Chapter 3 Instantly Sparks
Brushing the feeling away, Alyssa couldn’t help but feel deeply conscious of his piercing gaze, permanently fixed upon her. It unnerved her, a feeling totally new to her since she was used to receiving male attention wherever she went. Annoyed at her own reaction to the handsome devil who looked more like the Donnelly brothers, she swam to the edge of the pool. She realized that he was the one and only Nicholas Donnelly, her brother’s sworn enemy and therefore hers as well.
“None of your business!” she said, as she emerged from the pool to make a dash for the house, but her skin flushed with color, feeling his intense gaze, checking her out. Feeling totally exposed despite being clad in a turquoise bikini that clung to her like a second skin, Alyssa 3as eager to get away from the man and her reaction to him.
“Of course, it is my business! I wouldn’t want our guests to be electrocuted during a storm!” Alyssa noted his husky tone, but strangely, his voice didn’t have any warmth in it. On the contrary, he seemed angry at her for some strange reason.
Alyssa picked up a towel and dried herself. “Spare me the fake concern.” She wrapped herself well with the towel and turned to walk away, but he was faster. He caught her hand in a tight grip, not letting her leave, startling her completely.
“Drop the attitude, okay? I was just being nice to you,” he said, his eyes turning a shade darker as he glared at her furiously while Alyssa struggled to get free. At that point, she really repented for not having listened to her brother. She shouldn’t have come here at all. Would Nicholas Donnelly harm her?
“You don’t need to be nice to me. Now, if you excuse me, I need to change,” she said in a bored tone, although she was petrified.
“Thank me nicely and you can go.” Her eyes flew up to his ocean-hued ones and she couldn’t stop herself from wondering where she had seen them before.
“I have nothing to thank you for,” she said tartly, eager to get away, as his nearness was affecting her and she did not know why. It felt as if she had been close to him before, as if she had seen him before.
“I could stand the entire night with you here, Alyssa,” said Nicholas, while Alyssa’s eyes widened with disbelief. How did he know her name? Did he know her because of Alex? Her eyes searched his, but couldn’t find anything other than arrogance and impatience.
“But what should I thank you for?” she asked, clueless, her wide eyes gazing up into his angry ones.
“For saving you from the storm. I needn’t have, since you’re the enemy,” said Nicholas, and Alyssa’s eyes widened further. So he knew who she was! He was worse than Marcus!
Alyssa gave him a fake smile. “Thank you!” she said extra sweetly, taking him by surprise.
Suddenly, a loud thunder boomed across the sky and Alyssa jumped closer to Nicholas, scared of getting electrocuted.
Nicholas froze. He hadn’t expected that at all, since she was the sister of their enemy, the wicked Alexander Van Every, who had assaulted him on that fateful day for no fault of his. His mind went back to that day at school when he had held her in his arms for the first time. Didn’t she remember him at all? Although it was ten years ago, he hadn’t forgotten her at all. Unable to control himself, his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her into his arms, flush against his body. Alyssa's heart skipped a beat or two, feeling herself pressed against his hard, muscular torso, but before she could say anything, Nicholas released her and stormed into the house, without giving her a backward glance.
Alyssa was stunned by his odd behavior. A flash of lightning across the sky made her jump and hurry into the house. Thankfully, Nicholas was nowhere to be seen, and she sneaked into her room to shower and change. When she emerged from her room, it was pouring outside accompanied by a raging storm and she couldn’t help but feel thankful that she came in just in time. Everyone was downstairs, watching the rain. Alyssa sat beside Sienna and Eva, acutely aware of Nicholas's gaze upon her as he stood by the glass window with Lucas’s daughter.
Alyssa didn’t meet his eye, being very ashamed of herself after that encounter. Why did she have to cling to him, of all people on the earth? What might he have thought of her?
Her phone buzzed with an incoming call from Alex and she muted it, not wanting to listen to his lecture. “Take his call or else he’ll be here by tomorrow,” whispered Sienna, but Alyssa shook her head.
“I’m not a child and I’m not doing anything wrong. He shouldn’t be disturbing me this way. I’m here only for you, Sienna. I’ll attend your wedding and then return. There’s no point calling me, anyway. I won’t go back now,” said Alyssa, but Alex called Eva next.
“I’ll just try to pacify him,” said Eva, getting up. When she returned, everyone was busy watching a movie, munching on cheesy popcorn, mozzarella sticks, and meatball lollipops. Sienna sat beside Lucas, cuddled against him with Alexia’s head on her lap. Alyssa sat beside Sienna, but she was distracted by Nicholas sitting beside her, a little too close for comfort. With his arm brushing with hers every time she moved, Alyssa couldn’t budge an inch. Acutely aware of his gaze upon her, she couldn’t wipe out the permanent flush from her cheeks and even refused to eat, far from concentrating on the movie.
“I don’t bite.” His husky whisper made her jump, and she turned her head toward him but realized her immediate mistake. With his face inches away from hers, and his ocean blue eyes sparkling like aquamarine crystals as they held her gaze, Alyssa was under a spell. In the dark room, with the huge LCD screen providing the only source of light, she could clearly see his sharp profile silhouetted against it. Unable to look away, she wondered where she had met him before. She was sure that she would have remembered if she had indeed met him earlier. You can’t forget such a drooling hot man easily!
“You’re staring, Alyssa. Did you forget who I am?” He chuckled, turning away and concentrating on the movie, making Alyssa seethe inwardly. How could she be so stupid? He was teasing her, provoking her to react to him. She wouldn’t at all give him the satisfaction of seeing her fall for his charms. He was the enemy and he would remain all his life!
“Asshole!” Alyssa muttered to herself, but Nicholas turned and winked at her, making her blood boil all the more.
Hayley sat with Lucas’s mom and granny while Marcus was absent from the scene. Eva sat down beside Hayley to enjoy the movie. She had tried her best to make Alexander see sense, but he was stubborn and short-tempered. He simply fought unnecessarily with her till she got pissed off and disconnected the call. Now she dreaded his next step, just like Alyssa did. Sienna and Lucas soon walked out of the media room, not interested in the movie.
Unable to concentrate much on the movie, Alyssa went out to the open deck to breathe in the fresh air. The rain had stopped and the entire island had a sun-drenched look under the pale rays of the setting sun. It was a very romantic and tranquil atmosphere outside, and Alyssa stood watching the breathtaking views all around. Stepping down, she decided to take a stroll to clear her mind.
She had been avoiding looking at her mobile phone, knowing the number of missed calls that had been adding up since the moment Alex realized she had left. Would he arrive here to create a scene? She wondered what exactly happened between him and the Donnelly brothers to make them sworn enemies! Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she looked around the place she had come to. There was slush, broken branches, twigs, and puddles everywhere, making the place too slippery for a stroll. She panicked, wondering how in the world she landed up here!
Suddenly, her slipper-clad feet slipped on the slush, and she could feel herself falling. “Aaah,” she screamed, trying to clutch onto a tree branch to save herself, but the branch broke and she fell into a muddy puddle, completely ruining her clothes and beautiful hair.
A loud chuckle behind her made her go still and turn to see who had a death wish now! Her eyes popped out, seeing none other than Nicholas Donnelly, standing under the branches and laughing at her misfortune instead of helping her out. “Wow, it seems you’re in for a mud bath!” he laughed more, making Alyssa's blood boil with fury.
“Stop laughing and be a man, Donnelly! Help me out.” She glared at him while he took his own sweet time and approached her with an amused glint in his eye. He held out his hand to her and Alyssa placed her hand in his, their eyes holding each other’s gaze all the while. Before he could pull her out, Alyssa tugged at his hand with all her might, pulling him down into the mud with her!