Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
KAYLANI
Mom hooked her arm with mine and guided me toward my room before I could run out the front door. As soon as we were alone, she went to my bed, grabbed a pillow, and handed it to me.
“Scream. Punch it. Do whatever you need to do. Then we’ll talk.”
I took it and pressed it to my face, screaming into it over and over as tears soaked the pillowcase. Releasing all the pent-up emotion was cathartic, but it also made me want to crawl under the covers like I had as a child after a bad dream and stay there.
When I had nothing left, I hugged the pillow to my chest and sat on the edge of my bed.
Mom joined me and stayed quiet for a long time before patting my leg.
“There are so many things I wish. Most of all, I wish your father would listen. He is driving this family into the ground because of his ego.”
I wiped the tears from my face and leaned into her warmth as she wrapped her arms around me.
“What am I going to do?”
“I understand that you want your freedom and the right to choose your future, but this feels like more. What’s going on?”
I stood and wandered over to the window overlooking the backyard. Staring out, I couldn’t help but think back.
No one knew I was here. Mom and Dad were away for the week, and I was supposed to be at my friend Kimmy’s house. But Kimmy wasn’t feeling well, so her mom brought me home early.
I told her I would be fine. I was fourteen, and the house was always full of guards and my annoying brothers. It wasn’t like I was in any danger.
It was relaxing lying on my bed, reading and listening to music, but then I heard a noise outside. I stood to look out the window and found a party in my backyard.
Not just any party, one of Nathaniel’s infamous pool parties. They were known for how wild they got, wild enough that Ronan always showed up. Sure enough, my oldest brother was in the shallow end with three girls, taking turns making out with them.
I rolled my eyes.
“Great. Just great,” I mumbled, annoyed that my house had turned into a frat party.
Then I spotted Goran.
I should have known he would be there. He was wherever Nathaniel was. He wore blue and yellow swim trunks, and from my spot high above the partiers, I watched him.
He had always been like an older brother. But today, when I looked at him…I got all hot and flustered. My cheeks warmed when he laughed, and then a girl touched him. I wanted to rip her arm off.
I had no idea what was wrong with me, but his hard muscles, tanned skin, dark hair, and crooked smile had me glued to the window like a stalker.
Aaron cannonballed into a cluster of topless girls, and the whole yard erupted. I looked away as he surfaced and things got heated.
But no matter where I turned, there was one of my male family members with multiple girls. Even Goran was kissing someone, and jealousy burned hot in my chest.
Turning away from the window, I leaned against the wall and stared across my room. Two thoughts crossed my mind.
First, I hated being so much younger. The age gap made it hard to connect with any of my brothers. Second, I never wanted to be like one of those girls. I never wanted to be someone’s poolside piece of ass. I wanted to be special to someone. To be all they thought about. All they craved.
My stomach growled, and I realized just how late it was and that I hadn’t eaten. I jogged downstairs, weaving around the people who were talking or making out, managing to avoid being seen.
I was hunting around in the fridge for leftovers when I jumped out of my skin at the sound of a guy’s voice.
“Heyyy, beautiful,” he slurred.
I whipped around, heart pounding, to see one of Nathaniel’s friends standing behind me. He was obviously drunk. I might have only been fourteen, but I had seen that glassy-eyed look before.
“Hey. Are you trying to get to the fridge?” I pointed over my shoulder.
He smiled slowly. “Maybe. Or maybe I already found what I wanted.”
My gaze dropped to his hands, but he wasn’t holding anything.
“Uh…okay.”
“Name’s Steve.” He took a step closer.
“That’s nice.”
He smiled wider, dimples showing in his cheeks, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“What’s your name?” He stumbled over his words as if they were too heavy for his tongue.
“None of your business,” I snapped.
Turning back around, I grabbed a plate of roast chicken and a bowl of potato salad.
“Aw, don’t be like that. We can have a good time. I won’t tell if you don’t,” he whispered.
He was right behind me. I tried to jump away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
I stared up at him as terror suddenly took over. He reminded me of Alex. That soft, sexy voice, the pretty boy look, and the smile that said trust me.
Humiliation rose, followed by bile and I forced it back down.
“Let go of me.” I tugged at his grip.
“Don’t be like that. I just want to get to know you better.”
“I don’t care. Let go of me,” I ordered.
He pulled on my bicep harder, and the plastic bowl of potato salad fell to the floor.
“Oopsie, you better be careful. You almost made a mess.” He effortlessly jerked me toward him, my hand almost touching his crotch. “If you want to make a mess, I have a better idea.”
“I said, let go. I’ll scream and bring every guard here running,” I growled.
Steve blinked and opened his mouth to respond when an arm wrapped around his throat and hauled him backward like he weighed nothing. His fingers slipped from my arm as Goran slammed him down onto the floor.
Goran dropped a knee to Steve’s chest and kept one hand clamped around his throat as his fists rained down. Steve’s blood splattered around the kitchen.
When Steve passed out, Goran slowly stood. His muscles flexed, blood coated his knuckles, and he had a look in his eyes that terrified me.
“Get him the fuck out of here, and make sure he knows that he’s never welcome back,” Goran commanded.
Only then did I notice Father’s guards standing around us. They dragged Steve out, leaving a bloody streak on the floor.
My bottom lip trembled, and I clutched the plate of chicken like a weapon as Goran turned toward me. I took a step back, and his eyes softened immediately.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, Lani. Are you okay?” He held his hands open as he stepped closer.
I nodded, but no words came out.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were away for the weekend.”
Goran gently took the chicken from my hand and set it on the island, before picking up the bowl I’d dropped.
“Kimmy was sick, so I came home.”
Suddenly, I felt like a useless kid. Here I was, causing issues again.
Goran washed his hands and then got to work cleaning the blood off the floor.
“How long have you been here?”
I shrugged and looked away, not wanting to admit I had been watching him all day like a crazy person.
“I didn’t mean to cause a problem. I was just hungry.”
“You didn’t cause a problem. Don’t blame yourself for his actions.”
I nodded but refused to look at him as I grabbed a clean plate and filled it. The embarrassment felt worse than the fear of what Steve might have done.
Why did it have to be Goran who came in? Why couldn’t it have been one of the guards? Now Nathaniel would know.
I grabbed a bun and a fork and tried to escape the kitchen with my cold plate of food, but Goran stepped into my path. There was no way I was looking up at him.
“Do you want some company? We could watch a movie. Or I noticed that there was a new episode of that show with the dragons.”
“What about the party?”
“I was bored anyway.”
Slowly, I lifted my head. His eyes were warm, hazel with little flecks of gold that I loved. My heart started racing again. I knew I should say no and hide in my bedroom. But instead, I nodded.
“Okay, let’s go to the sitting room…oh, wait.”
Goran turned back to the cupboard and grabbed two bowls. I bit my lip as he pulled out vanilla ice cream and made us sundaes, complete with bananas and whipped cream.
“Alright. Now we’re ready.”
He closed the sitting room door, and we watched an entire movie, making fun of the bad special effects and terrible acting. By the time it ended, I had forgotten all about Steve.
We were halfway through the second movie when my eyes started to get heavy.
“Thanks, Goran. You didn’t have to keep me company,” I said, yawning.
Then I fell asleep.
God, I still remembered the next morning when I woke up in my bed, wondering how I had gotten there and if the whole thing had been a dream. But when I’d opened my bedroom door, I froze.
Goran had been sitting in a chair across from my room, arms crossed, legs stretched out as he slept. He hadn’t been waiting for sex. He hadn’t kept watch because it was his job. Instead of hooking up with one of the girls from the pool party, he had chosen to sit outside my door and keep me safe.
It was then that I knew I loved him.
I turned and looked at my mother.
“I’m in love,” I said, finally daring to trust someone with the secret I’d been keeping for years.
Her eyes widened. I walked back to her and sat down.
She cupped my cheek. “Oh, Kaylani.”
“I know, Mom. I know what you’re going to say, I just…” I closed my eyes and leaned into her touch.
“Tell me. Does he feel the same way?”
Staring down at the pillow in my arms, I nodded.
“Yeah. He does.”
“And I assume the reason you haven’t mentioned this to your father is that he won’t approve?”
“Mom, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this. I thought I did, but…” I met her eyes. “I feel so lost.”
“Your father believes he is protecting you from yourself. The problem is that he only knows how to protect with force.”
She pulled me into a hug, and I held on tight. I hadn’t cried on my mother’s shoulder since I was a little girl, but I did now.
“I can’t marry someone else…I just can’t.”
Goran was the man I loved with my whole being. Atlas wasn’t just my dream. He was my heart and my partner in ways that those who didn’t ride would never understand.
Give up my dream…or the man of my dreams.
I didn’t know how to live without either.