Page 196 of Nobody's Girl

The addition of makeup enhances her natural beauty. The black eyeliner makes the sapphire color of her eyes entrancing. Her lips, like cherries, beg me to kiss them and I pray she changes her mind about kissing me.

The long white dress, held at the waist by a gold belt, is made of several layers of gossamer and it appears to float around her. The neckline of the haltered top plummets in the middle, accenting her perfectly-formed breasts.

A frown covers her face. “I knew it, Mom. It’s over the top. Way too much. I’ll go change.”

“What? No! It’s perfect, as are you, Alyssa.” My heart finally beats again and I find my voice.

Her perfect brows draw together. “But you didn’t say one word. I know it’s too much, Eden.”

I give her a grin. “I was speechless, princess. You are beyond anything I’ve ever laid my eyes on.” Moving to her side, I place her hand in the crook of my arm. “Forgive me for being so taken in by your beauty that I failed to breathe or let my heart beat.”

Strolling away with her in tow, I cast a glance back to see Toni and David. “Don’t wait up. She’s safe with me,” I tell them.

In unison they say, “Goodnight.”

Alyssa looks back at them with a puzzled expression. “Aliens. It has to be aliens who’ve taken them over. Goodnight Mom and Dad, if that’s who you really are.”

Their smiles follow us out the door as I escort my mate to the car.

***

The jet is a shiny, black gorgeous piece of machinery. Its beauty is not lost on Alyssa. “Holy crap, Eden. Is that yours?”

I lead her up the stairs. “Do you see the emblem there?” I gesture to the fiery Phoenix on the jet’s tail. “This belongs to the organization our families are a part of: The Phoenix Foundation.”

Her head swivels as her eyes show confusion. “My parents are part of some group and they’ve never bothered to mention it to me. Do I even know them at all?”

As we step onto the jet, Lana, a woman in her late forties with tight red curls, smiles at us. “Hello, Eden. This must be Alyssa,” she says, extending her hand to Alyssa who takes it in a shake. “My name is Lana and I’ll be your stewardess.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lana. I suppose you fly Mr. Jet-Setter around a lot,” Alyssa says.

With my hand on the small of her back, I direct her to our seats. Alyssa looks back at Lana and says, “Tell me, is he always this attentive to the young ladies he takes out.”

A peal of laughter comes from the woman’s mouth. “Oh my! No! He’s never had another young lady in here. You’re the first, Alyssa.”

The look on Alyssa’s face is priceless. With her wide eyes and her mouth in the shape of an ‘O’, I have to laugh. “Did you honestly think I was a ladies’ man?”

The nod of her perfect little head tells me she did.

The pilot comes in from the cockpit and gives us a wave. “Hello again, Eden. And this lovely young thing must be Alyssa,” he says and Alyssa gives him a nod. “I’m your pilot, Jeffery. Have you flown before?”

“Once. It was a big plane, though. We went to Disney World in it. This is much better.”

Jeffery smiles at her. “Well, let’s get this show on the road. I hear you two have a big date in Bath, Maine.”

The word date makes Alyssa frown at me. I smile back and whisper in her ear, “I can’t help that this looks like a date to the untrained eye, princess. It’s okay. You and I know what it really is, right?”

“I suppose,” she says with a slight tremor to her voice.

I must’ve left that information out when I called Jeffery earlier. People at the restaurant will think it too.

I can’t control the world, now can I?

Lana gives us a smile before retreating with Jeffery to the cockpit. The engine starts and Alyssa looks nervously out the window as the sun sets. I take her hand in mine and place a kiss on it. “Are you nervous?”

“I’ve been nervous, Eden. Now my butterflies have transformed into pterodactyls.”

The jet rolls forward and her eyes widen. “Just sit back and hold my hand as tightly as you need to. We’ll be up in the air in no time and it’ll be smooth flying. I’m sure you’ll love it,” I say, and she leans her head back against the seat and closes her eyes.