The Forced Marriage

Chapter 13: The Fantastic Four

Athos's hand was gently pushing me forward on the small of my back. He had a really stupid smile that just tempted me to slap it off his face. Today was the day I meet the Broughams since I fled the party before they came. Hal was inside our room, barking orders and changing into a new suit at the same time. Well, since my mother packed me dresses and nothing else but dresses, I ended up in a velvet collared dress that was knee length. It had a black collar with a matching black belt on my mid drift. I was wearing black heels that weren't too high. Light makeup with red lipstick and mascara. My brown curly hair was cascading off both my shoulders going past my chest. I looked decent at least.

As Athos led me into the living room, I stared at the beautiful blond haired woman and the handsome man in dark Armani. They both smiled at me, their hazel eyes shining as they stood up from the leather couch.

"Is this her?" the blond woman said with a contagious smile. Athos nodded and she clapped her hands, eyebrows arching up, "She's beautiful! Darling come here!" but she ended up going up to me instead. Her pale slender arms wrapped me into a tight hug and once she let go I sucked in a lot of air. The man beside her sighed.

"Sofia, I know you're excited and all but you knocked the air out of this poor girl's lungs." he shook his head and I was surprised when he spoke in a scottish accent. I looked at the blond woman, Sofia, and tilted my head to the side. She also had a scottish accent.

Sofia snickered and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "Calm down Blake and act care free for once! This is our bubby's fiancee after all. Show some excitement at least." she then leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Ignore him, he's 30 and still isn't married. There's really no way to explain why, I mean, look at him, he's a stick in the mud." I giggled and looked up at Blake. He glared at Sofia with flushed cheeks.

"I'm not a stick in the mud." he grumbled, causing Sofia and I to burst out laughing. "Women are absurd and you can't trust all of them. That's why I'm not married yet."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." she waved her hand and rolled her eyes, "You're just hurt because your...what number was she? 40th? Yeah, your 40th girlfriend ran off with your wallet." I cocked my head to the side and smiled. These two were Hal and Athos's older siblings. But both of them did not look anything like Hal or Athos. Sofia was pure blond with hazel eyes. She had higher cheekbones and a lighter skin color. She would be about my height without the heels and she had a model-like body. Her hair was beautiful, going past her chest to her hips with natural curls. Blake, the oldest had similarities with Sofia except his hair was a dirty blond kind of color. He had the same cheekbones as his sister and hazel eyes. That's where the similarities end. His features were firm, square jaw, and a straight nose. His hair was short and styled like Hal's. He was more taller than Athos and Hal, probably about 6'4". His muscles bulged out of his grey Armani suit. A man to die for.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. "I see you have met the older twins." Hal whispered into my ear before he rested his chin on my head. I nodded and laughed softly as he placed a kiss on the back of my head before approaching the two quarreling siblings. "Sofia, Blake." he greeted with a bow. They both stopped their fighting and bear hugged Hal. Athos and I shook our heads with a smile.

"You have a cool bro and sis." I said with my fists raised up. Athos bumped his fist with mine and I laughed. "Oh and by the way, where are your parents?"

"Dad said he couldn't make it since works getting busy. Mom on the other hand...didn't feel like coming to meet ya'." he replied with a shrug, stuffing his hands in his khaki jeans that sagged below his waist. I bit the bottom of my lip and sighed. I still felt uneasy meeting their parents. I should apologize to Mr. Brougham...nah, he deserved it. But their mother. She thinks I'm a gold digger. I shook my head with a slight frown on my face. I wasn't near to being a gold digger. I had enough money but that wasn't the point. She shouldn't judge me when she hasn't even met me yet.

I felt a hand on my shoulder lightly shaking me and I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. I looked up at the brooding figure, Blake. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked with a worried expression. I looked around my surroundings and found everyone else in the kitchen, yelling at each other like playground kids. We were all alone in the living room. I nodded and forced a smile on my lips but Blake frowned at my attempt to look alright. "You know, you're really bad at lying. Tell me what's wrong Alana." and as he said those words, both of his hands were on my shoulders, keeping me in place. As his hazel eyes stared into my chocolate ones, I took a deep breath and twiddled my thumbs.

"Er, how do I say this..." I mumbled, my cheeks turning crimson as he hooked his thumb under my chin. "I'm nervous to meet your parents because..." I trailed off once again, looking over his shoulder on my tiptoes, making sure Athos, Hal, or even Sofia won't hear. "A few days ago before the party, I over heard Athos telling Hal that your mother thinks I'm a...gold digger." I almost choked as I said the disgusting word.

Blake sighed and patted my head, "She's always like that. That is also another reason why I'm not married yet. Hal's lucky that he's got a soft spot for his mother, including Athos. Sofia and I are just the unlucky ones." he chuckled and I suddenly found comfort in him. He was the oldest amongst the siblings and my gut told me to trust him right off the bat.

"Wait." I said with my eyes narrowed up at him. Why were Sofia and him not in good terms with their mother? Blake tilted his head to the side, an eyebrow raised as he patiently waited for me to continue. "Isn't it kind of unfair that you two don't have the same privilege as Hal and Athos? What kind of mother would treat their oldest kids unfairly..."

Blake chuckled again and head locked me. I grumbled and tried to pry his large arms off my neck but they wouldn't budge. He laughed as he saw me struggle and I couldn't help but laugh myself at his playfulness. "Looks like bubby hasn't told you about our family. Hal and Athos came from their mother in an earlier relationship. Sofia and I came from our father, who had us at an early relationship as well. Hal's mother wormed her way in my father's heart and voilà!" his free hand raised in the air entusiastically. "Hal and Athos became our bubby's."

I giggled as he said bubby. The word was funny wehen it came out from Sofia or Blake's mouth. I guess it was because of their accent and the ridiculous nickname for my tough looking spouse. "Wow, thanks for the info. By the way, what was Sofia talking about when she said your wallet got stolen by your girlfriend?" as I asked the question, Blake's cheeks suddenly turned pink and I covered my mouth from bursting into fits of laughter.

"Sometimes Sofia needs to keep her mouth shut." he mumbled, releasing me from the head lock. "Well, there's really not much to say. Sofia pretty much covered all the important stuff." he shrugged nonchalantly, a ghost of a smile playing on his pink lips.

I bit the bottom of my lip and punched his arm playfully. I was starting to like Blake even more. I wish I had an older brother like him. I was an only child but my parents treated me like I was their world. I knew they loved me. But I would always feel lonely whenever work got them busy and they had no time for me. I felt someone pinch my arm and I immediately grabbed the hand with a glare. "Ow! That hurt!" I pouted.

Blake threw his head back and started to laugh, causing me to give him one of my fiercest glares but he continued to laugh. "Oh my goodness Alana, that was adorable. No wonder bubby talks about you as if you were a celebrity." I stopped my glaring and raised a brow. Hal talks about me?

Before I can ask him about it, I heard a chuckle and my head instantly snapped to Hal. His black blazer was gone and his black tie hung loosely around his white blouse. His black pants that fit him perfectly were sagging on his waist. He had a really sweet smile on his godly features and I felt my insides tighten. His sleeves were folded up to his elbows, a few buttons unbottoned on his collar. God he was grogeous.


"The food is ready. As much as I'd like to converse with you two we have to eat. Alana." then as if on cue, my stomach started to growl loudly and I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrasment. Hal and Blake looked at each other before they laughed in unison, tears welling up in their eyes. I pouted and glared at Hal who was wiping away small tears while laughing. "I knew you were hungry but I never knew you were that hungry." his breathless voice from laughing too hard almost made my knees buckle. He still looks hots when he's laughing his ass off.


Shaking my head, I cracked a smile and followed the two brothers into the kitchen. Sofia smiled up at me and I sat next to her. Athos was preparing more luxurious food and as he passed by me, he winked before taking a seat next to Blake with a huge plate of chocolate mousse for all of us. Then that's where we hit it off with the random conversations.



***


After we had our amazing lunch, I spent the day gossiping with Sofia about Justin Bieber planning to retire and other celebrity news. She was comfortable to talk to and I immediately liked her. The boys were inside the kitchen. Surprisingly they were cleaning the counter and dishes. It was an odd sight but I've already seen Athos washing the dishes once. It still felt weird.

"Hey Alana." Sofia said with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Hm?" I hum, too captivated on Hal washing a glass with a nervous look on his face. I smiled and raised a brow at Sofia.

Her smile grew bigger, "Have you and Hal done it already?" her question made me confused. She noticed it and cleared her throat, hazel eyes glinting with mischievousness. "Let me rephrase, have you and Hal had sex already?"

The blunt question almost made me drop the wine glass. Taking a deep breath, I placed the glass down on the small table in front of the leather couch we were on. But before I could answer, I felt a cold hand pinch my cheek and the side of the couch dipped down. "No, she's too much of a nun to even have sex with her future husband." my eyes glared daggers at Athos, who kept giggling everytime I would try to get his fingers of my cheek.


Sofia slapped his arm, causing him to quickly retract his arm with a pained expression. "Nobody asked you loser." she stuck her tongue out and Athos mocked her. I couldn't help but smile at the two. Despite their differences, they acted as if they were born from the same mother and father. Her face went to me and she winked, "Well? Have you?"

I shook my head to the side and she gasped, eyes wide and brows arched as she suddenly stood up from the couch. "It has never occured to me for us to have...intercourse." I murmured but bit the bottom of my lip. That was a lie. When Hal and I passionately kissed the other day, it was breathtaking. I wanted him right then and there but held myself back. Haley was still in my heart. It's ridiculous, I know, but I couldn't get the nostalgia days with him out of my head. Even though we knew each other for only half a week, the kiss was extraordinary. If I ever gave up my body to Hal, it would be like betraying the person I love. But who do I really love? They were both alike, my heart couldn't decide. "As Athos said, I think I am too much of a nun...or I'm becoming one. I don't know. I'm just not ready to have sex."

"Honey, you're 24. You are at the right age to be sleeping with bubby and having endless nights of fun!" she raised her slender arms in the air with a huge smile. I blushed and twiddled my thumbs together as I heard Athos chuckle beside me. Covering my reddened cheeks with my hands, I sighed, overwhelmed by this small conversation about Hal. I didn't want to give up my virginity to him even though lust tempted me to.

"You two are ridiculous. Stop making Alana uncomfortable." Blake's voice broke out in the living room. I felt relieved as he patted my head. He gave me a reassuring smile and glared at Sofia and Athos. "Don't worry, I got your back." he whispered into my ear before taking a seat on the brown recliner near Sofia.

"I don't mind them asking her." Hal said with a smirk plastered on his face as he made his way towards me. "After all, I'd like to hear all about my girl's fetishes, positions, or if she likes to be forced." I blushed as he said those words and Sofia engulfed me into a warm embrace. She laughed softy and patted my head.

"Enough with the teasing." she said as she started to braid my curly hair. "Wow, are your curls natural?" she asked, changing the subject. I smiled at her and she winked back. Thank god Sofia's here, if she wasn't...then Hal would probably be interrogating me about...dirty subjects.


We continued to talk about girly stuff since the boys showed no signs of leaving us alone to talk about hot actors. As the clock struct 6, Sofia, Blake, and Athos all were going to take their leave. Sofia entered her Ferrari f430. She gave me one last wave before driving off to Sinclair Hotels. I was shocked as she went full speed on her car. She even drifted like a pro! Blake on the other hand has one of those eco friendly guys. The car was a Tesla Roadster and it did not look close to an eco friendly car but it was one. Athos hopped in with him and they departed afterwards.

Hal wrapped an arm around my shoulder and lead me back into the house, shutting the door with his foot. I yawned as we both entered our room. As my eyes landed on the soft mattress, I felt like I was in Heaven. Totally forgetting Hal was in the room, I started to unbutton the front of my dress. It slid down on the floor and I stepped out of it, leaving me only in my black lace garments. I stretched and reached behind my back to unclamp my bra but my hands froze in place as I saw Hal staring at me with dark eyes full of lust. My arms went limp on my sides and as he approached me, I backed up.

When my back hit the wall and Hal's arms were placed beside each side of my head, déjà vu struck me and I felt myself breathless from his intense gaze. "Why do you torture me?" he breathed in my ear, causing me to shiver as his warm breath fanned against my neck to my collar bone.

"What?" I ask hesitantly as he stared into my eyes. His were almost hypnotic. My breath hitched as he pressed his clothed body against mine. I felt the sparks between us and immediately shoved him away. Control yourself Alana.

He stumbled back a few steps, "Alana, I would usually be in bed fucking you senseless until your eyes roll in the back of your head." he said bluntly, grabbing hold of my waist. "But you're special to me." he breathed, pulling me toward him. As my nose lightly hit his chest, I couldn't help but shiver at the contact. I felt this fuzzy feeling inside of me as he said special. "I'm holding myself back for your sake. I'll wait until you're ready. I want our feelings to be mutual not unrequited. So when we make love, it'll be an experience that you and I will never forget. But please, I hope you will realize sooner or later that you'll...accept your feelings for me."

I closed my eyes and processed his words in my brain. Woah? Is it just me or did he just say he was going to wait until I'm ready? My heart started to beat rapidly for an unknown reason. The sudden confession was making me confused and happy at the same time. I felt my arms wrap around his body. I nuzzled my face on his white blouse and sighed. "Thank you for understanding Hal."

"I love you." he mumbled into my hair. I felt a comfort I hadn't felt in my 24 years of living. I didn't feel lonely for once. Whenever Hal's arms were wrapped around me, I had this strange good feeling. It was the feeling when Haley's lips connected with mine. I was torn between the two. Hal was worming his way in my heart and I felt Haley fading away. It scared me and forgetting Haley was like forgetting how to breath. I couldn't lose him but I couldn't lose Hal either.

Pulling myself away from Hal, I shuffled into my bags and changed into grey sweatpants and a white tank top. Tossing the bra in the bag, I crawled into the warm duvet and sighed in relief. As my eyes closed, the bed dipped beside me and Hal's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. It was the same routine every night. He would nuzzle his nose against my neck, place a kiss on my soft spot, then we would both fall asleep with smiles on our faces.

But before my brain could shut down, my inner conscious and I agreed on one thing for the first time: I am falling in love with Hal Brougham.

A/N*

Eyyyyy!!! Things are heating up now ;) Finally updated and decided it was time to introduce *part* of the Broughams. This chapter was pretty long and I had so much fun writing it. I want to thank you guys all for 1k reads! Omg I'm so happy and #351 on Non-Teen Fiction!!!! >.< Thanks so much again! <3 I love you all!