Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HARPER
I’m sweaty after the dress rehearsal, but Felix doesn’t seem to care, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck as we step into the elevator of his building.
Our building, he reminds me.
Instead of traveling down to The Scarlet Mirage, I feel us ascend.
“We’re going to your penthouse?”
“Our penthouse.” He passes me a keycard.
“I thought you said you never spend time in the penthouse.”
Felix releases me and leans back against the elevator wall, eyes trailing up and down my body, admiring me.
He hasn’t stopped looking at me all throughout the day, his gaze either focused on my lips, like he’s thinking about sex, or he’s making eye contact, listening to every mundane word I speak as if it’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever heard.
He can’t keep his hands off me, even in the most innocent of ways, even if it’s just our pinkie fingers hooked together. I love it.
All throughout the dress rehearsal, Felix sat in the audience watching me. I danced better for it, feeling his gaze on me.
“I haven’t spent much time in the penthouse because it’s lonely. But it won’t be lonely with you.”
“You get lonely in a bed full of women?” I tease.
“You’re the first woman I’ve invited up here. Truth be told, I think I’ve always been reserving this place for you.”
The elevator door slides open. Felix takes my hand and leads me into the penthouse. “Welcome home, Red.”
The pet name makes me smile. There are so many tiny details about Felix I’ve missed, this being one of them.
I step inside, observing my surroundings.
The apartment has the same sleek, dark aesthetic as the speakeasy—black marble floors and deep green walls lined in gold accents.
Floor-to-ceiling windows show off the city skyline.
In the main living space, a velvet couch faces a fireplace.
There’s a grand piano in the corner. Built-in bookshelves. A bar.
“What do you think?” Felix twirls me around, hugging me from behind and whispering in my ear. “If you don’t love it, I’ll buy us a new place.”
I don’t doubt the statement. We’ve only been together for one day and already Felix has gone out of his way to make sure I have every comfort I need.
Right this moment, he has people packing up my apartment and bringing my belongings to us.
He’s organized for me to have a chauffeur available around the clock.
He takes pride in little gestures like opening doors for me and offering his hand when I step out of the car.
“I love it here,” I tell him. “Home is wherever you are.”
“This place is ours. Don’t act like a guest. Walk around naked. Reorganize the kitchen. Redecorate if you want. You’re home.”
I don’t say anything, just tilt my head to look back at him and smile. Somehow, this is my life. Surreal but incredible.
He strokes my hair. “You look tired. These last twenty-four hours have been long. You’ve been fucked more times than I can count. You danced like a star. Let me run a hot bath for us to relax in.”
“So, what’s the news?” Ally’s voice chimes through my speakerphone as I enter the master bedroom for the first time, exploring the apartment while Felix fills the bath.
“I’m moving in with Felix.”
“You two really aren’t wasting time,” she laughs. “Harper, I’m so happy for you.”
“We’ve been apart for too long. We’re not wasting another second.”
I stroke a hand along the silk bedsheets, admiring my surroundings. Art Deco elegance drapes every corner of the room, the color pallet black and gold. There’s a crystal chandelier. When I draw back the curtains, moonlight spills into the room and I’m faced with a breathtaking view of the city.
“Harper,” Felix calls from within the adjoining bathroom.
“That’s him now. We’ll talk more soon. Love you, bye.”
The bathroom is dark when I enter, lit by flickering candlelight. Dozens of candles, all scattered around the room. I smile, shaking my head. Nothing about Felix is ever expected. The man is neck deep in criminal activity. He’s dangerous. But at the core, he’s a romantic.
Felix is already in the tub with both arms resting on the sides. Steam curls around him. There are no bubbles. I can see his entire body through the water. His erection.
“Come here,” he murmurs.
I’m heated to the core as Felix watches me undress.
“You’re blushing.”
I laugh, pushing my hair behind my ears. “Remember the story behind your snake eyes dice tattoo? That’s why I’m blushing. Your eyes are always so intense on me, like a snake. You make me nervous, but in a good way. I never want you to stop looking at me.”
A guttural rasp leaves his throat, filled with pleasure. “Get here now, Harper.”
After removing the last of my clothes, I lower into the hot water. His hands slip around my waist, guiding me to straddle him.
“Tell me about your new tattoos.”
The last time we were together, the ink mainly covered his arms. Now, it’s all over his chest and back.
“Take a look. You’ll find they’re all self-explanatory.”
My fingers roam the muscles of his chest and torso, studying each piece of artwork. The tattoos are similar to the ones on his arms—a mix of skulls, snakes, poker cards, and money.
I smile when finding a ballerina on the side of his abdomen with red hair. “This is me?”
“Obviously.” A spark of amusement lives in his eyes.
I frown when seeing the name Aurora tattooed beneath the ballerina. Jealousy spikes in me. “I swear, if you were dating some girl called Aurora and got her name tattooed onto your body—”
He laughs, which frustrates me. I have no clue why he would think this is funny. “Read the rest of the names.”
Only now when he mentions it, do I realize a list of names trail lower down his side. “Giselle. Sylvia. Odette. Sugar Plum Fairy…”
My jaw hangs open when recognition kicks in. Not only are these the names of characters in famous ballets, but they’re the names of characters I’ve danced as.
“Felix… What is this?”
“I have a confession to make,” he murmurs, stroking his thumbs in small circles over my hips.
Candlelight flickers across his face. “You were magnificent on opening night of Sleeping Beauty, dancing as Aurora. You were magnificent on opening night as Giselle. Opening night as Sylvia. Odette. The Sugar Plum Fairy. Cinderella. Esmerelda. Tatiana. Who else am I missing? After next weekend, I’ll need to add Juliet to the tattoo. ”
My heart is in my throat. I can barely find my voice. “You attended all of my opening night performances?”
“Yes. Watching you was painful, but I’ve never been more proud of you, especially when you performed Sleeping Beauty. You did your mother proud.”
Sleeping Beauty is the ballet that made me fall in love with dance as a little girl. It was a bonding moment between me and Mom.
My eyes water, overwhelmed by the confession. “I love you so much, Felix.” I lean in, pressing my lips to his. My hips search for the head of Felix’s cock, needing him in me, but he holds me still.
“Trust me, I want to be in you. First, we have a lot to discuss about our time apart. This will be a difficult topic, but I don’t want any secrets between us.”
“Neither do I. Ask me anything.”
Felix turns me around to lie in his arms. He kisses my shoulder and gently washes me with a cloth. “Tell me what happened after you lost the baby.”
“Straight to the hard questions. Well… I put all my focus toward ballet and was accepted into a company. The letters you wrote to me while locked at Westbridge—I found them hidden in my dad’s office. I cut him from my life after that.”
Felix’s lips pause on my neck. “I often wondered where those letters ended up. It makes sense Thomas kept them from you. He was never fond of me.”
“I’ve read them hundreds of times. They’ve been my most cherished possession. I was so angry at my father for keeping them from me, along with how he treated me when discovering I was pregnant. We spoke occasionally after that, but it was always with animosity.”
“I’m sorry,” Felix whispers, trailing the washcloth down my arm.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. His death was a strange feeling. He was a toxic man, manipulative and always forcing me to be someone I wasn’t. I grieved the loss of my father long before he died. But his death brought up a lot of heartache from the past.”
“I can imagine.”
The ill feelings between my dad and Felix were mutual. I was surprised when Felix attended the funeral and sent me condolence flowers.
I splash water over my face, rubbing my eyes, then take a deep breath and continue recounting the past. “After Tyler and I lost the baby, we managed to find happiness with each other, but something always felt off. We both missed you so much. He’s never been the same without you, Felix.
You were his closest friend. His brother—”
“This conversation isn’t about him.” His words are quiet but stern. A warning.
I swallow hard and tilt my head, looking up at him. “Is there no way you can forgive Tyler?”
“No.”
“He was only trying to do what he thought was right—”
“You don’t understand.”
“Explain it to me.”
“I have, Harper.” There’s no anger in his voice. Just finality. A locked door that will never reopen. “Tyler broke me in a way that hurts different to romantic heartbreak. Time has passed. Wounds have turned into scars. But I can never open myself to Tyler again.”
I spin around to Felix, sitting in his lap and holding his face. “There has to be some way to fix your relationship with him. Tell me what Tyler needs to do.”
Felix looks away, his jaw tightening. “Harper…”
I bring his face back to mine. “Do you miss him?”
“No.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
The silence that settles over us is heavy. Not uncomfortable, just sad. Felix has always been stubborn. My own heart aside, I want Felix and Tyler to fix what broke between them so they can find their way back to the brotherhood no one else will ever replace.