Alec

I watched him walk way and after he was gone from my line of sight I allowed myself to smile, a real smile. I chuckled then and shook my head, if he is the only person who can get a genuine smile and laugh out of me then I was well and truly fucked.

Five minutes passed by until Alec emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his lower half. There were beads of water all over his body but he was more concerned with drying his hair as he went to work on it with a towel.

Alec caught me looking at him and winked.

"Are you still in a romantic daze from my poem."

Oh, puh-lease.

"That 'poem' was not romantic. Honestly honey, you're about as romantic as a penguin."

Alec threw the towel he used to dry his hair at me, which I caught.

"If I were as romantic as a penguin, you would be head over heels in love with me."

I raised my eyebrows. "What are you talkin' about?"

"You compared me to a penguin by saying I'm not romantic, but penguins are extremely romantic animals."

I stared at Alec wondering if he hit his head whilst in the shower.

"You're such a weirdo."

Alec shook his head, his hair swaying from side to side as he did this.

"No, I'm serious. Penguins are romantic animals."

I folded my arms across my chest and arched an eyebrow. "Explain."

He cleared his throat and said, "Penguins only fall in love once and once they mate, it's for life. No cheating or divorce with these animals. When a male penguin falls in love with a lady penguin he will search the entire beach he lives on until he finds the perfect pebble to present to her. He will only give her the best because she deserves the best and he knows that. If people were like penguins, the world would be a completely different place. A better place."

I looked at him with wide eyes and murmured, "Where did you learn that?"

He shrugged and said, "The Natural Geographic Channel."

I swallowed. "You like that channel?"

He nodded. "Yeah, and the Discovery Channel and the History Channel... I like documentaries."

Holy shit.

The need to kiss him suddenly overwhelmed me, and I had to press myself back against the headboard of the bed.

"You're full of surprises, you know that?" I whispered.

Alec smiled. "Yes."

I looked away from him and rolled to my side so I could stand up from the bed. I don't know why, but I grabbed the small towel Alec threw at me and held it up in front of myself. It covered my breasts and privates, but the rest of my skin was still on show.

Alec tilted his head and folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you serious?"

I shrugged.

"I was inside you less than an hour ago, how can you be shy?"

I shrugged again.

Alec chuckled and lifted his hands and covered his eyes.

"Escape to the shower, I won't look."

Doubtful.

I walked forward and turned to my side as I slide by him, when I turned to enter the bathroom I yelped when a stinging slap was delivered to my behind. I swung in Alec’s direction and glared.

He only grinned. "I said I wouldn't look, I never said I wouldn't spank."

I shook my head and hid a smile as I turned and entered the bathroom.

"I saw that smile which means you can't be mad at me."

I rolled my eyes.

That was male logic for you.

I reached into the shower and turned it on. It was already warmed up from Alec's shower so I stepped under the spray and stayed put until every inch of me was soaked with water.

I washed my hair twice, before I conditioned it. I washed my face and body with Alec's shower gel because it smelled awesome, then I proceeded to stand under the shower spray just because it felt nice. After a few minutes of standing under the spray I turned the shower off, squeezed the excess water from my hair with my hands then stepped out onto the bathroom tiles.

I picked up the only remaining towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around myself. I snuggled into it for a moment then used the towel to dry myself off. I towel dried my hair a little then wrapped the towel back around my body as I re-entered the bedroom.

I stopped and stared at Alec who was dressed in a blue tank top and navy knee length shorts. He had just finished blow drying his hair with his hair dryer.

Yeah, he had his own hair dryer.

"Why are you dressed?" I asked as I walked to the wardrobe and scanned for a t-shirt and shorts that I could wear to bed.

"Because we're going to the welcome party."

Excuse me?

I turned to face Alec who was now tying his hair back with a bobbin.

"We went to the welcome party."

"No, we went to the welcome dinner."

I frowned. "I thought you didn't want to be near Marco or me uncle."

Alec swallowed. "I don't."

"So then we can stay here-"

"No," Alec snapped.

I jumped with fright.

Alec sighed and walked over to me placing his hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap... I don't want to go to the party, but I do want you to be included in everything."

I smiled. "Alec, I hardly get on with me family, it's really okay."

"No, we will have fun. I promise."

Why was he pushing this so much?

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Alec relaxed his shoulders and said, "Yes, of course."

Something wasn't right about this.

"Okay then, let me get dressed," I murmured.

I turned and began looking through the wardrobe. I grabbed a teal dress that I tried on earlier and liked. I got a bra and some knickers then headed into the bathroom. I sighed when I realised that I had to dry my hair, I really didn’t want to go through all that again after it took me forever to get ready for the dinner.

I groaned in annoyance.

"What's wrong?"

I looked to my left when the bathroom door opened.

"I don't wanna dry me hair... I'm tired."

Alec laughed. "So braid it."

I rolled my eyes. "I can't do a French plait on meself, only on other people."

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "So I'll braid it for you."

I looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You know how?"

Alec grinned. "When you're around Bronagh and Branna long enough they make you learn these things... Besides, I like playing with other people's hair."

"Yeah, but only when you're tired."

Alec waggled his eyebrows. "I am tired."

I turned away and smiled.

"I know you’re smiling when you turn away like that, stop trying to hide it," Alec laughed.

I continued to smile as I brushed my hair out, applied my strawberry body lotion and got dressed. I towel dried my hair until it was only damp then I sprayed some summer fruit mix onto my hair to give it a nice smell.

I headed back into the room with a skinny white bobbin in my hand and sat on the floor in front of Alec who was sat on the side of the bed.

"Do you have a comb?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"It's cool, I'll use mine."

He leaned over and grabbed his hair comb then carefully brushed my hair out with it.

"One braid or two?"

"One, please."

He then went to work on putting a French plait in my hair, and for the most part it went pretty smoothly until he got to the hair at the back of my neck.

"Ow, Alec!"

"I'm sorry, but it has to be tight."

He tugged my hair and again I yelped, "Ow!"

He sighed. "Nearly done you big baby."

I folded my arms across my chest.

I'll big baby you, you big bastard.

"Voila. All done."

I reached up and placed my hand on my head, the hair was in a very tight French plait, not a single hair hung loose. I got up and went into the bathroom to check it out.