Chapter 5

Chapter 5

ALEJANDRO POV

I watched her out of my peripheral vision as she rose from her seat and walked out. Her face was swollen, her feet wobbly, yet she managed to hold her head up high and walk out like she owned the place. I looked at the front of the ballroom at the excuse of a man called her brother, only to find him glaring piercing daggers at her retrieving back.

I let out a smooth chuckle!

Of course, he didn’t like it. And she just had to do it.

My chest ballooned with pride as I cast another look at her, and a foreign feeling caught my heart in a tight grip.

I swallowed hard.

I don’t know what it was that propelled me to fly to the UK. And I knew damn well it wasn’t to pay tribute to the late archduke. Yes, we may have been business associates but that was all it ever was. Nothing more, nothing less. And we sure as hell were not on a friendly basis to attend each other’s backyard brunches and funerals.

And heck, now that I thought about it, I had a shit ton of things to take care of back at home, some of them included making millions of pounds. Yet here I was, watching some sassy princess as she caused a scene and loving every minute of it.

And now that I was here, I knew I had made the right decision.

With that thought in mind, I cleared my throat, then faced forward as James William Mountbatten made a fool of himself in front of the United Kingdom Elites and social monks.

I sat there for a few more heartbeats, then ran my tongue across my teeth before deciding on the stupidest thing ever. Without even thinking it through, I got up from my seat and left the ballroom:

I followed her.

~~~

RAYANA POV

The gardens were as quiet as death, with only the sound of the crickets chirping filling the start night. The sky was clear, stars twinkling.

I could almost feel their warm presence offering comfort and solace, like a ghostly embrace that engulfed my entire body, weakening my resolve. It was the though the universe was mourning with me, like it was blanketing me in a tight hug, silently letting me know that it was okay to be weak, that I was only human and it was okay to cry and mourn the loss of my father.

I allowed myself to grumble and fell on the neatly mowed grass, then let the tears fall freely.

Such great, great despair was tearing through my heart, shredding it into tiny million pieces of pain.

I don’t know how long I sat there, but eventually, the tears dried and left a sticky mess on my face. And that’s when I felt it. A presence so heavy that it blurred mine into the sculptured trees.

I whisked my head to the side to find a shadow- a silhouette, not far from where I was seated. A faint glow from the cigar showed where the face was, and disbelief settled inside of me at the height of the man.

Seated, he still looked big. A mountain of muscles and bones!

“Who's there?" a tremor settled in my tone as I spun around fully to face the intruder.

“Pardon my intrusion but I figured you’d need someone watching over you. You’ll never know what’s in the dark.” His voice was what sweet nightmares were made of. A low throaty grumble that made something coil in my stomach. Yet so smooth I could almost taste the sweetness of it. I swallowed audibly as I watched him peel himself from the stone bench then took majestic strides to where I was.

I took a giant gulp of stilling breath as I watched him draw closer until he stood next to me.

“At least the darkness offers comfort." I sniffled wiping my runny nose. What sounded like an amused chuckle came from the height above, and somehow a smile found its stance on my face.

I bet he had the sweetest laughter ever. Throaty… But I also knew he didn’t laugh often.

"You didn't like your brother's speech, yeah?" a heavy accent settled on his tongue, and I craned my neck to look at him. He was tall. Probably six feet. And the height and the night kept his features hidden from my tear-stained eyes. But something about the deep voice and the thick accent told me he was a looker.

“I don't listen to mindless rumblings of fools." anger coated my words followed by a long pause of utmost silence. I gave myself a mental slap for snapping out like that.

"S-sorry..." I mumbled before releasing the air I didn't know I was holding. "Something about my brother brings out the worst in me," I said digging my nails into the dirt.

"Fret not, principessa. This is a safe space." The foreign word rolled smoothly on his tongue, and I instantly recognized the language.

"Italian?" I asked staring at his feet. He let out that smooth, throaty chuckle.

"Sì.”

"Milan?” The air shifted as the word fell off my lips. Something heavier settled between us. It was foreign, almost heady on my senses. But whatever it was, it created its language no human could comprehend, and the darkness translated it!

“Why Milan of all places?" his voice was a few frequencies lower, almost like a whisper. I fisted my dress.

"Rome is too crowded. And you don't strike me as someone who enjoys crowded spaces." I looked up at him, and the heat that brewed in the space between our heads, assaulting me mercilessly told me he was staring back at me.

I swallowed.

I felt like nothing against his might, yet something about his big being made me unravel to the core. Somehow, I felt safe. More than I had ever felt in my entire life.

"Clever. But no, Principessa. Milan is just as crowded."

"Don't like fashion?" I arched a brow even though he couldn't see me.

"I prefer the ocean and natural beauty.”

“Sicily!” I jumped at the hint he threw, and he smiled. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was smiling. Something about the heat that assaulted me became softer.

Murmurs came from the main house and a tinge of disappointment hit me in the gut. I lowered my head and fisted my dress, then heaved a loud sigh.

“I can’t wait for all of this to be over.” My voice came out low, but I knew he heard me.

“It will be over. Soon.” The small comfort seeped through the cracks he had managed to find with just an exchange of a few words, and the warmth of it caused a lone tear to roll down my face.

“RAYANA…” A loud voice came from the house, and I quickly wiped the tears before chuckling softly, then looked up at the sky before releasing a shaky breath.

“I can’t even catch a breath now can I?” I asked bitterly, he didn’t bother his fine self with a response. Something told me he had said more words than he would allow himself to in a day, and I left it at that.

“RAYANAA?” The second yelling came and I face-palmed my face.

"I think it's time you went inside," he commanded in a low roar, causing the hairs at the back of my neck to stand. No bone inside of me could defy that command, or even try to stand against it. I just had to obey.

And something told me he used that very tone to get his way with women. I was a woman, and I was no exception to his charm.

He offered his hand, and I eyed it for a minute longer before grasping it. It was big, larger than mine, and hot. I could almost feel the warm blood flowing through it. I don’t know why I had thought it would be cold to touch, but the warmth of it made me reluctant to let it go.

He hoisted me up like he was lifting a 5kg sack of potatoes, bringing me to my feet. And I got to stand against his might.

I had first thought he was big but boy! This man was huge.

I craned my neck to search his face in the dark, ignoring the way his heavy presence threatened to swallow me whole and wipe me off the surface of this earth. The dark outline of his shoulders and fine torso blocked everything that stood behind him, and I could see was him!

We stood there, silently staring at each other. The weight of his stare was heavier than anything I’d ever known. And even in the dark, his eyes drank me in, pinning me in that spot and dissolving my defenses. I was stripped bare before this man and it all happened in less than 10 minutes.

“Good God, Rayana.” Lucas’s voice came like a bucket of icy water, snapping me out of the trance that held me captive and at the mercy of the hot intruder.

I whisked my head to the side to find Lucas heaving and panting.

“We were looking everywh…” He paused, his eyes falling to a spot between us, and that's when HIS touch scorched me. I dropped the stranger’s hand like it had caught fire, then walked out of the danger zone which was inches from his front, and into Lucas’s waiting hand.

“I just… I needed some air.” I said to Lucas as he guided me further and away from the stranger, his eyes lingering behind me for a few seconds.

“The guests have all gone back. A few will return in the morning for the funeral service.” He informed me, and my saliva failed to pass down the sudden lump in my throat.

We entered the house and the lights felt like a slap in the face. Somehow it felt like I had been caught cheating on my fiancee. Bitterness settled inside the pool in my stomach before I shrugged out of Lucas’s touch.

“You look exhausted, I can give you some massages before you turn in.” He spun me in his hold before settling his arms around my waist, pulling me in and further into him.

I laid my hands on his shoulders and attempted a smile that couldn’t reach my ears.

“While that sounds like the best idea in the world, I just…” I sighed. “-I wish to be alone for the night. These past few days have been so hard on me and I feel like I need to mentally prepare for tomorrow.” My hands grasped the back of his head and I massaged him gently.

Sadness crawled to his face and a pang of guilt lasered through me, but I trampled over the feeling with a hard swallow.

“I don’t know if I am strong enough to survive this, Luc. My dad…” Tears threatened to spill, and I looked down before sighing out loud.

“Hey, it's okay. I understand.” He pulled me and kissed my forehead, and about five cells inside me melted!

“No one is expecting you to be strong. And I am here, babe. You know I always am.” His voice was low and gentle, yet nothing about it was soothing. I nodded against him and hugged him.

He held me tight, a tight embrace that almost melted me against him!

“Try to think about me when you sleep, yeah?” He said when he pulled off, then smiled down at me. I leaned in to kiss his cheek, then smiled as I walked away.

I ascended the stairs with the thoughts of the beautiful stranger in the gardens bombarding my mind, and the rest of the night was filled with nothing but sweet fantasies of his faceless being!