by Lylah James
Wanting to smack myself, I only glared at Alessio when he chuckled low. “Hmm…so you like my sinfully delicious, beautiful body?”
Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms. “Stop it.”
Alessio stalked toward me until he was standing in front of me, our bodies almost touching. “There is nothing wrong with that. You’re my woman. You have every right to appreciate my body and call it whatever you like,” he muttered in my ear, his breath tickling me there.
“And if you stop being stubborn, you can do anything you like with it too.” He placed a kiss on my ear, his tongue moving downward to my neck, leaving a wet trail. He kissed, licked, and sucked until it was almost impossible to refuse him.
“Alessio,” I breathed.
“You want my cock inside of you, don’t you? I know you’re wet right now, dripping for me.”
He was right. This infuriating man.
“Alessio.” Placing my hand over his chest, I pushed him away. “Behave. It’s only three days.”
“Exactly! Three fucking days of torture!” he growled, crossing his arms over his chest. “One day,” he tried to bargain.
Not happening.
“Nope. Three days.”
“One day, kitten. That’s all you’re getting.”
“No.”
“Fine! One day and a half.”
“No. Three days.”
“Ayla, stop being stubborn,” Alessio glared.
“You stop being stubborn. You said any punishment.” I glared back.
“Two days! That’s it. No more,” Alessio snapped.
“No.”
“Two days, Ayla. Whether you like it or not, I’m coming for you in two days,” he said, the promise clear in his eyes and voice.
Throwing my hands in the air, I huffed. “Fine! Two days of no touching.”
“Can you wait for that long?” he asked, coming closer again.
No. It was going to be torture.
“No,” I replied honestly. “You’re right. It’s going to be torture.”
Alessio sighed before wrapping his arms around me. “Then why?”
“Maybe I am still a little mad?” Returning his hug, I placed a kiss over his chest. “I forgave you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still slightly hurt.”
“Okay. Two days,” he mumbled in my ear.
Alessio pulled back, and I leaned on my tip-toes, kissing him soundly on the lips. Pulling away, I pressed my palm over his chest. “I need to get back to work.”
He brought his hand up and trailed a finger down my cheek. “I’ll see you down for dinner.”
Chapter 17
I left Alessio in our room and joined Maddie in the kitchen. Without giving her any warning, I pulled her away from the oven and twirled us around. She looked surprised at first but quickly let out a laugh.
Coming to a stop, I hugged her tight before letting go. “I see everything went well,” she remarked.
“Yes. It was perfect. Maddie, he is simply amazing,” I gushed in utter contentment. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve him. But I’m selfish. I don’t want to be without him.”
Maddie smiled, her face glowing with happiness. “I’m so happy for both of you. Don’t give up on him, okay?”
Shaking my head, I promised, “Never.”
It was a promise I was going to hold close to my heart. He was mine, and I was going to fight for him every day.
“I’m surprised you came down so fast.” Maddie raised an eyebrow at me before going back to the oven to remove the roasted chicken.
“Umm…yeah about that. Itoldhimhecan’ttouchmeforthreedays.” I said the words so fast they ran together before snapping my mouth shut in embarrassment.
“Huh?” Maddie asked, confused.
Sitting on the stool, I cleared my throat before speaking again. “I told him he can’t touch me for three days because I was still mad.”
Maddie stared at me for a second before busting in laughter. “You’re withholding sex? Oh my God, this is priceless.”
I shrugged. “But it’s two days now. He tried to bargain with me.”
“Of course. This is Alessio we’re talking about. I’m surprised he even accepted two days.”
“It was a hard bargain,” I agreed.
“I’m proud of you, girl,” Maddie said, her chest puffing out proudly. “Alessio needs to know what he did was wrong and won’t easily be forgotten.”
I nodded and helped her out. Maddie and I switched to small talk about anything and everything when I heard a very familiar voice.
My back straightened, and I saw Maddie freeze.
The voice came closer, and I held my knife tighter.
Nina.
What was she doing here?
I saw Maddie glaring at the doorway, and I took a deep breath. And then I heard her.
“Maddie,” she greeted. “I just need a glass of water.”
Maddie didn’t reply. Turning around on my stool, I faced her. She was wearing a pretty tight black dress that barely came to mid-thigh. Her red heels were pretty but so tall I wondered how she walked in them. Her blonde hair curled beautifully around her shoulders. Her face was glowing, her lips red with lipstick. In other words, she looked absolutely gorgeous.
Nina looked at me up and down, sizing me up before scoffing, rolling her eyes. “I’m surprised you’re still here,” she mumbled.
“What?” I asked, placing the knife down on the counter.
“After what you saw, I thought you would be all butt hurt and poor you would be running away in embarrassment,” she replied frankly.
“I’m still here,” I said.
“I can see that. But for how long? None of his fuck buddies last very long,” she shot back. “Except me.” Nina flipped her hair over her shoulder and leveled with a look.
Was she serious?
I saw Maddie glaring holes into Nina from the corner of my eyes. Oh, she is definitely scary when angry.
“Oh well, it’s not like he’ll still be interested in you after a few weeks.” She shrugged.
“Why do you say that?” I asked as calmly as I could. Deep inside, I felt slightly embarrassed, but that wasn’t what I was trying to control. It was the anger boiling inside of me that I was trying to keep at bay.
Giving her my best smile, I waited for her answer.
She scoffed, shaking her head. “Have you seen yourself?”
Confused, I looked down at myself. “I see myself every day in the mirror,” I mumbled.
“You are so…stiff,” she said through gritted teeth. “Do you really think you can keep Alessio interested for long?”
“That’s enough, bitch!” Maddie growled on the side.
“Oh please. I’m just speaking the truth. Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Nina snapped back. Turning toward me again, she continued to hurl her insults.
“You are so plain. Stiff. Looking at you, I can already say you are probably a shit lay. Alessio needs someone adventurous. Someone who can keep him on his toes. Someone who isn’t as frigid as you.”
Calm down, Ayla. Take a deep breath. It’s okay. She’s just trying to hurt you. Don’t let her win.
“You little—” Maddie started saying, but Nina talked over her.
Walking closer to me, she continued. “Do you really think he would leave me for you, someone he had just met?”
My hands tightened into fists, and I stared blankly at her.
“I’m more like him. We have always been compatible. In bed and outside the bed. Whether he is fucking me or if we’re just working.”
Jealousy was a red haze in front of my eyes. And so much anger.
She licked her red lips and then smiled. The smile wasn’t friendly at all. It was mocking me, daring me to prove her wrong. “I’ve known him for years, and he always comes back to me. Alessio always comes back for more. And when he’s done with you, he will be back in my bed. You will be long forgotten, like every other stupid woman in his life.”
That’
s it. I have had enough!
Quickly standing up, I caught Nina by surprise, and she took a step back, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion. Without thinking, I reached across the counter, my hand blindly reaching for something. Anything.
Too bad, my hand caught the cake Lena had baked this morning.
Everything happened so fast then.
One second I was standing in front of Nina while she glared at me, and the next, the cake was planted in her face.
She squealed and took several steps back, the cake falling from her face to the floor. Nina swiped her hands over her face furiously. “You fucking bitch. You’re going to pay for this.”
I didn’t give her a chance to react. Bending down, I grabbed the leftover cake and smashed it in her face again, smearing it all over her beautiful blonde hair and perfect face.
“You stupid ugly bitch!” I growled.
Chapter 18
My loud voice resonated in my ears and rang around the room. I never swore. Ever. And I had never been this mad before. I was seething, my heart pumping fiercely with the need to extract revenge on the woman standing in front of me.
How dare she?
She not only insulted me, but Alessio also. She insulted what Alessio and I had. Our relationship was not perfect, but our feelings for each other were pure. I wasn’t going to stand there and watch someone else taint it.
Nina’s face was covered in chocolate cake…my favorite cake, actually. Lena had baked it for me, and for a moment, I felt a pang of sadness that it got spoiled, but the anger—my body was shaking with it. I was blinded.
All I could hear were Nina’s horrendous words.
She tried to reach for me, but I quickly stepped out of the way and reached for her hair, wrapping my fingers around the strands that weren’t spoiled by the cake.
“Let go of me!” she yelled. My fingers only clenched tighter.
“Don’t you ever speak about my relationship with Alessio like that,” I hissed in her face. “You are so wrong and so blinded by your hatred to see what Alessio and I have. Maybe if you open your heart just a little, maybe then you will understand what love is and how pure it is.”
“Love is stupid. And you’re stupid to think Alessio loves you. He can’t love. He doesn’t know how to love,” she snapped back.
“You are wrong again.” My fingers fisted in her hair, and I pulled her face closer to mine. “Everyone says he’s heartless, but I have seen the man behind the cruel monster. He might be hard and ruthless…” I paused, thinking about Alessio and his confessions. I thought about all his sweet words, kisses, and gentle caresses. Looking back into Nina’s furious eyes, I continued, “But he can love. I believe in him.”
“And that will be your first and last mistake,” she replied, her harsh laughter ringing in my ears cruelly.
My patience had been hanging on the end of a small thread, but it just snapped. I was blinded by a sudden rage that tasted bitter but surprisingly satisfying.
“My mistake would be listening to your hateful words.” Before she could say anything else, I was dragging her out of the kitchen, pulling her by her hair.
“Let go of me!” Nina screamed, her voice loud in the estate.
Nina’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, her nails digging almost painfully into my skin. I winced but didn’t let her go. She scratched me, and when a stinging feeling spread across my wrist and arm, I knew she had drawn blood.
Ignoring the burning sensation, I finally reached the main doors, which were thankfully already open. I dragged and pushed Nina out, releasing my grip on her hair.
She tripped and fell down on her knees before quickly standing up again. Turning to face me, she was seething with anger. Her body was shaking with it.
“Don’t come back again, and stop sprouting your hate and insecurities on others. You have not only insulted Alessio and me, but you have also insulted yourself in the process. Be with a man who can love you and make love to you. Not with someone who will only fuck you and then leave you to sleep with other women. That’s nothing to be proud about.”
At my words, I saw Nina somber up a little, just a little. It was for but a fleeting moment. Her lips twisted ruefully, and even though her face was covered in cake, I still saw the glare she was sending me.
“Oh please, I don’t need your lectures. What are you? A saint?”
Shaking my head sadly, I let out a small, remorseful laugh. She was hopeless.
“No, I’m not a saint.” I paused, my own words catching me by surprise. It was true. I was no saint. I was a liar, betraying the trust of the only man who made me feel something. I was betraying the trust of the family, who in many ways adopted me.
The guilt was almost unbearable, my heart aching with it. I almost ran inside to go and tell Alessio everything, but my feet stayed rooted in the same spot.
The fear of the unknown was something bitter and scary.
“No, I’m not a saint,” I repeated, looking at Nina. “But I do know the difference between love and hatred. Pain and love. Kindness and cruelty. But you don’t understand. You chose hate above love and kindness.”
Giving her a final look, I took a step back so that I was inside the house again. “Don’t come back. And Stay. Away. From. Alessio.” I punctuated each word, trying to make her understand that I was serious.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” she taunted.
Sending her a glare of my own, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I will do worse than throwing a cake in your face and dragging you out. Don’t test me. I don’t know my own anger and what I can do. You don’t want to be an experiment.”
“You are useless. Mark my words. Alessio will come back to me,” Nina growled, hoping her words would be a slap in my face.
But they didn’t hurt. I knew the truth. I trusted Alessio.
“Alessio doesn’t want you. He chose me.” Taking a deep breath, my lips tilted up in a small smile at the thought of him.
Without seeing her reaction, I closed the door in her face. A sigh escaped my lips as I turned around but stopped at the sight of everyone standing there.
Viktor, Nikolay, and Maddie were standing in the living room, staring at me in absolute shock. Maddie had a huge smile on her face, and she was practically bouncing on her toes.
Viktor shook his head, a smirk in place, and it was obvious he was trying hard not to laugh. “Remind me to never piss her off,” he said with a fake cough. “Damn, the kitten has claws.”
Nikolay simply nodded, his face expressionless as always.
“That was epic!” Maddie squealed. “Oh my God. Yes! I feel like a proud momma. My girl has grown so much.”
As Maddie squealed proudly, I stared at my hands in astonishment when realization finally dawned at what I had done.
I was still reeling from my encounter with Nina when Maddie came over and hugged me. “You were amazing and definitely showed Nina her place.”
What was I supposed to say? “Umm…thank you?”
Maddie laughed, shaking her head at my obvious bewilderment. Viktor sent me a nod before walking away, Nikolay following closely behind him.
Maddie started to pull me toward the kitchen, and that was when I noticed Lyov and Isaak standing on the stairs. Lyov’s eyes were focused intently on me, following my every move.
I shivered under his intense gaze. Lyov and Isaak weren’t staying in the estate, and I barely saw them. But whenever they were here and we came across each other, I always felt their eyes on me, watching me. Sometimes, it felt like they could see the real me, like they knew who I really was.
I could see and feel the distaste in Lyov’s gaze. He hated me, although I didn’t understand why.
Quickly looking down, I avoided looking into their eyes and hurried into the kitchen. Whenever they were in the house, I stayed far away. As far as I could, without drawing attention to myself.
“Poor cake, though. It got spoiled on her ugly face. The cake didn’t deserve it.”
Maddie’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked down at the mess.
“Do you think Lena will be mad?” I asked, pushing the thought of Lyov to the back of my mind.
“Oh, I don’t think. I know Mom will be mad.”
Uh oh.
Chapter 19
My eyes were locked on the bathroom’s door. Alessio was in there, taking his shower.
A few minutes later, I heard the shower turn off. And then there was silence.
The silence only made my palms started to sweat, and I rubbed them over my nightdress. The door opened a few seconds later, and Alessio walked out, wearing only black sweatpants.
His eyes were instantly on me, and when he noticed me looking, they twinkled almost teasingly. Walking closer, he stopped next to the bed, his big body looming over me.
My gaze followed a path down his chest, his ripped abs and then slightly below, but my head quickly snapped up when I saw the noticeable bulge.
Alessio chuckled while I glared at his chest, refusing to look into his eyes when my cheeks heated in embarrassment.
“So how is this going to work?” His voice was low and deep. I gripped the comforter to stop myself from reaching out to him.
“What?” I looked up to see him nodding toward the bed.
“We are not supposed to touch. How are we going to sleep?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
Oh. Right.
I glanced at the couch in the corner of the room and smiled. “You can sleep on the couch.”
Alessio glanced at it, then back at me again, his expression filled with surprise. “You are seriously kicking me out of my own bed?”
“You said it’s our bed. So I get to decide too, right?” I batted my eyelashes up at him innocently, trying to put up the most innocent face I could muster.
Alessio simply glared as he walked over to the couch, throwing his towel on the coffee table in agitation. I watched his shoulders tense, and the smile on my face slipped.
I was being unfair. It didn’t matter if we called it our room; this was still his room. Making him sleep on the couch wasn’t reasonable. Or nice, either.