Free Escaping Christmas (Contemporary Romance) by Charlotte Ashwood Page A
Authors: Charlotte Ashwood
“I think I deserved them.”
“So we’re even?”
She nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Hussein. Regardless of how this goes, I’ll never forget your friendship.” She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheeks.
A flicker of emotion came and went in his eyes before he flashed a mischievous smile her way. “Don’t forget my offer. My boat is much bigger than this.” He winked at her and laughed when she rolled her eyes. With a final nod at the stairs leading below deck, he left.
Taking a fortifying breath, she went to look for Alex. She found him in the captain’s cabin, just where Hussein had said he’d be. He was lying on the bed, looking incredibly sexy in a pair of white cotton shorts and a white T-shirt. He did not move when he saw her. She saw the surprise in his expression before he lowered his lashes, hooding his eyes.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded croaky even to her ears.
“Hey.”
She walked farther into the room and stood by the king-size bed. “Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
Alex closed his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
Angie sighed. He was not going to make this easy for her. “I was on my way to the airport when we turned back and came here. Hussein brought me.”
Alex didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. He could barely hear himself think above the pounding of his heart. He couldn’t get beyond the fact that she was here. She had not gone to the airport. She was here. He wondered if he was dreaming or hallucinating. He had dreamed about her so many times since the night he left her apartment that it wouldn’t surprise him if he opened his eyes and discovered she was gone. Mercifully she began to speak.
“I…You weren’t there to say goodbye, but Hussein was. And he made me see that nothing in life is guaranteed. I’m scared, Alex. I’m scared that if I lose you I might never recover from that. But then by leaving, I was losing you anyway, so…” She paused to take a breath. “So I figured I would rather have any time I can have with you than not have you at all.”
When he still didn’t say anything Angie began to cry softly. She climbed onto the bed, kneeling beside him. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Alex. Please don’t send me away. I love you so much. Just please…”
Her tears undid him. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, rubbing her back as he kissed her eyes, her nose, her cheeks and finally her mouth. He went back to her eyes again and kissed away her tears. “Sweetheart, please don’t cry. Angie, baby, I love you, don’t cry.” He held her as she sobbed her heart out.
“I’m so sorry,” she said through her tears.
“You have no idea how glad I am that you’re not at the airport,” he murmured, running his hands through her hair, her wonderful silky hair. He still could not believe she was here with him and that she loved him. She had said she loved him, hadn’t she?
“You love me?”
She lifted her head off his chest then and gazed at him, her eyes twin pools of adoration. “I love you so much, Alex Farhadi, that I don’t want to go another day without you. The past couple of days have been hell.”
He held her face in his hands and looked deep into her tear-filled eyes. His emotions rose, nearly overwhelming him, and he couldn’t say a word. Closing his eyes briefly, he thanked the Saints and the Prophets for bringing this woman to his life and for giving him a chance with her. Opening his eyes again, he let all his emotions show in them.
“Angie, I want to ask you something.” When she nodded he continued. “I am going to ask you to marry me.” He gently placed the tips of his fingers on her mouth when she opened it to speak, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Not now, I can see you’re not ready. But I will ask eventually. What I want to know is if you’ll consider spending the rest of your life with me. I’m not asking you to do it. I’m just asking if you
“So we’re even?”
She nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Hussein. Regardless of how this goes, I’ll never forget your friendship.” She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheeks.
A flicker of emotion came and went in his eyes before he flashed a mischievous smile her way. “Don’t forget my offer. My boat is much bigger than this.” He winked at her and laughed when she rolled her eyes. With a final nod at the stairs leading below deck, he left.
Taking a fortifying breath, she went to look for Alex. She found him in the captain’s cabin, just where Hussein had said he’d be. He was lying on the bed, looking incredibly sexy in a pair of white cotton shorts and a white T-shirt. He did not move when he saw her. She saw the surprise in his expression before he lowered his lashes, hooding his eyes.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded croaky even to her ears.
“Hey.”
She walked farther into the room and stood by the king-size bed. “Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
Alex closed his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
Angie sighed. He was not going to make this easy for her. “I was on my way to the airport when we turned back and came here. Hussein brought me.”
Alex didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. He could barely hear himself think above the pounding of his heart. He couldn’t get beyond the fact that she was here. She had not gone to the airport. She was here. He wondered if he was dreaming or hallucinating. He had dreamed about her so many times since the night he left her apartment that it wouldn’t surprise him if he opened his eyes and discovered she was gone. Mercifully she began to speak.
“I…You weren’t there to say goodbye, but Hussein was. And he made me see that nothing in life is guaranteed. I’m scared, Alex. I’m scared that if I lose you I might never recover from that. But then by leaving, I was losing you anyway, so…” She paused to take a breath. “So I figured I would rather have any time I can have with you than not have you at all.”
When he still didn’t say anything Angie began to cry softly. She climbed onto the bed, kneeling beside him. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Alex. Please don’t send me away. I love you so much. Just please…”
Her tears undid him. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, rubbing her back as he kissed her eyes, her nose, her cheeks and finally her mouth. He went back to her eyes again and kissed away her tears. “Sweetheart, please don’t cry. Angie, baby, I love you, don’t cry.” He held her as she sobbed her heart out.
“I’m so sorry,” she said through her tears.
“You have no idea how glad I am that you’re not at the airport,” he murmured, running his hands through her hair, her wonderful silky hair. He still could not believe she was here with him and that she loved him. She had said she loved him, hadn’t she?
“You love me?”
She lifted her head off his chest then and gazed at him, her eyes twin pools of adoration. “I love you so much, Alex Farhadi, that I don’t want to go another day without you. The past couple of days have been hell.”
He held her face in his hands and looked deep into her tear-filled eyes. His emotions rose, nearly overwhelming him, and he couldn’t say a word. Closing his eyes briefly, he thanked the Saints and the Prophets for bringing this woman to his life and for giving him a chance with her. Opening his eyes again, he let all his emotions show in them.
“Angie, I want to ask you something.” When she nodded he continued. “I am going to ask you to marry me.” He gently placed the tips of his fingers on her mouth when she opened it to speak, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Not now, I can see you’re not ready. But I will ask eventually. What I want to know is if you’ll consider spending the rest of your life with me. I’m not asking you to do it. I’m just asking if you