(Sierra's POV)
The house felt… too quiet. Mom and Nicolas were gone on their honeymoon, and abruptly the mansion that had always seemed so full of life felt empty. I tried to keep busy, pacing from the living room into the kitchen, cleaning up a few things; every little sound made my heart jump. I couldn't stop thinking about earlier--the kiss. My fingers twitched when I recalled the way his lips had been on mine, the heat, the frustration, the hunger. It shouldn't have felt so good. It shouldn't have made me feel this way , but it did. I caught myself glancing toward the staircase, imagining him coming down, those dark eyes fixed on me, that dangerous commanding expression that I could never quite resist.
"Are you seriously just standing there?" Sebastian's voice cut through my thoughts and made me jump. He leaned casually against the counter, arms crossed, smirking. "I… I was just thinking, I mean… college stuff. Homework. Things to do. Important things." Sebastian laughed softly, shaking his head. "Uh-huh. Sure. Important."
(Stefano's POV)
I'd been watching her from the staircase, my jaw tight, my fists clenched at my sides. Fifteen days. That's all we had. She was walking around like nothing had happened, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, and yet I could feel it, the pull she emitted. I hated it. I hated how much she affected me. I wanted to walk over, grab her hand, pull her close-but no. Not yet. Not here. I would not let her see my weakness. Not yet, yet every fibre of me ached for her. Every memory of our kiss—the way her lips had been soft yet defiant, the way her body had reacted to me—haunted me. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to focus, but the truth hit me. I didn't want to focus. I wanted her.
(Sierra's POV)
Later, as I wandered through the empty hallways, my footsteps echoing faintly, I felt someone's presence behind me. I turned, expecting maybe Sebastian or Stefano, and froze. It was Stefano, leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him. His expression was unreadable, but the glint in his eyes caused my heart to quicken. NO!NO!NO! not again.
"Why are you sneaking around?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Maybe I could ask you the same thing," he replied, stepping closer, and the space between us shrunk. I swallowed hard, feeling once again the tension that hung in the air, the electricity of unspoken words and lingering kisses and dangerous glances. "I… I'm just… walking," I stammered. He raised an eyebrow and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Walking? Or thinking about me, Kitten?"
Heat flushed my cheeks, and I wanted to argue, though my words caught in my throat. "I… I wasn't thinking about you! And don't call me kitten" I quickly denied; my own pulse betrayed me. "Liar," he whispered, stepping closer. My back hit the wall, and I realized just how trapped I felt… and how much I enjoyed that.
(Luciana's POV ) At her home
Meanwhile, across campus, Luciana was already plotting. She was lounging against a table in the student lounge, smirking at her reflection in the darkened window. "It's time," she purred to Sasa, Rosa, and Kesi. "Sierra needs to know the truth. About me… about Stefano… about everything." Sasa frowned. "Are we telling her the whole thing?"
"No," Luciana said, shaking her head. "We'll show her our version. How obsessed he was with me. How crazy he went. Let her think she's walking into the middle of something… she'll panic. She'll think she's in danger of losing him to me." Rosa and Kesi both gasped. "That's… harsh."
Luciana leaned forward, smirking. "Perfect. And it will work. She's already confused about him. Add this, and she'll spiral. Stefano's own hatred of me? He won't be able to resist defending her. That's when we strike."
(Sierra's POV)
I shook my head, willing the creeping unease in my stomach to go away. Stefano's presence right behind me was overwhelming. The heat from earlier hadn't dissipated; it had only grown stronger. My fingers fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve. "Why do you always have to make things so complicated?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. He leaned in further, his warm breath dancing across my ear. "Because nothing about you is simple, Sierra. You… you make everything impossible." Impossible. Yes. Everything about him, everything about us, was impossible. And yet… I wanted it. I wanted him.
(Stefano's POV)
I groaned inwardly at the confession I didn't hear, the tension I felt in her words. I wanted to grab her, to tell her, to press my lips against hers again, to claim what had ignited inside me. I stepped back instead, forcing myself to breathe. "Sierra… I… I can't—" Her eyes flashed at me, bright green, fierce. "Can't what?" she asked, teasingly but with a tremor in her voice that I recognized. "I can't stop thinking about you," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
(Sierra's POV)
My heart stopped. I wanted to deny it, to push back, to run. But a thrill ran through me. The man I had been avoiding, arguing with, hating… wanted me. Wanted me. My chest tightened. "Stefano…" He said nothing more. Instead, he pulled me against him once more. Against his lips. This time, slower. Longer. Hungry, messy-but careful. Every second stretched, every heartbeat explosive. My arms curled around him instinctively. I gasped into the kiss, feeling the world shrink to just him and me, the emptiness of the mansion, the tension of college, the danger of Luciana's plotting-all of it melting away in that single, perfect moment. Fuck! He taste so good, I want him so bad.
(To be continued...…)