DAMIR
I wasn't mad at Eli. Not really.
He was just too damn beautiful.
I mean, what did the world expect? That someone like Eli, with those soft eyes and full lips and that effortlessly seductive sway in his hips, wouldn't attract bees the way flowers did? The problem wasn't him. It was the bees who didn't know their boundaries.
Still, I had to be stern with him at breakfast. I had to make a statement, not out of anger, but because he needed to know how serious this was. He needed to understand that letting his guard down, even once, came with consequences. I didn't want him to be sorry. I wanted him to be cautious. Safe.
The moment I walked out of that dining hall, I already missed him.
I sat in the backseat of my car, phone in hand, fingers drumming against the leather. "Send the biggest bouquet of white and red roses. Mix in baby's breath, make it soft. Romantic. And add a box of his favorite fruit vanilla swirl ice cream, three tubs."
"Yes, sir."
"I want it at the mansion in twenty-five minutes. I'll be back by then."
I needed those flowers to speak for me before I did. Because Eli wasn't just my boyfriend. He was everything I woke up for. My softness. My weakness. My home.
Exactly twenty-seven minutes later, I returned. The massive bouquet in hand, and the bag of ice cream tucked under my arm. I headed inside, and the moment I stepped into the quiet mansion, the silence hit me. Lian and Adam were gone. Good.
I walked straight to Eli's room.
The door creaked open slowly.
The mess from the night before was still there…pillows tossed, clothes from three people scattered, empty cans and snack wrappers. But none of that mattered. Because Eli was there. Curled up in bed, still crying.
My heart cracked.
The moment he looked up and saw me standing in the doorway with the flowers, his teary eyes widened. He scrambled out of bed and ran to me, almost stumbling over the rug. I barely had time to drop the bouquet on the nightstand before his arms flung around me, his soft frame melting against my chest.
"I'm sorry!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry for drinking, for letting Adam get close. I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't know…I didn't think…he kissed me, and I just….I feel disgusting, Damir."
I wrapped my arms tightly around him, inhaling the familiar scent of his hair, fingers stroking down his back slowly.
"Shhh," I whispered. "I know. I know, baby. I saw it in your eyes this morning. You didn't have to explain."
"I didn't want him to. I swear I didn't. I felt so dirty."
I leaned down, pressing my lips to the crown of his head. "You're not dirty. He crossed a line, not you. But you're still gonna get punished."
He tensed.
I pulled back slightly to cup his face. "Not because I'm angry. Because I need you to be more careful. To understand that not everyone will care for you the way I do."
He nodded through the tears. "I understand."
I smiled, thumb brushing a teardrop from his cheek. "But first, you're going to eat that ice cream with me. All three tubs. And you're going to let me kiss you until you stop crying. Got it?"
He gave a small, broken laugh. "Got it."
I led him to the bed, the flowers still glowing softly in the background.
This boy. This reckless, sweet, maddening boy, he didn't know it, but I'd go to war for him.
And anyone who thought they could touch what was mine?
They had another thing coming.