Chapter 14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
ISLA
A smile spread across Julius’s face before he grabbed my body and threw me over his shoulder. I laughed as he carried me up the stairs and down the hall, right into his bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind him, then tossed me onto his bed.
Sliding out of his jacket next, he rolled up his sleeves, and I was too mesmerized to do anything but stare at the strength of his forearms and his flexed muscles with each movement of his tall frame.
I sucked in a sharp breath when he was finished.
He stalked toward me, his face willing me to stay put while he ran his gaze over me.
My mouth trembled with a mixture of lust and curiosity that stirred inside me.
He’d just gotten home from work, deciding to carry me up to his room after briefly saying hello.
His green eyes flashed with mischief as he reached for me. I tried to playfully scramble away, but he caught my ankle and dragged me across the mattress until I was on the edge of his bed.
My skin buzzed with anticipation.
My heart hammered in nervousness, but excitement.
“See?” He leaned over until his lips hit my ear. “That wasn’t too hard, now, was it?”
He straightened, and that was it.
Or so I thought.
He went into the bathroom and turned on the water. Seconds later, he was back with a wet washcloth and makeup remover.
What is happening?
He crouched in front of me, ordering, “Close your eyes for me, Mouse.”
I did, and he began rubbing the makeup remover on my face. My shoulders immediately went lax with the rest of my body as he wiped the sadness away from my skin in an act so gentle and endearing. Once he was done, I opened my eyes, and he was staring right at me.
This regard was different.
This was one full of emotion.
His gaze locked on mine, so raw and afflicting.
This stare was filled with hunger and devotion, tangled together into a haunting and mesmerizing expression.
He wasn’t just trying to remember this moment.
He wanted to etch it into his flesh and make it a part of him.
He was relentless in his pursuit, searching for who I was behind my makeup.
The way he was looking at me was unnerving and all-consuming, as if I were his everything.
He needed to see every scar, every flaw, every memory and trauma wrapped into one. They all mattered to him. His seeing me without makeup was almost suffocating.
It was my shield.
My protection.
The world doubled down on this intense moment when I felt fragile yet so strong.
When I was finally stripped of the sky-high walls that I had built for years upon years.
My chest tightened to the point of pain, and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t hiding.
I was being seen, and that was terrifying.
It left me unsteady.
Scared.
Vulnerable, which I hated.
My pulse heightened with each second that passed between us. Each second added another complicated layer to what was essentially an easy friendship between Julius and me, and the irony was not lost on me.
His stare was gentle, loving, but it was also devastating.
I couldn’t hide from him. He wouldn’t let me. And the scariest part was that I didn’t want him to. He was forcing me out of my shell in a way that was earth-shattering for a girl like me.
Reading my mind like always, he confessed, “You’ve never looked more beautiful and real to me than you do right now, Isla.”
I smiled, immediately feeling at ease.
“Do you have any idea how much I want to know everything about you?”
I bowed my head. His words hung heavy on every part of my skin. He watched me cautiously for a moment, battling a deep reasoning. One I could see and feel at the same time.
We hadn’t kissed again. There were many times we almost did, but something ended up interrupting.
Whether it was a knock on the door, a noise in the house, or Kraven, it just hadn’t happened.
Although it was only a fragment of what actually mattered to us, our friendship still progressed into something more meaningful without incorporating a physical aspect, such as kissing.
Our lips have not touched again, but our feelings still grew into emotions I’d never experienced.
“I can hear you thinking,” he called me out, making me smirk.
It wasn’t until he followed it with, “Are you ever going to talk to me, Isla?” that had me torn and conflicted.
It was right there on the tip of my tongue.
I wanted to.
Needed to…
I hadn’t spoken in so long, and I didn’t know how to form words anymore. It was this defense mechanism I couldn’t break free from. As much as I yearned to, as much as I hoped I could for him, it was just too hard.
With a sigh, he added, “I have to tell you something.”
My heart dropped, and I suddenly felt afraid for a whole different reason.
“I have to go out of town for the weekend.”
Immediately concerned, I mouthed, “I’ll go with you.”
He shook his head, expressing, “It’s not that kind of trip. I leave tomorrow morning, and I’ll be back on Sunday.”
Question after question tore through my mind at rapid speed. I hated the thought of being by myself for the weekend. I’d gotten used to his presence, his company, his affection, and his voice. It kept me at peace.
I mouthed, “Is everything okay?”
Little did I know, he’d rock my world with four simple words that weren’t so simple at all.
Never in a million years did I expect him to declare, “You’ll be with Kraven.”
I jerked back, trying to find my bearings for a second.
Did he really just say that?
For a moment, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.
“Don’t look so surprised.” He smiled, once again reading my mind. “He’ll keep you company, that’s all.”
I was beyond lost.
It was hard to keep up.
Inhaling a deep, refined breath, I sat there in a state of shock.
Did Kraven agree to this?
Julius reminded, “Trust me, okay? You’re safe with him.”
What can I say to that?
It was his brother…
What if I wasn’t safe with him?
Kraven didn’t even seem like he was safe on his own.
Julius was the only person I ever trusted, and I had no plans on changing that.
I grabbed my phone, texting him.
Where are you going?
He read it, answering, “Don’t worry about me. It’s just a job.”
Something in his tone told me this one was different. If I couldn’t hide from him, then he couldn’t hide from me either.
I texted again.
Is it safe?
He arched an eyebrow, peering up at me through the slits of his eyes. I waited on pins and needles for his reply when all of a sudden, Kraven made his presence known by knocking on his bedroom door.
This put an end to our conversation.
It was merely the beginning of mine with Kraven.
JULIUS
“Yeah?” I hollered as Kraven opened the door.
We must have been quite a sight because it was obvious he was caught off guard by our proximity.
“Am I interrupting?” he repeated the same thing from the park.
“Your timing is impeccable as always,” I mused.
He smiled, and I wanted to wipe it off his face.
Nodding to Isla, he asked me, “Did you tell her?” Unable to resist, he taunted, glaring right at her, “Hey, Kitty, weekend custody belongs to me now.”
A quick, smoldering heat brewed in the space between us, heightening in a matter of seconds. The walls caved in, and little by little, his words took up space. Where there once was smoke, now there was fire.
And his statement just lit a match.
Simply igniting flames that none of us could ever put out.
Bigger and bigger, it engulfed us until we lost ourselves in the pit of hell. It burned us all alive instead.
Leaving ashes in its wake.