BRIANN P.O.V
It was mid-night,i was rinsing the last of the dishes when i heard my name cut sharply through the air.
"Briann"
My hands froze,the soap slipped between my fingers.I hadn't even heard the front door open.I turned,startled and there he was.
Massilo.
Standing in the doorway,his tie was roughly undone,his eyes was dark and unsteady.The sharp smell of alcohol clung to him.I lowered my gaze immediately.
"Mr Massilo,you're back so late" I said softly,hoping my tone alone would remind him of the distance i wanted to keep.
Respect.Only respect.
But he didn't stay at the door.His footsteps came fast and heavy and before i could move,his hand caught my wrist,pulling me around with a recklessness that made my breath catch.His face was suddenly so close,his eyes blazed as he glared down at me.
"Why do you have to be stubborn?" His words were rough,slurred with drink but sharp with hurt.I tried to pull away,but his grip only tightened, dragging me closer until the tip of our noses almost brushed.My heart slammed against my ribs.I could feel the warmth of his breath,the weight of everything he wasn't saying pressing against me.
"I've missed you!" He shouted,the pain cracking along his voice. "Do you even know how hard I've been trying to make it right with you? Tell me...what do I have to do for you to forgive me?" His voice echoed against the tiled wall,too raw and too desperate.
I wrenched myself free,clutching the hem of my apron as if it could shield me.My head bowed. "Sir,you need to rest" I muttered quietly,trying to steady my trembling voice.
"It's the middle of the night.You have work tomorrow" I thought that could be enough,a reminder of duty,of the boundaries we needed.But suddenly,his hand seized my arm again,stronger this time and in one swift motion,my back hit the wall.He stood over me,his shadow swallowing mine.
"You must be mine" He said,his voice was low,commanding and almost breaking.
The world went stilled.His face lowered toward mine and before I could turn away,his lips grazed mine,so rough and searching.I gasped and almost pushed him away but he caught my hand,pressing it against the wall.My lips parted as if to speak,to protest,but his mouth was on mine again.
"Mr Massilo..." His name slipped out between breaths,but every word I tried to form was swallowed by the press of his lips,silencing me.For a heartbeat,I fought the closeness,my palms pressing against him but his kiss carried all the fury,loneliness and longing he had buried.And as his forehead rested against mine,his mouth finding mine again with trembling insistence,my strength faltered.The fight left me.My eyes fluttered shut.
For that moment,I let the world fall away,I let myself be caught in the storm of him,the anger,the sorrow,the love he could never put into words.And it broke me,because even as I kissed him back,I knew it was a flame,a fire that could consume us both.The moment his lips slowed,I broke free,gasping for air as though I had been drowning.My fingertips lingered on my mouth,swollen and warm from the kiss,but I couldn't look at him.Not after I had just done.My chest heaved,my cheeks burned and I turned quickly,wiping my wet eyes with my hands on a napkin as I moved away.
My steps were clumsy,shakily driven by a mix of shyness and embarrassment.I couldn't face him,not now.But I heard his footsteps following immediately,his voice was rough but filled with something I had never heard before.Hope.
"Briann..." His tone made me stumble faster,but he wouldn't let me escape easily.He was right behind me now, reaching for me as if my silence might slip between his fingers.I kept my head bowed,refusing to meet his eyes.My heart was still racing with the memory of how his mouth felt against mine.I needed to get away from him,away from that intensity before it swallowed me again.
Just as I reached the stairs,his words stopped me in my tracks. "Will you be free tomorrow?"
I froze.My back stiffened,my hand trembled on the banister.I didn't answer.I couldn't.Not with him standing so close behind me,waiting and expecting.My only escape was forward,so I climbed the stairs quickly,my heart thudding louder with every step.
At the doorway to the guest room,I finally turned just enough to throw the word over my shoulder,barely above a whisper, "Yes"
And before he could say anything else,I slipped inside and slammed the door shut.I pressed my back against the door,a small smile breaking onto my lips.Despite myself,my fingers touched my lips again,recalling the way he kissed me,rough,desperate and hungry,as though I was the only thing that could fill the hollow inside him.The memory made my stomach flutter,my knees were weak.
But then just as quickly the smile faded.The image of her flashed before me,the elegant lady on the blind date.The way he kissed her too.My chest tightened,anger and hurt surging in equal measures.How could I let myself melt into him like that,when I knew what I saw with my own eyes.I clenched my fists,blinking away the tears that threatened to form.
No,I couldn't let this go.I needed to know if that kiss tonight meant anything.A frown captured my blossom heart while I went to sit over the bed with despair of letting my mind so loose.