8

Mia

I woke up slowly. Everything was blurry at first, then it became clearer. Where was I? 

I didn’t remember how I’d gotten here, I only knew I’d been pushed into the pool and was drowning. 

Did Rolex save me?

“Thank God you’re awake.” Maxello’s voice made my head snap toward him. He sat at the other side of the bed, his eyes wide with worry.

“I thought something happened to you…you were out for so long, I was scared.” The worry in his voice sounded real.

 Had he been here the whole time I slept?

I made to sit up, but he was on his feet in an instant, steadying me and brushing my hair from my face. He seemed different.

Being gentle and careful with me was unlike him, except if he needed something from me m… just like someone who’d seen how close something had come to going wrong.

If this is how he treated me when I got hurt, I wouldn’t mind getting sick more often.

I shoved the duvet off and noticed my clothes had been changed, they weren’t mine…. Harper’s maybe.

A hot flush crept up my cheeks at the thoughts that Maxello might have changed my clothes while I was unconscious.

Did he… take care of me?

“My clothes…” I started, my hand coming up to my chest, which he noticed. 

He answered before I could fumble. “I had Harper change you into one of her dresses. Yours were soaked and I didn’t want you to catch a flu.” My heart did a stupid little flip.

I kept telling myself not to fall for him, but he had a way of doing things that pulled me in. Even angry at him earlier, I’d forgotten it all when I saw him now.

“What really happened? Do you remember anything before you blacked out? And what did Rolex do to you?” he asked, words tumbling out fast as if he needed to hear a particular word. 

I bit my lip and tried to pull the memory into focus. I was sure I’d been pushed. “I think I was shoved into the pool. I couldn’t swim and I passed out.” He exhaled like someone had handed him relief.

“Rolex brought you in?” His voice changed. “That worries me…he’s dangerous. Stay away from him, okay? Nothing good comes from being close to Rolex.” He sounded like he was warning me about a real threat….but his own brother.

“You don’t have to worry. He wouldn’t hurt me…he’s your brother,” I began.

He cut me off, cupping my face and brushing his thumb across my lips, the simple touch made my pulse skip. 

“Please, Mia. Just stay away from him.” When I looked at him, the plea in his eyes was honest.

Why would he ask me that? Rolex didn’t look like a man who would hurt me….still, he was a mystery. Maxello sounded sure, like he’d seen things I didn’t know about.

“He’s your brother,” I said again.

“Yeah. That’s exactly why.” He held my gaze. “I know him better than anyone. I know what he’s capable of.” I nodded, pretending I’d obey.

He stood, patted my shoulder, and said, “You should rest.” Then he left, closing the door softly behind him.

I lay back and wished he’d stayed a little longer.

★

I got rid of Harper's clothes and changed into one of mine. She was nowhere to be seen, so I figured she must have gone back to her place or maybe her fiancé’s.

This was the house Maxello grew up in before moving to the city after his mom’s death. Now he was back here with a twin brother I never even knew existed.

Harper lived in the same city as him, so I guessed he had returned because of her. But Rolex… he seemed like someone who’d never left this place.

After hours of sleeping, I stepped out to get some fresh air on the balcony. The house was so big it was easy to get lost, but I was determined to explore, so I let my feet carry me. That was how I found myself at a door left slightly ajar.4

The room was dim, the windows were open, the night breeze tugging at the curtains. Everything inside was white and spotless, too neat to be Maxello’s.

 It had to be Rolex’s.

On the bed, a white cat lay lazily licking its paws, its tail flicking. My hands itched to touch it, so I sat on the bed and stroked its fur until it rolled onto its back, purring. “Hi, kitty. I’m Mia,” I whispered. The cat blinked, and I took that as permission to scoop it into my arms.

“I see… you’re awake.”

The deep voice froze me in place and slowly, I turned.

Rolex stood there, only in his pants, a towel around his neck. His hair was wet, sticking to his face, and his chest glistened faintly from the shower.

 He was infuriatingly handsome, broad, and like Maxello said earlier…dangerous and magnetic in a way that could ruin a girl forever.

“I don’t mind you staring,” he drawled. “But I’d be glad if I had something to stare at too.”

I snapped out of it, heat rushing to my cheeks. “I… wasn’t staring,” I lied, though my eyes had betrayed me. He smirked like he could read me like an open book.

“Why are you here?” His tone dropped cold, and I wondered how he could switch so fast from teasing to ice.

“I… I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier,” I murmured. The words felt like a lie, but it was safer than admitting I had wandered in without thinking.

He gave the smallest nod, unimpressed. “Is that all?”

“What do you mean?” I frowned, confused. The cat leapt from my arms and slipped away, as if it knew the tension building.

He stepped closer. 

“I thought you came here for something else,” he said, his voice came like a whisper, calm yet taunting. 

His grey eyes flicked downward and I followed them. I looked down at my white shirt was almost see-through, my were nipples pressing against the fabric, my breasts fuller than usual with my period close.

“You… pervert!” I gasped, wrapping my arms around my chest. He chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying my embarrassment.

I rushed for the door, but before I could grab the handle, it slammed shut with a loud thud and In the next second, I was spun around, my back pressed to the door, his body caging me in.

The air between us grew hot, and my heart raced at how close he was.

What the hell is he going to do to me now?