red and green shooting stars. Her vision clouded over, blurring Rhys’ face hovering over her. He roared out her name and dropped his weight against her, shuddering. Alexi’s shudders collided with his. She blinked to clear her vision and then clawed at the sides of the tub, the water sloshing over the edge with her frantic motion.

They had reversed places. But they hadn’t rolled over. She grabbed the side of the tub to steady herself. She was on the top now, looking down at . . .
herself
? She shook her head again and found herself on the bottom, sprawled beneath Rhys, his solid weight holding her in the water.

“Rhys,” she gasped, pounding on his chest. “What just happened?”

He angled to his side and flipped the drain open with his toe, then settled back down against her. A chill ran over her bare skin as the water drained away. “The soul mate thing. Remember?” Rhys tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “I thought you liked it.”

Alexi scooted up in the tub as best as she could with Rhys’ dead weight on her. “It creeped me out.”

“That’s not what you said the first time. I liked it better this time. You’ll get used to it.” Rhys nibbled on her shoulder, working his way down toward her breast. “Wanna do it again?”

His comment reminded her that he’d screwed Sylvia. Irritated, she shoved at his chest. “Not now. Get off me, Rhys. I’m freezing.”

He settled deeper against her and rubbed her goose-bumped arms. “Let me warm you up again.”

She bucked under him. “Get off. Now.”

He bench pressed off her, climbed out of the tub, and tossed a towel her direction. “Suit yourself. I’ll be in bed.”

Perching on the edge of the tub, she wrapped the towel around her, shivering more from what happened than from cold. If they were going to shift every time they made love, it would make it easier to tell him good-bye. Rhys might find it exhilarating, but no way did she find it exciting. Just the opposite. It was one thing to shift into another form when you were controlling it and quite another when you couldn’t. And she definitely wasn’t controlling what had just happened. She wanted him to be her soul mate, but she sure didn’t want to mind swap with him every time they made love.

Had Sylvia found it as exhilarating as Rhys did? Is that why she wanted a shot at him? Jealousy rushed through her. Sylvia couldn’t be his soul mate. She was.

Alexi thrust her hands through her wet hair, catching her bloodstone ring in the tangles. She picked the strands loose, combing them through her fingers.

How could he have two soul mates? And if she was really his soul mate, how could she tell him good-bye?

On the other hand, if she really loved him, how could she not tell him good-bye to save his life?

Love sucked.

Rhys was alone when he awoke. Dawn’s pink light filtered through the sheers at the bedroom window. Downstairs he could hear Alexi in the kitchen rattling pots. She was probably cleaning again. Not good.

Last night hadn’t gone as he’d expected. She’d freaked out when they exchanged bodies. Withdrew from him as if he was some kind of monster. Why did she react differently than the first time? Sure, it took a bit of getting used to, but he was starting to like it. Maybe he needed to emphasize the soul mate part and downplay the explosive body-shifting orgasm. He dressed and went downstairs, prepared to talk her into making love again.

The cleaning was worse than he expected. Pots and dishes lay on every flat surface, the pungent smell of ammonia and very strong coffee filled the kitchen. Alexi stood on the counter, her head inside the topmost cabinet, scrubbing.

“Good morning,” Rhys said.

Startled, Alexi banged her head into the shelf. A muffled expletive echoed inside the cabinet. She withdrew her head and slapped the sponge into the bucket on the counter.

“You could have given me some warning,” she griped as she peeled off her yellow rubber gloves and massaged the back of her head.

“Sorry. I thought you’d hear me coming down the stairs. What are you doing up there?”

“Sheesh, are you blind? I’m cleaning. It’s—”

“I know, filthy.” He cleared two chairs and motioned Alexi over. “Take a break. We need to talk.”

She stepped off the counter and stood behind one of the chairs. “You’re right, we do.”

“About last night—” they said in unison.

“Ladies first.” He pointed at the chair, and Alexi sank onto it.

She stared down at the floor intensely, as if searching for something. After couple of minutes she spoke, her voice cracking. “I don’t think . . . if that’s going to happen . . . We can’t . . .”

His heart jumped at the last word.
Can’t what?
He tipped her face toward his. The gold flecks in her eyes darkened as her expression grew sadder. He waited, hoping she wouldn’t be able to say what he feared was coming.

Alexi removed his hand and swiveled in the chair away from him. “You have to leave, I-I can’t do this. Last night was . . . wrong.”

He scooted his chair in front of her. “How can you say that? You love me. I know you do. You can’t deny that, even if the proof of our connection freaks you out.”

“And if I can’t make love because I’m afraid? How many months will you want to stay around in a sexless relationship?”

“Sex isn’t everything.”

A cynical laugh escaped from her. “I don’t believe that for a second, not coming from the office Romeo. In less than a month you’d be out of here. Better to do it now and spare us both the pain.”

“Spare me pain? You’re killing me right now, Lexi.” He grasped her shoulders and squared her toward him. “You liked it the first time. You were the one who told me it was a soul mate thing. Tried to convince me to do it again.”

Alexi’s eyes flashed hazel fire. “Don’t ever mention that first time to me again.” She spat out the words. “I don’t want to hear about what happened in the hotel, or how good it was, or what I said.”

He released her, startled at the hostility in her voice. Why she wouldn’t want to talk about some of the best sex they’d ever had made no sense to him. He thought reminding her of something that great would turn her on, not off.

She was the most complex woman he’d ever been with. Maybe that was part of her charm. That, and the absolute crushing need she stirred in him.

Switching tactics, he appealed to her logical side. “You’ve never been alone. You’ve always had Baron in your life. If you kick me out, you’ll be alone.”

“I’m almost thirty. It’s about time I figured out how to manage by myself. I’m not an idiot, you know.”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re a smart woman.”

“A smart,
independent
woman,” she interjected.

Way to go. You
just let her shoot that argument down.
“Okay, you’re smart.”

“And independent,” she insisted, frowning.

“And independent,” he added grudgingly. “But
losing Baron has been a terrible shock. You need more time before you make a life-altering decision like this. All the experts tell people not to sell their houses after a loved one dies. They need time to adjust to the loss.”

Alexi jumped out of the chair, slapped her hands on her hips, and glared at him. “Are you comparing our relationship to selling a house? What do you think I am? A tri-level with a picket fence?” She crossed to the other side of the room.

Man, she’s testy this morning. But then this probably isn’t easy for her. At least I hope it’s not easy.
He followed her. “I just meant that you shouldn’t jump into another heartbreak so soon after losing Baron.”

“That is exactly why we should have never started an intimate relationship.”

No way did he want to admit to that. They’d started the relationship and now he wasn’t willing to let her go. Couldn’t let her go.

Frustrated, he jammed his hands into his pockets and shifted his weight from side-to-side, trying to think of another line of reasoning. He sucked at logic. He should have known better than to use her best quality against her. Every argument had bit him in the ass
.
He had one option left—change her mind the way he knew best.

When Rhys yanked her to his chest and started kissing her, it immobilized Alexi. Then her body betrayed her. Heat and prickles flashed through her fingertips, up her arms, to her heart—settling with devastating need between her legs. She could smell the passion growing between them, flooding her senses with Old Spice and Rhys and pheromones. It pulled her in, drowning her in desire. A shudder rollercoastered through her.

She felt Rhys react to her body’s duplicity, deepening his kiss. The desperation of his seduction careened into lasciviousness, touching parts of her she didn’t even know existed. For the briefest of moments, she gave in. She savored the feelings, storing them in her heart and mind and body for the long, lonely nights that lay ahead.

With a Herculean effort, she lifted her mouth from his, breathless. “You have to leave. Now,” she said in a voice so passion-struck she knew he wouldn’t believe her.

Rhys refused to release her, holding her tight against him. “You don’t mean that. You want me. You need me.”

She wanted him all right, with a mindless hunger she didn’t understand. But she had no choice in the matter.

I have to do this. I’m protecting you. I have to do this. I’m protecting you.

Her body thrummed against his, her mantra useless while he held her. Breaking the intense physical connection, she thrust away from him.

“I do mean it,” she said, her voice stronger now that he wasn’t pumping mind-numbing obsession into her with every breath and caress. She scrambled backwards, ramming into the counter. Her elbow hit the cleaning bucket, sloshing ammonia-laden water onto the counter. The harsh, acrid smell tore the last of Rhys’ scent from her, freeing her to do what she had to do.

“I’m sorry, Rhys. It’s over.” A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She didn’t bother to wipe it away. She wanted him to know this was killing her, too. Wanted him to know that she did love him.

He wiped the tear from her cheek. “I’m not going to give up easily. I love you. But for now, I’ll do what you ask. I’ll go pack.”

“I already did. Your stuff is by the front door.”

A crushed look crossed his face and his shoulders drooped. “You weren’t going to change your mind, were you?”

She shook her head, blinking the tears away.

“Can we at least be partners?”

The longing in his voice slashed her heart. She nodded, knowing she’d never be able to be anything with him but a lover. She’d deal with the consequences of her lie later.

Rhys kissed her cheek. His touch nearly undid her. Moving away, she swiped at the water on the counter, gulping in the ammonia scent, desperate to keep her mind clear. “Good-bye, Rhys,” she whispered.

She didn’t move until she heard the front door close, then she jammed on her yellow rubber gloves and plunged her hands into the bucket. Ammonia flooded her senses. She scrubbed the counter furiously, weeping shamelessly in broad daylight.