Siren's Heart (Siren's Duet Book 1): Love at first sight

17. Chapter Seventeen - Luca

I shift my weight from left to right as I ride up the elevator of Millie”s building. I”ve just gotten back from Mary”s pottery studio, Millie’s mug in tow and mine stored securely in the car, wrapped in an old shirt of mine. One day, I”ll show it to her. On that day, she needs to answer the question I engraved on the bottom of the mug.

I also got more flowers for her, daisies this time because the little golden dot in them also reminds me of the sun, and some pralines my mom swears by and put them inside of her mug. The cup came out beautifully, I must say. She has an amazing eye for color, and the gold glaze really gives it a luxurious item feeling. I would never think that this is the first item she ever created. It looks incredible. Even Mary was impressed when she brought the two mugs over to me.

Finally, the elevator stops as I reach her level, and excitement makes me hurry out of the metal prison. I haven”t seen her since we arrived at the stadium this morning, and I”m quickly finding that being away from her is annoying as hell.

”Lucaaaa,” she greets me through her open apartment door, and I quickly hide my two surprises behind my back. This is the most casual I”ve seen her yet, besides naked, and I”m so damn enamored.

She”s not wearing any makeup, her messy curls sticking in all directions, she’s rocking a way oversized shirt that exposes her collar and naked shoulder, and jogging pants that look so wide they’re about to fall off her hips.

”Hi there, Sunshine,” I greet her with a grin and brush my lips against hers, sighing when I taste her. ”I”ve missed you. How was your day?”

Instead of answering, she purses her lips again and lays her head back until I give her another kiss.

”It was okay,” she replies afterward, but she doesn”t sound very happy.

”That doesn”t sound very ”okay,”” I point out as I shuck my shoes off and push them out of the way with my feet, setting down my surprises for her on a dresser right next to the door. When I follow her to the living room, I find her looking out of her high-rise window contemplatively.

”Hey.” I step closer to her, snaking my arms around her from behind. Putting her hands on my forearm, she melts against me.

”Sorry. I had a rude fan encounter today, and it left me a bit out of sorts. I’m pretty sure they’ve also filmed it, and now my mind is racing while I wonder if they uploaded it somewhere and if now even more people think I’m an asshole.” A heavy sigh moves through her whole body. “I haven”t looked at social media all day, but at this point, not knowing what people say about me might feel even worse than knowing what they”re saying, even if it”s mean.”

”What did the fans do?” I ask her softly, squeezing her a bit tighter and pressing my lips against her hair.

She pushes out another heavy sigh, her shoulders tensing as she recounts it. ”You know, a lot of times they might call themselves ‘Siren’s’ fans, but really, they like only one of us.” I hear her gulp and hold her a bit tighter. ”And most of those times, they want to talk to or take a picture with Kayla, not me. Which is fine; I get the favoritism. It”s nothing new, but the fans today were kind of rude about it.”

”I”m sorry you had to experience that,” I mumble against her hair. ”People suck.”

”They do,” she lets out a long breath. ”But this is what I signed up for, I guess. If it weren”t for the handful of my fans who take the time to write me encouraging words, I”d take a page out of your book and just abandon social media.” She turns around in my arms, leaning her chin against my collarbone as she looks up at me. “That sounds relaxing. But let’s talk about happier things. How was your day?”

”I got to watch the Walker brothers throw hands again, so that was fun.” I kiss her forehead, a smile tugging at my lips as I feel her tremble with laughter.

”When are they not at it?”

”Probably when they’re asleep, but somehow, I doubt even that,” I say with a chuckle. ”Maybe this match is just bringing out the worst in them.”

”I just hope the match doesn”t end in a bloodbath.” She snakes her arms around my ribs, sighing happily when I tighten my embrace even more.

”From what I heard, their sister is attending, so they might just be on their best behavior.” I laugh. ”Whatever that might look like.”

”Right.” I press my lips to her hair again, then slowly let her go. ”Would you like something to drink?”

We go to the kitchen together to make coffee when I remember the surprises I brought and had left on the dresser. Millie’s already filling the coffee beans into her automatic coffee maker when I feign a trip to the bathroom and return with both of them.

”I got something of yours,” I say teasingly, hiding it behind my back when I trudge back into the kitchen.

”Huh?” She looks up, an adorable wrinkle forming between her eyebrows as she contemplates what it might be.

“My panties?” she asks with her eyebrow high, but I shake my head. I’m keeping those. Maybe I’ll frame them, just to see her adorable blush.

”Ta-dah!” I say and pull it out from behind my back. ”I collected it on my way here.”

”Oh my God,” she runs up to me, taking her mug from my hands. ”What? That is beautiful! It looks so different now!”

”Right?” I chuckle, loving the way she”s eyeing her creation full of pride, turning it in her hands to get a good look from all sides, extremely careful not to tip it over and scatter the pralines on the ground.

”Great, that means I can finally send out my post.” She takes out her phone, and I eye her curiously as she scrolls, then taps a few times, then puts the phone away again with a satisfied grin on her face. ”Just a little bit of promotion for her studio. I hope my fans come through and she won’t have to depend on her fundraiser.”

I smile at her, my heart growing twice its size to make room for my adoration for her. I love that she”s using her reach to help out Mary in a sustainable way instead of only throwing money at her. Mary’s fundraiser has already long reached its goal, and I can’t help but think that she has something to do with that.

She eyes her mug again, this time paying more attention to the pieces of chocolate inside it. With a sharp eye, she continues to turn it while slipping one of them into her mouth, groaning when the flavor hits her tongue.

Fuck I love that sound.

”What the hell, those are delicious!” she exclaims and takes another one out, turning it in her fingers as I shift, my cock straining against my jeans. I swear, all it takes is one of those breathy moans to make me hard. Just what is that woman doing to me? ”Pistachio?”

”Correct,” I confirm with a chuckle. Her eyes shift, an emotion I can”t quite place in them. ”They came recommended by my Mom.”

”Tell your mom she has excellent taste.” She sets the mug on the counter, and before I can reply, her hands lock behind my neck, and she steps on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against mine.

Our tongues dance lazily, and I grin against her lips when I realize that she tastes like chocolate and pistachio.

With a small sigh, she breaks the kiss and pops another praline into her mouth. ”They”re really addicting,” she justifies herself with a sheepish grin when she catches me trying to stifle a laugh.

”I know.” I step closer and lift her chin with my thumb, pressing my lips against hers once more. ”As are you. I also got you flowers. Where can I put them?”

Wordlessly and face flushed, she points to the other side of the counter where an empty vase resides with dirty water still inside. I give it a quick rinse before I cut open the bouquet and remove the pale blue paper framing the flowers to put it in there.

”Thank you, Luca,” Millie says with a soft smile tugging at her lips when I hand the vase to her. I follow her to the living room, where she puts it on a dresser where she can see it from almost the whole flat.

She”s unusually quiet and distanced as she fluffs the bouquet up, her fingers softly tracing over the petals as she rearranges them, trailing after her thoughts. I stay by her side, quietly watching her work.

I hate that she”s unhappy. And I feel powerless to change it. I want to make it better; I want the masses to realize just how fucking awesome she is. But I can”t ring every person”s doorbell and hold a presentation on what makes her so wonderful. I mean, I could, I can’t imagine ever getting tired of singing her praises, but I”m not so sure she”d appreciate it if I did that.

”There,” she announces softly, taking a step back. ”Now it”s perfect.”

I agree, but I”m not even looking at it. My eyes are on her, and the way she looks at the flowers with pride etched into her face.

”You”re perfect.” I grin and hold up my arm. Immediately, she steps into me, sliding her arms around my middle as I rest mine on her shoulder, holding her close to me. ”What are we doing this evening, Sunshine?”

”Can we just order food and watch something fun?” she asks with big eyes that promptly dart away from mine. ”Sorry, I”m not really great company today.”

”You”re always great company,” I assure her, walking us over to the couch. Once we”re sitting, I take my phone out. ”What are you in the mood for?”

”Hi, Summer,” I greet my sister. Millie and I had a long shower together, resulting in at least one orgasm each and some bruises for me from when I bumped into a shelf that she had installed in her shower. Now she is doing her skincare and hair routine in the bathroom, singing along to her playlist on the phone.

I love having her voice as background music. It”s clear and bright and goes right into my heart, tucking it in warmth as it flutters just for her.

And I adore that she’s less shy. She always had her direct moments, but now they’re the standard when we’re together.

We”re slipping into more normalcy with each meeting, and I love it. Being with her feels so natural. I love seeing her waking up without makeup, her eyes puffy and messy hair, and I could stare at her lathering her face with products for hours, if she didn”t insist on kicking me out of the bathroom.

So instead, I”m answering one of my sister”s video calls. She”s been trying to reach me the whole day already.

”You”re finally in gossip magazines,” Summer says gleefully as a greeting. That little drama queen, I should have known deep down she’d thrive on the drama. ”And that picture of you two is super cute, by the way.”

”Do me a favor and print me a copy?”

She chuckles at the question but promises me she will. ”Jokes aside, you two look really happy. I hope you treat each other well.”

”The best that we can,” I confirm, and face the phone away from me as I feel warmth shoot into my cheeks, hearing her cackle as she catches me blushing anyway. I tilt the screen back and glare at her instead, which she blissfully ignores.

”Just make sure not to do anything embarrassing in public,” she scolds me, pointing at the camera with her index finger and narrowing her eyes. ”Because now the whole world will see you doing it, including my friends.”

”Oh, so now I”m famous enough to let your friends know we”re related?”

”You aren”t. Millie is, though.” She winks at me to signal she”s not serious. ”All jokes aside, though, have you been online at all since the news broke?”

”No. Why?”

”I don”t know, there are people spewing some wild shit. I thought you might get curious at some point.” She shrugs, then her face softens. ”I”ve also had another look at her prior boyfriends and how that went. Like, I saw it online back then, but I never really paid attention to the big picture.”

I swallow down the feeling of jealousy that bubbles up like bile in my throat.

”Just... make sure to stick with her, alright?” Summer frowns, and I tilt my head. ”From what I”m seeing, they”ve mainly left her to deal with the fall-out alone. No signs that they increased her security or made any effort to award her any privacy. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if her label tipped off the paparazzi, considering how often whole groups of them coincidentally spotted them. So…make sure to show up, and stand up for her, big brother.” Now, it”s my turn to frown. What the hell does she mean, ‘show up?’ I”m already here.

”Of course,” I assure her quickly, but she looks skeptical. “And how is everything for you guys?” She knows that I mean her and my parents. ”Any trouble yet?”

”Oh, a suspicious van in front of the property with masked people sitting in it; apart from that everything”s dandy.” She laughs, and I shake my head at her.

”Don”t let them lure you with free candy.”

”They”d have to up their game with puppies or no dice. Mom and Dad are having a lovely time catching up on your movies, so they”re distracted.” My eyes widen in horror, the corner of hers crinkling as she smiles devilishly.

”Oh no.”

”Oh yes!” She bursts into laughter, and I bury my face in my hands. In one of my recent movies, I had the displeasure of doing a pretty explicit sex scene.

Of course, nothing”s really visible, but the thought of my parents watching it makes my skin crawl like cockroaches run over it nonetheless. There are just things a parent should never see.

”Come on, you knew this would happen sooner or later. They watch all of your movies.”

”I was just hoping they”d skip that one.” Her cackle intensifies, and Millie pops her head around the corner to the bathroom, raising her eyebrow with curiosity. In a hushed tone, I fill her in on what has Summer sounding like a witch. She also bursts into laughter before getting back to her self-care. What a traitor.

”Was that Millie?”

”Yes, it was.”

”Tell her ”hi” from me,” she demands, and I nod before she continues. ”Seriously, that woman has my respect. I wonder how she does it. Her fans are sweet as hell, but her haters are loud.” She shakes her head and sighs heavily. ”I don”t know how she manages to deal with it; my self-confidence could never.”

”And that”s why you”re not a famous pop star,” I point out and chuckle when she shoots me a glare. ”Well, that, and the fact you can”t sing one proper note.”

”I”ll have you know, I am super–” She takes a deep breath. ”Talenteeeed,” she sings in a pitch rivaling Cinderella”s evil stepsisters trying to sing ‘Sweet Nightingale.’ I grimace and put my index finger into my ear until she”s finished.

”Well, in areas that are not singing, you certainly are. Like…” I take a moment to think. “Your pancakes are awesome.”

”I just love that you believe in me,” she says dramatically, putting the back of her hand to her forehead. ”Now, why don”t you excuse me while I join Mom and Dad and vomit in a corner whenever your face is shown.”

”I love you too, sis.”

She waves at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes, and then the connection is dead. Fuck.

”God, I won”t be able to look them in the eye anymore,” I groan and direct my empty gaze at the ceiling, only darting down when Millie strolls back into the room, her fingers massaging a bit of product into her skin just under her jawline.

”Is it that explicit?” she asks, eyes lighting up. ”Then I might have to watch it. Oh, I know, should make a party of it.”

”You will not, and we will not,” I say sternly, capturing one of her wet curls and twisting it around my fingers. ”Sex scenes in movies are awkward as fuck to shoot, and you”ve got the real thing in your bed. Which, I might add, is a lot better than that scene.”

”You”re only fuelling my curiosity,” she sing-songs, much more beautifully than my sister attempted only minutes ago. Millie gets on the couch next to me, resting the side of her head against my naked shoulder. ”What was the name of the movie again?”

”I haven”t told you, and I won”t,” I chuckle at her lousy attempt at getting the name. She purses her lips in a pout, and I can”t help but kiss it. ”But you can get the real thing anytime. Just give me a bit more time to recover.”