Chapter 16: Saturday: Meeting Gracie

Ash was alive, thank God. I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Miki called and gave us a quick rundown of what happened. I couldn’t believe that the pretty waitress Gracie had saved Ash’s life. Twice! She’d come across as quite shy at the event, but now it seemed she was actually a real badass. I was thoroughly impressed.

Apparently, Ash was bringing her home too. I couldn’t wait to meet her properly.

Last night had been an absolute nightmare. It was just like reliving the night we lost Krissa all over again. I’d felt sick after Marco had told me Ash was missing. I’d insisted on going out to look for him with the others. After searching for him in vain and then being sent home to wait, I’d been on tenterhooks for some news, praying that the night would not end the same way it had with Krissa. Our family really couldn’t cope with losing another member. I was so relieved Ash was safe and so grateful to Gracie for saving him.

Stifling a yawn, I peered out of the window on the upstairs landing watching for them to arrive home. I was completely exhausted and needed to get some sleep but there was no way I was going to bed until I saw for myself that my brother was indeed alright. Miki had said that Ash had been beaten and had some broken ribs and bruises but otherwise was fine and I doubted he would lie to me, but I needed to see that with my own eyes before I could rest.

Although I badly needed a coffee but refused to leave my lookout spot to get one. I wanted to know the minute they arrived. Of course, Ash and Gracie weren’t the only ones I longed to see. Romi was bringing them home and I desperately needed to talk to him.

When I’d seen Romi last night, I could see how badly he felt about letting Ash go off on his own, and my heart went out to him. I’d asked him if he was okay. I knew that he wasn’t, but I needed Romi to know that I was thinking about him at that moment as much as I was thinking about Ash. I couldn’t help my disappointment when he simply said he was fine and refused to look at me, making it obvious he still didn’t want to talk to me. That had hurt but it had also pissed me off but last night wasn’t the time to deal with it.

Today, however, was another matter. I wasn’t putting up with Romis cold shoulder treatment any longer. I couldn’t take it. As soon as Ash was back safely at home, I was going to talk with Romi about us, whether he wanted to or not. We were two adults, and he needed to see that and stop treating me like a child. I knew my own mind, and I wanted him, and I refused to give up.

Of course, if he truly didn’t want me, then I would have to respect that. I felt tears prick at my eyes as my vision blurred but I fought them back. No. I didn’t believe that. The way he reacted to me said otherwise. He was as attracted to me as I was to him. I was sure of it. So, his reluctance to be with me could only be one of two things. He either thought that I was too young to be serious about us and didn’t believe my feelings for him were genuine, or he was simply worried that our family would not accept us.

Either way, I intended to fight for him. To fight for us. I would convince him that my feelings were indeed genuine and that I was worth fighting for because I knew deep down that if we decided to be together, we would find a way to make that happen, somehow.

“That’s them!” Marko shouted, breaking me out of my reverie. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed them arriving.

The SUV pulled up and I flew down the stairs to meet it. As soon as Ash got out of the car I ran at him and hugged him tightly.

He cursed in Russian and gasped, “Bloody hell, Sonia, I already have broken ribs, can you please not break anymore?”

“Sorry,” I said, feeling a bit contrite as I loosened my grip. Then I thought of how the idiot could have gotten himself killed and that made me annoyed.

“At least you only got some broken ribs and a beating, you could have been killed!” I pursed my lips and punched him in the arm.

“Hey!” he shouted, feigning pain.

“Next time, don’t go meeting folk alone, even if it is because you don’t want a chaperone when you go courting!” I laughed, then winked at Gracie.

“Quiet, Sonia!” Ash said wincing.

I looked between them and smirked.

“Ah, I take it Gracie doesn’t know you put yourself in danger so you could go to see her and ask her out without an audience then. Oh, and I guess you haven’t apologised yet either? Huh?” I asked him, innocently batting my eyes.

Ash looked uncomfortable as Gracie raised her eyebrows in question at him.

“I hadn’t gotten around to telling her yet!” he stated sulkily.

“No time like the present!” I smirked wickedly at him as he narrowed his eyes at me. Oh, if looks could kill, I’d be dead!

“Fine,” he said, turning towards her, “Gracie, after last weekend I felt I owed you an apology for my behaviour. I had stuff on my mind, and I acted like a jerk…”

“You can say that again,” I butted in, and he shot me another annoyed look.

“Anyway, I’m sorry,” he smiled sheepishly at Gracie.

“That’s okay,” she smiled shyly back at him, and he grinned and pulled her close.

Aw, that was so sweet!

“He has also been obsessed with you since your cream-covered kiss, which we all heard a lot about by the way, and he tracked you down to working in the Old Bell Tavern so he could ask you out,” I told her, happily spilling all of his secrets.

“Oh, I’m flattered,” Gracie stated, blushing.

“Good, Ash needs someone who can bring out the fun in him again and give his life a bit of excitement!” I laughed and winked at him thoroughly enjoying myself at his expense.

“I’m not so sure about that, I think it is more a case that your brother has brought quite a lot of excitement to mine!” she laughed.

“And I intend to bring a lot more,” I heard him whisper.

Oh, my brother had it bad! I loved seeing him happy. I was so glad he seemed to be falling for his Little Miss Hot Mess, and not just for his own sake, but for those selfish reasons of my own too.

Grinning widely, I gave Gracie a big hug.

“Thank you so much for rescuing my brother,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome,” she replied quietly, with a shy smile.

I doubted she understood the full implication of my words. I was not just talking about last night. I could already see the effect she was having on him. He was more like the man he used to be before Krissa was murdered and I was very grateful to Gracie for bringing back that side of him. I liked her a lot and actually thought we were similar in many ways because one minute we were shy and the next sassy. We were going to be very good friends I could tell.

When I had come out to greet them, I’d deliberately stood in the doorway to ensure Romi could not slip by us. Just as well because when Ash and Gracie went inside, he made to do just that.

Uh uh, I don’t bloody think so, Romi!

Quickly stepping in front of him, I blocked his way.

“We need to talk,” I told him as he failed to meet my eye yet again.

Romi froze, his jaw clenching as he quickly checked around, but we were alone, I’d made sure we were before saying anything.

Finally, he dropped Gracie’s bag and sighed. His hands reached to firmly grip my shoulders, my knees weakened, and butterflies erupted in my stomach at his touch. My breath hitched as his gorgeous amber eyes finally met mine. This was it; he was going to agree to meet me somewhere to discuss our future. My heart swelled with anticipation.

“There’s nothing to say, Sonia. You need to forget what happened between us. It won’t happen again,” he said in a quiet tone, leaving me gobsmacked, as my mind struggled to process the rejection.

Before I could reply, he’d moved me to the side, lifted the bag, and stepped into the house.

He’d rejected me, again? Oh, hell no!

“Seriously?!” I asked as my shocked brain finally kicked my mouth into gear, but he had already gone, leaving me standing there alone. Again!

Completely frustrated, I stood staring at the empty space where he had been, my fists tightly clenched, my breaths becoming laboured and sporadic as I practically vibrated with a mix of hurt and anger.

Damn that man! I really wanted to believe that Romi and I could overcome our issues unlike Nonna and her love, but I was beginning to wonder. Seducing him was proving harder than I had expected. I didn’t understand his reluctance to even talk about us. I felt completely distraught, and my confidence plummeted through the floor.

Why had he rejected me again? Why wouldn’t he at least talk to me about things?

Surely, I wasn’t so naive and deluded that I had read the whole situation wrong? God, had I?

No, I was right about the attraction between us, and I knew that our kiss had meant something. Hadn’t it?

I couldn’t seem to think straight, I was so confused. Aargh!

My head screamed silently in frustration as I blinked rapidly trying hard to avoid the tears that threatened to spill as I hurried upstairs to my room, thanking god that nobody was there to notice. I was not going to cry. I was stronger than that.

Stomping inside I slammed the door behind me and stormed over to my bed accidently kicking the chair of my dressing table on the way, stubbing my toe. Ah! I screamed in agony, hopping around the room. I yanked off my slipper and grabbed my sore toe in an attempt to alleviate the pain but ended up falling on my bum, the impact ricocheting through my spine and finally making me burst into the tears I had been so desperately trying to hold back.

Once the floodgates had opened, I couldn’t seem to stop my tears again. I curled up on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably, gasping for breath, and sniffing hard. Big fat tears ran down my face, as I let the pain of Romi’s rejection out once more. My mind bombarded me with a frenzy of mixed up thoughts as my emotions spiralled out of control sending me on a rollercoaster ride of hurt, anger, humiliation, and shame.

How could he keep telling me to forget what had happened? I could never. That kiss, our chemistry, it was real. I knew it. And he felt it too. I knew he did. Why did he continue to deny us? Didn’t he want me? Was I really so forgettable to him?

Lying there on the ground, hugging my knees to my chest, the pain in my foot and bum no longer registered as I became lost in a world of my own self-pity. I don’t know how long I lay there but eventually the tears slowed, as they always do, and I finally became aware of the hard cold floor beneath me, chilling my bones and making me ache.

My pity party had drained me of energy, and it was all I could do to crawl over to my bed and pull myself up onto the mattress. I grabbed the throw at the bottom and pulled it over me. My hand gently brushed the cover, allowing the feel of the soft plush fabric to soothe me as I let my swollen, tired eyes close.

Exhausted, I longed for rest. My whole body was ready to shut down yet my mind wouldn’t let me sleep. Romi’s continued rejection felt like a physical blow as much as an emotional one and my carefully constructed confidence was knocked. I had to regroup. I needed to fall back on the healthy habits I had worked so hard to form over the last year.

So, I lay there with my eyes closed and recited my affirmations. My self-esteem had taken a beating and I really needed to get myself grounded again.

I was confident. I was beautiful. I was capable. I was worth it.

The more I recited them the better I felt.

When I was calmer and less like an emotional wreck, I allowed my mind to return to Romi’s rejection yet again and the reasons that might be behind it.

Despite my earlier misgivings, I knew I wasn’t imagining the attraction between us. It was there in the way he looked at me and the electricity between us when we touched.

Romi was a strong guy, and I knew if he truly wanted me, he would fight my family for me, no matter the risks. That meant there was something more stopping him.

The seven year age gap wasn’t that much and my lack of experience for a possessive man like Romi was more than likely a positive for him than a negative. So, the only conclusion I could draw was that he doubted my feelings for him were genuine. He didn’t know how long I had felt this way about him, so he probably thought it was simply a crush. If he thought I wasn’t serious about him, he wouldn’t want to risk any sort of relationship with me. Not when there was so much at stake. And there was a lot at stake, I knew this, I was not na?ve.

I huffed, the thought that he doubted me pissed me off, yet, in a way I understood it. We had known each other for ever and it was only now that the dynamics of our relationship were changing so I guessed it could be hard for him to accept and believe.

While it likely was true that my attraction to him at the beginning was a simple crush, over the years, it had turned it into something far more meaningful. I was still very attracted to his looks of course. I giggled because, well, those abs of his were especially to die for, but I also loved his strength, the way he made me laugh, how much we had in common, and our shared history.

There was no doubt about it in my mind that I loved Romi completely. I had done for years and now I simply had to convince him. Because I was definitely not giving up. As far as I was concerned Operation Seduce Romi was still a go. I was going to have to make another move on him and show him otherwise. But how?

My mind whirled with ideas, and I knew that I wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon, so I grabbed a mocha coffee from my coffee machine, glad that I had my own in my room. I inhaled the chocolatey smell with relish as the warmth of the velvety smooth liquid flowing down my throat rejuvenated me while I pondered the situation.

As lunchtime approached, my stomach growled loudly alerting me to the fact that I hadn’t eaten since the day before and I reluctantly dragged my tired body down the stairs to the dining room.

It was empty when I arrived, but Gracie entered a moment later looking a bit lost.

“Hi,” I said, beckoning for her to sit next to me. I was glad she was there as I needed a distraction from all of my thoughts of Romi. I still hadn’t quite worked out the best way to deal with him yet and I needed a break from it. Chatting to Gracie would be the perfect solution.

“Do you like your room?” I asked her.

“It’s lovely, thank you. And very kind of you all to look after me here. I hope it isn’t too much trouble?”

“Nonsense, it’s no trouble at all.” I beamed at her. She was lovely.

“Anyhow, you are only in trouble because of us, and you saved my brother’s life so that makes you practically family in our eyes.”

I smirked. “Besides, Ash is totally enamoured with you and so you may actually be family soon anyway!”

She looked shocked at that, but I was sure I was right. He had been totally obsessed with her since their kiss. Add to that the fact that she had saved his life and fought beside him, which I knew he would find a complete turn-on, and I doubted he would want to let her go. Not easily anyway.

It hadn’t escaped my notice how she had ogled him at the Glitz event and how she had been unable to take her eyes off him this morning either. So, I was sure that one thing would lead to another, and Gracie would soon become a permanent fixture around here. They seemed perfect for each other, and I had to admit that I intended to encourage their relationship for my own selfish reasons too. If Ash was in love, he might be more receptive to my feelings for Romi. Or so I hoped.

The door opened and Ash walked in.

He greeted me with a kiss on the cheek before doing the same to Gracie, then as she turned towards him, he stole a kiss from her lips. Yep, he certainly did have it bad.

“Nice nap?” he asked, and I bit back a smile as she nodded and blushed.

“Me too,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, before taking a seat next to her. He moved it closer so that their legs were touching and grinned widely at her making her flush even redder.

Oh, she had it bad too. Great! My insides did a little happy dance as I watched their interaction.

It was cute but I couldn’t stop a pang of jealousy. I wondered if Romi would ever show his feelings for me as openly as Ash was showing his for Gracie. Of course, Romi would have to admit to them first. I sighed feeling frustrated.

At that moment, as if just thinking about him had conjured him up, Romi strode into the room with Miki and Marko. I gulped hard as I took in the sight of him. He looked as tired as I did. I hoped the reason for that was because he felt bad about his refusal to talk to me earlier. It would serve him right and if that was truly the reason for the dark circles under his eyes, then it meant he was just as deeply affected by things as I was.

My heart leapt in joy when he looked at me and I caught the desperate longing in his gaze before he quickly turned away. Hell yeah! I tried to catch his eye again, but he deliberately avoided me. Nevertheless, my confidence was bolstered again. Romi might be pretending otherwise but he wanted me. I covered my mouth to hide my smirk. I could definitely work with that.

The aroma of Nonna’s delicious food made my stomach growl again and I filled my plate. It seemed my appetite had returned with my confidence, and I ate with relish.

Romi looked uptight but as I snuck glances at him I noticed that after a few bites of Nonna’s wonderful cooking, he too seemed to relax. I smiled at Nonna. Her cooking always had a way of making us feel better. We always tried to eat together as a family as often as possible. Especially on the days when Nonna was working, because when she was working, she was cooking. Nobody wanted to miss that. She was the best cook. Her food was always amazing, and she made the most delicious desserts.

As lunch came to an end, my brothers headed off to the C to deal with the man Miki had taken there this morning. The one that hurt Ash and Gracie before being knocked unconscious. I wouldn’t want to be him. I didn’t like violence, but I understood the necessity for it sometimes and since he had attacked my brother, he deserved whatever was coming to him.

Initially elated to discover that Romi was remaining here to ensure our safety, I couldn’t help but be disappointed when he told us women that he would be in a meeting all afternoon with a couple of our security staff before scurrying out the room.

Unable to do anything more than look longingly after him as he left, I waited a few minutes then reluctantly made my excuses and trudged back upstairs.

Pouring in lots of my favourite bubble bath I ran the water until it was almost at the top of the tub, and the cloud of bubbles threatened to spill over the edge. The aroma of my favourite citrusy scent made me immediately feel more relaxed and I sunk into its inviting depths with relief, exhaling in pleasure as the warm water soothed my tired body.

Leaning back against the little bath pillow, I decided that a nice soak, and an afternoon of pampering was just what I needed to lift my mood and restore my va va voom because with what I had planned for later, I was going to need it.

I smiled and bit my lip as I began to scheme. So, Romi didn’t want to talk, well, I didn’t plan on talking anymore either. Look out, Romi, I’m coming to get you!

Tonight, I was taking action.

A few hours later, fully pampered and feeling rejuvenated, I opened the door just as Gracie knocked and we headed down to dinner together.

It was just her, me, Romi and Nonna this time as the others hadn’t returned from the C yet. I hadn’t expected them to be back, they were usually gone for hours, sometimes even days when they were dealing with someone there. I should probably feel sympathy for the poor bastards who had the misfortune to end up there but frankly I didn’t. Only enemies ended up at the C and if they were an enemy of my family, well they had to be dealt with and that was that. The life we were born into could be brutal and I had learned to accept that years ago.

With so few of us in the room, the tension between Romi and myself was palpable. I knew Nonna was aware of it because she kept glancing between us. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything but instead entertained us with stories of her youth and the time she spent both in Italy and Russia, first with my mother and then with my mother and father. I loved hearing these tales from her. Romi did too, and after a while I was happy to see him finally relax and chat away much more like his usual self.

The tone of his voice was like a sexy caress which sent shivers throughout my body, so I tried hard to engage him in the conversation as much as possible. Every time he laughed tiny hairs on my arms stood straight up and I got goosebumps. I wanted to listen to him always. His accent really did things for me, just like everything else about him really.

Besides, he seemed far more comfortable talking to me with others present. I wanted to make use of that to remind him that I wasn’t the little girl he used to know anymore, and that as a grown-up woman, I knew my mind and what I wanted. It seemed to be working too, because the more we chatted about everyday things, the more relaxed he became and the more he let his guard down. I even caught him several times staring longingly at my mouth as I ate or spoke. It made me think he was imagining our almost kiss, and I hoped remembering our real one.

So even though he quickly disappeared again after we’d finished eating, in an obvious attempt to continue to avoid me, I couldn’t help feeling a renewed sense of hope. This time as he left I bit back a smirk. Tonight, I was going to confront Romi again and take some drastic action to force him to deal with us. I just need to pluck up the courage.

Grabbing the third glass of wine of the evening, I drank it quickly. Fortified with the extra bit of confidence a few glasses of wine gave me, I intended heading along to Romi’s office as soon as I could get away from Gracie and Nonna. He’d said he had work to do but I knew his earlier meetings were over and since Marko hadn’t returned yet, I knew I could finally get him alone and put my plan into action.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t seem to get away. Nonna had an errand to run, leaving Gracie by herself and seeing how anxious she was, I felt compelled to stay and keep her company.

She was worried about Ash which was completely endearing but unnecessary. I tried telling her that he would be fine. Miki, Vlad, and Luca too. The C was their space. It was designed by my dad who was great strategist and always planned for every eventuality. Miki had turned out to be so very like him and not just in looks. Everything to do with the C was created to make it easy for initially my dad, and now my brothers, to get away with murder, literally. So, I knew when they were there, they were in full control and as safe as they could be.

However, nothing I said seemed to help and she continued to ring her hands and chew nervously on her lips, so I did the only thing a good friend and possible future sister-in-law could do and spent the rest of the evening distracting her by binge watching some episodes of the Handmaidens Tale. Thankfully it did the trick, at least for her. My own thoughts kept drifting along the hall to Mr elusive and his sexy abs.

By the time she finally succumbed to exhaustion and headed to bed, it was late, and I was chapping at the bit to see my man. The minute she disappeared up the stairs, I turned and hurried down the hall towards his office.

After knocking on the door, I opened it a crack, but the room was empty. I knew he hadn’t left because I had positioned myself in the lounge in a way I could keep an eye on the front door to ensure he didn’t escape without me being aware. So, where the heck was he? I pursed my lips and frowned.

There were only a few options. He had either gone to bed or for a late night session in the gym. Either was an option, but there was one last possibility. I hadn’t noticed Marko return while Gracie and I were in the lounge, but he might have returned while we were still eating. It wouldn’t be the first time he had his shot at the C then returned to complete some work he was doing. He certainly had plenty to deal with just now with looking into these attacks on our businesses and since Romi often helped him with stuff, he could be in Marko’s office with him. I decided to check out Marko’s office since it was only along the hall before I went anywhere else.

As I closed Romi’s door, Ivor, one of the security guys, headed around the corner. He saw me and walked towards me a huge grin spreading across his face. I shivered and not in a good way. He was handsome enough, and I could see how he would be a hit with the ladies with his fit body and dangerous vibe, however, I wasn’t attracted to him. He was nothing compared to my Mr Sexy Abs, also there was something in his eyes that made me think he wasn’t the charmer he tried to appear.

Ivor winked at me as he approached. I sighed and tried to hide my discomfort behind a friendly smile. He always tried to flirt with me and while it was a bit of an ego boost it also made me uncomfortable as hell, but he worked as a security guard in my home, so I always tried to keep our interactions light-hearted and not give him any ideas. He seemed the type who would easily mistake a little friendly flirting for a deeper interest, and I was very keen to avoid that.

We chatted for a couple of minutes, but I was too distracted with thoughts of Romi to really listen to Ivor. I just made some non-committal uh huh sounds and laughed at one of his stupid jokes then yawned widely before saying goodnight and walking away from him, trying hard to suppress the feeling of unease that slid down my spine as I felt his gaze follow me.

I quickly stepped inside Marko’s office in a bid to hide from Ivor’s stare and was glad to see both Marko and Romi were there staring at computer screens.

“Hey! You’re back!” I said to Marko.

“I was about to head to bed. Are you guys going to be working much longer?” I asked.

“I’ll be busy for a while yet, I think,” Marko told me, yawning but not looking up from his screen.

“Me too,” Romi said.

“Okay, night,” I said.

“Night, Sonia,” Marko replied absently, still engrossed in whatever he was doing.

“Night,” Romi said, but I held his gaze and gestured with my head towards the door, letting him know I wanted to see him outside before I dipped back out and waited a short distance away for him to come out.

My insides churned as nerves begun to get the better of me the minutes dragging on when he didn’t appear. I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to when he finally emerged, striding towards me with purpose.

My eyes narrowed at the look of determination on his face, which gave me a prelude to his thoughts. He was going to keep denying us unless I did something to change his mind. So, the minute he reached my side, I grabbed his arm and dragged him into the nearest room which was our games room. As soon as we were inside, I closed the door and pulled his head down towards me, kissing him on the lips before I could chicken out.

The second our lips met, I felt him startle, freezing in place but I didn’t stop. I continued brushing my lips over his. They were so soft, yet firm, and I couldn’t help emitting a little groan at how good they felt. His hands came up and I thought he was about to push me away. I couldn’t let that happen, so I upped my game and darted my tongue along his bottom lip and suddenly to my surprise and relief, he kissed me back. And what a kiss!

If I had thought our previous kiss was amazing, this one blew my mind. He kissed me wildly, attacking my lips with relish until I could barely breath, my head was light, and the world fell away until there was nothing but the two of us. I moaned into his mouth and that seemed to spur him on even more. He grabbed my bum and squeezed, pressing me close, holding me tightly against him and I couldn’t miss his arousal. My panties were getting wetter by the second.

He kept kissing me as he walked me back a few steps until my legs hit against something. My mind bombarded me with images of being taken over the billiard table. Oh my!

Without breaking our kiss, Romi pushed me down on it and lunged over me. My heart hammered at the knowledge that my brief flash of fantasy might be about to become a reality. He slipped his hand down between us and cupped me through my leggings. I pushed myself against his palm knowing he would feel my wetness. He groaned and moved his hand, slipping it into my waistband. I gasped in pleasure as he finally touched me where I had longed to be touched.

“Oh,” I cried, as he started stroking my sex, matching the rhythm of his fingers with the rhythm of his tongue in my mouth.

My whole body shook with how good it felt as he stroked my clit, making me arch into him and moan louder. He broke the kiss sliding his lips from my mouth to my jaw then planting little kisses all over my neck.

Panting hard, my chest rising and falling rapidly, I struggled to drag enough air into my lungs. The heady sensations he was eliciting had me about ready to burst. I was so close; it wouldn’t take much, and I would come undone. His fingers fluttered against my slit with gentle strokes, and I longed for him to delve deeper. They needed to be inside me, now.

“Romi, please,” I gasped, opening my legs further in blatant invitation.

Pulling back slightly, he looked at me. His lust filled gaze sent my pulse sky rocketing. This was what I wanted. This was what I had longed for. I reached for him, and his mouth covered mine again, his fingers finally slipping into my entrance. At last. I pushed towards him, so they sunk further inside me. He pumped them once, twice, his thumb pressing on my clit as his fingers invaded my depths.

“Oh,” I moaned against Romi’s lips. I bucked into him as he thrust his fingers between my folds, the wetness there making it easy for him. My toes curled and I knew I was about to come and and that’s when we heard the front door open, and reality came crashing in shattering our little bubble.

We froze at the sounds of footsteps. My brothers had returned. Oh hell!

Romi pushed me away, his lust-filled gaze quickly turning to shock at the realisation of what we were doing and how close we were to being caught.

Shit! I reached for him, but he stepped back, spun, and hurried out of the room, leaving me alone, again.

This was becoming too much of a bloody habit. I was panting, wet, annoyed, and frustrated. I shoved a fist into my mouth to stop myself from screaming in exasperation. That bloody man was driving me demented. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kiss him or punch him on the nose.

Quickly sorting my clothes, I remained hidden in the room, trying to calm my libido down while I listened to Romi talking with Miki before their voices faded as they walked away.

Waiting until I couldn’t hear any more sounds, I finally slipped from the room and headed quickly upstairs to my favourite viewing spot in the hallway, and hidden from sight, watched out of the window. I had a feeling that now my brothers were back, my reluctant lover was going to do a runner again.

And a short while later, he proved me right. Damn him!

As soon as his car pulled into the main drive, I headed downstairs and rushed to Miki’s office.

“Romi left his phone here, will he be back later tonight?” I asked.

“No, he is going to his flat, send one of the guys over with it,” he replied.

“Okay, will do, then I am off to bed to catch up on some rest,” I said, trying to keep my voice light as I left the room.

“Just heading up for some shut-eye myself. Night,” he said, following me.

“Night,” I replied, watching him climb the stairs.

As soon as he was out of sight I hurried to the front door and snuck out, got into my car, and drove off. The guards at the gate let me out without question, thankfully, and I sped off towards Romi’s flat.

Operation Seduce Romi was in full swing, and I wasn’t going to let an interruption from my brothers, or a runaway lover interfere with that. I wasn’t about to let the momentum go. I refused to let him ignore the chemistry we had together any longer. I had been breaking down his carefully constructed walls just before my brothers had returned and I definitely wasn’t going to give him time to rebuild them.

Taking decisive action had worked for me a few minutes ago, and I was about to take some more.