Dante’s dimples popped out with his smile. “He’s not really hiding all that much from you specifically. He was followed as a child because his father was infamous, Morina. Bred to be a leader. Homeschooled for security purposes and then made enough partnerships that even the paparazzi follow him now.”
I scooted toward the door and Dante opened it for me. I didn’t know how to take what he said, so I kept quiet. Bastian and I didn’t grow up at all alike. We’d had one fun night, and now we had to try to merge our lifestyles for months.
We lugged my stuff out of the car.
Dante left the suitcases. “A doorman will bring up everything.”
“Well, I’m taking my plants and salt lamp.” I hugged them closer.
“Glad to hear it.” He ushered me into a small elevator lined with mirrors on three sides. The other featured a floor to ceiling window.
I gulped and contemplated gripping the railing as we got higher and higher. “How far up does he live?”
“You’ll”–he emphasized–“be living on the 50th floor.”
“Jesus,” I whispered just as the doors opened to a white penthouse. The wall to wall, ceiling to floor window view was the first staggering thing I laid eyes upon. As I approached, the view unfolded until I could see all of the ocean, all of the city, all of my town. I knew my jaw had dropped. I didn’t even try to hide my astonishment. I’d been inspired by small towns and small things my whole life. The ocean was the monster that I submerged myself in. Now, I got to look down at it and it did not disappoint.
And yet standing so far above it, away from everything I held close to my heart, my perception shifted.
I spun to tell Dante that this was some different type of universe I was in and that I wasn’t sure if it would work for me but he’d gone to the open plan kitchen, while Bastian stood right before me.
His eyes fell to my plants right away. “No.”
That’s how he greeted me.
“What?” I whispered, not really taking in what he said. I was staring at him in this place, in his natural environment. In his universe.
All clean lines. All navy suit and brown leather against a white, pristine background. The frown on his face cut perfectly with his strong jaw, in total contrast with those soft lips. Everything Bastian was hard but appealing, dominating but desirable.
“No, we will not have pink lamps and dead plants in here.”
Before I could sound off, Dante snickered into the refrigerator behind us and a woman with literally the best body I’d ever seen walked out from the hallway on the left. She wore all black. A cropped top ended just below her breasts, and tattoos kissed her mixed skin tone. “This her?” She pointed to me with a red manicured nail.
“Katie,” Bastian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are you still here?”
I almost dropped my plant. Was he having relations even when he knew I’d show up? It was within his rights, I knew that, but it didn’t stop my stomach from clenching.
She walked up and patted the side of his face pretty hard. His jaw ticked and she smiled. It was a little bit of scary and a lot of beautiful all mixed into one. “Because I’m always welcome here? You said that stupid shit. Not me.”
Bastian’s eyes ping ponged between us and then he pointed to her. “She’s a colleague. Nothing more nothing less.”
“Oh, I mean he almost fucked me.” Katie walked over to the fridge where Dante grumbled to go easy on me. “What? It’s true. Although now I refer to him as a brother of sorts. He’s not just a colleague. Maybe a friend who knows not to fuck with me, huh?”
Bastian shook his head as we both looked at her and Dante standing next to one another. Dante bit into an apple, and she leaned into him like she was really that comfortable with these men.
“I’m Katalina. I head up the bratva and partner with your soon to be fiancé. I intend to clean up the ports if he can’t. So, please make sure you both do.”
“I’m…” I looked at Bastian and raised my plants and salt lamp for him to look at. “So, this is a lot when I'm just moving in, right?”
Just when I thought he might agree with me, his doorbell rang because why wouldn’t his penthouse have a damn doorbell instead of someone just knocking? He spun to let in the doorman who had both my suitcases. The red color against his white marble flooring almost had me wincing.
“Yup, this is a lot,” Katie agreed before she walked to the door. “I was leaving anyway. My husband is a fucking feral dog if I don’t hurry back to him and my kid. So, just know I’m here. Not for you to reach out to and be friendly with, but more like I’m here, watching you if you fuck up. I don’t exactly want to come clean it up. So. Don’t.”
“Fuck off, Katie,” Bastian grumbled.
Dante followed her to the door, though. “I’ll drive you to the airport. These two don’t need me with the security here anyway.”
With that, Katie slammed the door behind them.
I looked like a frumpy deer in headlights with her leaving me in the dust after that warning.
“Her bark is worse than her bite.” He thought about that for a second. “Nope. It’s just as bad, but her warning was directed toward me.”
“Mmhmm.” Why did I suddenly want to burst into tears? I was overwhelmed. I was straight up in shock, I think. More than that though, they all interacted like a family that I was going to be part of.
“I can’t act like that.” I glanced at Bastian. “I mean, I’m a little bit of everything but I’m not strong enough to stand my ground the way that woman does.”
“I don’t expect that from you.”
“What is your expectation then, because I’ll tell you one thing, I’m pretty sure I’ve avoided a lot of situations in my life to avoid anyone expecting anything from me and now I think you all might need me to uphold something I can’t. Dante gave me this file and…”
“Take a breath, Morina.” He approached and went to take the plant and lamp from my arms.
I gripped them tightly, not letting them go. “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking these from you.”
“No.” I stepped back. “These stay, Bastian.”
He peered down at the offensive plants.
“They’ll live. They just need water.”
“It’s dead, piccola ragazza,” he said in a voice that was probably meant to pacify me.
“It’s not dead.” My heart squeezed hearing him call me that. Why did I resort to thinking about how he’d cared for me during a meaningless one night stand?
I took another humongous step back. “Do you nurture plants back to health?”
“I…” He paused over his words, probably because my line of reasoning was somewhat outrageous at this point. “Of course I don’t nurture plants back to health.”
“Then you wouldn’t know!” I stomped over to his granite countertop and placed the plants in the center.
“Morina, no.” His jaw worked as he stared at the dark pots full of dirt so dry it would surely crumble if either of us touched it.
I ignored him and floated over to an end table where I set the salt lamp.