VOLKO

Chapter Nineteen

As promised Laura showed me to my room, making friendly chat along the way. By the time I reached the room I felt a warmth towards Laura, she talked so fondly and opening about her family I felt like I knew them too.

My room was very in keeping with the rest of the house. Everything was exactly what I had expected, from the light cream walls to the dark wood furniture. It gave off a homey vibe, something Robert's house had been missing.

Here, the rooms felt lived in and alive.

Next to my bed sat my suitcase, ignoring that completely, I bypassed straight to the balcony. Light flooded the room wherever possible but nothing compared to that feeling of heat on your skin.

Whether all the rooms had this amazing view, I had no idea, but mine overlooked all of the grounds. Below was a garden that had the most beautiful and colourful flowers blooming so that I could see them two storages up. I made a mental note to check them out later.

Then there was an area of patio, where I suspected the family hosted outdoor events. At the moment, only a dinner table sat in the area, surrounded by staff setting it. Giving me a hint of what to expect tonight.

All of that fell into the background when my eyes saw the vineyards. I'd seen them in films and thought how beautiful they looked. Now I was actually seeing one, I knew no film had done them justice. Long lines of grapes bathing in the sunlight. With the evening sun slowly setting behind just added to the charm.

Walking down the vineyard talking intensely were Dean and Marco. Behind my father and John followed, silently from the looks of things. Jake as always trailed after, examining the grapes and occasionally popping one in his mouth which I couldn't help but smile at.

Before long my eyes found themselves back on Dean, how did that always happen? Like my body couldn't stop itself from admiring him. Even now, the way he moved, the passion in his expression whilst he talked and at times laughed.

I loved his laugh, it completely changed him. Maybe it was because he hardly did or maybe it was because it showed how human he actually was. Whatever the reason, I just enjoyed watching it.

Jake was right, Dean was much more than security. The guy had a way about him, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Like confidence but much more than that. His aura attracted people.

As if sensing me looking, Dean turned in my direction. We were too far apart for me to see if he was looking at me, but I knew he was. I felt his eyes scanning over me, the hairs on my arms stood up. A reaction I'd become accustomed to.

Marco's head followed Dean's, unlike Dean, Marco waved friendly at me. Very conscious of myself, I raised my hand and waved back. Dean didn't, instead he carried on his conversation with Marco as though nothing had happened, effectively blocking me out. I tried to push the hurt feeling away, that was Dean I told myself.

Instead I called someone who I knew would take my mind off of Dean, Gemma.

Her perfectly symmetrical face appeared on the screen looking stunning as always. I'd have been envious of Gemma if I hadn't known what it had cost her.

"Hey, let me just move this conversation to my office."

"Your office, very fancy." Gemma walked through the office, smiling as she passed people. Seeing Gemma's fake smile made me chuckle. She was so bad at it. It looked more like a question, or like she was in physical pain. Either way, she needed to stop before people began to think she'd shit herself.

"Okay, it's just a section of a massive room but it's quite big." Turning the phone around, Gemma showed me her 'office'. It consisted of a desk, chair, computer, phone and a plant pot, with a screen separating her from everyone.