Hearts untamed

Chapter2

CHAPTER 2

“Hello,” came the smooth and deep voice again, my fingers instinctively gripping his arms, grounding myself in a surreal moment. I blinked twice, trying to return my thoughts to reality, but my body remained frozen. Still stunned in the silence by the sudden intimacy, I saw it, the subtle tug of a smirk, curling on his lips. And that did it. Something snapped inside me because I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me come undone.

“Thank you,” I whispered, words barely audible, like breath slipping through my lips. Still dazed, incredulous. The moment was suddenly shattered when Lex burst in, yanking me out of his hold and wrapping her arms around me.

Her face was laced with a blend of worry and guilt. “I’m so sorry… I …I didn't mean to pull you so hard”, she said, her words tumbling in rapid apologies. " I'm sorry … are you okay?” She checked me over and over, her voice fraught in panic.

I managed a faint smile, still reeling from the jolt of emotions. From nearly falling to being caught by someone more like a celestial being than a man with a presence that made it hard to breathe, let alone hold gaze at him for more than a few seconds.

Lex gently guided me to the side as she apologized repeatedly to him. He said nothing, his silence was sharp. His gaze never left mine, they burned with an intensity that felt hypnotic and unreadable, with his left hand tucked casually in his pocket, while his right hand adjusted his tie with effortless precision.

“I'm Lucia”, a soft, melodic voice chimed in.

I turned, only to be met by another pair of emerald green eyes with striking red hair, her pale skin illuminated softly by the ambient glow and a warm, open smile with softness that instantly disarmed me. “And this is my baby brother, Federico”, she added with a grin, playfully patting his shoulder.

I nodded slowly with a smile.

“I’m Lilly”, I replied, “and this is Alexa.” I tilted my head towards Lex as I introduced myself, silently caught in a tug of war between composure and curiosity. Out of the blue, I'm getting pulled into a hug by Lucia as she beams brightly with effortless charm. “Yeah, she's the fun sibling”, I concluded in my thoughts.

After a few moments of Lucia complimenting our dresses, I was ushered deep into the venue by Lex towards the same coworker she recognized while waving goodbye to Lucia and offering a polite smile to Federico, whose eyes followed me, rooted in the same place as a silent storm.

It was nine pm on the dot, and the party was in full swing; the conversation and laughter of the guests could be heard from every corner of the room. The decor was magnificent, with the grand hall shimmering gracefully, and chandeliers glittering luminously, casting warm lights of vibrant colors to nuzzle along the white walls. With everything screaming opulence and every guest wearing it like a second skin, you could tell everyone who wasn't a worker invited to the party was in the elite class of society.

A pianist in a sleek black tuxedo was playing with technical proficiency and effortless finesse as his fingers were gliding across the keys in the corner where he was seated in front of the piano, with his music weaving into the room and giving it an ethereal calm.

Goosebumps grow on my skin, sending a chill down my spine as I feel the same pair of eyes on me as he stands close to the pianist. With Lex handing me a glass of champagne as a waiter passes by, I take a grateful sip enough to steady myself.

Not needing to look to know whose eyes were still on me and frightened to look at him, I moved my gaze to Lucia, who was standing beside him with a man whose arm draped casually over her shoulder I had assumed was her husband after seeing the sparkle of her wedding ring that had caught my eyes earlier on our first encounter outside the hall. With excitement laced on her face, Lucia waved at Lex and me, where we stood near the buffet, which was on the opposite side of the room, with a big grin. I waved back shyly as Lex was too busy going through the dishes and conversing with a friend.

Lucia shifted her attention back to her husband, and I took my time to study the older couple who stood with them. The woman looked so graceful and had an uncanny resemblance to Federico, standing with a glittery gold purse clutched to her chest and her face lit up as the older man who stood beside her whispered something into her ear with his hand resting on her waist.

Not too long after my observations, I had come to the conclusion that the woman was Federico's mother, with striking green eyes like his and Lucia's and brown hair. My eyes had moved to the man beside her, only to see an older version of Federico, with the same replica of bone structure and height with immaculate style. I was left with no doubt that they were his parents.

And still…

…..with those eyes on me, I felt this pull, which I hadn’t felt since Reuben.

Landing back squarely on him, I take my time to study him, with his hair deep brown of aged mahogany and stylishly trimmed. He wore his confidence like a second skin, standing with a cold facial expression, his feet standing firmly shoulder-width apart and one hand in his pocket. Tracing every feature before my eyes met his again, one brow lifted, and a knowing smirk touched his lips as he caught me watching.

Face burning, I quickly looked away, this time around with my face staring at the ground.

"What is happening to me?" I whispered to myself, trying to calm myself. My mouth felt dry, raising my head to take a sip from my glass of champagne, a warm and sharp whiff of musk and amber hit me again.

My heart skipped; that smell… was familiar. A pair of black leather Italian loafers came into my vision, impossibly close as I stared down.

I looked up and there he was…

The same compelling charisma. Commanding aura and alpha energy, with hands still in his pocket and eyes locked on mine.

But this time around, he didn't just stand and stare at me. “Would you love to share a bottle with me on the rooftop?” he asked with a low and certain voice.

Standing there nervous, with eyes burning holes in mine and panic prickling down my spine. I take a gulp, this time without champagne from my glass, but my dried-out throat feels hot inside, and I don't know what to say.

My gaze had darted across the room, with my eyes frantically searching for Lex and wishing secretly she was here to help me, but she had vanished into the crowd. I tried to summon up the courage to give a reply, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear and seeing something dark flickering in his eyes as he followed the movement of my fingers. With that, it reminded me of Reuben. It was the same way he would stare at me like I was the only person in the room, in his entire world. That was exactly how he made me feel. Reminding me every second how special I was and how he was the luckiest man in the world to have me

The memory of Reuben would always stir a familiar sadness and ache in my heart, snapping me back gently to reality in time to see Federico still waiting for an answer.

“I,... I would… l… I would love to”, I stuttered with a weak smile flickering across my face as my eyes darted everywhere but his handsome face. Inside, I felt so hot as I frantically searched for Lex. My eyes had finally spotted her standing and chatting with an older man five feet from the exit. Relief washed over me, knowing she was still there, and I wasn’t completely left alone.

Without saying a word, Federico slipped his arm through mine as he guided me to the center of the room towards the grand stairs that I assumed led to another floor.

Climbing up the stairs with my right hand still slipping in with his left, and my left hand holding onto my glass of Champagne, I tried using my left hand to clutch my dress, trying not to spill my drink and avoid stumbling on those heels for the second time and definitely not in front of him again.

Seeing how distraught I had become, he subtly signaled a waiter, who appeared immediately and took the glass from me. My face flushed with embarrassment, knowing it was the second time he had helped me in one night, I gave a small grateful nod to the waiter as he made his way back down to the party.

Climbing up the stairs with these heels felt like torture, but I didn't want to complain, seeing how Federico had helped me twice tonight. Praying silently to get to the top in one piece and enduring the pain. We get to the top, and I see an elevator. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing we wouldn’t be continuing our journey to the rooftop on foot any longer.

We walked towards the elevator with each step echoing faintly, with Federico still on my right side. Noticing the button panel was on the left, time had begun to slow down; caught with the subtle shift I saw from the corner of my eye, Federico leaned closer, his face lowering, meeting the level of mine; the space between us felt charged. My heart was beating so fast that it wanted to jump out of my chest, and without a word, he pressed the button with his hands mere inches from mine as I had tried pressing the button myself earlier before losing focus.

The tension was broken by the soft chime of the elevator. He let me step inside first, showing his gentlemanly side for the first time. The doors closed, sealing us inside a cocoon of silence, and the heat lingering between us remained standing apart but hyper-aware of the space he took.

I catch my reflection and his in the mirrored walls. With the nervous flutter in my eyes, he stood perfectly still, with an expression unreadable and the effortless control he carried in his posture.

I tried not to look, but I let out a light sigh as my gaze kept betraying me, drawn to his sharp features, his jaw defined and the way the collar of his suit sat at his neck. This time, I let out a deep sigh, flabbergasted at how perfect he looked.

A soft chime again signaled our arrival with the doors sliding open. I stepped out first to see a glass corridor glowing in soft golden light in a rooftop space that felt surreal. Above us, stars were scattered like secrets in the sky, waiting to be confessed as the breeze drifted through like a whisper. The deep navy and velvet black night sky stretched wide with warm ambient lighting, glowing from mounted lamps built into marble columns.