11.Alin
Alin
I wake up in the morning to find Cora’s leg resting on my face. I push it off reluctantly. She’s sleeping so deep, I envy her.
I head straight up to the third floor where the bedrooms are located, to find a bathroom.
I sit on the toilet, take off my clothes and complete my morning routine as my legs transform into my tail. Washing my face in the morning when my tail appears is not an easy task, but to my surprise, I manage to do it successfully, despite the distance between the toilet and the sink.
I struggle to understand why a young couple living alone needs so much space in the house, the bathroom alone is bigger than my apartment. It must be so tiring.
I dry my face, turn my tail back to legs with a gentle caress and put my sports bra and pants back on, going back downstairs. Cora is still sleeping on the sofa, so I look around and notice a small hallway next to the playroom, leading to the kitchen.
I walk in and see Maria already hard at work preparing breakfast.
“Good morning,” I greet her, and she returns my glance before getting back to her work. There are five plates on the counter but I refrain from asking about it.
Instead, I ask for a latte, and she immediately obliges, handing me a hot cup moments later before returning to her work.
I head down to the first floor with my coffee, not wanting to disturb Cora’s sleep by staying on the second floor.
As I step into the entrance floor, my eyes meet Luca, Mariano, and an unfamiliar man sitting in the living room with his back to me.
Great, another crazy person to add to the collection.
I toss a “Good morning” into the air, and all three turn to look at me, surprised.
They probably aren’t used to seeing anyone else awake at this hour besides Maria.
“Mariano, I didn’t know you had a mistress!” the unfamiliar man says, a scheming look in his eyes, “With how she looks, I can’t blame you, I wouldn’t be able to resist either.”
Yep, definitely another crazy one. Delightful.
Mariano doesn’t seem fazed by his comment and replies in a resigned tone, “Pedro, you’re a real idiot. This is Alin.”
Now I understand where he got his manners from; Pedro, the youngest brother.
I notice Luca clenching his fists tightly, glaring at Pedro with anger. What were they talking about? I wonder, but I sit in a distant armchair facing the city view.
Pedro immediately gets up, grabs my hand, and looks at me, confused.
“Why were you sitting over there? Come join us,” he invites, pulling me over to the living room and seating me next to him. I feel uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze, especially since I’m only wearing my sports bra and shorts.
Normally, I wouldn’t care about what I’m wearing, but with Pedro’s intense stare, I feel exposed.
He sits so close that I try to scoot away and free my hand from his grip without him noticing, but to no avail. It seems he has no intention of letting go.
“Don’t be shy, I’ll protect you. If you’re not Mariano’s, you’ll definitely be mine,” he says arrogantly as he senses my efforts to move away from him.
Insane family.
He moves his face closer to mine, and I recoil in disgust.
“You can keep drea…” I start to say defensively, but I stop mid-sentence when I see Pedro’s shirt being yanked into the air, with him along for the ride. I look up to see Luca gripping him tightly, fire in his eyes.
“You won’t touch a single hair on her head,” he threatens in a low, menacing tone.
Pedro instantly transforms from a predator shark into a scared little guppy, now sitting silently in the armchair across from me. Mariano sighs and rubs his forehead in frustration. It seems like my instincts were right, Luca is the real one in charge here.
Instead of feeling the disgust I should toward him, a strange sense of relief washes over me. I’m not sure if it’s because he got Pedro away from me or because of his jealous outburst.
Either way, I’m certain that everyone in this family thinks with their male parts, not their brains.
Males are males wherever I go… I start to admire Cora more now; she’s stronger than I thought. I imagine her handling all three of them and chuckle.
Without a warning, Luca sits down next to me, taking Pedro’s place, and they continue their morning conversation as if nothing had happened. My body tenses, so I try to focus on their discussion but I can’t understand a word as they speak in codes.
I am not wanted here, that’s for sure. But I’m not curious to find out either, my mind is scrambled as Luca’s leg reaches mine now. I feel tingles all over my body, and even if I wanted to now, I wouldn’t be able to move my leg away from his.
We’re like two magnets.
He places his hand on my inner thigh, as if reading my mind, and my body betrays me again as my excitement rises. I hope he won’t notice as he keeps focusing on the ongoing conversation.
Grandma, grandpa, my distant mercousin’s ugly boyfriend Carl… I try to think of anything else to calm the waves brewing inside me, but to no avail.
I scan the living room around me and avoid meeting his eyes, until my gaze lands back on Pedro. He’s looking at Mariano with interest and responding when necessary, appearing to be the complete opposite of the Pedro I saw two minutes ago.
I examine his body; he doesn’t look much like his brothers.
While his eye color matches Mariano’s, his overall look is completely different.
His skin tone is lighter, his nose sharper, and although he doesn’t shave his beard, it looks well-kept.
My gaze shifts to his hair; it’s cut short on the sides and longer on top, neatly styled back with gel.
Yes, he definitely has a different vibe from his brothers, but Luca’s looks outshine them all.
Luca gives me a quick, scrutinizing look, and I shift my gaze to the coffee cup I’m still holding, feeling no desire to drink it anymore. I take a small sip reluctantly and carefully place it on the table, trying not to make any sudden noise that will draw their attention back to me.
They seem to enter their own world when they talk, so I take it as my cue to leave. I need to get far away from Luca, as the touch of his hand is still sending a burning sensation straight to my sensitive area.
Reluctantly, I remove Luca’s hand from my thigh and get up from the sofa. But Luca grabs my hand quickly, seemingly declaring that I should stay, still not diverting his attention from the conversation.
I don’t see any point in staying here, so I release my hand from his grip quickly and walk away. His gaze now piercing my back as I go up to the second floor.
“Where is she?” I blurt to myself when I can’t see Cora on the sofa in the playroom. She probably woke up, I think. So I quietly go up to her room on the third floor.
I’ve never been in her room before. It feels like crossing a red line into her and Mariano’s private space, but we need to get ready, so I muster the courage and enter anyway.
In the center of the room is a king-size bed that, to me, looks like it could fit at least ten people. They really don’t spare any expense.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to the small twin bed in my apartment, that I find it extravagant. The bed sheets are black, and all the furniture is black and white, blending with the gray flooring. Here, too, there’s a glass wall offering another breathtaking view of the city.
I move closer to the window, taking in the stunning view from this angle. The absolute silence in the room wraps me up like a calming wave. This is exactly what I need. I place my hand on the glass, looking down at the street that suddenly seems so small.
My thoughts are interrupted, when I feel a familiar manly touch on my shoulders, sliding his hands down over my arms to my hands, brushing them lightly. Luca.
His lips are close to my neck, even without touching it, my whole-body trembles, craving his touch. It seems like my mind is listening to what my body needs too now and stops functioning. He’s kissing my neck, and a soft moan slips out of my mouth uncontrollably, surrendering to his touch.
Maybe I just need to satisfy my needs, that’s all. I try to convince myself as I turn to face him. Our eyes lock, and it feels like we’re the only two people in the world right now.
I scan his body quickly and bite my lower lip, aroused by what I see. He’s wearing a white button-down shirt, the top buttons undone, revealing part of his muscular tattooed chest.
I run my hand over it, trying to get a better view. His breath grows heavier as I lift my gaze to meet his eyes.
“What am I going to do with you, Alin? Your eyes drive me crazy,” he whispers close to my ear between breaths. I feel his words enveloping every part of my body, awakening it, as his fingertips caress my wrist.
I can’t contain the tension any longer. My lips crash into his, and unexpectedly, he loses all restraint, kissing me back with wild, hungry fervor. Our rhythms align perfectly as I swiftly unbutton his shirt without breaking our kiss, pulling it free from his pants.
His chest, now fully exposed, invites my touch. I wrap myself around his body, and he instantly picks me up and presses my back against the cold glass wall. I feel his erection straining to be free and reach for his pants, but just then, a knock at the door shatters the moment.
“Alin, are you in here?” Cora asks from the other side.
I tense up immediately, steadying my breath, feeling like a child caught in the act by her parents.
I stand back on my feet and push Luca aside. Taking a deep breath, I collect myself.
“Yes, I’m here,” I reply, trying not to let my voice betray what just happened. She opens the door, and it doesn’t take her long to connect the dots and understand what went on in the room, especially with my swollen red lips and Luca’s shirt wide open.
“Oh come on, at least get your own room to release your hormones...
Why my room, Luca?” she scolds him and immediately pushes him out. It seems all the men are tough when they’re alone, but Cora has them wrapped around her little finger. You can tell they love her.
She shuts the door behind her and turns to me, “What just happened here?” she asks without waiting. I give her a confused look.
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know either. I’m not thinking straight anymore,” I answer honestly, and she sighs.
“Alin, don’t expect anything from Luca. You’ve caught his attention, which is surprising, but I’ve seen how he’s treated women in the past. It’s not something I want for you.
You don’t belong with him,” she explains, and I feel like she’s hiding something I should know, but I know she’s right, danger is written all over him.
Right now, I don’t belong with any man, but it seems my body keeps disagreeing with me when it comes to him.
“Okay, let’s leave it. We need to get ready for the aquarium,” she announces, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between us.
“Looks like I’ll have to raid your closet today because, as you can see, I came in pajamas,” I say, and she laughs, opening the large sliding closet in her room, not at all concerned by my declaration.
It seems she spends too much time and money on shopping; there are so many clothes that still have tags on them just hanging there.
I approach the hanging clothes and flip through them until my eyes catch a short, floral summer romper.
“You know you’re not getting this back, right?” I say as I take the romper off the hanger, look at myself in the mirror with it, and approve my choice.
“You know I won’t ask for it back, right?” she replies with a smile, already having changed into a light blue summer dress.
I glance back at her and quickly put on the romper. It fits me just as I expected, and my mood immediately improves.
The power of clothes. Something I didn’t have the chance to feel in the ocean.
I brush my hair with my fingers, apply a bit of gloss I grabbed from Cora, and we head down together to the first floor, all ready to go.
I grab her hand excitedly, but before we can leave the apartment, Cora turns to Mariano, whispering god only knows what in his ear. Luca stands next to him, his gaze burns into my shoulder, as I try to avoid his eyes.
I dare to quickly glance back at him, now meeting his scheming glance that quickly brought my fire back to life. It seems two can play this game as I manage to get his hungry look back when I bite my lip slightly. Now he’s walking toward me.
What am I doing? I caught the crazy. I grab Cora’s hand quickly before he could get close to me and pull her toward the door, separating her from Mariano’s hold.
“Everything’s set for today, right?” I suddenly hear Luca ask behind us, sending a shiver down my spine. He’s planning something, Mariano nods.
“Then a fun day with your wife won’t hurt, Mariano. We’ll join them,” Luca declares, sounding too comfortable. Damn.
I’m starting to realize I’m not going to enjoy the rest of this day. No matter how much the little fish tries to escape the shark, it’ll get caught eventually.
“I’m sure important and wealthy businessmen like you can’t just take time off in the middle of the week.
Cora and I will go with Graham, it’s fine,” I still try my luck and politely decline, but now it seems even Cora is betraying me as I see her grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of her husband joining us.
“We haven’t gone out together in so long, please, Mariano. PLEASE!” she pleads, wrapping her arms around his neck in a desperate hug.
Thanks, Cora. I am seriously reconsidering our friendship right now, I sigh, hoping by some miracle she could hear my thoughts.
I envy my aunt, Avi-El, who has the power of telepathy. How useful that would be right now.
“Okay, it’s actually not a bad idea. We could leave Pedro here to handle business if any problems arise,” Mariano finally agrees, smiling warmly at Cora—a soft sweet glance I hadn’t seen before.
It seems that no matter what happens, Luca always gets what he wants, perhaps because he’s the oldest brother.
I give Luca a fake sweet glance, making sure he knows he’s going to regret this decision.
Two can play this game.