There You Are
“Of course not,” Bella said with a soft scoff as if I had just said something absurd.
Then she must’ve seen the hurt look that flashed across my face because her expression softened a little, and she continued,
“You just like me, know what it’s like in our world, right? He couldn’t have a girlfriend from our world, our kind of family since it’s not allowed. And he definitely couldn’t bring some girl from outside and introduce her to his parents. So I don’t know… maybe he did have someone out there, but if he did, he wouldn’t have acknowledged her. Not openly. Not given who we are.”
She looked at me, measuring the way I was taking it in, and then added quickly,
“You do know who we are, right? It’s not like Cyrus had a girlfriend either.”
She gave an awkward laugh as if trying to brush off the tension in the room. I stood there, watching her, studying her face, and then I nodded.
But my thoughts wouldn’t stop running. And before I could help myself, I said,
“You told me you were very close… from what I remember. You two were probably joined at the hip. Same classes, always together. I’m sure if he had a girlfriend, you would’ve known… right?”
Bella tilted her head slightly, her smile faltering just a bit. “Well… the thing is, when we got older, mostly when we hit sixteen and Cullen got introduced into the family business, we didn’t spend as much time together anymore. He started hanging out with his friends, Tony and Frank doing whatever it is they did...”
She gave me a look, raised her brow a little, and added with a knowing smirk, “Sleeping around and partying. You know how boys are. He started sleeping around with women like they all usually did.”
There was a slight shrug. “That’s the past though. What I’m saying is… even if he did see someone, I wouldn’t have known.”
I studied her closely. “Did he see other women, though?”
Bella nodded slowly, her voice dropping into something a bit more serious, and thoughtful.
“Yeah… I think he did.” She gave a half-laugh and nodded again. “Yes, I do have knowledge that he did sleep with other women. But having someone like a girlfriend?” She shook her head. “Girl, no.”
“Okay,” I said softly, absorbing everything. Filing it all away quietly in my mind.
“Forget about that,” she said quickly, brightening again, her voice rising like a curtain after an awkward scene. “Come, let me show you our pool. It’s not as luxurious as yours, but it’s got a charm of its own.”
She reached out and pulled my hand, guiding me toward the kitchen so we could exit through the back.
But just as we neared the staircase that led upstairs, a sudden voice echoed from above:
“Princess? Princess!”
The voice was deep. Familiar. My heart skipped.
Bella froze for just a second, her hand still wrapped around mine, and then like a switch her entire face flushed a deep red. We both turned our eyes toward the stairs.
And there, standing at the top of it, was Cyrus.
And my God, was he a walking, breathing, wet dream.
He looked like he had just stepped out of the shower. A white towel was slung low around his waist, clinging to his hips like it was hanging on for dear life. His hair was damp, dripping in soft curls across his forehead. Beads of water still glistened down his chest, sliding over those hard, cut abs like something out of a fantasy. His skin gleamed, golden and smooth, and those lashes, thick and dark framed eyes that made it impossible to look away.
Oh my freaking God.
I’d always thought Cyrus was attractive. Handsome. Cool. That quiet type who gave you just enough attention to make your heart skip. But this... this was another level. This wasn’t just good looks. This was full-blown, chest-tightening lust.
I felt like I was watching porn, yes, that’s exactly what it felt like. Because suddenly, I wasn’t just looking. I was imagining. Wondering how he felt.
And to think I was a virgin.
I had never slept with any man. Never even gotten close enough to wonder how one might feel beneath my hands. I had never seen Cullen naked. Never even half-naked. Not a peek under all those tailored shirts and stiff suits. He never gave me a glimpse of himself. And honestly, I’d never wondered.
But this? This view?
His brother… was standing there like some Greek god come to life, offering me a front-row seat.
I knew I shouldn’t have been thinking what I was thinking. I knew it wasn’t right. Cyrus was my brother-in-law. He was married to my fake friend. He was family. This was wrong on so many levels.
And yet…
I couldn’t stop looking. Couldn’t stop thinking. I was a literal, perfect virgin, and yet my thoughts were anything but.
Have you seen him?
I mean, have you seen him?
If you had this view right now, you’d be speechless too.
And then, as if my body wasn’t already betraying me, that quiet voice inside whispered again, 'He was supposed to be yours. You’re forgetting, aren’t you? You grew up thinking he would be your husband.
But then another voice shot right back, 'He’s not. Not anymore.
Thankfully, Cyrus broke the spell first.
“There you are,” he said, giving Bella a wink.
I felt like that wink... God, that wink was meant for me. Like it had been aimed at me. And in that moment, I couldn’t help but think how lucky was Bella.
I had never seen Cullen naked. Not even half-naked. And here was his brother, standing there as he belonged on the cover of Vogue, oozing sensuality with every wet, glistening inch of skin. I had never once wondered what Cullen looked like under his clothes, never cared to imagine. But this... this moment made me feel things I had no business feeling.
Cyrus stood tall at the top of those stairs, like he was the Lord Almighty himself, watching over us with that arrogant, sexy smirk.
And in that moment? I swear, I was ready to risk it all.
Bella, still blushing, called up,
“We have a guest. And company.”
Cyrus grinned down at us. “I can see that.” Then he turned to me with a wolfish grin. “Hi, Sarah.”
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