Aleksandr

Ch. 9 - Surprise Sanctuary

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
"Don't deny your fire,
just let yourself burn..."

- Aleksandr
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Chapter 9 - Surprise Sanctuary

▪️L I T I Z I A▪️

Aleksandr held my hand tightly as he led me out of his office, wanting to show me something.

As we quickly passed through the grand foyer and headed up the stairs, my mind raced. Not only was I confused by what was going on, I was also conflicted by the emotions I felt as my mind and body seemed to battle against each other.

I was almost certain that Aleksandr was going to kiss me back in his office, but he had clearly held back.

While I did not feel like he outright rejected me, I was a bit disappointed that he did not lean in all the way. It would be stupid of me to think that Aleksandr did not want me; I could see it in his eyes and feel it whenever my body pressed up against him.

To think that, if someone would have told me when I first moved into this mansion over a week ago, I would be wanting to feel Aleksandr's lips against my own within a few days, I would have laughed straight to their face.

After all, on my first night here I had been adamant about keeping the man at arm's length. Yet here we were, walking side by side, holding hands like it was the most natural thing in the world for us to do.

If Jade were here right now, she would say 'I told you so!' as she jumped up and down with excitement.

Even though I had been being toying with the idea of just giving in to the emotions I was feeling, a part of me was still holding back as I had no clue how Aleksandr felt about me. I did not want to make a fool out of myself, so I had been hoping that he would be the one to make the first move.

Sure, he desired me, but that did not mean he had actual feelings for me. Maybe all he wanted was sex? There were so many thoughts running through my mind that my head started to spin.

It was clear that Aleksandr had a kindness about him, proven in how he treated Natasha and the other girls. Perhaps that was why he was treating me so kindly. For all I knew, he could have possibly seen me as someone who was broken and needed being taken care of.

Damn! What if he pitied me?

I cringed as I snuck a glance up at his handsome face then mentally scolded myself. It would not do either of us any good if I started assuming. Jade told me to always speak my mind and if I wanted answers to something, I should ask.

But before I could say anything, Aleksandr stopped us in front of two bulky wooden doors on the third floor, reminding me that I still had to spend some time exploring the mansion.

"Open it," he told me as he let my hand go, motioning to the doors.

Frowning slightly at his odd request, I did as he asked anyway and my eyes bulged as I slowly walked into the large room, my mouth hanging open as I looked at the layout before me.

"And before you say anything, no, I'm not trying to buy you or anything like that. I just know that an artist usually needs a sanctuary of sorts..." Aleksandr said from behind me.

My eyes slowly took in everything around me as I walked around, almost afraid to touch anything. The room was large, with impressive floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the space with tons of natural light. French doors led out to a balcony with a view of the garden as well as the ocean behind it.