Free His Hired Girlfriend by Alexia Praks Page A

with her heavy bag in tow. Before she knows what she’s
about, she drops the luggage and hugs him hard. With her face
snuggled against his chest, her arms around his middle, and tears
brewing in her eyes, she whispers, “Jay, I’m sorry.” Then it’s
suddenly too much for her. Perhaps she’s too tired and can’t
control her emotions anymore. She starts whimpering and tears roll
down her flushed cheeks.
    Jayden wraps his arms around her quivering form. People
look at them with knowing smiles on their faces. Ah, the lovers finally
reunited.
    Alex draws back and
glances up at him, her eyes red and lips trembling.
    Jay sees her face, which
is inches from his, and his heart nearly breaks. She looks like
she’s been through hell. He cups her face in his hands and says
gently, “Hey, I’m here now. I told you I’d be here, didn’t I?” Then
he wipes her tears with his thumb.
    Alex swallows and nods. “I know, but when I didn’t see you
I thought—and then I saw you, and I—”
    “ Hey, come on. You’re
tired,” he says and then turns to pick up her luggage. “My car is
this way.”
    Alex sniffs and then wipes her tears. “Okay,” she says and
follows him toward the exit.
    The crisp night air soothes both Alex’s emotions and her
overheated skin. She takes a few deep breaths and tells herself
everything is all right now. Yes, Jayden is going to look after her
and nothing bad is going to happen. She glances at him to make sure
her tired mind hadn’t played tricks on her. Just to confirm for
herself, she touches his arm as he leads her to his car.
    “ Did you wait
long?”
    Alex shakes her head. She
releases her hold on his arm and lowers her head, wondering why she
has been crying and hugging him like a lover.
    “ Here’s my
car.”
    Alex can’t help but widen her eyes with admiration at the
black Mercedes-Benz .
    Jay says, “Hop in,” as he
loads her luggage into the boot.
    Alex wastes no time
sliding into the passenger seat. “Nice car,” she comments, glancing
at Jay beside her.
    “ Thanks,” Jay replies,
starting the engine.
    Even this late at night, or rather early in the morning,
the roads are still busy with cars and trucks coming and going. She
wonders if the people in New York ever sleep. The city itself must
be beautiful, if only she could see. It is rather dark even though
there are street lights everywhere, like dots of stars. A while
later, after her fascination has waned, she settles herself more
comfortably in her seat and rests her head against the cool
window.
    Jay glances at her. “Are
you tired?”
    She nods at him with a
weary smile.
    “ I apologize for picking
those flights for you. I should have chosen a flight straight from
Auckland to New York instead of—”
    “ Don’t worry about it, Jayden. I’m here, aren’t I? So
everything’s fine,” she says, thinking that it has, in fact, never
been fine. As if getting disorientated and lost in another country
wasn’t bad enough, a taxi driver back in LA ripped her off and even
made a move on her. The very thought of that fat, malicious man
causes her to shudder with anxiety. She wonders if all taxi drivers
are like that, trying to rape her because she looks young. Luckily
she has a strong will. She shouted at him to leave her alone when
he had driven her to an isolated spot and had tried to take
advantage of her. Then he said that if she wanted him to let her
go, she’d have to give him all her money. She was angry then, and
she threw what cash she had on his face and rushed out of the car.
Afterward, she found herself another taxi. Luckily this time the
driver was a woman. Thank
God!
    “ Are you cold?”
    She glances at him and
shakes her head.
    Jayden knows something is wrong, and she refuses to tell
him what. He won’t prod. He’ll wait until she trusts him fully,
then she’ll tell him when she’s ready.
    He is still angry at himself for picking those flights for
her. He knows she is an inexperienced traveler. She