chapter 7

Pedro's POV.

I stepped back into the house, expecting noise, but it was strangely quiet. I went straight to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of cold water, and drank it in one go. The cool liquid barely helped against the heat clinging to my skin. I pure another and drank a little hmmm this was refreshing I thought

Just as I set the glass down on the counter, Melissa walked in.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning, Melissa. Where is everyone?”

“Mr. Dante has gone to work, and madam went out a while ago.”

I nodded. “And Michelle?”

“I think she’s in her room, sir.”

She stared at me a second longer than necessary while I finished the last of my water. I raised an eyebrow.

“What is it, Melissa?”

“Oh, sorry… but you’re sweating quite a lot, sir.”

“Yeah, the sun is brutal today.”

She smiled. “We have a swimming pool down in the woods behind the house. It’s not far at all. A swim might help.” She grabbed what she came for and turned to leave.

“Hey, Melissa,” I called. She paused. “Just Pedro. No need for the ‘sir.”

“All right, Sir Pedro,” she said with a small grin before disappearing.

I stood there for a moment, then muttered to myself, “I really do need a swim.”

I changed into shorts and walked down the clean path that led into the woods. My mind kept drifting back to this morning — the way I had suddenly pulled Michelle into a hug. Why the hell did I do that? What if she was scared of me now? The thought bothered me more than it should. I couldn’t deny it: I liked having her close. She smelled sweet, like vanilla and something warm. She felt… safe. Loving.

Oh, Michelle… the things I could do to you if only you weren’t Dante’s daughter.

The trees eventually opened up to reveal the pool. It was a beautiful natural-style swimming pool nestled among the woods — surrounded by smooth rocks, shaded by tall trees, and fed by a gentle waterfall that trickled down mossy stones. Crystal-clear water sparkled under patches of sunlight, looking cool and inviting.

I stripped down completely and jumped in.

The water embraced me instantly — warm on the surface, refreshingly cooler beneath. I sank deep, then pushed back up, breaking the surface with a satisfied breath. I swept my wet hair back and opened my eyes.

A second head suddenly burst out of the water right in front of me.

“Ahhhhh!” we both screamed, splashing backward.

“What are you doing here, Michelle?!” I blurted.

“I was here first!” she shot back, eyes wide.

“But… Melissa said you were probably in your room.” I pointed vaguely toward the house, completely confused.

She shrugged. “It was too hot. I needed to swim.”

My brain finally caught up with the situation. “Michelle… are you wearing clothes?”

“Not really. Just my underwear.”

Fuck.

I could only see her head and shoulders above the water, but the realization hit me hard. She was practically naked. No wonder she’d kept most of her body hidden underwater. My pulse raced.

“What about you?” she asked. I caught the mischievous curve of her lips.

“Michelle, this isn’t funny.” I turned away sharply.

“Calm down. It’s not that bad.”

“It is that bad,” I growled, glancing back at her. “You’re too much. Turn around. I’ll get out first.”

“Or… we could swim together.”

My eyes widened. Did she even understand what she was saying? If she could read my thoughts right now — see how badly I wanted to close the distance, grab her, and fuck her hard against the rocks — she wouldn’t be teasing me like this.

“Michelle. Turn around. Now.” I demanded.

She held my gaze for a long second, then sighed dramatically. “Okay, okay. Fine. Whatever you say.” She turned away.

“Don’t peep,” I warned.

“Yes, sir,” she replied with a soft chuckle.

I swam to the edge, climbed out quickly, and grabbed my pants. The second I started pulling them on, I felt her eyes on me.

“Michelle, fuck!” I shouted, yanking them up faster.

“Sorry! Sorry! I thought you already had them on!”

“Whatever,” I muttered, grabbing my shirt and storming back toward the house without looking back.

I made it to my room, shut the door, and dropped onto the bed.

What the hell just happened?

I was pissed. I don’t run from women. Women run from me. Yet here I was, acting like a nervous teenage boy because of one girl. One young, I didn’t come here to feel this way about a child. There were more important things at stake.

My phone rang suddenly. I snatched it up.

“Hello, boss. We found Andrew.”

A dark smile spread across my face. “Good. Squeeze the truth out of him. No matter what it costs.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hung up, feeling some control return. Now that’s more like it.

As for Michelle… I was just horny. That had to be it. Nothing more. I’d find somewhere to release this goddamn tension and stop letting her crawl under my skin like this.

I lay back on the bed and let out a long, frustrated exhale, staring up at the ceiling.

Oh, Michelle… She was so damn pretty it hurt. If she weren’t Dante’s daughter, I would’ve pulled her close in that pool without a second thought. I would’ve slid my hands over every soft curve, felt her body tremble against mine, tasted the water on her skin until she was gasping my name and begging me for more.

This was so fucked up.

Once I finished what I came here for, I’d be gone. Far away from her, from this house, from this torment that had no business existing in the first place.

But even as I tried to push her out of my head, she was all I could think about. The one I wanted beneath me, moaning, arching, completely undone. The one I wanted to ruin in the best possible way.

I shoved my pants down roughly, wrapped my hand around my already aching cock, and closed my eyes.

All I could see was her: that pale, smooth skin glistening with pool water, those soft lips parted in surprise, the way she’d looked up at me with those big, trusting eyes that made something dangerous stir in my chest.

“Fuck… Michelle…” I hissed through gritted teeth as I started stroking faster, the image of her burning hotter behind my eyelids.

It didn’t take long. The fantasy was too vivid—her wet hair clinging to her shoulders, her breath hitching, her legs wrapping around me as I pressed her against the edge of the pool.

I came hard, biting down on my lip to keep quiet, shame and lust twisting together painfully in my gut as my release spilled over my fist.