ALAYNA“Where are you going, Laynie?” Cassius calls from the kitchen as I stomp away.
“Where else? Your cousin needs to wake up,” I yell back and march outside. I go to Brandon’s study first, expecting him to still be there since it’s where I delivered his food, but he’s not. I invade his room too, but he’s not there either, so I enter the passage from his bedroom to his library.
I look down from the library’s second floor, and I find him by his desk alone.Brandon is looking so magnificent in his snug black vest and white shirt as he sits on the edge of a desk, holding a tablet. He is frowning at the screen, so he must be working. But screw that. He has to hear what I have to say.
I march down from the first floor and lock the door to prevent an intruder from coming in. He doesn’t seem to notice my presence until I clear my throat.
His eyes brighten at the sight of me, but he keeps his face impassive. “Alayna.”
“We need to talk.”
His eyebrows knit together. “What is this about?”
“I told you we’re going to talk, didn’t I?”
“Am I getting your answer now?”
I lift my head. “I suppose.”
“Good.” He moves behind his desk. I watch him pull his drawer open and shove the tablet inside. “Sit right there, and I’ll be right with you,” he says, pointing out the couch by the fireplace.
“Okay.” I do as I’m told. I didn’t even get the chance to change for this. I actually planned on dressing up because I wanted to look formal, so he would take this seriously. But that’s before when I thought of saying yes. I imagined running into his arms when I accepted him again. It’s all I’d been longing for.
However, I’m very much pissed at him right now. I realize I forgot to take off my apron, so I untie and fold it as I wait.
I look over my shoulder and meet Brandon’s intense gaze. He’s pouring liquor in two cocktail glasses.
I look away because it’ll only hurt to see him like this. He’s still sexy as hell and can make my inner thighs tremble. How I wish I could run my fingers all over him. His presence alone can almost make me forget how angry I am.
I want to scream at him and ask what his deal with Pauline is. I badly want to tell him that I hate living under the same roof with her, breathing the same air, and the fact that she knows what’s happening and I don’t, but I’d rather talk to him in a civilized manner.
Finally, Brandon walks over to me and hands me the drink. “Try this first.”
I stare at the cold, transparent, sparkling liquid with cherries in the cocktail glass. “What is this? Vodka?”
“Martini,” he says and sits far away from me.
I sip on the drink, and the vermouth strokes my throat; it’s somewhat sweet. “Oh, wow.”
He leans on the couch cozily and rests an ankle on his knee. “You can talk whenever you’re ready.”
“I am.” I put away the glass because I wish to be sane while we speak. I shift my body toward him and keep my legs primly together. “Listen, this isn’t just about the other night, but also about what I found out a few minutes ago. Cassius told me why Pauline is here.”
“I wonder what he told you.” He cocks his head. His face remains icy.
How can he do that when I’m so nervous?
“Did you come here so eagerly just to tell me that?”
“Yes.”
“Not because you’re going to answer me?”
“I’ll still answer you tonight, Brandon.”
He raises an eyebrow and gulps his liquor. “Now, are you conducting an interview?”
“Maybe.” I shrug. “Maybe, because it’s a fact that I can’t seem to trust you.”
“Why is that?”
I close my eyes momentarily and take a deep breath. I’ll start with Pauline.
“I had a suspicion before,” I begin. “Pauline received a text from Oliver’s kidnapper, and you know this kidnapper. Am I wrong?”
His eyes turn grim. “I know him.”
“Yes, it’s your cousin and Pauline’s current fiancé.”
“Where are you going with this, Alayna?” he asks calmly.
“The only answers I’ll expect from you are actual Brandon drains his glass and stands up again. I feel him walk behind me toward his desk. I hear the liquid splashing into the glass again. “Yes, Silvanus Katrakis. Now, Alayna, I don’t wish to interrupt, but how did Cassius tell you this?”
“Accidentally. It doesn’t matter.” It’s because your recurring flame probably pissed Cassius off. that“I understand now why you can’t tell me this. You really don’t have to pretend anymore that you care because now I finally know that you don’t.”
Brandon strides back but suddenly halts behind me. “It’s the last part of what you said that I thought youI shiver at the sensation. “Then tell me about it. You risked everyone’s life around you just so you could reunite with her, is that it? Now she’s your future wife again. Am I wrong?”
Brandon slumps back onto the couch and sighs sharply. “Pauline is a friend; that’s the only truth to that, Alayna. She’s here because I need her help, which I already told you many times. Why can’t you trust me?”
Okay. “Trust? You decided to keep this fact from me. Now you want me to trust you? Trust is supposed to be mutual. You refused to say anything, only answering me with vague details.” I pick up the martini and drain it. I really need this now. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and face him again. “I’m not going to let this go until you tell me everything you’re hiding from me.”
“Alayna, what else am I going to tell you? You said you already understand.”
“Then I want to hear it from you. I want to know your version, your side because you’re supposed to be the one telling me this anyway.”
“It’s true. What Cassius has said is all true,” he begins.
Okay, that went smoothly.
“Did you bring Pauline here because you’re going to marry her? Because you didn’t want her to marry your cousin? You did tell me she’s your first love.”
His eyes twinkle with amusement. “Alayna, there’s nothing like that. It’s all just in your wild imagination. Tell me more of what’s going on with that beautiful mind of yours, and I’ll answer you, as promised.”
“Then why is she here?” I ask in annoyance.
“The business I have with Pauline and her family is purely business,” he replies simply. “It’s also true that Silvanus is looking for her, but she’s here because Silvanus was hurting her, abusing her. That’s why she asked for my help.”
Pauline was abused? I know I can’t argue with that. I know how it feels to be in that situation. And I suppose the business he has with her is something I can’t be asking about. It does sound like it really matters. Brandon still needs his privacy, so I’m leaving that part of his statement alone.
“I saw her, you know,” I tell him. “I saw her when I visited you in Athens and you refused to see me. How are you going to explain that? Any woman would be suspicious.”
“The Katrakis can’t know who you are,” he says pointedly. “They’ve been suspecting your relationship with me. Do you not remember how I almost lost you in Portland? They watch my every move. You know what happened to my family, and now Oliver.”
But is that all there is to it? I don’t think so. Brandon won’t go this far if it’s only business. Pauline even bragged about their future together. I need to know more.
“But what is she to you now? If you want me to trust you, I want your honesty.” The tension in my chest grows as I anticipate an answer I don’t want to hear.
“Someone I feel responsible for,” he says, “and you know why. I told you before.”
“You broke her heart.”
“Yes...”
“You didn’t give her closure, and you just left.”
“Yes.”
“You still love her.”
“No. I feel responsible for her because it’s my fault she ended up in Silvanus’s hands.”
“Because she’s supposed to marry you, and you feel guilty because you left, and now you’re rectifying your mistake, is that it?” I stand up in agitation. “What’s the difference? You still care for her more than you want to admit.” I walk away from the couch and pace back and forth, thinking. “Maybe you only feel responsible for me too—that’s why you said those things the other night. You have a habit of making people feel miserable, Brandon. I hope you know that now.”
“Stop comparing yourself to Pauline,” he says.
“But isn’t the situation the same?” I throw my hands in the air. “You left us in midair. The only difference is that you’re paying more attention to her.”
“I don’t like that we’re having this conversation over and over. Clearly, you need more time,” he says calmly but coldly.
“No, I don’t need more time. Now I know my answer. It’s no.“You don’t get to walk away from me like that again,” he warns, his gray eyes blazing, and presses his chest against mine.
“And you don’t have the right to stop me. You hurt me.”
“And you hurt me by choosing Cassius instead of listening and trusting me...” he says softly, almost pleadingly. “My heart belongs to you, Alayna. Always will. Is that what you want to hear?”
I shiver at his words alone, and the goosebumps travel all over my body. My lips tremble. Suddenly, my body relaxes. His chest is pounding against my chest—making my nipples press hard against my bra.
“I’m asking you, is that what you want to hear?” he repeats.
“I love you....” Brandon cups my face between his palms. His eyes burn with yearning. He kisses me. His mouth is aggressive, sucking and licking mine, stroking my tongue with his own. I return the kiss, wishing his mouth would touch the other parts of my body too.
Our kiss tastes salty and sweet, my tears mixing with the alcohol. I feel the lust in my belly, yearning for more. I love how he isn’t stopping and is even more ravenous than last time. But it doesn’t matter. I need him this way. His hands are all over me—at the back of my neck, my waist, and down to my buttocks, just a few inches away from my throbbing slit.
He spins me around again, so I’m facing the wall. His fingers run over my thigh, and he grips me.
“I told you I’m not bargaining with you, Alayna,” he murmurs, “so wrong answer. Your answer is supposed to be yes“You’re leaving me... no choice,” I say breathlessly.
“Yes, so let’s not take this any further and let me take care of you. And you’re not going to worry about Pauline again My throat is dry, and I gulp. The lust in my belly slides down, deep into my already wet core.
“Brandon...“Now, hold on to the wall, and don’t let go until I tell you to.”