Butterfly and Flame - Alina and Evan

Family, Friends and Strangers

The light snowfall that had begun before nightfall had turned steady and heavy. The threat of a storm had been on the news but it was supposed to be further away and certainly not now. Alina had gone upstairs to unpack her belongings and change. She felt giddy at the thought of sleeping in the same house with Evan and felt herself get hot just thinking about it. She felt herself letting go of her inhibitions and her fear of relationships. She wanted this feeling growing inside her to continue and so she committed to herself right then to not hold back in any way and let things happen organically. She realized, as she took out her robe and nightgown; that she might not have thought things through completely. The nightgown was certainly too thin for the current crazy weather and it was a bit see through as well. She didn't have much of a choice so she laid it out on the bed and returned downstairs in jeans and and light sweatshirt. Evan had stoked the fire and added new logs. The room was cozy and lit with candles. He had poured her a glass of champagne and had dropped in some strawberry's to boot. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world as she stopped on the landing and took it all in. Magic!

Leo decided to convey all he knew about Michael and Kyle to Sophie, Luis and the local police chief. He knew that Michael would be arriving shortly and that Kyle was on the loose somewhere. There was no time to waste. "I can't believe you didn't tell Alina. All this time she has believed that Michael betrayed her. Leo, how could you do that. Who gave you that right". Sophie was beside herself with worry, anger and frustration. Leo sat in his chair and with more calmness than he felt replied that he would do it again and again. Luis walked up to Sophie and embraced her warmly. She returned his hug a little stiffly to begin with but eventually let her guard down and turned into him. Luis turned to Leo and asked him what the latest was on Michael's arrival. Leo told him that Michael had already landed and spoken to the police chief privately by phone. He should be arriving anytime now. Turning to Sophie he said, "I'm going to drive up there with Leo right after Michael leaves. I want you to go over to Natalya's and stay there with Miranda. I don't want you here alone". Of course he knew it wouldn't be that easy. "Are you kidding me! I'm not staying here or there. I'm coming with you!" Sophie had walked around the table and now faced Leo with both her hands on her hips. "No your not. Mom and dad are not aware of any of this and if something goes wrong you need to explain it to them". She was about to open her mouth to say something smart but Leo raised his hand and stopped her. "Sophie, please. I have to concentrate all my energy on getting Alina to safety. I can't do it if I'm worried about you too. Please for once in your life do what I tell you". Something in Leo's tone made Sophie close her mouth right on her next word. Her eyes filled with tears of anger, and fear. She turned away from him and walked out of the kitchen taking the stairs two at a time to her room. Leo looked to Luis who told him he was doing the right thing. A few minutes later their was a nock at the door and they both moved forward to answer it.

Evan sat by the fire waiting for Alina to come back down. Everything was too good to be true and he felt that if he thought about it too much something would happen to cause things to shift in the wrong direction. It was typical of him to look for a problem where there was none. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair trying to clear his mind. The only thing that mattered right now was Alina and their time together. He vowed to keep that front and center. He had spent so much time alone that he needed to stop and think about how to proceed with someone else in mind. She came down the stairs and looked relaxed. He on the other hand was any thing but. Seeing her in those tight jeans caused his stomach to clench and his thoughts to run wild. He rose to offer her a glass of champagne. "Are you trying to get me drunk Evan Alexander"? He was taken aback and lowered the glass with a frown on his face and quickly said "I'm sorry, I thought you enjoyed it I hope you don't think....." she immediately walked over to him and took it out of his hand while looking up at him with a soft smile and a puppy dog look on her face and said "I was teasing you. I trust you!. I will say however that champagne and wine  usually sneak up on me so I'll watch how much I drink". He immediately felt better and moved aside so she could pass by him and have a seat. She starred at the fire and said "when I was a kid we would come up to the cabins we rented for a week. My parents, siblings and I would lay all of our sleeping bags down and zip them all together and lay in a big pile on the floor in front of the fire. All of us knocking knees and elbows. It was the absolute best time". She looked up at him and then back to the fire and began moving the coffee table aside and then tossing the oversized sofa cushions on the floor along with a couple of the throws that were in a basket on the hearth. "Let's sit on the floor close to the fire and I want you to tell me all about how you became a photographer. Don't leave anything out". She was just so easy to be with l. He looked down at her and smiled. She was completely natural and comfortable and he found that intoxicating that there was no ulterior motive or agendas. She had no idea who he really was but something told him even if she had known she would have been exactly the same. As he sat down on the floor with her, there backs to the large ottoman and feet close to the hearth; he felt absolutely that he was with the right person in the right place at the right time. She took hold of her glass again and decided to make a toast " here's to our new friendship, my book and your illustrations and ......." he finished her toast by adding "to becoming more than friends." She looked at him wide eyed and he couldn't help himself as he bent down and took her mouth possessively. She held back for a second and then gave in to his kiss. He put his hands through her hair and supported her neck as she adjusted her position. Braking the kiss for a second he leaned over and brought her legs across him and then sat her across his lap. Her eyes never left his face, and although she immediately got goosebumps she was thrilled put her arm around him while still holding on tot he glass of champagne with her other hand. "You might want to put that down. I don't intend to let you get drunk unless it's on my kisses". She blinked and opened her mouth in awe, but instead of putting the glass down she brought it up to her mouth and swallowed what was left. He took the glass from her hand and set it away from them and turning back to her looked at her beautiful face and lips and eyes and said "I began taking photographs as a kid. My dad was a photographer and I wanted to be just like him." Seeing that he had her full attention he supported her back with the front of his left thigh and left arm. With his right hand he played with her hair that fell all around her in thick soft waves. "Guess what my first subject was?....she was staring at his lips and couldn't form a sentence to save her life...."Uhm an apple?" "Close it was actually our cat". She was mesmerized by his voice. It was low and smooth and It resonated through her body. She was enchanted by his twirling of her hair with one hand and his rubbing of her back with the other. She was warm and she suddenly realized that all she wanted to do was kiss him. She leaned into him putting her small delicate hand on his cheek while she placed a soft butterfly kiss on his lips. Shen felt his hand go around her waist as she pressed her body into his and let herself taste him when he opened his mouth. They explored each other tenderly as they felt around with their tongues and lips. He tasted of the champagne and sweetest caramel and the strawberries. He was intoxicating. The kissing intensified and they were each pulling and squeezing wherever their hands landed. She shifted slightly on his lap and then suddenly they were laying on the floor with her underneath him and he atop her resting his weight on his forearms so as not to crush her with his weight. He trailed kisses down her face and neck thankful that she had taken off her sweatshirt earlier. Her T shirt was perfect as it revealed just how aroused she was. Her hands were traveling up and down his torso feeling his strength. His arms and the the flatness of his belly were like an aphrodisiac to her. He was a Greek god and somehow in the alternate universe she found herself in now he wanted her. He ran his own hands up and down her arms and then back into her hair and then he flipped them over so she was on top. Her weight on him caused him to suck in his breath as he felt the tell tale signs of his own arousal and was sure that she must have felt it now as well. She looked into his face and with eyes glowing in the firelight she bent down to kiss his neck while his hands massaged her back up and down until she felt them on her bottom. It was her turn to suck in her breath and she felt on fire with pent up emotions and a desire she had never felt before.  It was too much. Too much heat. Too much of him and too much of her carefully constructed walls falling in heaps all around her. "Evan, I  need to get up. I feel like I can't breath. I'm sorry please let me up." She was breathless and awkward in her rush to free herself from him. In the blink of an eye he had let her go and she had scrambled up onto her knees and then stood up. Her lips were swollen, her hair disheveled and she looked like a siren calling him to his death. She was unbelievably beautiful and sexy in her naïveté. He wanted her so badly but he knew that he needed to be patient and wait for her to give him the signals to move forward. He would wait for her as long as she needed but he hoped that it wouldn't be too long.

Leo opened the door and was surprised to find Elliot and another man outside the front door. "Elliot what are you doing here?" Leo stayed matter of factory bordering in rudeness. "I mean, I'm sorry. Elliot it's good to see you but I've got someone coming over and he'll be..." without an invitation Elliot walked into the house and made himself at home following behind him was a tall man, well built  and looking like a model off the Italian runways with his very expensive suite and very expensive shades and watch. "Leo this is Christian Mallek, Evans brother and he has some urgent news for Evan. We've been trying to reach him up at the cabin. I know Alina was supposed to go up there but neither one of them are picking up their phones. The cabin has a landline, but I'm afraid that the storm may have affected that as well. I was hoping that you would drive Mr. Mallek up there....." Leo looked to the man beside Elliot and frowned. The name was familiar but he wasn't registering it with Evan. Leo rolled his wheelchair back from the front door and said "please forgive my rudeness I'm Leo Salvatierra and this is my friend Luis. We were already making plans to go up there as we also have some important, ahh....news for Alina". Elliot's brows rose at that and he frowned at Leo. "What's going on Leo? Your usually not so distracted. Is everything alright with your parents?" Elliot had noticed that Leo was uncharacteristically cold and nervous. Both men looked at each other but Leo smiled and said "Uncle Elliot can I get you and Christian something to drink. A coffee or something stronger". Christian looked at Leo and then to Elliot with the surety that both men wanted to speak in private. "Leo, I'd love a coffee. Do you mind if I step out onto your back patio. I have a call to make?" Leo nodded and Luis moved ahead of him to show him the way. Leo looked up at Elliot from his wheelchair and with a few sentences brought Elliot back into the nightmare that had taken over their lives not that long ago. "Kyle has escaped the sanitarium and Michael will be here within minutes. Alina is in terrible danger."