What You Do To Me (Unexpected Love) (40 page)

             
Wh
en we
got outside,
we
followed
Sam who led
us to a black SUV with two larger guys s
tanding outside of it waiting for
us. “Here is our ride and security to keep t
he crowds at bay.” One man was holding
the door open as we climb
ed in. Sam and I sat in the back row as the guys sa
t in the
captain’s
seats in the middle row. We head
ed
off towards Arlington to catch the changing of the guard
. W
e had forty minutes to make it and I didn’t think it would be an issue. As we drove through neighborhoods and landmarks, Sam was amazed and a
sked questions. I answered the ones I
knew and Googled the ones I didn’t. We pulled into Arlington with fifteen minutes to spare. Alex threw on a baseball hat and
sunglasses
. I grabbed my camera and we all climbed out. Alex stopped for a minute to talk to the security guys. He was asking them to hang back unless people started recognizing him and swarming him. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen.

             
We walked to the steps to find a place to stand for the changing of the guard and I could
feel the heat beating down on us
. I was sweating in the heat with no breeze or circulating air.
I was happy I changed into my sundress so I wasn’t so constricted with clothing.
While we stood
there,
I snapped a few pictures before it started and we talked about the soldiers in uniform and the tombs of the unknown soldiers. By the time the changing of the guard was done, I had sweat beads all over my chest and I felt a bead roll down between my breasts. I wanted to swipe at it, but wasn’t sure if anyone was looking. When I looked up, Alex’s eyes were fixed on my chest and the sweat beads. His eyes rose to mine and he leaned
down
into my ear. “Seeing you covered in sweat does things to me. It reminds me of the last time I saw you sweaty.” He then leaned
down,
kissing my
neck,
rolling his tongue to
my throat
and
then he
pulled away.
“You still taste good.” He grabbed my hand and led
me away from the st
eps.
I
stopped,
te
ll
ing
him to wait
, and then
I push
ed
him and Sam
together for a picture.
             

             
When we got back into the
vehicle,
we decide
d
to visit the Library of Congress before the mall, just in case w
e
had
to cut time
short. That way,
we could
still make it through the monuments and memorials. We couldn’t park that close, which
was
typical for DC. Once we entered the Library of
Congress,
we got tickets for a guided tour. We heard about the symbolic art and the architecture used in the building. The tour guide told us about the history of the Library of Congress.
We
walked ar
ound a bit, but I could tell Sam, Derek and Alex
were
not
that interested in being there
, unlike me
.
Just looking at some of the books in the display cases gave me goose bumps. I
had
always loved books.

             
“I am heading to the gift shop
to see if there is
something to buy the gir
ls
,
” Derek
said,
as he walked
towards the sign leading to the store.

             
“Wait for me,” Sam said as she followed.

             
Alex walked
up behind
me,
wrapping his arms around my waist
,
pulling me to him. I close
d
my eye
s and let out a moan. His arms we
re so strong and
I could feel
the ripple
s in his chest and
stomach,
which
caused
an ache inside me. Alex leaned
down a
nd kissed
my head. “We don’t hav
e to leave; I’ll stay here all d
ay with you. I can see how much you enjoy looking at all these books.”

             
“No, I’m ready, but I do love books. The smell, the feel of the paper between your fingers and
getting so
invested
in a story that you think about it before you go to bed or the fact you can’t sleep because you need to finish it.” I turn
ed
around and
looked
at Alex. He reached
up,
running
a hand along my neck and chin.

             
“
The
way you feel about books and reading
is the way I feel about you. Your smell, your
feel.
I am completely consumed by you
to the point that
I can’t sleep.”
He leaned
down and
kissed
me. I melt
ed
into the kiss and
was consumed by the
moment
. W
hen Alex
backed me up
and my bare back hi
t
the cold glass of the display
case,
I realized where we were and what we were doing
. I push
ed
him away gently.

             
I grab
bed
his hand and start
ed
walking to find Derek and Sam. “I’ll tell you a secret. I have always wanted to write a book. It’s actually on my list, but I don’t know if I will ever attempt it, but I love the thought of being an author and telling my own stories.”

             
Alex stopped and pulled me into him. “Then you
should.
If
it is something you want to do, you should do it.
What’s
holding you back?” His eyes were so intense at that
moment that
I had a hard time
answering,
because I felt pinned by his eyes locked so
intently
on mine.

             
“Lots of thing, writing takes a lot of time. Time
that
I don’t have with the girls. Plus, what if I spend all that time pouring myself into a book and people hate it. I don’t think I could handle
it.
It’s
so much easier to dream
it, than
the reality of actually doing it.”

             
“I thought the point of the list was to drag you out of your fears and force you to do the things you wanted.”

             
“It is, but
there’s
no time limit on the
list,
so I have
until
I die to cross everything off.” I
clasped
his hand and continued walking.

             
“
Well,
I hope you don’t die before
everything
get
s
crossed off,
because
we still need to get to number one.” I looked at Alex with a confused look. I wondered if he thought the book was number one on my list.

             
We found Derek and Sam buying the girls a few kids’ books, stuffed animals and tote bags. The more I seemed to protest the
purchases,
the more they seemed to buy, so I decided it was best to be quiet and let them
pay,
so we could hit the mall.
We walked through the WWII
memorial,
making our way to the Vietnam Wall. By the
time,
we made it to the Lincoln Memorial there was a trail of people following us. The security guys did a nice job
of
keeping people at bay, but we did have to stop often so Alex could sign something or take a picture.
On the way down the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial,
Alex walked
ahead, turned to me,
and stopped. “I was thinking, the security guys have to drive to Pittsburgh, why don’t we send Sam and Derek together and we can have them drive us back. We can sit back in the
third
row and talk.”

             
I wrap
ped
my arms around his
neck,
lean
ed
in and kiss
ed
him,
making my way
up to his lips,
only
pulling away to respond. “I think there
might be
safety in numbers.
You’re
my Candyman and I can’t be left alone with you.”

             
Alex looked
at me with a strange face. “The creepy guy from the
movie?
Gee
thanks.”

             
I ga
ve him a huge smile, “
No,
you
idiot,
the song, but now that I think about
it,
you are kind of creepy.”

             
“Does this mean I can make your panties drop?” He had a devilish grin on his face.

             
“
Like,
you have to try
hard.
That’s
why you are my Candyman.” Alex
scooped
me
up, my legs wrapped around his waist,
and we start
ed
kissing with a hunger.

             
I hear
d a throat clear
. “
Um,
guys, sorry to interrupt, but we are kind of in public right now. Take a look around.” Derek seemed embarrassed interrupting
us, but looking
around,
I was happy he did. Alex set me down and I buried
my head into his
chest,
embarrassed for getting so wrapped
up in the kiss and him. Alex had
a way of
pulling
me in and consuming me. I
seemed
to
become oblivious to everything around me or where I was at the moment
. This feeling
was exciting and
scary,
all at the same time.

             
We locked
hands, walked back through the mall area,
and headed back to the vehicle. Everyone was get
ting
hungry, so
we decided to eat
before hitting the road. Since we had to
pick up
Derek’s car at the
hotel,
we de
cided to eat at the hotel
grille
. While everyone was waiting on the food, I called the girls and talked to David’s mom about havin
g Sam stay at the house for the night
. I told the girls I would be in late
r
, but we would still be going to the zoo in the morning. By the time we ate and left the
hotel,
it was around five thirty and we had a
four-hour
drive ahead of us. We all
rode
in Derek’s
car.
Derek and Alex sat in the front and Sam and I sat in the back. Derek plugged in my iPod and hit shuffle. Alex and Sam were making fun
of me. My play list consisted
of
music by all genres such as
Maroon 5, Kesha, Elton Jo
hn, Journey, The Band Perry
.
When the song Candyman came
on,
I cringed. Alex looked back and smiled, while Derek told me how much he hated that song. Alex immediately responded that it was a great song and even
sang along
in a few parts.

             
Sam and I talked about the zoo,
my
girls
,
and
about
what
she could
expect
while
at David’s parents. When Derek and Alex dropped us
off,
we told them to be at the house at nine the next
day,
so we could drive to th
e zoo and be there when it opened
.
I gave Derek a hug and
I
gave Alex a kiss bye. “Please don’t kill each other and call me if it get
s
to that.”