002

CHAPTER TWO 

CALISTA

The food became hard to pass my throat after he placed the piece on my plate. It felt like I was starting a war, because his father never took his eyes off me. 

I walked away from the dining room, hoping the next time I see Rheyes would be away from his father. 

Our second encounter happened two days later, far away from his father's watchful eyes.

I was out in the private estate gardens, trying to clear the heavy air from my chest by tending to the rosebushes. 

The morning sun was warm, and I had grabbed the heavy rubber garden hose to water the soil around the bottom of the shed.

I turned it on, but the old fitting hissed violently, and before I could step back, the worn rubber seam split completely open.

A high-pressure stream of cold water erupted directly into my chest and face.

I gasped, laughing and sputtering as I dropped the twisting hose that had already soaked me to the skin. 

My white linen shirt clung to my frame, as cold water dripped down my hair and pooled around my sandals.

“Calista!”

A pair of heavy black boots rounded the corner of the shed. 

Rheyes.

He didn't hesitate. He stepped straight into the spray of water, ignoring the fact that his expensive suit jacket and dark shirt were getting instantly drenched. 

His fingers grabbed the thrashing hose, bending the split rubber back on itself to cut off the water pressure before shutting the main valve off completely.

Silence fell over the garden, broken only by the sound of heavy dripping water.

Rheyes turned to me. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, with water running down the sharp cut of his jawline.

 His drenched shirt clung tight to his broad chest, revealing the thick muscle beneath.

He took a step toward me, then another.

The sheer heat radiating off his body cut straight through the cold water soaking my skin. 

My breath caught in my throat as he closed the distance, stopping so close I could feel the ragged rise and fall of his chest.

“You’re a mess,” he murmured. His voice was rough, low, with a sudden, dark intensity that made the air between us feel electric.

“So are you,” I whispered back, my voice trembling.

He didn't pull away. Instead, he reached up, his thumb gently wiping a stray drop of water from my bottom lip. 

His touch burned like fire against my cold skin. His eyes dropped to my mouth, as his fingers lingered on my chin, lifting my face toward his.

It was wrong. He was my stepbrother now. We were bound by a mafia household that would execute anyone who dared breach the family line. 

But the magnetic, forbidden pull pulling us together was overwhelming and suffocating.

He tucked a strand of wet hair behind my ear as his other hand rested on my waist, sending heat through my entire body. 

“He’s your stepbrother Calista.” the voice at the back of my head whispered.

He moved in slowly, almost closing in the space between us when I pulled out of his space and sprinted upstairs as my heart pounded endlessly. 

*********

Four days had passed since that happened, and Rheyes had been the absolute best.

He was sweet to me in private, protective in public, and constantly finding small excuses to be near me. 

But the unspoken tension hanging over us had grown so sharp it felt like walking on eggshells. 

I could feel his father’s gaze burning holes on my back each time he was around us. He knew it, he saw the tension between us, but he didn't want to say it. Maybe he didn't want to jump to conclusions, considering the fact that we're siblings. 

I stepped into his private study to bring him his morning tea, my heart pounding just like it did every single time we were alone.

He sat behind his massive mahogany desk, reviewing financial ledgers. 

The moment I walked in, he pushed the papers aside, his harsh scowl vanishing into a welcoming hum.

“Piccola,” he murmured, pointing to the chair across from him. “Come here.”

I walked over, setting the cup down, but as I reached up to push a stray lock of hair behind my ear, my hand brushed against a sharp metal edge on the desk lamp.

“Ouch,” I winced softly, pulling back. A tiny cut opened near my hairline, a small bead of red blood appearing against my skin.

Rheyes was out of his chair in a fraction of a second.

He rounded the desk, with his hands coming up to frame my face. “Let me see,” he commanded softly, pulling a white handkerchief from his pocket and pressing it gently against the cut.

His touch was agonizingly tender. Our knees touched as he leaned over me, his scent of expensive leather, and dark cedarwood filling my lungs until I couldn't think straight.

“It’s just a tiny cut, Rheyes,” I whispered, my eyes locking onto his.

“I don't care,” he rasped, his eyes darkening as he stared down at my lips. 

His thumb smoothed over my cheekbone, holding me still. “I don't like seeing you hurt Calista.”

The room became dead silent. The air between us tightened until it felt like we were breathing the same oxygen.

He loosened the band from my hair, letting my wavy hair fall free to my back. 

“I like seeing you with your hair down, Piccola. Wear it down for me okay?” he smiled, running his fingers through my hair. 

Rheyes leaned in slowly. My heart hammered against my ribs, my eyelids fluttering shut as his warm breath brushed against my lips. 

There was no space left between us. He tilted his head, his mouth hovering just inches from mine. 

We were so consumed by the tension that we didn't notice the people who had entered the house. 

BOOM!

A deafening explosion tore through the ground floor of the mansion.

The entire study shook violently as automatic gunfire erupted right outside the doors.

Rheyes snapped back instantly, his gentle warmth vanishing as he drew his pistol from his waistband. 

Before he could take a step, the double doors were violently blown off their hinges. 

Black-clad mercenaries swarmed through the thick smoke.

“Rheyes!” I screamed, but before he could reach me, a rough, gloved hand moved through the haze, grabbing me by my hair and yanking me violently backward.

 A blade pressed directly into the pulse point of my throat.

“Move an inch and I drain her blood right here!” the man barked, dragging me out into the hallway amidst the chaos.

Rheyes’s eyes locked onto mine through the smoke. Every trace of humanity in him had drained from his face, I couldn't recognize the person who was now looking at me.