Chapter 11
Eleven
We walk through the communal part of the manor until we reach the long hallway that leads to my wing?the south wing. Each one of us boys have stained-glass windows displayed in our wings. Cinder stops with her plate in her hand.
She stops in front of mine?the raven. “This one is extraordinary.”
“My mom had this one done before she died.”
Cinder’s eyes widen and find mine. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your mom had passed.”
“Both my parents are dead.” It’s just another thing that draws me to her, that she can understand how it feels to be orphaned as a child. She frowns, but I don’t want to put a damper on tonight, so I motion ahead with my free hand. “C’mon. We’re almost there.”
I lead her down the hall and bring her to the bedroom she’ll be staying in. It has the largest en suite bath, and besides my own master suite, it’s the biggest room in my wing. I want Cinder to be comfortable so that she’ll stay.
“This is your room.” I walk over to the sofa and chairs and set my plate on the table.
Cinder places her plate next to mine and gazes around the room.
“Is the room okay?” I ask, taking in her wide-eyed expression.
“Of course. How could it not be? It’s so huge and opulent. Compared to…”
Her voice trails off with a sad note. I fight with myself, wanting to make whatever it is better for her. I want to know what went down between her and her stepmother, but it’s New Year’s Eve, and it’s her first night here. I want her to stay here for more than just tonight which means starting off on a good foot. We can discuss what happened tomorrow.
“You go sit and eat. I’m going to ask one of the staff to bring your belongings to the room.”
She nods, clearly still deep in thought, and absentmindedly turns to sit on the couch, scooting to the edge so she can eat over her plate.
I pull my phone from my pants and text Marcel to have someone bring her things from her car before I take a seat beside her.
We eat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound is the scraping of forks and knives on the plates.
“Sorry it’s cold. If we’d been here earlier, it would have tasted better.”
She shrugs. “I don’t mind. I’m used to it.”
Again, questions plague my mind to what she’s been through, but I tell myself to save my questions so I don’t overwhelm her and send her running.
“Can I ask you something?” she says, breaking the silence.
I finish chewing and swallow. “Of course.”
“In the dining room, you seemed a little thrown that your brother and Rapsody were engaged. Do you think they shouldn’t be?”
Do I tell Cinder about how I broke off my engagement, or do I keep it to myself? Will it scare her away if she knows I was an engaged man only six months ago? I decide that much like whatever went down with her and her stepmom, that topic is for a later discussion.
“I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. Kol hadn’t mentioned anything.”
“I see. Do you like Rapsody and Anabelle? They seem really nice from the little I know them.”
I cut into my meat and nod. “Yeah, they’re both great. We didn’t have the easiest childhood, and in some ways that left each of us a little damaged, but… I don’t know. I think they give my brothers comfort and make them happy.”
I’m surprised I admitted what I did about my childhood. I never broached that topic with Maude.
There’s a look of concern on Cinder’s face, but there’s also understanding. Did she have a hard childhood too?
“Anyway, seems like there will be another wedding in the Voss family. Asher and Anabelle were married last spring.”
She smiles and goes back to eating her meal.
There’s a knock at the door. When I say come in, Marcel pokes his head in. “Where would you like our guest’s belongings?”
I motion toward the door of the walk-in closet. “You can put them in the closet please. Marcel, this is Cinder. Cinder, this is Marcel, the house manager.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” He nods in deference as he comes in with plastic bags in hand.
“You too,” Cinder says. Her cheeks grow pink as she looks at the bags before turning away.
Marcel returns from the closet moments later. “I’ll return with the rest.”
After the door shuts, I place my silverware on my plate. “What’s wrong?”
“Well… what must he think about everything I own being in plastic bags and cardboard boxes? I’m sure he’s used to bringing in designer leather luggage.”
“Hey.” I place my finger and thumb on her chin, bringing her face to mine. “First of all, until Anabelle and Rapsody, we didn’t have guests sleep here. Ever. And second, Marcel doesn’t judge, and neither do I.”
Tears fill her eyes. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
My gaze roams over her beautiful face. What do I tell her? That I’ve been obsessed with her from the minute I saw her? That I’ve been secretly stalking her for months? That I feel this intense pull to her that I can’t explain?
I can’t tell her any of that.
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll figure things out in the morning.”
She nods, and the kind, genuinely thankful expression on her face makes me want to wrap her in my arms and promise her the world.
Instead, I pop up off the couch. “I’m going to bring these plates back to the kitchen. I’ll be back to check on you.”
“Oh, I’m happy to take them.”
My forehead wrinkles. “Nonsense. You’re my guest. Just relax, and get settled. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Okay,” she says softly.
I pick up the dirty dishes and leave the room, taking a deep breath when I reach the hallway, and I’m no longer surrounded by her jasmine and sandalwood scent.
The dining room is empty, and when I enter the kitchen, the staff are finishing the cleanup. I pass the dishes to them and thank everyone for dinner.
As soon as I enter the hallway, Sid’s waiting for me at the far end with his arms crossed.
“Is the missus all settled?” He arches an eyebrow.
“Funny.” I continue to walk past him, but he steps in front of me.
“First you stalk her, then you bring her home. Seems like things are escalating.”
“She got kicked out of her place and had nowhere to go. What was I supposed to do?”
His arms fall to his sides. “Let her figure it out like the adult she is.”
I shrug. “Maybe that works for you.”
“You’re walking on a tightrope, kid.”
I grit my teeth. “I have it under control.”
He steps closer, and his breath reeks of alcohol. “Do you think she’d have come here so willingly if she knew that her host is her stalker?”
I shove him with both hands, and he stumbles back a few steps. “Don’t even think of telling her. And it’s not stalking since I never followed her home, and I didn’t trace her online activity.”
He chuckles. “Keep telling yourself that.” He walks past me in the direction from which I came.
A big part of me wants to chase him down the hall and beat him, telling him not to worry about me. That he and our other two brothers don’t need to look out for me, but the quicksand of my guilt keeps me in place. They protected me when we were young, especially Sid, who took the brunt of our dad’s beatings to save me. That guilt doesn’t allow me to tell them to stop protecting me now.
I can’t show up to Cinder’s room with my head a mess from the past, so I retreat to my own room, shaking off the feeling. It’s an hour later before I return to Cinder’s room. The door is open, and Cinder is pacing the room.
“Sorry I took so long. I had to deal with something.”
“That’s okay. I’m sorry for interrupting your evening.”
I step farther into the room until I’m standing in front of her. “You’re not interrupting anything.”
“But it’s New Year’s Eve. You probably have plans. Please don’t let me prevent you from?—”
I place my finger over her lips. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”
Our gazes lock and hold. I remove my finger when I really want to slide my thumb into her mouth, then run the wetness over her lips.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Speaking of New Year’s Eve.” I flip my wrist to check the time. “There’s only two minutes until midnight. We can ring in the New Year together.”
“Oh… okay,” she whispers.
Our eyes don’t stray from the other’s until I check my watch again.
“Five… four… three… two… one.” I bring my hand to her face and entwine it in her hair. “Happy New Year.” I bring my lips to hers even though I shouldn’t push her too fast.
But when our lips meet, it’s an instant inferno rather than a slow-building fire. I wrap my other arm around her waist, pulling her into my chest. She opens her mouth for me, and I finally get my first taste of her after months of wondering if it would be as good as I imagined. Fuck, it’s even better.
Our tongues tangle, and she cedes control to me, letting me lead. I deepen the kiss, and though I want my hands all over her body, I don’t want to push my luck. I need her to want to stay here for more than just tonight.
Eventually, I force myself to unwrap my arms from around her and close the kiss.
“Happy New Year,” I say.
“Happy New Year.”
What a perfect way to start the new year and put the shitty year behind me. Maybe it’s an omen that this year will be better than the last.