Page 23 of She's Mine

And then it had all been taken away when I’d been forced to hide from the Bloodline. Away from the lavish lifestyle I’d been used to, I felt the old Alyssa emerge. Slowly, out came the girl I’d been before Joey had died. The girl who loved art and exploring the world. The girl who someday wanted a big happy family, with a husband who adored me and a brood of adorable children.

I wasn’t surewhoI was any more, and that’s something I’d have to figure out over the next few weeks and months. But one thing I was slowly becoming sure of was that I wanted David.

Who was I kidding? I’d wanted him from the moment we’d met. And the brief time we’d spenttogetherhad only made that desire for him burn all the more. But I’d fought to keep those lustful feelings at bay. I’d kept my distance from David, knowing we could never be more than a casual fling.

And then he’d found me in the gaming room just after I’d beaten his highest score on Tetris, and my whole world had changed again.

David hadn’t acted all authoritative and stand-off-ish. Nor had he said or doneanythingto hint towards a desire for me. Instead, he’d been a friend. A true and genuine friend. He’d encouraged me to pursue my old passions, and shown me a more relaxed, carefree way of life.

And somehow, that made mewanthim even more.But we could never be more than a casual fling. For starters, I wasn’t sure David even wanted a serious relationship, let alone with someone so much younger than him. And even if he did, there’s no way my dad would approve. Yes, my dad indulged my every whim, but I was sure me being in a relationship with a man who was fifteen years older than I was, and who’d been employed as my bodyguard, was where he’d draw the line.

I knew I had to put my feelings for David aside, but when I saw him that morning over breakfast, the way the sight of him made my heart pound made me worried that would beimpossible.

David didn’t look any different to how he dideverymorning. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower, and he smelt of a pine-scented shower gel. He was dressed casually in gray shorts and a loose-fitting sky-blue T-shirt, ready for a day relaxing around the cabin. The simplicity of his appearance, combined with howgoodhe smelledmade my pulse race.

He smiled at me over the rim of his coffee cup, and my heart flipped over in my chest.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes!” I managed to squeak out, my voice coming out an octave higher than usual.

David raised a dark eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

I coughed to clear my throat and said, “Yeah, my juice just went down the wrong way.”

David accepted my answer and asked, “So, what are your plans for today?”

I bit my bottom lip. “I’m not sure. I’m still waiting for my art supplies to be delivered.”

“I got an email notification saying they should be here by tomorrow.”

“That’s great.” I gazed out onto the deck, wondering what to do with my day if I couldn’t get started on creating some art. I’d spent so much time inside, hiding in the gym, home cinema or gaming room that I was feeling a little cooped up. “The weather seems good, so I might take a hike.”

David grinned. “I had the same thought.”

“Would you like us to prepare a picnic lunch for you?” Lawrence offered.

“Yes please, if it’s not too much trouble,” David replied.

“Of course not,” Lawrence agreed.

Lawrence quickly finished his breakfast and hurried off to prepare for the picnic lunch, while I turned to Mavis and asked, “What will you and Lawrence do with your day, while me and David are out of your hair?”

Mavis’ eyes sparkled and a mischievous grin covered her lips. “We were thinking of spending some time in the hot tub.”

We both giggled, and David blushed awkwardly.

Once Lawrence had prepared the picnic lunch, David and I divided it between two backpacks, so neither of us would have too much to carry, and then we started on our hike. As the cabin slipped out of view, it was easy to forget that we were on land that was surrounded by a secure fence and not just out in the wilderness.

David had gotten incredibly lucky with the land he’d bought, and there were plenty of trees in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as flowers and bushes of all kinds. I even spotted the odd squirrel running through the undergrowth.

We followed a well-worn path that David informed me led to a small brook where we could stop for lunch. It was fantastic being outside in the fresh, natural air. I couldalmostforget that a dangerous cartel was after my family and I, and just enjoy the peaceful woodlands.

As the sun beat down on my back, I started to wish I’d bought my phone with me so that I could have taken some photos to copy into sketches once my art supplies arrived. I wasn’t too disappointed though, as I knew I’d have plenty of opportunities to take a hike and sketch again in the future. Even if Jeffrey caught all the members of the Bloodline tomorrow, I’m sure David would invite me back here again.

It was getting to the hottest part of the day when we stopped at the brook to have lunch and settled under a Catalina cherry tree for some shade. The area looked like a fairy grotto with all the blossoms scattered onto the ground, and I almost didn’t want to cover it up with the picnic blanket.

But I also didn’t want bugs crawling all over the wonderful lunch Lawrence had prepared for us.

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