Chapter 37 Always in my head
Isla’s POV.
It’s been months since I started working in the Romano empire.
My life has always been about work and family.
Josie kept calling, I kept making plans, I didn’t really care about myself that much.
And of course I couldn’t still get him off my head, Damian Romano.
The other twin that made my existence and choice matter.
Sometimes I’d sleep off with the thought of him in my head, I was getting addicted to having him around, and that was dangerous.
Sometimes I just want to throw myself on him, but every time I just remember that I was married to his brother.
The day went on as usual, except that Damian wasn’t fully at work… he looked distant and distracted.
And that was unlike him. He had always been close, always checking up on me… and all that.
We haven’t talked to each other since the days started…
Maybe he needed some time alone… everyone does.. and sometimes I wished I never existed.
There was a knock on my desk… and there he was, standing in front of my desk.
“Hey..” I said, looking at him nervously. “You haven’t been out of the office today. Is everything okay?”
He hesitated for a while. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
What did he want to talk about? Is everything okay?
“Right now?” I murmured, eyes wide.
“Yes. In my office,” he replied. “Relax, I’ll be brief. You don’t have to be scared.”
I stood up, legs shaky. I followed him into his office and closed the door behind me.
“So,” I said, still standing. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Have a seat please,” he said.
I slowly sat down, still wondering what would make him request my attention.
He calls me all the time, yes. But it was work related.
We never really had any conversation about my private life, apart from my family’s situation.
“I called you because I wanted to talk to you about your father,” he said, voice husky.
“I already stopped the marriage preparation he was having for Josie. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
My heart skipped. There was this happiness that almost choked my breath.
“Are you for real?” I murmured, voice trembling.
I almost jumped from my seat. I was so happy. I had been having sleepless nights about Josie’s marriage.
She had been calling back to back and I promised her that I would make sure my father doesn’t have it his way.
Words weren’t enough to say how happy I was to know that I didn’t need to worry about it any more.
When he said he was going to help me the other day, I thought maybe was joking, maybe he just wanted to comfort me with words.
But at the same time, I didn’t feel at ease because things like this didn’t just happen for free.
Would he demand something in return? Nobody had ever done something for me without consequences.
Even if he had offered me a job, given me chances to choices, and defended me everywhere.
But I still had this strange feeling that maybe he was doing all those for me to relax my guard.
Maybe these moments won’t last forever. But the more I thought about it, the more I doubted myself.
There was a tap on the table. I panicked.
“You look lost, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, voice low. “I was just lost for a moment.”
“Are you sure? You don’t look okay to me.”
“Sure I’m fine.” I murmured. “Thank you for what you did, I’m so happy about it.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I promised to help you and going back on my word isn’t something a gentle man would do.”
“It really meant a lot,” I muttered, my eyes finding his.
“I’ll get back to work,” I said, standing to take my leave.
I was almost three steps away from the door when he called my name, softly.
“Isla,” he said, standing up from his seat.
Was he going to ask for something in return? I turned, legs trembling, my neck was sweaty.
“Are you free tonight?” He asked.
Why would he ask that? Why was he asking if I was free tonight… of course I was, all I did after work whenever I got home was thinking about my life.
“Yes I am,” I said, tone curious. “Is everything okay?”
“I wanted to invite you for dinner,” he said. “Do you mind?”
My heart slowed. I was thinking otherwise. He just did something that had been giving me sleepless nights in less that twenty four hours, honoring his invitation shouldn’t be a problem.
“I don’t mind,” I said, turning to face him fully.
“Okay… let me know when you’re done.”
I turned and left his office.
Dinner was set at one of the best hotels in the city.
This was one of the places I’d dream of visiting.
I spent my entire days mainly inside the house and at work.
We sat at the dinner table. The dishes were served before we arrived.
The table looked like there was a feast. All the dishes served were my favorites.
Was he only inviting me for dinner, or he had other plans.
We sat down across from each other.
We’ve never had dinner together, how did he know these were my favorite meals?
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask for what you like, I had my assistant arrange them.” He said, “I hope you like them.”
“These are my favorites,” I said, “I like them.”
We both started digging in… I didn’t feel comfortable.
I felt like he was looking at me, even when he wasn’t.
My hands moved nervously. My legs were sweating.
It was just the two of us in the room, the doors were closed.
“You don’t feel comfortable?” I asked, paying attention to me. “Do I look scary?”
“No,” I said, “I’m fine. Maybe it’s my first time.”
“We’ve known each other for months, you don’t have to feel that way.”
My hands shook, my throat throbbed, I swallowed hard.
I almost choked on myself. He rushed to get me water.
I drank slowly, while he patted my back. “Easy,” he said, voice soft.
He still stood behind me, his words touching my skin.
I couldn’t help but think about how I had felt about him for days.
His touch, his voice, and the way he treated me with care.
Was he also thinking about me? Are we both really into each other?
His hand slid down my back to the lower of my back, making my waist tremble.
“I’ve been thinking about you lately,” he said, voice hoarse.
His hands went lower, sliding almost into my thighs.
His other hand touched my cheek. His thumb brushing my lips.
“You look pretty Isla,” he whispered. “You look too pretty to be treated like a thing.”
My heart started racing, my pulse almost jumped.
Why was he saying those words to me? I was already married to his brother, and we shouldn’t be doing this.
He only said we were having dinner, he never said he would get touchy with me.
And the strange part, I liked the way he touched me.
I almost let out a moan from my throat, I just held back.
“You’re not supposed to be doing this,” I murmured.
“What are we supposed to be doing?”
My hands gripped my chairs until my knuckles turned white.
“I know how you feel about me too,” he whispered. “And I can’t keep lying to myself, Isla.”
“But I’m married to your brother,” I moaned.
“It doesn’t matter. We could still be together.”
The plan was to have dinner, and go back home.
I wasn’t expecting him to say those words to me.
I tried to push him away, tried to resist his touch, but my body just wanted more.
He slowly moved his face, closer to mine. Our lips were just inches away.
His other hand was still sliding deeper into my thigh.
“Don’t pretend you don’t want this, Isla,” he murmured.
I tried to say something but nothing came out.
“You don’t know how you make me feel, do you?”
Even if I liked that he touch me, that he said those words to me, I couldn’t bring myself to accept those feelings because it did feel right.
And if someone sees this, it would cause a big scandal.
When I tried to shove him off for the third time, he grabbed my chin closer to his.
Just as he was about to put his lips on mine, the door suddenly opened.