25 #2
“Lena,” I interrupted, cupping her face.
“I don’t care what any religion says. You are my reason for breathing.
I’ve come back to life like never before, only for you, and nothing I do will ever be enough to thank you for that.
Stop thinking you’re not pure. You are. You’re too much for this world, for me…
” I caressed the bridge of her nose. It was as red as her cheeks.
“Besides, we all have dark thoughts, only we have the courage and honesty not to hide them. You have to be true to yourself. I will always be true to you.”
“Thank you. You always say such nice things,” she murmured, leaning against my chest. I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around her, burying my nose into her messy hair.
“It is what I feel, love,” I whispered, my lips barely touching her forehead. “Besides, you can find flowers in hell,” I added with a playful smile. She looked at me with an amused gleam lighting up her now happy green eyes.
“Is that so? What kind of flowers?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.
“I don’t know. Roses, dahlias, lilies…” She burst out laughing.
“I would like to get lilies then.” Her contagious smile was addictive to watch.
“I’d get them,” I said without hesitation. “I’d get you lilies from hell. I’d even bring Satan himself if you wanted.” She laughed again, but I didn’t. I meant every single word.
“I don’t know what I would do without you,” she muttered, snuggling back in my arms.
“Me neither,” I whispered, kissing her ear.
She didn’t know I was willing to sacrifice anything to please her.
If she wanted to burn the whole world down, I would give her the matches and set it on fire myself, even if I was the first in line to burn.
Back then, it seemed rushed to fulfill the desires she harbored in the darkest depths of herself.
Now I won’t stop doing it. Even if she asked me to.
“Here you go, your share of the contribution,” my father says as he hands me an envelope as soon as we arrive home from our duties.
“Thank you, it’s been a pleasure,” I reply with a mock bow.
“Don’t get used to it.”
I shake my head with a smile from ear to ear and enter the house, wanting to go back to my room.
But as soon as I step into the main living room, I find him sitting on one of the sofas with his back to me.
I bite my lower lip nervously and walk past him.
As if I hadn’t seen him. Just as I’m about to step onto the first step, he grabs my wrist and spins me around with a quick movement.
“Hello,” he whispers, his gaze fixed on my lips.
“No,” I say, putting a hand between us as he leans in to kiss me.
“No, what?” He asks, leaning closer to me.
“You can’t do that here.”
“Why not?” He asks harshly.
“Because I said so,” I say firmly, earning an annoyed look from him.
I wait for a response that never comes, because in the blink of an eye, he manages to immobilize my face and press his lips against mine in a wild kiss that I also participate in.
Until I hear footsteps in the distance that make me pull away quickly in panic.
I think I even turn pale. But luckily for me, it’s just the butler who usually roams around the house.
“Bye.”
I finish running up the stairs as if Satan himself were chasing me.
I enter the kitchen a few hours later and find him leaning on the counter. He is drinking a glass of water and looking at something on his phone with considerable interest.
“Hi,” I say from the doorway with a smile that makes my cheeks hurt. He just glances at me quickly before returning to his phone.
I purse my lips in a discontented grimace.
Is he ignoring me now? I snort and walk over to a high cupboard to grab a glass, stretching up on my tiptoes to reach it.
When I turn around I find his gaze on my legs.
They are now nicely covered by yoga pants that accentuate my figure.
Then he looks up at my face, looking tense.
I ignore him as I grab the jug of water from the fridge next to him. Since it’s at the back, I have to bend over a little. His gaze now is fixed on my arse without any shame. When I turn to him, leaving the glass on the table, he doesn’t even bother to hide it.
“I thought I told you no pants,” he says narrowing his eyes at me.
“I’m at my house,” I reply in a matter-of-fact tone.
He starts to approach me with that dangerous gleam in his eyes.
I take a few steps back without realizing that the counter is in the way.
Now I’m trapped between his arms and the counter.
I gasp in surprise when he lifts me up in one movement and places me on the hard marble counter, spreading my legs and standing between them.
I lean back when I see his face approaching mine.
“Wait.”
“What’s the problem?” he hisses with a low growl.
“I don’t want anyone to see us. If my parents find out about us, they won’t be happy.”
I have no idea if my parents knew about our relationship in the past, but right now I know my dad won’t be happy to find out I’m dating one of his business partners. Especially if it’s the son of his best friend and best customer. He gives me a long look, fixing his eyes on my face.
“Do you want to keep our relationship a secret?” He asks incredulously and I nod, unconsciously bringing my face closer to his. Before I can get any closer, he holds my chin with his fingers and moves back a few inches. “I don’t like how that sounds.”
“It’s best for both of us. For now.” I pout my lips and widen my eyes, turning them into a plea. “Please.”
“Only for a while,” he says, still not entirely convinced. I nod with a smile on my lips before pulling his face toward mine and starting to kiss him, savoring his lips for a few short minutes while I caress his hair with my hands.
When he parts his lips and lets out a moan, I take the opportunity to caress his tongue with mine quite slowly.
“I can’t stand being away from you,” he whispers, pressing our foreheads together.
“We were together all night.”
“That’s nothing to me,” he says. His gaze makes my skin crawl, but I never look away, holding his gaze as if hypnotized by his two blue eyes, until I hear footsteps in the distance that alarm me.
He seems to hear them too and reluctantly helps me down from the counter, then leaves, giving me one last sidelong glance.
I try to follow his footsteps to the main room discreetly and let out a discouraging sigh when I see him disappear through the front door.
Just then, my father comes out of his office and calls me, saying he needs my help with something.
“I need to move this file to this folder here,” he murmurs, pointing to a random file on the computer screen. I suppress a smile when I see the look of confusion on his face.
“Done,” I murmur when I’m finished. He just looks at me in surprise, as if it were something very complicated to do.
“Already? How did you do that so fast?” he asks, still amazed. I let out a little laugh.
“You just have to drag it, like this,” I say as I show him how to do it.
“You’re really smart,” he murmurs, still amazed.
“Dad, it’s not that hard,” I say with a smile. Then I sit down in front of him, my hands almost sweaty from the nerves.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure,” he says, looking up from the computer screen.
“How would you react if I had a boyfriend?” I ask. My hands slightly sweaty.
“Boyfriend?” He asks, raising both eyebrows. When I nod, he gives me a serious look. “Well, we agreed that you wouldn’t have one until you finished college and turned forty.”
“I don’t remember promising you that,” I say with a frown.
“Are you calling your father a liar?” I shake my head. “I don’t want you to neglect your studies. You’ll have time later to have your special friends.” He says the last part with a nasty grimace, confirming my suspicions.
Only over his dead body would he ever accept me having any kind of romantic relationship.
“Whatever you say,” I murmur, knowing I could never convince him otherwise. But how am I going to keep hiding my relationship with him for so long?
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing. I just think a classmate likes me and I was thinking it might not be a bad idea to accept a date,” I say simply.
“Tell him to get lost,” he retorts dismissively, causing me to open my eyes slightly.
“It’s just a date.”