Cassius appears in the dining room a few minutes later and walks toward me. “That looks good,” he says, looking at the food on the table.
“Thanks.” I smile. “Where’s Ollie?”
“He’s still with Brandon.”
“Is Brandon going to be okay? Is he unwell? Did he ask for something? I can prepare it for him and—”
Cassius cuts me off and chuckles. “Relax. He’s fine, and he’s eating the breakfast you prepared. He’s doing great, so don’t worry,” he assures with a small smile.
The thorn in my chest finally stops pricking. I sigh in relief. Last night, he didn’t seem very well when he asked me to leave him right away. “Thank you. I was so worried.”
“He’ll be fine.” He grins once again and looks back at the food on the table. “Can I have a taste of this?” he says, pointing to the sweet side dish I made of mascarpone cream cheese laced with vanilla.
I chuckle. “Of course, you can.” I offer him a fork, then he slices off a small portion, tasting the food.
He hums in approval. “Wow, tiramisu crepes?”
“Yes.”
“This tastes terrifically good, Alayna,” he says as he chews. “I remember now that I had this for breakfast a few times in Italy.” He scoops another dollop and chews it slowly.
I watch him as he runs his tongue over his lower lip...
Oh no! Well—it isn’t wrong to become attracted to someone when I’m single, right?“Uh, thank you.”
“Alayna studied culinary arts, and she worked at a restaurant in Venice,” Oliver says. I hadn’t noticed him coming in. “And fortunately, there’s never been a time when Brandon has complained about his meal.”
My cheeks flush as I prepare the plates for us. I laugh. “You’re being too nice.”
“Really? Because I swear, this is what an authentic tiramisu tastes like,” Cassius insists.
“Brandon wouldn’t hire her if she weren’t talented,” Oliver remarks.
The two brothers sit next to each other while I serve them breakfast. Besides the crepes, I also prepared apricot-pancetta strata and a pitcher of fresh cucumber-lemon juice.
While we eat, the Katrakis siblings speak mostly about their home. The reason Cassius hasn’t visited is that their father wanted him to go to Athens. I never bother joining their conversation because listening to them makes me want to know more about their family.
Apparently, they have a sister who is also coming to New York to continue her culinary degree, and she cannot wait to see her cousin again. I immediately assume they are referring to Brandon.
Their father, Aegeus Katrakis, is a general surgeon and runs a hospital in Athens. He specifically summoned his younger son to Greece because he needed to perform surgery on another cousin. Besides being a surgeon, Cassius seems able to act like a general practitioner since he is Brandon’s doctor. He also mentions that he works in the Rutherford Hospital, and he has patients here in Manhattan waiting for him, so he couldn’t stay long in Athens.
I wanted to ask him why he is working here when his family owns a hospital, but I keep the curiosity to myself.
While the two brothers continue to talk, a loud ring abruptly interrupts them.
“Hold on a sec.” Oliver raises a hand and draws out the phone from his pocket. He glances at the screen. “It’s my assistant. I have to answer this.”
“Go on,” Cassius says. “Must be important.”
“It is. Please, excuse me.” Oliver stands up and quickly exits, leaving his brother and me alone.
An awkward silence falls in the dining room. I savor my breakfast slowly, conscious of Cassius’s presence next to me. I watch him from the side of my eye as he slices the crepe with a fork and takes another bite.
“So,” he begins, breaking the silence. “I heard Brandon has a thing for you...” His voice echoes in my ear, “And something happened before you left his room. I’m sure of that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you touch him?” he asks straightforwardly.
The air abandons my lungs. “W-Why would I do that?”
“Simply because you like him.” He grins meaningfully. “What happened between you and Brandon?”
I’m not sure if I like where this is going. Just what happened to him when I left last night? I’m sure I didn’t do anything that might have pissed him off this time, apart from our very strange conversation about him wanting me. Is there anything else I missed? Did he perhaps tell his cousins about it?
My blood races to my cheeks at the thought. I shake my head. “I still don’t understand what you mean. Nothing happened—”
“Sorry about that.” Oliver suddenly reappears, startling me. He frowns at us. “Whoa, what’s the sudden change of air?”
Cassius looks up at his older brother. “I’m asking Alayna if something happened before she left Brandon’s room.”
My mouth opens. Okay, he is attractive, I must admit, but this guy sounds so self-absorbed. God, I thought he was nice. How is that his business? How can he tell Oliver that?
My voice rises. “I said nothing, okay?”
“Come on, bro. Don’t scare Alayna.” Oliver sits back in his chair. “But I have to admit that I’m curious as well. You just didn’t ask the right question, Cass.”
I bite my lower lip nervously. Could they detect something? Whatever was happening between Brandon and me was supposed to be our business alone, right?
“We just talked,” I almost whisper, avoiding their eyes.
“We know Brandon’s condition very well,” Cassius inserts, “and he’s not going to end up like thatWhy is touching their cousin such a big deal? What is going on? I am starting to get offended by their accusation. I did not expect these questions to come from Oliver.
“We won’t hold it against you, Alayna,” Oliver says softly, “we just need to know.”
“If you think I harmedThe brothers exchange a surprised look.
“It’s not like that, Alayna,” Oliver says. “Of course, I trust you. You’re just not getting the whole picture, I guess, or where we’re coming from, but I hope we didn’t offend you.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s too late for that.”
“Okay, I guess I need to apologize to you too. I’m sorry if my questions were insensitive,” Cassius says sincerely. “It’s just hard to explain for now.”
I don’t answer.
“Brandon is actually asking for you, Alayna,” Oliver says.
My heart lifts. “He is?”
He grins. “Yes, he’ll be waiting for you.”
As much as this excites me, I don’t want to leave the table without emptying my plate.
I stand in front of Brandon’s room, expecting Oliver’s signal. He and Cassius follow me when we finish our meal and ask me to wait before coming in.
In another couple of minutes, the siblings walk out. Oliver approaches me first.
“Alayna, you can come in now.”
I proceed to the room without speaking. Honestly, I feel like it’s the first time I’m meeting Brandon.
When I step into his living room, Brandon is standing by the window. His room is still as dim as before. He is bare-chested, wearing only black sweatpants, and barefoot. As always, he is beautiful.
“Oliver said you wanted to talk to me,” I begin.
“I don’t think I can let you walk around my room anymore.” He doesn’t bother facing me.
His statement and cold voice confuse me. “What? I thought we were fine like this. We were starting to get comfortable in each other’s company, right?”
“Yes, I thought I’d be okay. Having you around has been the highlight of my whole ten years of hiding. I thought I could carry on, but I’m no good for you.”
He finally turns, exposing the scar on his chest. It looks inflamed as if it were fresh. It’s painful to look at. His cousins still haven’t told me what happened, but I choose not to ask any questions.
“You deserve better,” he whispers. “You should not be with a man like me.”
“Stop.” I shake my head in disbelief. “Don’t say anything. Is this what you want? Is this what you want to be like for the rest of your life?”
“Of course not.” His eyes darken. “Do you think I want this? Don’t you see this scar? Until this thing goes away, I won’t be able to live how I want to.”
“Yes, I can see that.” I swallow dryly. “But what you said doesn’t make sense... after what you just told me... You don’t want me to touch you? Fine, I won’t, if that’s the issue here. But you’re sending me away right after you told me you wanted me?”
There, I said it. The words slipped out of my mouth bravely. I can’t keep pretending his confession doesn’t affect me.
“Alayna...”“Don’t come any closer.” I wipe my tears away. My voice tightens. “If this is about me touching you, I can work with that.”
“Do you think this is all about that?” he snaps. “How many times have you tried to touch me, and it didn’t matter? I didn’t care about that. Something went on between us, but I am not capable of making it into something more.”
“Why?”
His face expresses an inexplicable emotion. “I won’t be able to protect you. I won’t be able to give you the life that you want.”
He’s acting like we’re over before we ever really began... before he ever even tried.
“Then come out and face the world,” I tell him. “You can talk to me and tell me what’s wrong. You can tell me everything. Let’s try, Brandon.”
His brows furrow. “What did you just call me?”
“Master?”
“No, you called me...” He swallows. “Say it again.”
“Brandon...”A laugh escapes his lips but doesn’t reach his eyes. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time.” He pauses. “Except from Oliver.”
“I’m sorry, I just got carried away.”
I look up at him. His mouth is only an inch away from mine.
“Do you think this will work?” he asks softly.
“WeHis mouth covers mine instantly, and I drape my arms around his neck, his muscular arms wrapping around my waist. I tangle my fingers in his hair and arch my back toward his rock-hard torso. He groans at my response and deepens the kiss with his tongue, seeking an entrance. I open my mouth and give him access—my stomach flutters with pleasure, excitement, and bewilderment, all at the same time.
For a couple of minutes, we are in the same position, but then he carries me to the couch and lays me down. I curl my legs around his waist, pressing him against me, my hands messing up his hair. We kiss, nip, and lick each other’s mouths, learning more about how to taste and feel each other.
Moments later, he pulls away and kisses my cheek.
“Alayna, if we are going to choose this path, it’s going to be difficult,” he whispers in my ear.
“I know, but it doesn’t matter now.”