Enchant Me by Anne Violet Read Free Book Online

laugh. His chest was moving up and down so much he
almost dislodged me. I was completely charmed though, glad that I
could make him so happy. I had a feeling he wasn’t naturally so
light-hearted. I decided right here and now, that I would always
try to put a smile on his face. There were some things I was
curious about though. “Christian, I don’t want to hurt your
feelings-- but why haven’t I seen you around before?”
    He glanced away then looked back up at me
considering. He sighed. “I was in rehab for awhile.” 
    I tried not to react. I didn’t want him to
think I judged him in any way, but I was pretty shocked. There was
nothing about him that suggested he was an addict or an
alcoholic. 
    “I’m sorry; I keep asking the wrong
questions.” I started to get up but his arms held me down.
    “No,” he breathed, “I want you to know.” He
took another deep breath and slowly let it out. “When my parents
died… I didn’t handle it well. I looked for any escape I could. I
was pretty good at hiding it, no one knew.”
    I watched as he swallowed hard. It was
obviously more difficult to talk about than he was trying to let
on. “I knew it was getting out of hand though, doing things-- I
could never take back. Worst of all, I knew how disappointed they
would be if they knew. So I checked myself in.”
    Softly I ran my hand down his face. “I’m
sorry.”
    He arched a brow at me. “Don’t be, it’s not
your fault.”
    I decided to change the subject; I didn’t
like seeing him so sad, like he felt unworthy of me or something.
“Can I ask you another question?”
    “Sure,” he shrugged, relaxed again.
    “Why aren’t you worried about the rumors
about me?” I was sure he had heard them. 
    That softness resided in his eyes again as he
gazed at me. “You mean about you stalking your ex?” his tone was
full of disbelief.
    “That’s one of them,” I
murmured. Without warning, he rolled me onto my back; the hand
of his arm he was leaning on was cupping my head while his other
hand was holding my waist, slowly drawing circles with his thumb.
All thought completely drained from my head. The way he looked at
me told me he knew exactly what I was feeling. His expression
darkened as he continued to gaze at me. “I saw how he was following
you from class to class… the arguments. I was ready to step in at
the slightest sign that you needed it but you always handled it.” I
saw admiration fill his gaze. “How did you get him to finally stop
and drop out of school?”
    I thought back upon that time and felt the
same feelings of fear and uncertainty sweep through my body all
over again. I felt myself start to tremble and I wrapped my arms
tight around Christian and pulled him down over me until I was sure
I had disappeared from sight. 
    Both of his hands came up to cradle my face.
“Alexis,” he breathed.
    I could tell he wanted me to look up but I
didn’t feel I had it together enough yet to do that. I stayed
tucked into his neck and shoulder, breathing his cologne deeply, to
calm myself. 
    “Alexis,” it was almost a command. He gently
but firmly lifted my head up to meet his eyes. “You are mine now, I
am not going to let anything happen to you.” He didn’t say it
softly and his eyes as they looked in mine were fierce, but this
reassured me probably better than anything else could.
    I slowly loosened the death grip I had had
around his waist and enjoyed the feeling of his weight pressing
into me, one of his thighs between mine.
    “What about the other rumor?” I could tell I
had caught him off guard by changing the subject but he went along
with it. 
    His mouth turned wry. “Devil worship?” he
muttered, rolling his eyes. 
    “I don’t, you know,” I assured him. 
    He gave me a look like I should have known
better. “I didn’t think you did. It should be obvious to anyone
with a brain in their head that he was trying to slander you.”
    “True,” I agreed. 
    He reluctantly