Chapter 4. REVENGE
Scarlett’s POV
I still could not believe it—Alexander had confessed to me, all the words he said were in my head. He had looked for me, he had mourned when I left and all these while I thought he did not care. Hearing him say those words made me feel something deep in my chest, something I hadn’t felt in years: The two words that are most closely related to the concept of hope are: hope.
Was I completely wrong all this time? Could he have been actually caring for me this entire time?
"Why were you with her?" My voice was shaking a little as I asked. I had to hear it from him and understand it.
"It was a mistake," he said, his eyes piercing into mine, raw and unfiltered. "A one-time thing that wasn’t supposed to happen. Sorry, Scarlett. I was scared. I was afraid of losing you and that you would turn me down. I thought you'd say no if you knew how badly I needed you."
I started feeling guilty as I thought that probably I had been hasty in passing the judgment on him. Perhaps I had misinterpreted everything. I had walked out on him without saying a word, without letting him get a word in edgewise. What if I had simply decided that he did not care for me at all? But he was standing right in front of me now, saying he did care, saying he wanted me around.
“I thought you didn’t care, Alexander,” I whispered, still shocked by his words. “That’s why I left.” My heart was racing and this time it wasn’t out of fear but out of hope and the desire to accept the truth he was telling me.
Alexander’s eyes were warm as he put his hand on my face, and held it tenderly. “Scarlett, you couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ve always cared. When you left, it felt like a part of me was missing. I didn’t know what to do. I searched for you, but when I found out you had gone to New York, I realized I needed to give you space. I thought I had lost you for good.”
I could see that he was telling the truth and this made me melt. For so long I had been telling myself that he never gave a damn about me, but now that I was listening to him, I felt like I was being unjust to him. Maybe I was too harsh. Maybe I had allowed my own self-doubts to interfere with my ability to think clearly.
“It was never meant to happen that way,” Alexander added, his tone calm but authoritative. ‘Whatever happened in the past, it was a mistake,’ I don’t want to lose you again Scarlett.’
These words pierced through me and I could feel my spirit break down. A part of me wished to accept his words. I wanted to make myself think that what we had was real. I had been avoiding my emotions for so long, but now, with him standing this close, I couldn’t continue to ignore it.
“I... I didn’t realize,” I whispered, my voice barely audible due to the storm raging inside of me. “I accept you as my mate.”
Alexander leaned in further, our lips touching gently, tentatively, as if I had the power to stop this. My heart was pounding and without much thought I was pulling away from him and kissing him back. It was sweet at the start but it blossomed into something more and something that I never thought was possible.
I slowly backed out of the room and we both were panting. Alexander smiled, that smile which makes me feel goose pimples all over my body, “I am not going to let you go again,” he said softly.
For the first time in a long while, I laughed, not a chuckle, but a genuine laugh. It was as if all the burden I had been bearing all along was off my shoulders, at least for a while. After that“Be mine,” he whispered slowly while playing with my lips. I said yes without a second thought and the feeling swelled within me like a fire that had been lit from the inside.
“You taste so sweet,” he whispered softly before his lips moved down to my neck. His hands ran down my body, over the contours of my hips and then one hand enclosed my breast. I gasped as his thumb circled my erect nipple through the material of my clothing, it was as if my skin was tingling.
Then, without warning, he pulled the fabric down, and I was left naked to the cold air. His lips moved down further, kissing my belly before his lips reached my breast and he sucked on my nipple gently while his tongue circled it slowly. I couldn’t help it and I let out a small gasp, my fingers digging into his shoulders, my whole body shivering from the feeling.
His lips encircled my nipple and he licked it softly and then harder as if he wanted to mark me, to possess me. His tongue was rough, and it produced a sensation which spread through me like electricity, and I felt the desire growing inside me, the desire for him.
After that night my life changed, he would come home and we talk for hours telling each other about the time we spent separately. I explained to him all aspects of my life in New York including my modeling job and the friends I had acquired. It was so comfortable, so familiar, like we had not seen each other for years.
Our relationship was a secret, hidden from Ryan and Sienna. Alexander would sneak into our house late at night and go right to my room. His kisses were like a storm—they swept over me and left me gasping for air. He would push me up against the wall and put his lips on mine. His hands would slide under my shirt and make lines on my skin that made my heart race.
He would whisper in my ear, "You drive me crazy," and then he'd kiss me down the back of the neck. "I can’t get enough of you."
I'd laugh out loud, pulling him closer as I ran my fingers through his hair. I told him, "Keep doing that, and we'll get caught," even though I didn't really care.
He would softly growl, "Let them catch us," and his lips would crash back onto mine. "Let them see that you’re mine."
As we ate dinner one night, I could tell my sister Sienna was looking at me with doubt. He left a hickey on my neck earlier, but I knew she saw it and didn't know it was from him. She looked back and forth between us like she was trying to figure out what was going on.
Sienna spoke out of the blue, "Scarlett," with a sly smile on her face. "Tomorrow I'm taking you to a party. You never know, you might meet your soul mate there."
My fork hit my plate, and I could feel Alexander getting stiff next to me. His jaw clenched and his eyes got darker, but he forced a smile to hide how he felt.
"A party?" I said with a forced laugh to hide how weird it was. "I’m not really looking for a mate right now, Sienna."
"Oh, come on," she joked, not believing my story. "You could meet anyone. It will be enjoyable."
I looked at Alexander and could see that he was getting angry. Because of the way he looked at me now, I knew he didn't want me to be near anyone else. It was like he was ready to drag me out of there and make sure I remembered who I belonged to.
"Fine," I said reluctantly, my heart racing because I didn't know how Alexander would respond when we were alone. He was not going to let this go, that much was clear.