Free The Origin by Wilette Youkey Page B

flawless English.
    She pulled away and smiled up at Alexander Dahlgren, his classically handsome face bringing back memories of her early twenties. “You’re still calling me that?” she said with a wide smile.
    “That is your name, isn’t it?” He winked and hugged her again, lifting her off the ground. “You were wonderful up there, Mei. You get better with each performance. I swear, sometimes your jumps defy gravity.”
    “Thank you.” If she was happy before, she was absolutely giddy now at the sight of her old friend. She regarded his lightly tanned face closely, noting that he no longer sported his signature golden goatee. Nevertheless, clean-shaven Alex was just as breathtaking as a print and runway model, which, incidentally, had been his profession before he’d returned home to Sweden. “So how long are you in town for? Business or pleasure?” she said, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. Over two years had passed since she’d seen him last, and still she couldn’t help but revert back to their suggestive banter. Old habits, it seemed, died hard.
    “I’m back for good.” Alex’s blue eyes roved over her face as if he were a starving man facing a feast. “At least, for a little while.”
    Olivia smiled to herself. It was just like Alex to be so non-committal, especially to things that mattered.
    One side of his lips curled up. “And when it comes to you, Mei, pleasure . Each and every time.”
    She tried to conceal her flush with a chuckle. “Does that line work for you in Sweden?”
    “Only when I don’t say your name,” he said with a grin. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small box. “Anyway, I got this for you. To celebrate your opening night.”
    “Thank you.” She flicked a surprised glance his way before accepting the little package. Inside was a velvet bag that held a cut crystal grizzly bear. “Orion’s Major,” she said, grinning wistfully.
    “You remembered.”
    She could feel his eyes on her face, warmer than the spotlights on stage, making her flush from its heat. “How could I forget? It was from that pool party at Nikki’s rooftop,” she said softly, turning the bear in her fingers and watching the light glint off its facets. “Back when my life was a blender full of alcohol, men and fabulous parties.”
    She and Alex had been in the pool during one of those fabulous occasions, atop a ritzy apartment building in Tribeca, drinking straight out of the Cristal bottle and flirting like hell. Alex had been trying to impress her with his knowledge of the constellations, pointing them out one by one in the ebony sky, and she’d been disagreeing with him simply to get a rise. An exasperated Alex was almost as fun as a flirty one.
    “No, that’s Orion’s Belt, you goofball!” she’d said at one point. She wasn’t so much impressed with his knowledge as she was drunkenly smitten.
    He had shaken his head vehemently. “That’s Ursa Major,” he’d said and reached up to connect the stars with his long fingers. “See? It makes a bear.”
    She had shrugged, mumbling something about not being a nerd major , and had taken another swig of the champagne. She had been pleasantly surprised to feel his arms wrapping around her waist, thinking it was about damn time as she felt his bare chest against her back. She had leaned her head against his shoulder as they’d looked up at the stars and had relished the simple pleasure of skin against skin.
    “When I’m gone, every time I look up at that Orion’s Major , I’ll think of you,” he had whispered in her ear, and in the next moment, she had felt his teeth nibbling on her earlobe, making her entire body tingle with pleasure.
    They had spent the rest of the evening pressed against each other, kissing as if they were nearing the end of the world. He’d sought more from her after that night but she’d refused, not wanting to begin a relationship with a definite expiration date. A month and a half later, he had