Only You

Chapter 45

Elora

Alexey is upstairs, putting his pouting siblings to bed when the door opens. I hear it from where I'm sitting on the couch in his living room and my nerves from earlier flare back to life. I wasn't told anyone else was coming home already. Oh god, am I about to meet his mother?

I'm halfway praying it's an intruder when a young man rounds the corner. His face breaks out in a giant grin I recognize from the picture I studied earlier. Cai heads toward me in long steps. "The famous Elora, it's so great to finally meet you," he says on his way.

I scramble to my feet, stretching out my hand a millisecond before the man pulls me into a bone-crushing hug. I laugh awkwardly, bringing my hands around him instead as my whole face and neck burn up with a vicious blush. When he pulls away, his grin still in place, he holds me at an arm's length and studies me.

He must realize my body's as stiff as a board because he smiles apologetically. "Sorry to attack you like that. We're very huggy around here but I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

I laugh again and wave him off. My nerves are calming as we speak. Cai's every bit the lighthearted, lovely man Alexey has described to me.

"It's all good. You didn't make me uncomfortable," I assure him, relaxing further when he seems visibly relieved. I don't think I've met a guy this considerate about a hug before. It's cute.

He keeps studying me for a second. "Right. Just make sure to let me know outright if I do something that triggers you." He gives my arm a little pat and drops his hands. Meanwhile, I feel my smile freezing on my face, my brows dipping before I can stop them. Let him know if he triggers me? Why would he trigger me?

That's when Alexey reappears at the bottom of the stairs. He's smiling when he meets his cousin's gaze, then falters slightly when he sees me. He heads straight to my side and swings an arm around me. "I see you two met," he observes.

"Yep, and she's every bit as sweet as you told me," Cai says easily, smiling at me again. I try to reciprocate even as something clicks at that moment. My cheeks heat at the realization that the two men have spoken about me. Even worse, I now realize that Cai chose the word trigger because Alexey must've told him about my past.

A small, uncalled-for speck of betrayal buries itself in my lungs, making it a little hard to breathe so I dip away from Alexey's hold and excuse myself with an unconvincing-feeling smile. I head to the bathroom and tell myself to calm down.

He told his cousin what led to our agreement. I shouldn't be surprised. He told me how close the two of them were. The thought that someone else knows about a secret I've held so close to my chest all my life just makes my stomach churn. I wish I'd known since the thought somehow never crossed my mind. I'm sure I wouldn't even react to this if I had been a little prepared.

My breathing evens out but some of the knots in my stomach remain. God, I'm embarrassed. I have to get back out, though. Otherwise, I'll only make matters worse for myself. Besides, I realize that in this moment of senseless vulnerability, all I want to do is get back into Alexey's arms. He'll remind me of who I am and that there's nothing to be ashamed of.

With a deep breath, I leave the bathroom. Just before I can round the corner with my winning smile in place, hushed voices stop me in my tracks.

"Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut for once?" Alexey whispers roughly. I'm surprised enough by the unfamiliar angry edge in his voice that I don't move or announce my presence like I know I should. Instead, I spy on their conversation from the safety of my hiding place.

"Relax, dude," Cai retorts, sounding like he's through with this conversation already. Some sarcasm I don't understand bleeds into his next argument. "Why are you freaking out? I thought she was just another client." Those words slap me right in the chest.

Just another client. Shit, is that really how he feels? Has my interpretation of everything I've seen in his eyes just been wishful thinking? The knots in my stomach tighten. I feel fucking stupid.

"She's also my main source of income right now so you better not fuck it up for me," Alexey retorts through his teeth, lowering the volume of his voice so I can barely hear it.

But I do hear it. I hear every word as loud and clear as if he screamed them right at me. I feel them as if he carved them into my chest. I stumble a step back, slipping on a fold in the carpet and halfway crashing into the wall behind me. A whimper escapes me, partly because of the impact and partly because I know I just announced my presence to the guys. The house is suddenly dumped into deafening silence and I bite my lip hard to keep in my heavy breathing.

Only when I hear a slow, cautious step closer to the corner I'm hidden behind do I break out of my stupor. My flight instinct takes over and I start heading towards the door and away from the guys like a woman possessed. My frantic mind faintly registers that my purse with my phone is still in the living room but I don't even think about returning to get it. By some miracle, I have my car keys in my pant pockets. That's all I need. Getting away is all I need.

I barely stumble fully into my shoes, hearing steps catching up with me from behind as tears start blurring my view. Nothing more than a client. His main source of income.

I feel sick. I've deluded myself with those stupid ideas that Alexey and I are something more than what we are and the backlash is hitting me with a vengeance. I can feel the effect of it with every broken inhale I take.

I throw the door open and jump down the three steps that lead to his driveway, aware that Alexey is chasing me. "Elora," he finally says, desperation dripping from his voice. My name hits me in the chest like another knife. I shake my head, focusing solely on my car ahead. I'm almost there. Just a little longer until I can get away and break down. I will not make a bigger fool out of myself by showing Alexey just how much I'm affected.

A few feet away from my car, A strong hand finally wraps around my wrist and pulls me into a solid chest. I'm already feeling dizzy and the sudden motion is enough for me to stumble. I twist my ankle and a muffled cry is ripped from me before I can right myself, making sure to put my weight on the other foot.

I hear Alexey curse but don't look at him. I can't. Otherwise, I'll break down. The only good thing about this situation is that my ankle is starting to throb and that's something to focus on other than the suffocating pressure on my chest.

"I'm sorry. Elora, please look at me."

I shake my head and try to rip my arm from his grip. Frustration burns my gut and I want to tell him to let me go but my voice would crack if I tried and I refuse to cry in front of him.

"Please, hear me out."

I swallow thickly, focusing on the frustration rather than anything else I'm feeling as I finally free my arm from him. "I don't think there's anything else for me to hear here," I say, forcing as much steel into my voice as possible when I drag my eyes to his. His brows furrow and he tries to reach for me again. I back up a step, wincing at the pain in my ankle.

Alexey notices and curses again. "Shit, I'm so sorry. Come inside, please. I'll ice your foot and we can talk," he pleads but I'm shaking my head, my frustration turning into anger as he takes another step closer despite my protests. Something inside me snaps and suddenly, the only thing I feel like doing is returning the favor and making Alexey hurt for once. After all the hits I took lying down, I feel like making him feel like shit in return.

"I said no! There's nothing to talk about. You helped me get over my problems, so we're done. Sorry, you'll lose your main source of income but I'm ready for my husband now. Thanks for being so good at your job and teaching me everything I need to know to please him." I practically spit the words and don't bother to linger to see Alexey's reaction.

I turn on my heels, biting my tongue as I finish the remaining distance to my car as well as I can. Shit, my ankle is killing me right now.

I can almost pretend that's the reason why tears start streaming down my face even before I've pulled out of the driveway.

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