ALAYNABrandon and I go for a stroll in a quiet residential street around my apartment. I texted Mom an excuse about bumping into a friend, adding that I’d be back soon. I just don’t know how she will react when I tell her Brandon is here. She still resents him, and I can’t blame her.
We are holding hands like a normal couple walking on the streets, our fingers intertwined as though nothing happened for the past five months, and it’s all so astonishing I can’t believe it’s real.
But it is. It really is.
“What? Keep staring at me like that, and I’ll have to have you in that street.” He laughs softly and points to a dark alley, but I just can’t stop gawking at his perfect face.
“Just in case this isn’t real.”
He grins sweetly. “How am I going to prove to you that it is?” I’ve never seen him as calm as this before.
“What happened to you, Brandon? You were gone, and you just show up in the streets of Seattle as if nothing happened.”
“This is a decent spot you got here,” he says. “Congratulations on your restaurant. You’ve achieved your dream.”
“Oliver helped me a lot. It’s thanks to him—” My mouth opens. “You saw Ollie?”
He nods, still smiling. “Then I guess he has helped a lot of people, including me.”
“I haven’t spoken to him since he left.”
“Well. He’s still there.”
I stop walking. “He didn’t even call me. I was worried about him.”
“He’s busy. Though he talked about you and his venture a lot, didn’t neglect a single thing.”
“Yes, you congratulated me on opening day,” I say, remembering. Actually, his texts are all imprinted in my brain. I memorized them all, including the dates.
“You never replied. That hurt.”
“But you’re still here.”
He winks at me, and now I’m sure it’s a different Brandon I’m facing now. He’s calm, he’s collected... he’s happy. “It all passed.”
We continue walking. “Yeah, but you didn’t answer my question.”
“You need to elaborate on what you mean.”
“I feel you’ve achieved what you’re supposed to do.”
“Mm.”
“You’ve finished your family issues?”
“Uh-huh.”
The last time Jason and Arianna messaged me was two weeks ago. However, my siblings didn’t really tell me in detail what was going on with them. Arianna would only text me about Cassius, saying she finally had a chance to be with him alone, but there was nothing romantic yet. Casey and Jason seem to be moving forward, but I know I shouldn’t tell Brandon that since he still doesn’t know about them.
“Are my siblings here with you? Jason and Arianna?”
“Yes, we all just returned to the US today, though they landed in Manhattan first. I asked them not to tell you because I wanted to surprise you.”
I laugh, elated. “I am surprised, congrats. How about everyone else? When are they coming back to New York?”
“That, I don’t know.” His expression turns slightly serious. “For starters, they’re fine. Oliver, however, is engaged to Daphne Karezi. You know the family rules. Cassius has been busy with his father’s hospital.”
My mouth drops again, then swiftly closes. “Oh, my gosh.” This is probably why I haven’t heard anything from them. Especially Ollie. This is possibly one of the reasons why he has to go to Athens. “I thought you wanted these alliances to end?”
“I do, and they actually ended, but I guess they believed in these traditions for so long that they aren’t easy to break. But it’s Ollie’s choice, Alayna. The deal is he has to be the last, at least from the Katrakis family.”
“But he will be tied to them forever. This isn’t what he wants.”
“We kind of don’t have a choice,” he says softly. “It’s either that or the alliance won’t end. He has been in their sights for quite some time now.”
I try to swallow it all in, but I’m still in shock. Oliver deserves more. His own happiness. He’s one of the most selfless men I know, one of the most forgiving and devoted. He ended up as everyone’s saving grace. He still has to sacrifice himself.
“How about you? Aren’t you included in those upcoming weddings?” I give him a wry smile. I can’t afford any more shocking news. His sudden appearance here is strange enough.
“Oh, you’re not convinced?”
“I’m just saying that maybe you’re still hiding something in your sleeve.”
“There’s nothing like that, I promise you. Cross my heart.”
“Prove it,” I challenge.
“I will.”
That eases my mind a little, although I remain a little wary. “Then, will you tell me everything? No more secrets?”
“Alayna, baby, what’s wrong?” We stop walking again. Brandon pulls me closer.
“I don’t feel comfortable,” I admit. “I feel like something else is going to happen.”
“Nothing’s going to happen. I will tell you tonight. Will that make you feel better?”
Wow. I breathe against his neck. “You will?”
“The last thing I want is to remember those hell months, but of course, you deserve to know.” He slightly pulls away so his forehead can touch mine. “Just trust me and believe I’m not leaving again.” He kisses my temple and embraces me once more. “Now, where do you live? Because I don’t plan on staying anywhere tonight but with you.”
“Um, I’m not sure about that. I’m living with my mother now.”
He nuzzles my hair with his nose. “Mm. I’m aware. It’s just to make sure you’ll see me again in the morning.” He laughs softly at his own statement.
“I doubt I’ll ever fall asleep.”
Holding the back of my neck again, he claims my mouth with his.
I utter a cry of surprise when he locks me in his arms in the process, while his other hand begins fondling my hair, massaging my scalp. He muzzles me with his delicious, demanding lips. He’s making sure I am thoroughly kissed, starting with my upper lip by sucking it into his mouth and then my bottom lip before thrusting his tongue in my mouth. Going up slowly, gently, his fingers play over the skin of my waist, stirring an uncontrollable desire throughout my body.
Oh, God. I missed him so bad.
When he attempts to break the kiss, I cup his face and deepen it instead. His tongue wraps around mine and creates a burning desire at the bottom of my belly. I’m being hammered with the growing yearning in my chest. A groan escapes him, and it’s indecent enough that we are in the middle of an empty street. But I just can’t contain myself. I just have to continue this delectable torment.
I release one of my hands to grab the side of his coat, and he abandons my lips to place a light kiss on my forehead. Unfortunately, after everything, Brandon still drives me crazy with just one kiss.
I had accepted that it would not work out between us, but here he is, filling my stomach with butterflies again and turning my skin sensitive enough to make my panties wet. I close my eyes to better revel in his unexpected return.
“What worries you, love?” he whispers between our lips.
“That I’m going to wake up in the morning, and you’ll be gone.” I sob like a child, like Mirabelle when she cries.
“You can’t keep thinking that. If you like, tie me up in your house, better yet, your bed,” he teases.
I sniff back my tears. “Can you blame me? You came back as if nothing happened, telling me good things that only happened in my dreams. I accepted that you were gone forever, yet here you are after a long absence. I am worried, asking myself when the next goodbye will be. Will you stay here longer? What problem are we going to face this time?”
“Shh...” He presses his thumb to my lip again. “Of course, I can’t blame you, but I understand you. I’ve just returned to you, so give yourself some time, and I’ll show you I’ll always be here.”
“Fine.” I nod. “When are you going back to New York?” I wipe my tears with my fingers. “You can’t be here for long, right? I just started a new life here. In Seattle.”
“Oliver is coming back to Manhattan this week to take his post back in the company, and I’ll be here as long as you want—until you are ready to go back.”
“What made you think I want to go back?”
“You belong next to me, Alayna.”
“What if I want to stay here?”
He chuckles. “Then I’ll be wherever you are. This doesn’t have to be hard, although there’s one thing I’m worried about.” His expression turns slightly concerned.
“Okay?” I gather myself, trying to believe everything’s going to be okay.
“Why did you choose to settle down here? This is the last city I thought you would come to,” he asks, as though he dislikes the place.
Because it is.“Oliver chose it.”
Brandon nods. “We have a few estates here, I know. But isn’t heI froze. He knows, and I know who he is talking about.
“Jason told you?” Because no one else would. Brandon probably forced him to do it.
“Yes, so why didn’t you tell Oliver? He could’ve gotten you another place.”
“Oliver has no idea, and I was not in the right state of mind to care about it. I can’t tell him about that either.” No one can know.
“But he’s hereMy flesh ripples at the thought of the devilDrake Mallory lives in Seattle. I knew about that before. I just didn’t have the strength to worry about it because I was busy building my new life.
I saw him on TV giving a speech as the mayor, and just like his dad, he’s planning to run for senator. All I can have toward him was, and still is, pure disgust and anger. It still affects me.
“I’ve driven you here. I’m sorry,” he says. We are now on our way back to the convenience store where he parked his car.
“It’s not your doing. It just happened that way.”
“Have you thought about moving the restaurant?”
“I have thought of moving the restaurant somewhere else. My crew won’t mind, but it’s such a hassle. We’ve just opened. Besides, Mom likes it here. My siblings have settled into a new school.”
He nods. “I see.”
“Look, I know you’re worried, but I’m fine.” Because even if the devil finds out that I’m here, it’s unlikely he’d show up. I don’t think I have any significance in his trash life anymore. Or maybe he’s probably forgotten about me. I’m sure I was only one of his dozen toys from the past.
“But don’t you think it’s your turn to tell me about this?” he says softly.
“I can’t, not now. I’d rather hear your story first.” I still want him to know. He will see me differently. I was a different person back then. I was weak, naïve, frail, and so in love that I had almost forgotten how to be a proper human.
“You see, this thing still bothers you... but I’ll wait until you’re ready. However, you don’t have to worry about anything now because I’m here. I can protect you. Now, let’s get you home.”