Sparks And Tingles

[Astoria’s POV]

Unable to endure the weight of his gaze, I excused myself and made my way upstairs, maintaining composure until I reached my room. Only after closing the door did I allow myself to exhale a shaky breath.

What the F was that all about? Why was he looking at me like…like I was some kind of prey.

It had been an accidental touch. Skin brushing skin. That was it.

Yet the sensation felt electric, and even now the mere thought of the touch made me shiver.

I let out another shuddering breath and moved toward the window instead, pushing the curtains aside. The chilly morning air caressed my flushed face.

A soft knock came at my door.

I stiffened instinctively before forcing myself to relax. “Who is it?”

There was no answer. Not wanting to be rude, I opened the door.

Viktor stepped inside before I could block his way.

My heart skipped a beat before I could remind myself that this man was my step-brother.

He closed the door behind him, not slamming it, but firmly.

“We have to talk,” he said without any fanfare.

“About what?”

Viktor didn’t answer immediately, but regarded me for a moment.

His gaze was heavy and piercing as if he was trying to restrain something within himself.

It made me want to fidget, to move away or do something to escape his gaze, but I remained frozen in place.

“You will not wander alone in the mansion or around this estate,” he finally said.

I blinked, not expecting this in the least. “Excuse me?”

“The forest beyond the North of the estate is off-limits.”

I stared at him, incredulously. “You came into my room to tell me not to go for a walk?”

Viktor looked away as if realizing how ridiculous he sounded.

When he looked back at me, his gaze seemed neutral. “Well…you’re not just anyone anymore. You’re about to become this estate owner’s stepdaughter, hence the caution.”

The word ‘anyone’ honestly stung. I knew my worth, but that didn’t mean someone like Viktor was allowed to tell me this.

“It’s a bit controlling, don’t you think?” I countered, keeping my tone light.

His gaze sharpened. “Listen—”

“And you can’t just enter a girl’s room and tell her what to do. I mean, Vladimir would have said something if I needed to be careful, wouldn’t he?” I added before he could spout anymore nonesense.

First, he looked at me like that, then this…what was his deal, and why the heck was I so affected?

Silence stretched between us.

He stepped closer this time, slowly, until only a few feet separated us.

“W-what are you doing?” I hated that I stuttered, but I didn’t back down.

He didn’t know that one thing I had taught myself to be good at, and that was self-defense, because, unlike other kids back then, I didn’t have my mom or dad to defend me if anything bad happened.

“When I tell you to listen to something, you listen,” he murmured, and for a moment, or probably it was my imagination, his eyes were black, like there was no white portion, just the pupils.

“Why? And your demand is ridiculous,” I repeated, even though my heart was beating faster now.

Why was I feeling so damn affected by this man’s closeness?

“Because, sweetheart…this is also my estate,” he murmured, his voice going an octave low.

My throat felt dry. Was he like this with every girl? The mere thought, for some reason, made jealousy flare inside me.

“Shall I remind you that we are about to be bound as family?” I muttered, trying my best not to let him come closer.

His blue eyes seemed to be searching for something before he chuckled, a throaty sound that did things to my insides.

Stepping back, he repeated, “Family, eh?” The sharpness in his gaze was gone, replaced by amusement.

“What’s so funny?” I crossed my arms across my chest.

He shook his head, but I could see that he was trying to hide a smile, not a good one, a mocking smile.

“Nothing. Just keep in mind what I said, and we should be good.” Without giving me any chance to even argue, he opened the door and left the room.

What was this man’s deal?

It took me several minutes to calm my wildly beating heart and remind myself that having any kind of feelings for a stepbrother was not normal.

~~~~

“You left the breakfast table so abruptly. You embarrassed me,” Mom said, her lips downturned.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but in front of the woman who was currently massaging her shoulders and neck, I had to keep up my appearance. We were currently in the vast sitting room, which apparently belongs to Mom now.

She had called me, and I had foolishly assumed that she would finally have some heart to heart chat, where she would tell me all about meeting Matthew and everything, but I was wrong.

The moment I had stepped in, she had begun her tirade.

I couldn’t help but admire the way she had changed. Her normal clothes were swapped for designer shirts and trousers, her brown hair was no longer tied up in a neat bun but elegantly lay on her shoulders in curls, her skin had gotten back its lustre, and her posture had also improved. Overall, she didn’t look like a woman in her late 40s but someone in her late 30s.

“Apologies, mother,” I murmured.

One thing had remained the same, and that was her disappointment in me. She was never happy with anything I said or did.

“Apology is not everything! You need to learn how to behave around people. Is this how I brought you up?” She chided.

I wanted to say, “When did you bring me up? It was I who raised myself.” But I remained silent and lowered my gaze.

“I don’t think she just left the table; she excused herself,” Someone cut in.

I looked up, startled, and found none other than Viktor standing at the doorway. He was in a blue three-piece suit, and unfortunately, looking extremely handsome.

I quickly lowered my gaze again before he could catch me gawking at him.

“Ah…no, I was just, you know, admonishing her for not eating. She wasted so much food,” Mom said, and I noticed the way her tone had changed. From sharp, it had turned placating.

I guess I wasn’t the only one who was scared of this frigid man.