“I’m taking you to Sam. He will know whether you are okay or not,” I replied, walking her out of her room and downstairs to Sam’s bedroom.
Ayla was silent in my arms. When we got closer, I heard her sigh. “How did you know I was hurt?” she asked.
“Maddie told me you twisted your ankle. She said you couldn’t walk,” I replied.
“Oh.” A small smile appeared on her lips. It was faint and quick, but definitely there.
I stopped in front of Sam’s room and Ayla leaned forward to knock at the door. It opened within a few seconds and Sam stood in the doorway. His eyes widened at the sight of Ayla in my arms and he quickly moved back, motioning for me to enter.
“What happened?” he asked.
I placed Ayla on his bed, and stood beside her. “She twisted her ankle.”
Sam knelt down in front of Ayla and inspected her ankle. His lips twisted thoughtfully and he asked Ayla several questions while I hovered over her, anxious and worried. The thought of her being in pain didn’t sit well with me.
The sense of protectiveness I felt toward her was a first. The need to keep her safe and happy was a primal feeling inside of me. Every day it grew stronger, until only she mattered to me.
“It’s not bad. Nothing to be worried about. Just a very tiny sprain that won’t even hurt after two days,” Sam said.
He looked up and smiled kindly at Ayla, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’ll give you some pain relieving cream. Just rub it over your ankle twice a day until it doesn’t hurt anymore,” he said.
Ayla nodded and looked up shyly at me as a faint color tinged her cheeks. When she saw me staring, she quickly looked down nervously.
Sam came back with a small tube in his hand. “Here. This should help with the pain. Rub it gently over the aching area and it should do the work.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Maddie stepped into the room. “So?” she asked, walking straight to Ayla.
Ayla gave her strange look and shook her head. “I’m fine,” she replied before mumbling something under her breath.
She stood up and wobbled a little, and I instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to me.
She placed a hand on my chest and tried to step out of my embrace, but my arms tightened around her, stopping her movement.
“I can walk,” she said, her voice coming out a little breathy.
“You shouldn’t put too much pressure on your ankle.”
Ayla glanced at Maddie. “She can help me. I’m sure you have other things to take care of.”
“Right. I’ll help her. Don’t want to disturb you from your work and all,” Maddie added, glaring at me.
Before I could answer, Maddie was already pulling Ayla away from me and I had no choice but to let her go. As she stepped out of my embrace, I suddenly felt empty and already missed having her small body against mine.
When they were out of sight, I nodded to Sam and then made my way upstairs. I saw Nina at the top of the steps. She smiled brightly, her eyes shining.
“Alessio,” she whispered.
“You need to leave,” I ordered, my voice harsh and unyielding.
“What?” she sputtered, her eyes widening.
“Exactly what I said. Leave. I don’t want you here anymore.” Nina was good at her job. She was an asset but I didn’t need her anymore, except for her work in the field.
“But Alessio—”
“I told you, your services won’t be needed anymore,” I said through gritted teeth, punctuating each words so she understood the meaning.
Her mouth opened shock. “You mean…?”
“You heard him. He doesn’t want to fuck you anymore. So get lost.”
At Maddie’s voice, I closed my eyes in frustration and pinched the bridge of my nose. Taking a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes to see her glaring at both of us.
Nina’s face turned stormy and she twisted her lips angrily, then looked back at me, waiting.
I gave her a cold stare and crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow in question.
“I’m going,” she snapped. Her expression was cold as she walked around me. Nina was a cold-hearted bitch and she loved it that way. And Maddie had to tread carefully before she got herself into trouble.
“Bye, Felicia,” Maddie called as she rolled her eyes.
When I reached the top landing, Maddie stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
“I swear to God…if you are playing Ayla…” she warned, anger glittering in her eyes.
“Why the fuck would you think that?” I growled, taking a step forward, completely outraged by her question.
She indicated where Nina had been standing moments ago. When realization sunk in, anger deserted me and I winced at the thought.
“Nothing was going to happen,” I said.
Maddie looked suspicious. “Ayla saw you going into the office with Nina. She thought…she was completely heartbroken, Alessio.”
Guilt coursed through my body and I swore under my breath.
“Imagine how you would feel if you saw Ayla with another man,” Maddie added.
The thought made me see red. My hands tightened into fists until my knuckles hurt. I gritted my teeth.
She raised an eyebrow. “Exactly,” she muttered before heading back toward Ayla’s room.
I stared at her back and then leaned against the banister, my mind filled with dangerous thoughts.
When I first saw Ayla and proposed that she work for me, this wasn’t what I had in mind.
She was supposed to work for me and I kept her close because I wanted to fuck her. That was my intention. But it wasn’t about lust anymore. It wasn’t about fucking her and being done with her.
It was more, something I couldn’t wrap my head around. A feeling that I didn’t understand.
But I wasn’t against it anymore. I let myself bask in this foreign emotion, waiting to see where it would lead me, hoping it wouldn’t destroy either of us in the process.
Sighing, I raked my hand through my hair. I thought I was the only one feeling what was between us. But Ayla felt it too, and I had hurt her.
A connection so deep, so irrevocably beautiful yet haunting and dangerous. It brought us peace, even through the pain.
Chapter 41
She was waiting for me, sitting at the piano, her gaze on the wall before her, looking completely lost in her thoughts.
At the sight of me, she smiled, and I sat on the sofa in front of the piano, keeping my focus on her the whole time.
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her since this morning. If I wasn’t mistaken, she was avoiding me.
As soon as she saw me, she would walk the other way or act like she didn’t see me. If her eyes caught mine, her expression was impassive, her lips thinned in a hard line.
As I continued to stare at her, the piano the only thing between us, she gave me a strange look and then her expression was blank again before she looked down at the keys.
As I listened to the hauntingly beautiful music, I felt completely transfixed by her beauty and the peaceful look on her face.
All she had to do was sit there silently and she already had my complete attention.