Chapter – 13

A groan left my lips as I rolled over in bed. Morning hunger was gnawing at my insides, reminding me I had eaten nothing last night.

When I couldn’t stand it any longer, I got up and went to the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth. I washed my face and pulled my hair into a ponytail before I went downstairs. I was still in last night’s clothes. My attire was presentable, and I didn’t bother to change. The Cortezes had known me since I was a child, and this wasn’t new.

“Good morning,” I called to no one in particular and grabbed a piece of bacon from Mike’s plate before taking a seat beside Orlando. Mike filled my plate while I grabbed another bite from his.

“What a tramp!”

My sleepy eyes snapped to the woman I hadn’t seen before. Did she just call me a tramp? My eyes narrowed to slits as I swallowed the bacon.

“You call this thing your girlfriend? What a shame to the Cortez family,” she continued as if I wasn’t present.

“And who might you be?” I asked, oblivious to the tension in the room.

“You dare to question me, slut? What did you do to my son?”

Her son? However, before she could speak the next word, a voice boomed beside me.

“Enough!” Orlando’s fist landed on the table. I jumped slightly and turned to see Orlando glaring at the woman. The glass of juice he held in his tight grip cracked at the impact, leaking its contents. “You’ll not disrespect our guest. And you are not welcome here.” All the remnants of sleep had left me now as my heart raced.

“Did you forget who I am?” the woman hissed, not fazed by his anger.

“Of course not.” Orlando clenched his jaw. “I don’t forget the ones who betrayed me, especially you.”

“You—”

“Enough, Isabel!” Uncle Rick commanded. “Leave before we forcefully remove you from the property.”

Oh, this must be the runaway mother Mike told us about.

“You can’t do that, husband,” the woman, Isabel, stressed in a sickly-sweet voice. Uncle Rick’s face changed when she waved an envelope. “I have a court order.”

“Not for long,” Orlando snarled. His chest heaved as he stormed out of the room as the woman smirked. I’d never seen him this furious. I noticed his untouched plate and glared at the woman, who was now taking a seat beside Chiara. Uncle Rick was the next to storm out.

After contemplating for a second, I grabbed Orlando’s plate along with mine and left the dining room, not wanting to see how things would go. I had to find Orlando.

“Where did he go?” I asked one of the staff, who pointed me toward the rooftop. “Thanks. Can you bring some milk and juice?”

“Sure, Miss.”

When I reached the rooftop, Orlando was staring into the distance. The blue t-shirt he wore this morning stretched, emphasizing the muscles underneath as his hands tightened around the steel railing. I placed the plates on the table before going to him.

“Hey,” I called softly, and when he didn’t turn, I went to stand beside him, gazing at the sea.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was strained.

“Just coming to see if you were okay.”

“I’m not okay.”

“I can see that.”

“I want to be alone,” he said, not looking at me.

A part of me wanted to leave and give him the space he needed. But wasn’t he alone all this time? He lived alone in an apartment close to his office and away from the Cortez mansion. He visited his family every weekend, but the only time he spent with them was during dinner.

How did I know all this? The answer was simple—Mike. He often spoke about his cousin and said how worried they were.

“I’m not leaving,” I said in a determined voice. “You’re either telling me what’s going on in your mind or eating that breakfast with me.”

Orlando whirled around with anger blazing in his eyes. “Don’t push me, Ari.”

A smile tugged at my lips. This was the first time he called me Ari. “I told you everything, Orlando. You were there to hold me when I needed someone. It’s only fair that I wanted to be there for you.”

“I don’t need anyone.”

I shrugged. “I’m not leaving.”

“Then I’ll leave.” I caught his hand when he tried to walk away. “Ari—”

I stood on my toes and grabbed his head before pulling him down to kiss his lips. I didn’t know why I did that, but I felt that was the only way to get his attention. Orlando was too shocked to move at first. His body went stiff, and his lips didn’t move. He did say he wouldn’t reject me.

I was beginning to regret my decision when I felt his hands grab my ass, and his mouth took control. Under a second, I was hoisted up. Helping me to hook my legs around his waist, he grabbed my hair and tipped my head, deepening the kiss.

Blood pounded in my veins as his hot tongue swept through my mouth, possessing me. My tongue lost its battle, and my eyes rolled back in my skull as his skillful lips sucked mine. His hands were all over my back, kneading my skin. I gasped when he gripped my ass, massaging the flesh. It sent shivers all over my body.

Every cell in my body came alive. I ran my hands over his chest, feeling the taut muscles under my palms. Orlando bit my lip when I gripped his hair, which was smooth and silky under my touch.

Our breathing grew harsher as wetness pooled between my thighs, a rare occurrence with Brian. My body stiffened at the thought of my ex, and Orlando stopped as if sensing the change in me.

“We can’t do this,” he said as he rested his forehead against mine. Our chests moved in a rhythm, matching our harsh breathing. This was the second time he was stopping it.

“Why not? We’re adults.”

“What if we can’t be more?”

“I don’t expect more.” My reply was immediate. I was disappointed, but I was quick to mask it. “I like what we have now, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

“I’m not sure.” His eyes closed. “I want you, Arianna, and it scares me.” His hand cupped my cheek. “You wanted to know my story. My trust was betrayed by someone I loved. She said and did things that destroyed me, left me scarred. I don’t know if I’ll ever be someone you want.” I waited as he took a deep breath. His thumb caressed my cheek. “You deserve someone better than me.”

I shook my head. “I thought Brian was better, but look where it got me. Can’t we just live in the moment?”

“I should have kept my distance from you, but when I saw your pain, I couldn’t help reaching out. I feel like I’m taking advantage of this situation, Arianna.”

“You’re not,” I whispered. “I’m a willing participant.”

“You don’t understand. I refuse to use you as a distraction.”

A pang of guilt pierced my heart. Did he know I was doing the same thing? Wasn’t I using him as a distraction? It wasn’t completely true, though.

“Orlando…”

“I might be scarred, Arianna. But I know better than to use you just because you’re willingly giving yourself to me. No, I won’t do that to you. You are not someone I want to fuck.”

“I understand.” My reply was laced with hurt. I didn’t know what to make of his words. He said he wanted me, and now he said he didn’t want to fuck. I shouldn’t have pushed him.

Orlando tipped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I won’t have sex with you to blow off my anger. You’re someone I want to make love with. There is a difference, Arianna,” he explained.

A sudden rush of warmth filled my chest, slowly spreading to other parts of my body. “Then make love to me.”

“Arianna––”

“I want you as much as you want me, Orlando. I know this is too early, but I’ve never been this sure before. I don’t expect anything from you. I’ll take what you offer.”

“Ari––”

“No, let me speak. I’m tired of waiting on the sidelines for things to happen. I’m taking control of my life. I don’t want to lose you, Orlando. We understand each other, and I know you won’t hurt me.”

“But what happens if someday I can’t offer what you want?”

“No expectations, remember? Can we not talk about this and just live one day at a time? Let’s just be Orlando and Arianna, who like each other’s company.”

“It’s easier said than done.”

I cupped his cheek. “Let’s not make any rules. Forget we even had this conversation. Let’s just do things that make us happier.”

“Okay,” Orlando reluctantly agreed. The smile on his face was all I wanted to see.

“I have something to take care of.” He let me go and took my hands in his. His thumb circled in my palm.

“Okay. I’m sorry about the way she spoke to you.”

It was nothing. Isabel didn’t have my respect, and it didn’t matter what she said or did. “I don’t care.” I threw my arms around him, wanting to feel him closer. My cheeks rested just above his heart, listening to the rhythm of its beat. “You had something to do.” I pulled away after a while.

“Oh, yes.” He cleared his throat. Nervous hands smoothed out the non-existent creases on his t-shirt. “I’ll…um…”

“Don’t ruin the moment.” As cute as his nervousness looked, I was also scared he’d spoil it by saying something.

“Hmm…right.”

My heart fluttered as if it was the first time I was meeting the man of my dreams. He was the first man who made my heart pound. In a way, I was glad things were finally working out in some way. With a smile that said, ‘I’ll see you later,’ I left him to do whatever he wanted to do. I decided to give him space to work the things out for himself. In fact, I needed time too.

One step at a time, Ari, I told myself as I went looking for my friends.

***

I was surprised to see the pit bull sitting at my door, looking lost. I had just returned from the kitchen after grabbing a snack for the evening. Orlando had gone to the city after our conversation that morning. He was meeting their family lawyer.

“Boxer!”

The dog’s ears perked up at the mention of his name. I was confused at first, wondering if it was Boxer since I had seen him only in pictures. Contrary to what others thought of a pit bull, Boxer was a shy dog. He was tortured and abused by his previous owner before being used for dog fights.

When I first heard Orlando adopted a dog, I was surprised. Orlando wasn’t a dog person. None of the Cortezes was. They owned no pets. Now I looked at Boxer, I noticed the prominent scars on his body, partially hidden by his fur. His wide eyes held fear and pain, something that tugged at my heartstrings.

Now I understood why Orlando took him in. It took one broken soul to recognize another. I sat on the floor a few feet away from the dog. His head lowered, and his tail thumped the wooden door as droplets of pee leaked onto the floor.

“Hey, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” I said in a calm voice. “Are you lost?” The dog licked its snout as a whine escaped from his mouth. “Aww…it’s okay.”

I wanted to reach out and touch him but wasn’t sure how he’d react. I’d read somewhere to be careful around frightened animals. Feeling cornered with no means of escape usually forced them to attack or put severe stress on them. Changing my mind, I stood. I had to earn his trust first.

“Come, I’ll take you to Orlando’s room.” Boxer’s ears twitched when he heard Orlando’s name, but he made no move to stand.

“Come on, aren’t you a good boy? Let’s go meet your papa.” I turned around and took a few steps. “Boxer, don’t you want to see Orlando?” A smile tugged at my lips when I noticed the pit bull following me nervously.

I continued to walk ahead with encouraging words to the dog. When I turned around the corner, the dog took off, his sudden movement surprising me. Loud cries erupted from within his chest as I now noticed Orlando hugging him.

“It’s okay. I’m here now,” Orlando said in a low voice as he rubbed Boxer’s fur.

“Thanks for bringing him. I was looking for him everywhere,” Orlando told me. “He knows how to open the door. He must’ve gotten out in search of me.”

“I found him at my door. He is such a sweetheart.”

“Boxer,” Orlando cupped the dog’s face, “meet Arianna. She’s a friend.”

Boxer gave me a bark and wagged his tail before burying his head in Orlando’s shoulder.

“I’ve never left him for this long. When my stay got extended, I had him brought here on a yacht. He arrived an hour ago,” Orlando explained. “He never met so many people before.”

“Don’t worry. Take it slow. When he sees we’re harmless, he’ll relax.”

I jumped when I felt something wet in my hand. When I looked down, Boxer was sniffing at me as he circled me with a newfound interest. I chuckled softly as I waited for him to imprint on my scent.

“He likes you.”

“I like him too. Can I touch you, boy?” Boxer sat down beside me before putting his paw on my extended hand to shake. I laughed and placed a kiss on his head. “I’ll leave you both to settle down. See you at dinner.”

“Sure.”