15. Wynter
Wynter
I was used to luxury.
Mom and Liam insisted we earn our own money for certain things, but it wasn’t as if Juliette and I ever lacked anything.
Yet, it was different with Bas. He went out of his way to ensure I had everything and anything I could possibly want.
Like an extra pair of AirPods. To ensure I could go for my jog if mine died, because I forgot to bring a charger.
Or packages and packages of clothes and jewelry laid out for me. Just because , he said.
But right now, as I sauntered through the entire top floor of the hotel reserved for us, I realized this was luxury.
We had the entire top floor of the hotel with a magnificent view of the city.
I felt like a princess trapped in a tower with a prince by my side, showing me his empire.
The glittering city with a river running through it.
Standing on the large balcony of the suite, I admired the city skyline. I never thought of Philadelphia as a romantic city, but it would forever be one for me. The dark sky glittered with stars while the city lights shimmered beneath it.
“You like it?” Bas’ voice came from behind me and I turned around to look at him.
He leaned against the glass door with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He looked like the most handsome bad boy I have ever met or associated with. There was a thrill to it, but it was so much more than just that.
The way he looked at me. The way he smiled at me.
“It’s my first time in Philly,” I admitted smiling, as the breeze swept through my hair. Tucking my curls behind my ear, I took a step closer to him. “I like it.” I like you .
I had never been a coward before. But I didn’t want to come out like some silly, clingy girl with an infatuation for this man in front of me. It was so much more than that.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” I remarked, because the way he regarded me unnerved me. It made every fiber of me come alive for him.
Admittedly, I didn’t know a lot about him, but for some reason, I had never felt so comfortable around another human being. It was like coming home.
“I quit.” His gaze was heavy on me and with the star-lit sky, the atmosphere gave off romantic vibes.
In my whole life, I had never been accused of being a romantic.
More of a realist. But around Bas, it was like a new me was born.
I melted with every sweet word or action.
His mere presence made something hot unravel inside me, and I suspected it would only react to him that way.
My dormant body waited to be awakened just by my own charming prince.
I shook my head and scoffed silently at that notion.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked me, his deep voice made my pulse flutter.
I took another step, leaving two feet of space between us. He must have noticed me eyeing his cigarette because he pulled it from his lips and handed it to me.
“I don’t want you to die from lung cancer,” I murmured, because admitting my other thoughts wasn’t an option. At least not yet.
Dark amusement ghosted through his expression. “You’d miss me?”
Something squeezed in my chest at the thought of losing him. It wasn’t anything I had ever felt before.
“I would,” I admitted, taking his unlit cigarette. “Very much so.”
I watched his beautiful mouth curve into that half-arrogant smile and a languid rush filled my bloodstream. My body reacted to him so strongly, I feared he’d destroy me without even trying. And I’d let him.
My mother’s words came back. First love shatters your innocence and ends your dreams.
Then why did it feel like my dreams around this man took me higher and higher? He’d never shatter me.
“So why did you bring me to Philly?” I asked in an attempt to change subjects.
“My cousin runs this city.” My eyebrows rose. “And I have some business to take care of.”
“You have a lot of cousins?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I do. But only Dante and Priest count. And of course, my sister.”
“Priest, huh?” I inquired curiously about his cousin. “Nickname?”
Bas nodded. “He recites the last rites to men before he finishes them off.”
I felt my eyes widened and a gulp sounded between us. Unsure how to respond to it, I decided it was probably better that I said nothing. Priest must be one scary dude, and now I wasn’t quite sure whether it was smart to meet someone like that.
So I reverted to a safer subject. Bas’ sister.
“You mentioned your sister before. What’s her name?” It was true that I didn’t know much about the families of the Syndicate, but I didn’t recall seeing anything about a sister when I looked him up. He mentioned his baby sister on our first date too.
“Emory. She’s twenty-three.” I tilted my head studying him. “And you?”
“Just the two cousins I mentioned,” I said. “It’s mainly Jules, Mom, and me.”
“Jules, the crazy one,” he mused. “That should be her title.” When I cocked my eyebrow, he explained. “I saw the footage. It was her that gathered the supplies to set the house on fire.”
I sighed. “She’s going through some rough times.”
Jules found a birth certificate naming her birth parents. At first we thought they were fake, but it turned out they were real. It was a shock to all of us, most of all Juliette.
“You’re protective of her and your friends.”
I nodded.
“Are you close to your mom?” he asked and my eyes shifted back to the city.
It was a complicated answer to a simple question. I sighed, because I had nobody to compare my relationship to Mom with. Davina grew up under her grandfather’s care. Juliette and Killian didn’t have a mother. And Ivy’s mother died when she was very young.
“I think so,” I finally answered. When Bas cocked his eyebrow, I tried to explain, “She’s my coach too.
Some days it feels like she’s more my coach than anything else.
My breakfast was determined by my coach, not my mother.
My class schedule. My holiday. Everything.
” I returned my attention to the fascinating man in front of me.
“It was probably why I picked Yale. It was on the opposite coast from Mom.”
“I’m glad you did,” he drawled, the deep timbre of his words setting off flames inside me. “What does she coach?”
“A little bit of everything,” I told him. “She’s versed in choreography, skating, ballet. You name it, she has a knack for it.”
“Capable woman.”
“She is,” I agreed. “Her career was cut short due to her knee injury but she’s really good at everything and quite a sought-after coach. I’m lucky to have her.”
“I bet she’s lucky to have you too.” His voice was soft and warm, weaving its web through my heart. Like a moth moving toward the flame but his heat ignited something raw and deep inside me, changing me forever.
“When I looked you up,” I whispered, “I didn’t see anything about your cousins or sister.” I instantly flushed with my admission, every inch of my skin growing hot.
“You looked me up, huh?” he mused. Another nod. “What did you find?”
I glanced up at the starry sky, scared I’d drown in the warmth of his gaze if I kept watching him.
“That you’re a very dangerous man,” I answered softly.
“Come here, Wynter.” His voice was velvet soft with a demand weaving through his deep voice. My body moved of its own accord another two steps and we stood chest-to-chest.
“Are you scared of me?” My heart stilled before it leaped, my pulse fluttering in my neck.
I wasn’t scared of him. At least not in the way he thought.
I was scared of the way my body and heart reacted to him.
I was scared of what falling for him so deeply could do to me.
My mother had been a shell of a woman my entire life.
I overheard my grandpa and uncle arguing once that it was because of her relationship.
Whatever that meant. I always assumed losing my dad destroyed her.
“No,” I whispered. “Should I be?”
He cupped my face between his big palms and this time I let myself drown in his darkness.
“Never be afraid of me, principessa.”
* * *
Kingpins of the Syndicate.
I observed the sign on the wall with a large skull. It was in contrast to the entire room, as if Priest and Bas wanted the whole world to think they were untouchable. More than likely they were.
The dance floor had a few bodies swaying on it, the reddish lights throwing a glow over them. Music filled the room and the beat vibrated through every inch of me. It was why I loved to skate and dance. I felt the music; it made me sad, happy, mellow.
My fingers tangled in Bas’ coal-black hair, his muscled body flush with mine. I felt the happiest I’d ever been. Carefree, despite what was coming.
Six months of intense and vigorous exercise.
No social life. Barely time to sleep and eat.
My mother was a demanding coach, and the fact that I was her daughter made her even more demanding.
Sometimes even to the point where she could have me on the verge of tears.
But she hated those, so I’ve gotten good at hiding my emotions.
I knew she meant well and wanted the best for me. She wanted me to be the best.
Bas’ eyes traveled the length of my body, ignoring everyone around us. It was just the two of us in this club. I’d store this moment forever in my heart.
“What are you thinking about?” Bas asked, and I took a second to collect my thoughts. I didn’t want to sound like a complainer.
I smiled. “I have another few weeks at Yale, at most,” I told him. “Then I have to fly back to California.”
His fingers on my waist tightened and I held my breath. “Stay. Forget California.”
My chest brushed his three-piece-suit. My pulse beat wildly in my throat and everywhere he touched me, I felt his heat searing my skin. He smelled so good that I couldn’t help but inhale his scent deep into my lungs.
The club was full. We swayed to the music, everyone around us fading in the background. It was just the two of us. Just like on our first date.