Chapter 43

Chapter 43
I was feeling so relaxed now. It was like this ride was all I needed. Finally, we had made a stop, and I hadn’t been paying attention before—I’d been responding to Ray, who had just invited me to dinner.
But now that I’d answered and put my phone away, I looked out the window… and I froze.
I stepped out of the car without waiting a second. The view was stunning.
A wide fountain glimmered in the golden sunlight, surrounded by trimmed grass and lush green plants that looked like they belonged in a fairy tale.
Then there was the grand mansion, standing proudly in the center like something out of a movie. I blinked, wondering if this was the house the Perez family had rented for the weekend.
“Wow,” I breathed. The sunset hit just right, the sky soaked in warm orange and pink hues. I would literally give anything to see this view every evening.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Dylan’s voice came from behind, and I nodded, still taken by the view. Then I felt his hands on my shoulders.
At first I flinched, startled by the touch—but then his thumbs gently began to massage the tension in my muscles. My body relaxed on instinct.
“Mmm… that feels so good,” I murmured, my eyes fluttering slightly as I leaned back, almost resting my head on him.
But then he stepped back, his warmth vanishing, and made his way toward the entrance. “Come on, I want to show you the inside. We don’t want to keep the Perez waiting.”
“They’re your parents,” I pointed out as I caught up with him. “You don’t have to call them that.”
“And where’s the fun in that?” He winked, and I laughed, shaking my head. My eyes wandered again, soaking in everything—the soft rustle of the trees, the scent of fresh-cut grass, the way the shadows danced across the porch.
Dylan reached the front steps—yep, steps, and quite a few of them. This place sat higher than expected. Okay, this had to be a full-on estate, not just a weekend rental.
I finally climbed the steps and walked inside, and as expected, the foyer was massive—longer than anything I was used to.
On one side was a large coat wardrobe, oddly wide like it belonged in a palace. We actually had to walk through it to reach the next room, which opened up into something that looked like a cross between a parlor and a lounge.
There was a drink cabinet at one corner, a fancy desk on the other, five sofas arranged neatly around a TV mounted to the wall. It was beautiful and too big to feel real.
My gaze landed on a portrait hanging on the far wall. A couple was captured in a moment—passion in their eyes, intimacy in their posture. Next to it was another portrait that made me stop in my tracks.
Dylan.
I knew it was him because of the tattoo above his eyebrow. He looked younger in the photo but still had that same intense presence. I glanced back at the couple in the first portrait, thinking at first they were Ximena and her husband—but no. They were completely different.
“That's my uncle and his wife,” Dylan said from beside me, and I quickly cleared my throat.
“Lovely. So… are we here for the weekend?” I asked, stepping closer to one of the sofas.
“No. Ximena would never step foot in this place.” He smiled. “I told you I wanted to show you a place. Isn’t it peaceful?”
That’s when I realized—we weren’t staying. He’d brought me here just to show me this place. Just… for me?
“I don’t see Elliot’s picture,” I said, walking over to the desk where a few smaller framed photos stood.
“They weren’t a fan of Elliot.”
“Oh… are they late?”
“No, they’re traveling. I take care of the place while they’re gone. Come on, let me show you upstairs.”
He had barely finished speaking when a voice called out from the other side of the house. I turned as a beautiful blonde woman entered the room with a man beside her. She wore a maid uniform.
“We are honored with your visit, Mr. Perez,” she said with a soft smile.
I glanced down at her outfit in surprise. Dylan responded quickly. “Janet, hi. Um, this is—”
“Alexis,” she finished for him. I blinked, surprised that she knew my name. “He talks about—” Janet started to say, but the man beside her gently nudged her arm to stop her.
“I’m Luke,” he said, extending his hand. I shook it politely and still introduced myself, even though he clearly already knew who I was.
“I believe you and I are going to be the bestest friends,” Janet said with a bright grin. I forced a smile in return.
“You didn’t tell us you were visiting,” Luke added. “We could’ve set everything up.”
“We’re just passing by,” Dylan said casually, brushing off their concern.
He turned back to me. “Now, the stairs.”
I nodded and gave them a polite smile before heading toward the staircase, which looked taller than most. I could hear giggles behind us, soft laughter, and Dylan muttering something under his breath that made me want to laugh too.
Before I could take another step, he swept me off my feet—literally.
I gasped as I was lifted into his arms, staring up at his face. He wasn’t looking at me, which gave me time to just study him quietly. His jawline. The lashes that framed his eyes. How he looked even more breathtaking from this angle.
Then I felt myself being lowered again—back on my feet—and realized we’d reached the top.
“Why do you sometimes talk like you’re from an old novel?” I asked as I adjusted my shirt, trying to play it cool.
But then I looked up… and my jaw dropped.
We were inside a room that could eat our apartment alive. To the right, a glass partition revealed a luxurious bathing area. I could see the bathtub from here. On the other side was what had to be a walk-in closet. A king-sized bed rested in the center, but beyond that—just a little farther—was a grand piano.
At the far end of the room, there was a glass door that opened to a terrace. A cozy couch surrounded by plants waited outside, bathed in soft golden sunlight. The view—God, the view. You could see the whole sky melting into dusk.
Heaven.
I didn’t even realize I’d started walking until I bumped into something—hard and solid. A snooker table. Of course.
“Ouch,” I muttered, not from pain, but from how utterly lost I was in the moment. And just when I thought the room couldn’t surprise me anymore… music began to play.
Soft. Calming. Live.
I turned slowly, and there was Dylan—seated at the piano, playing… singing.
He didn’t even notice me. He was lost in it, in the melody, in whatever memory or emotion the song held. His voice melted into the room, and I felt something in me stir.
I walked toward him like I was sleepwalking. My heart, my breath, my thoughts—everything was his right now.
Before I knew it, I was seated beside him, quiet, dreamy, watching him in awe.
He finally turned to look at me. Our eyes locked. For the first time today.
My stomach flipped. Butterflies, panic, desire. All at once.
He brought a hand to my lips and brushed them with his fingers. And then, without warning, he kissed me.
Hard.
His mouth crashed onto mine, and my mind shattered into white noise. Before I could even think, I was on the piano, my back arched as his lips traveled lower—down my neck, down my chest—until he reached the place that had been aching for him all along.
And when he did… I moaned, loud, shamelessly, feeling every nerve in my body ignite. Blood rushed through me, my toes curled, and everything blurred into one blazing truth— I wanted him? I wanted Elliot’s big brother.