Alya's pov~
"They are leaving!" Maddie pouted as she walked into my room. "Artur said they will be gone for a few days."
I straightened and looked at Maddie with
wide eyes. "Alessio is going too?"
She nodded and pouted. "Yeah."
He didn't say anything. I saw him last night, yet he never said a word. The thought of being without him made my heart ache.
It had been a week since the first time he
kissed me in the piano room. Sometimes during the day, he would take me to the creek.
And then we spent most of the night together.
He always bent down and kissed mesoundly on the lips. He would steal kisses while I read. Sometimes, he would pull me on his lap.
I would lay my head on his shoulder
and read while he played with my hair. He never pushed for more.
These days had been the most beautiful.
Each day, my heart grew fuller. Alessio had weaved his way into my heart and I didn't want to let him go. Instead, I embraced it.
And now, I felt distressed at the mere
thought of spending even one day without him.
"How long will he be gone?" I asked.
"I don't know. Artur said a few days."
"Oh,"I muttered, looking down at my
hands, which were twined tightly together.
She stood up. "C'mon, let's go."
"Where?" I asked.
"They are probably about to leave now. Let's go say goodbye to our men."
When I quickly stood up at her words, she smiled. I followed her out of my room, my heart thumping hard as we made our way down the hall.
As we made our day down the stairs, we
saw the men at the bottom. Nikolay and Viktor were talking, while Artur leaned against the wall. Alessio was looking at his phone.
When he heard us, he looked up and I saw his gaze soften at the sight of me. Maddie ran down the rest of the stairs and jumped into Artur's arms.
I continued to slowly make my way down, keeping my eyes on Alessio. He gave me a small smile when I
stopped on the last stair, feeling nervous.
I ducked my head shyly and played with the hem of my dress. I felt him coming nearer and he stopped in front of me. Alessio placed a finger under my chin and tilted my head upward until I was staring into his soft blue eyes.
"I was just about to come up and say
goodbye," he said.
"Oh."
"Something came up and I have to take
care of it. I'l be gone for a few days."
I nodded. "I understand."
Walking down the final step, I stood beside him.I saw Artur dip Maddie low and she laughed. He kissed her soundly on the lips.
I peeked up at Alessio and saw that he was staring at me. He brought a hand up, and gently trailed a finger down my cheek. He brushed his thumb over my lips and then whispered, "I'll see you later"
"Bye,"I whispered.
"Bye."Alessio took a step away from and after giving me final look, he turned around, wal king away. The other men followed closely behind him and Maddie came to stand beside me.
Letting out a dejected sigh, I brought a
hand up and placed it over my chest.
As I watched his retreating back, my
shoulder dropped and my chest felt tight.
I already missed him.
As the days went by, I realized how much I needed Alessio. His presence had become addicting. His touch. His kisses. His blue eyes. His gentle caresses. His smiles. Everything
about him was deep ingrained in me.
*****
Alessio's pov~
It had been three long, torturous days
without Ayla. Every night, I wished I was with her.
As I walked into the mansion, my chest
grew lighter at the thought of being close to her again.
She was constantly on my thoughts.
And I was fucking happy to finally be back.
I looked down at my watch and saw it was almost two in the morning. She would be sleeping right now. My heart sunk in disappointment as I made my way upstairs.
"Tomorrow," I whispered.
But when I stepped on the second floor, I
felt the need to see her. Being this close to her and not seeing her the thought itself was painful.
I had to see her, even if she was sleeping. Just a peek at her beautiful face and I would be happy.
As I made my way to her room, I stopped
dead in my tracks when I saw the door of the piano room open. Was Ayla still awake?
My heart flipped at the thought and I
quickly walked inside. My steps faltered when I.saw her curled up on the sofa chair, sleeping.
But that wasn't what took my breath away.and made me smile.
She wasn't sleeping on her chair, instead
she was curled up in mine.
Walking closer, I stopped in front of the
sleeping beauty.
There was a small smile on her lips, her
face looking peaceful as she slept.
Bending down, I gently took the book from her hand.and placed it on the coffee table. I turned back around and wrapped an arm under her back and one under her knees, carefully and gently lifting her up from the couch, making sure that I didn't wake her up.
She moaned sleepily, instinctively laying her head on my shoulders.
I smiled and carried her out of the piano
room. Pushing her door open, I walked inside and laid her down in the middle of her bed. But when I was about to step back, I felt something tighten around my lapel, stopping me from stepping away.
Ayla's fingers were wrapped around my
shirt. She was still sleeping. I placed my hand on hers and gently unwrapped her fingers.
They tightened slightly but I was able to get them off, keeping my eyes on her face the whole time. When I saw her eyebrows furrow, I sighed and sat down on the bed beside her.
I couldn't bring myself to leave. Instead, I
surprised myself by lying down beside Ayla. I wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her closer. She burrowed further into my chest, as if seeking the warmth and comfort I offered.
Her fingers wrapped around my jacket
again as she clung to me tightly.
And I was just as content to hold her just as tightly in return.I placed a kiss on her temple and looked down at her sleeping face.
For the Iongest time, I laid there with her in arms, her head tucked underneath my chin. Just for moment, I told myself. Just for a few more minutes.
*****
Alya's pov~
I could feel the warm sunlight but I refused to open my eyes. Instead, I snuggled closer against the warmth beside me. I was too comfortable and languid to even move.
So warm, I thought to myself, wrapping my arms tighter around the warmth. I sighed in utter contentment and buried my face in the chest next to me. But as I cuddled closer, a strange thought registered in my mind.
My eyes snapped opened and I quickly
blinked the sleepiness away, only to find
myself staring at a wide, hard chest.
Panic filled me and I quickly looked up as my heart continued to hammer. Then I let out antiny gasp.
Alessio.
He looked so calm in his sleep, the total
opposite of what he represented when he was awake. His face was soft and his lips were slightly open. I couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of me.
I tried to move but I felt something tighten around my hips. My eyes traveled down to see.his arm wrapped around me.
I also saw that had a leg thrown over his, tangling us together. Feeling completely mortified, I slowly moved my leg away and tried to scoot out of his embrace, but his hold was relentless. So I gave up with a sigh and looked up at his sleeping face again.
I brought my hand up to his face, letting it hover there, right over his cheek. The thought of my hand making contact with his skin, touching him freely without fear,
was tempting.
It was an alluring image floating in my mind, and as I continued to stare at
Alessio's face, I found that I couldn't stop myself any longer.
I gently placed my hand on his cheek,watching for any indication that he might be waking up. When he didn't move, I rubbed my thumb over his cheek, feeling the slight rough stubble under my fingertips.
I traced his forehead, down his nose, and
then over his full lips. I felt my cheeks heat as I thumbed his lower lip and then I traced the curve of his jaw and over his cheeks.
A smile tugged on my lips as I continued to run my fingers up until they met the few strands of hair that laid limply over his forehead.
My touch was light and soft, while my heart was wild in my chest. What I was doing felt forbidden. But at the same time, it excited me.
To have this small power over Alessio. To be able to touch him so freely.
But most of all, I was happy thatl was able to touch a man without feeling disgusted and my body vibrating with fear.
I laid my hand over his cheek with a sigh of contentment and my eyes closed, letting myself feel his warmth as it surrounded me. But the next time I opened my eyes, his eyes were open and he was looking at me.
"Good morning," he whispered gruffly, his
Voice laced with sleep
I opened my mouth to say something but quickly snapped it shut. Glancing at my palm that was still resting on his cheek, my teeth.grazed my lips nervously.
Oh no, I got caught.
My fingers flexed on his cheek and I was
about to move my hand away when suddenly his hand was over mine, trapping my palm against his cheek. I gasped and stared into his
mesmerizing eyes.
When Alessio's lips tilted up in a small
smirk, I ducked my head shyly as my cheeks heated in embarrassment. As I hid my face in his chest, I felt it rumble with a small chuckle.
He was such an aggravating man. I couldn't believe he was laughing at me.
I tried to move my hand away again but heheld on tightly, entwining our fingers together.
"You didn't say good morning back. That's rude, kitten," Alessio murmured in my ear. So, I was back to being kitten.
"Good morning," I mumbled. He laughed
and released my hand. I tried to move away from his comforting embrace, but his arm tightened around my waist, refusing to let me move even an inch.
Instead, he pulled me closer until my
breasts were pressed against his chest. I could feel everything. Even his hard-on pressing into my stomach.
I was completely mortified. Pressing my
eyes closed tightly, I took a deep breath
through my nose.
"Ayla, look up at me," Alessio demanded.
I shook my head and pressed it harder into his chest.
"You know I'm not letting you go until you give me what I want," he teased.
When I didn't answer, he pressed his
fingers gently into my hips. "Hmm...or maybe you just want me to keep holding you"
At his words, my eyes snapped open and I.looked up quickly, staring widely into his eyes. Another chuckle bubbled deep from his chest.at my reaction. His eyes twinkled mischievously and he gave me a wink.
"There you are." He whispered so softly
that it made my heart ache. "Don't look away from me again."
I nodded. I didn't think I would ever be able to look away even if I tried. Alessio had completely captured my full attention.
With our eyes still locked together, I felt his arm start to loosen around my waist until he wasn't holding me any longer. I took a deep breath and slightly moved around, testing my freedom.
But as I moved away, I realized that I didn't like it. I liked it better when he was holding me. When his arms were wrapped safely and gently around me. Such conflicting feelings.
Giving Alessio a final glance, I sat up,
pulling the covers to my chin and looked away.
"You are looking away from me again," he mumbled.
He was so frustrating.
Releasing my breath in huff, I turned
toward Alessio and looked at him straight in the eyes. "There," I said.
"Better."
"Why are you in my room?" I asked,
bringing my knees up to my chest.
I saw Alessio's eyes widen in surprise as if he just figured out that he was here.
He quickly sat up and cleared his throat. "You fell asleep in the piano room and I brought you back to your room."
I was silent, waiting for him to continue. I saw him swallow nervously and he got off the bed.
"I was putting you to bed but you wouldn't let go of my jacket. And I didn't want to wake you up," Alessio grumbled.
He looked away and then cleared his throat again. "I'll see you at breakfast."
"Okay."
Alessio sent me a look from the corner of his eyes and then he walked away without saying anything else. I fell back on the bed as soon as the door closed behind him.
Alessio had kept me safe in his embrace, pushing away all the bad memories. I had been cocooned in his warmth and as I laid back on the bed, I felt strangely empty.
I faced the side where Alessio had been sleeping.
I placed my palm over the mattress and
slid it up and down, right where he'd been just moments ago.
My heart was doing the same pitter-patter dance as whenever Alessio was near, while my body felt light.
Placing my other hand over my
chest,I closed my eyes.
What is this feeling?
*****
Author's note
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