Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits #4)(75)

“Oh, good, you’re already dressed. I was about to ask you if you wanted to join me for a morning run.”

She looks at me wide-eyed and starts to shake her head, but I grab her hand and pull her along before she has a chance to decline. “Let’s go. I’ve got the perfect trail in mind.”

“Silas, running is more of a solitary activity for me.”

I know, but not with me. You’ve always loved running with me. “That’s fine. We don’t need to talk.”

I start jogging toward the trail the moment we reach the street, and much to my surprise, Alanna maintains my pace, running alongside me instead of behind me. We remain silent for most of the run, and I don’t try to engage her. Alanna has always hated talking while running, but she’s always loved having me by her side. It’s been years, and in many ways she’s no longer the woman I used to know, yet the essence of her stayed the same. It’s strange feeling like I know her better than she knows herself, yet not knowing her at all.

“Let’s go left here.”

She follows me, and nerves assault me as we get closer to the place I’ve been leading her to. I pause in front of the elaborate picnic setup, complete with a tent behind it for privacy and protection from the rain we’re expecting today.

I turn toward her and smile. “You paid good money for a date with me, so I’d better deliver. Hundred grand, was it?”

Her eyes move from the picnic spread back to me, widening as realization sinks in. “This… you did this?”

I nod and grab her hand as I pull her toward the blanket that’s been spread out on the grass. She can’t remember, but our first real date was a picnic too. She’s the reason I am who I am today. I always intended to regain what I lost, but because of Alanna, I didn’t lose my soul in the process. I always knew that someday, we’d find our way back to each other, and when we did, I wanted to be the person she thought I was. Her Si. Alanna is such an integral part of my life, even in the years we spent apart. Every one of my favorite memories revolves around her, and I know it used to be the same for her.

“Here,” I murmur as I hand her the energy drink she always loved.

She stares at it for a moment and smiles. “Wow, this is my favorite flavor.”

I grin and try my best to act surprised. “Is it?”

I watch her as she empties half the bottle. I’ve always loved the way she looks after a run. It’s not much different from what she looks like after sex. Alanna out of breath is a sight to behold.

She breathes a sigh of relief when I hand her a disinfectant wet wipe for her hands. “Thank you,” she says, taking it from me. She hates touching anything after a run. The first thing she usually does when she gets home is wash her hands. Usually she won’t even grab a drink before that. While I couldn’t provide her with a sink here, this thankfully seems to be good enough for her.

I feel her gaze on me as I spread out the food I had prepared for her. The first time I took her on a date we barely had anything to eat, and I remember thinking then that I’d someday redo this date the way I’d wanted to.

“Strawberries and champagne?” she asks.

I smirk. “You did pay a shit ton of money, after all.”

“Technically, you did.”

“It was a gift. So does that mean I gifted you me?”

“I suppose… does that make you mine for the rest of the day?”

I smile at her, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. “Considering the amount of money involved, I’m willing to extend that deal for the rest of our lives.”

Alanna giggles and tilts her head up toward the sun. She looks so sweet lying back on her elbows. It’s almost as though the years we spent apart never happened. “So if I want to make you my boy toy, I can?”

My cock starts to harden at the mere thought of it. “Are you threatening me with a good time?”

Alanna laughs, and I raise my glass to hers. “Here’s to the rest of our lives.”

She looks into my eyes as her glass clinks against mine. “To the rest our lives,” she repeats.

She takes a sip of champagne as I lay out the assortment of pastries, fruits and salads. “You have good taste,” she mutters. “These are all my favorite things.”

I smile as innocently as I can. “Are they? I suppose we’re more alike than I realized.”

I hold up an apple beignet, and she takes it from me with a smile. “The only thing that’s missing—”

“Is coffee?” I finish her sentence for her as I hold up a canister of the sickly sweet coffee she loves.

Her lips fall open, and she shakes her head. “There’s nothing you haven’t thought of, huh?”

I smile as I fill up a mug for her. I’ve also got freshly pressed orange juice and countless other things that she might want, but this will do for now.

Alanna looks at me, her gaze lingering. “I’m surprised you didn’t take me to a fancy restaurant.”

“Is that what you want?”

She hesitates. “Isn’t that what you would’ve done if any of those other women had won?”

I look away, wondering how to answer her. “I suppose so, but that’s mostly because I don’t care whether that date is special to them or not. I’d just be fulfilling an obligation. It’s different with you. I wanted to spend some quality time with you and I wanted to do something memorable. Since you’re my mentee, you’ll be accompanying me to countless formal business dinners, and I didn’t want our first date to be another one of those.”