~YULIA
I slept horribly.
My dreams were filled with burning men and Issa’s lips. I was aroused all through the night and Yara kept stirring with need and making it all unbearable for me to survive.
Lana’s call was what finally forced me out of bed. “How are you?” I asked in a drowsy voice.
“Did I wake you?” There was concern in her tone.
“It’s alright, I did not sleep much anyway.”
“Nightmares?” She asked.
I sighed. “And a lot more…” I replied. “Is everything alright where you are?”
“Oh my god!” She exclaimed. “Your friends are fucking rich! Everything I ask for is given to me within a heartbeat. You hit the jackpot, girl!”
I smiled. I was glad that she was still her humorous self after what happened.
“I am really sorry you had to go through all that, Lana. It is totally my fault.” I had to apologise. She didn’t have to go through any of that.
There was a pause and I immediately regretted bringing it back up. I had soiled her mood.
“What did that man want from you anyway?” Lana finally asked after a while.
“I wish I knew.”
I recalled how Iran punched a hole through his chest and ripped out his heart. An involuntary shiver seized my body and forced me to go silent.
“Are you okay, Yulia?” Lana asked. “I am worried.”
“It’s okay, I have protection,” I told her. A knock sounded on my door. “I will call you later, Lana, I have to go.”
“Alright, I will wait for your call!” Lana said and the line went dead.
I sighed as I looked up at the ceiling before the knock sounded again.
“Come in,” I said.
It was the last person that I had expected.
“Yulia?” Mr. Rogers called as he walked in.
I jumped off the bed and hugged him. He was the closest thing I had to a father.
“I heard what happened,” He said. “Are you really safe here?”
I was taken aback by his question. it made no sense. “Why do you ask?”
After all, he was the one who insisted that I follow my mother’s wish even when I didn’t want to. So why was he acting as if I now had a choice?
He sighed and walked to the bed before sinking into it. “I told Marianna that Issa was not a safe option at the time that she was writing that but she never listened to me.”
I blinked twice at him. This was strange. Back home, he had shown Issa such great respect and now, all of a sudden, Issa was not good enough for me… I couldn’t help but wonder.
Did something happen to him?
“Mom seemed to trust him to keep me safe,” I said.
“He is a dangerous man to be around, Yulia,” He said wearily and shook his head.
Yet I doubted if he had any idea just how dangerous Issa could get.
“I appreciate you coming to check up on me, Mr. Rogers, but here is the safest place for me right now until I find somewhere else.”
He looked at me and frowned a bit. “He is not maltreating you, is he?” He asked. “I know him to be an animal with the women in his life.”
I smiled. “He has a reputation if that is what you are asking.”
“Why would Marianna want you to be with such a brute?” Rogers asked angrily.
“I think you have overstayed your welcome, Mr. Lawyer,” Issa’s voice rang out as he leaned by the door. His expression was cold and hostile.
“I would not be here if you valued the life of the person handed to you, Issa,” Rogers said tightly as he got to his feet.
Issa scoffed. “And you do?”
“I would not be here, if I did not.” Roger spat.
“Your kindness is touching,” Issa replied. “But as you can see, I have not maltreated her nor have I behaved like an animal towards her.”
“Yet,” Rogers said.
“Okay, guys, it’s morning and I do not want to start my day with quarrelling,” I stepped in. There was no way I was going to allow myself to watch Rogers lose his cool before me for the first time.
Rogers hugged me gently and lingered for a while before he let go. “Call me if you need anything.”
Then he headed to the door.
He stopped beside Issa. “I will be waiting for you to mess this up and then she will have no reason to stay here with you.”
“That day will never come,” Issa said without glancing at him.
I narrowed my eyes at the exchange between both men. Perhaps they had a fallout? Or did Rogers perhaps find out that Issa slept with someone he cared about? I seriously could not understand this sudden switch between both men.
When Rogers left, Issa walked into the room.
“Did you sleep well?” He asked me, as if Rogers had never even existed.
I shook my head. “Nightmares of the men that lit up plagued me and stopped me from sleeping properly.”
“I am sorry you had to see that side of me, Yulia.” His voice sounded genuine and there was also pain laced in it.
I shrugged. “You did what you had to. You were only trying to keep me safe.”
He was close to me now. He nodded and tucked a hair behind my ear.
“I could not sleep either…” He whispered.
“Nightmares?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I am the Nightmare, Yulia…. I couldn’t possibly have them,” he boasted. “What kept me up at night was someone else.”
He looked into my eyes. “It was you…”
I cleared my throat nervously as my brows shut up my face. “Me? How?”
“That kiss,” He said. “I dreamt of your lips all night.”
I swallowed hard as guilt and longing filled my core. I had not been completely honest with Lana. it wasn’t just the nightmare that kept me up
I kept thinking about the kiss his lips… until that bitch Andrea ruined it all.
“I know you dreamt of me too…” He whispered as his eyes slowly undressed me.
I swallowed for the second time. “You don’t know that,” I protested as I turned away from him, in an attempt to hide my lie.
He chuckled. “You are not a very good liar, Yulia, we are bonded and I could glimpse into your dream if I wanted.”
Alarm shot through my bones as I turned back to him abruptly. “You pry into my dreams?”
“I said that I could.”
“Don’t,” I said quickly.
“Why?” He asked. “What deep dark secrets are you hiding?” I could see the mischief in his eyes.
“None of your business,” I clipped.
Although I was sure that he knew. I wanted him to take me like a beast and make me cum till my mind went numb from pleasure. But I could never admit that to him. Never!
“You will make it my business soon enough,” He said with assurance.
“It’s okay to dream,” I told him. He laughed softly.
“Denial makes you hot,” He replied.
“There is nothing to deny, Issa, it was just a kiss and nothing more,” I told him. “Besides, you have the billionaire heiresses at your beck and call.”
His smile widened. “Jealousy suits you well, too.”
“Andrea?” I said in disbelief. “Of all people, you think I am jealous of her?”
“You mentioned her, Yulia, not me.”
I hated the amusement on his face. I wished that I could just reach out and snatch it off his face.
I sighed and decided to change the topic. “Why are you here, Issa? You chased my Lawyer away, what else do you want?”
“School,” He simply replied. “You must continue your education.”
I groaned. I had totally forgotten that I was still eighteen.