Chapter 7
AURORA
Iam in dreamland, and I’m not even dreaming. With Bruno’s arms tight around me, there’s no way I will ever get up from this bed. His hold is comfort, consolation, pure affection. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt. In his embrace, I’m special.
When I’m in his arms, being held like this, I belong.
The butterflies in my stomach threaten to take flight. Even after he made me feel so good yesterday evening, I lie in bed, awake with the sun on my face, and feel about to combust.
Gently, so as not to wake him up, I turn under his arm to face him.
Bruno still sleeps, face pressed to my pillow.
God, I hope the sheets smell like him for the rest of my days here.
He looks so handsome when he’s asleep. I mean, he looks handsome when he’s awake too.
But there’s something about the way his jaw relaxes and how I can just reach out and touch him at any moment...
I press my face to the pillow and stare at him.
This moment. This moment right here. I want to store it, keep it forever safe inside me.
This way, I can consult it when I’m feeling down when life gets hard.
Bruno makes me feel special. Even when the world puts me down and makes me feel less, this man will remind me.
My time with him will remind me how much I deserve.
Birds chitter outside the window. It must be so early. And yet, Bruno’s always in the store when I arrive. I should wake him up, no matter how much I want to watch him breathe.
Reaching out, I cup his jaw. The stubble on his chin scratches my palm and I smile at it. There’s something more for me to remember. How he feels. The hard muscles under the soft skin. The stubble and the coarse hair. Every little detail will make my memories brighter, more vivid.
“Bruno,” I murmur under my breath, in that dilemma between waking him up and letting him slumber on. He doesn’t reply. I brush a thumb across his cheekbone. “Bruno?”
This time he murmurs back. His eyes move under his lids, and slowly he opens them to look at me.
The way his gaze studies my face is the sweetest thing.
His lips curl into a soft smile upon seeing me, and I’m lost again in his harsh beauty and the way he makes me feel.
For a moment, there are only the two of us in the world.
Then I hear the clink of keys. Strange and foreign at first, like something that doesn’t belong. Something that shouldn’t happen in here. Bruno frowns, and I follow his motion. Maybe the neighbor? It sounds so close, though.
Footfalls make the old floorboards creak, and it still takes us another minute for the other shoe to drop. Bruno’s eyes widen at the same time as mine do. My stomach plummets.
“Aurora, are you up?” The male voice calls me, and I only have the time to reach for the sheets before Johnny walks in.
Bruno sits up, shadowing my body with his, then time freezes. The three of us stare at each other, gaping. My heart hammers against my ribcage, threatening to escape my body.
Oh, God. What is he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to be out? He said it, didn’t he? He said he’d be out on a date, and he wouldn’t come back until sometime in the early morning.
“I thought you wouldn’t come back early,” I murmur, almost whispering, trembling with nerves.
Johnny’s body locks up. “So you took advantage of the fact that I was going to spend the night away and fucked my father in my house?”
“Technically, this is an Airbnb,” I blow out, my face heating even though Johnny can’t see me, “and I paid for half of it.”
Bruno looks at me. He twists to eye me from over his shoulder. “You did?” I merely nod. Bruno turns back to his son. “You made her pay you?”
“What, didn’t you?” Johnny sneers. “Because I can tell you’re a fucking slut, Aurora. Did you come here only to fuck my father? Are you fucking sick?”
His offenses slither down my arm, bringing out goosebumps. I slam my eyes shut. God, this wasn’t supposed to go like this. Bruno was supposed to leave, and Johnny would never know better. I knew it would come down to this. If he ever learned, it would come down to this.
Bruno shoots to his feet and prowls closer to Johnny. Even naked he’s nothing but authority in person. Johnny winces, diminishes.
“Don’t you dare,” he roars at his son. “Don’t you fucking dare to call her a slut.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Johnny spits back, squaring his shoulders, but he’s so much shorter than his father it’s useless. “You’re a slut, too. Do you know how old she is? She’s your son’s age. You’re a fucking pervert.”
I shiver in embarrassment. Pulling the sheets even closer, I step off the bed and go for my clothes. Bruno shoots me a look over his shoulder as I bend to pick up my bra, and there’s something on his face, something in the twist of his lips... Something like regret.
Does he regret what we did? He probably does. He’s probably looking at me and wondering if I was worth the embarrassment. The problems he’s going to face with his son. He’s been trying so hard to build a bridge, and sleeping with me might have burned it down.
I look away. I can’t see the regret on his face. Can’t bear it.
“Let’s go into your room,” Bruno says, retrieving his boxers from the ground and dragging Johnny away. Even with the door closed, I can still hear their raised voices.
My throat clenches. I have to leave. I have to get out of here and get some fresh air.
My head whirls around in confusion, in pain.
I shove my clothes on and race out of the door.
This was madness. I should have never made a move on this crush.
Now, I’m falling in love, and Bruno regrets everything.
And I can’t live with that thought.