Page 19 of Obsessions of the Heart

Cin sighed. “About half the women who start don't make it past sophomore year. Which makes it male dominated, but us ladies are growing in numbers, making a space for ourselves. That's why I want to carve out a space for you too.”

Fingering my necklace, I thought about what she’d said. Knowing that little tidbit of information, I felt inclined to let her have her way with dressing me. I didn’t care that much anyway. I’d learned a long time ago not to care about brands and nice clothes because I wasn’t meant to have them. That was for kids who had caring, loving parents, and that was not me.

“Where did you get that?” My eyes snapped up to see Cin’s gaze narrowing at my necklace.

Letting it slip through my fingers, I shrugged, not wanting to admit its value to me. “Oh, it's just something I picked up.” She hummed, watching my neck like she was committing it to memory. I was about to take it off and hide it when her whole demeanor snapped back around. She smiled wide as she cooed about some eyeshadow being perfect for me. Maybe I’m imagining things?

As soon as she was done, I slid on the crop top, black skater skirt, and thigh-high wedges. She gave me a thorough inspection. “You have this special type of pretty and style. It's like you don’t care. I think that's what makes people like me drawn to you.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that's because I don't care. Plus, your style of pretty is way prettier than mine. You look gorgeous and exotic, almost regal, even though you try to hide it.” I didn't mean to tell her so much of what I thought, but it just came out.

With her tongue in her cheek, she glared at me before she rolled her eyes. “Alright. This just isn’t fair. You're smart and pretty. Not cool, Lay. Not cool.”

I mumbled the truth. “Yeah, right. Smart is not what people back home would call me.”

She shoved my shoulders, and I braced instinctively, telling myself all I needed to do was find the right time to strike back. When a hit didn’t follow, I looked at her to see her mouth pinched and her thin body shaking. She growled, “What the fuck did those garbage people call you? I will slit their fucking throats.”

My eyes flew open, stunned, because this was not the face of someone who was joking. This was the face of a friend trying to defend a friend. Someone who wanted to have my back. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, to get her to calm down, but that horrible darkness inside of me crept forward. You know you're not worth her time and energy. You're better off alone. I closed my mouth, shutting down all my feelings so the voice within couldn’t take over.

Cin gave a long, low sigh, eyes down on the ground and hands on her hips. Her voice was sad and resigned when she said, “Come on. Let's go.”

I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn't some granite, pantheon-looking mega mansion. Four white stone pillars matched the ones from the main hall building, giving it a guarded look, like those pillars were keeping out those of us deemed unacceptable. The whole lawn was perfectly sculpted, not even a leaf out of place. The only things that brought some kind of human aspect were the large wraparound front porch with a bench swing and the terraces that came out from each window on the second floor. This place was so out of my league.

Cin pinched me, but I just hissed at her until she finally cracked a smile. “See, that's why I like you. Now, come on. These jackoffs aren’t so fucking great. You’ll do fine.” She pressed forward, trudging up the steps like it was something she did often.

Club music pounded out once she opened the door. I looked behind me, hoping that no one was upset with how loud the sound was, but Cin pulled me in and closed the door. “It's a top-of-the-line, soundproofed design so they could get out of receiving noise complaints.” I knew I was beginning to become desensitized to my surroundings because my first thought was I guess that's what rich people do with their money.

The inside was just as glamorous as the outside. My first glance was of two extra-wide mahogany-railed staircases coming down each side, with a round stone table in the center. You could hear the music and other voices, but they seemed to be coming from further inside the house. Cin nodded for me to follow her just as a smooth baritone called out from above.

“And who brought this stunning creature to Alpha Sigma Xi?” I glanced up, stunned to see a gorgeous man. Desperately, I tried to keep my mouth from falling open.

“Luca, non iniziare con le tue cazzate!” Cin snapped, stomping her foot in his direction like she was going to do something. I didn't know what she was saying, but she didn't seem happy. This must be either her brother or her cousin.

This man was built like a Greek god, and the only reason I knew that was because the top three buttons on his blue shirt were open, his sleeves rolled up. Tight white slacks sculpted themselves around his waist. His hair was a tad long, curling right underneath his ears, but it flowed around his head like he was a model waiting for someone to take his picture.

He called out, “Cin, chiudi la bocca.” His words were for her, but his honey brown eyes drilled into me as he lazily made his way down the stairs. His easy smile gave me the feeling that although this was his default, it wasn’t his true smile, and that put me on edge.

Cin flipped him off just as he hit the landing, but he ignored her, grabbed my hand, and kissed it. Needless to say, I was flustered. Between his drop-dead good looks, dark hair that called my fingers to run through it, and the soft, chaste yet sexy kiss he gave my hand, my tongue was all in knots. I could feel Cin’s annoyance. The little exhales and complaining grunts made it obvious she didn't want to witness any of this.

“Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

This was a man with power, and I needed to watch myself. The fact that she didn’t pull me away from him said that loudly enough.

“Layrin. Layrin Smith.”

“Layrin. I’m Luca Ricci. It's a pleasure.” He said my name like it was dripping in sin and lust, and my internal alarms immediately went off. This man seemed to want something from me, and I didn’t think I wanted to give it to him. I abstained from backing away from him because that would mean he was winning whatever this was.

He held out his arm for me to take, but that passed the extent of Cin’s patience because she loudly said, “Nope! No. She is mine, brother. Get one of your own,” then snagged my arm and pulled me toward the music.

A backward glance revealed Luca with that lazy smile I wasn't buying, but his gold eyes sparkled with excitement as he tucked his hands into his too-tight pants. I reminded myself that I didn't want to get involved with any man, let alone a man that looked like he was going to eat me and spit me out when he was done. I had made a life of avoiding men like him, and I wasn’t about to go back on that now.

More and more people started to show up the deeper we got into the house. Cin waved to a few of them and flipped off others like she was some kind of queen bee, but with a brother like Luca, I guessed she was. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the king here.

“Come on. Let’s say hi to Elio. He’s the more fun one anyway.” She stopped in her tracks before turning around to face me. “But I’m warning you, don’t try to catch his eye or anything because he’s straight up cray cray. You don't want that kind of mess in your life. Trust me.”

I don't think I want to know either of your relatives in that kind of way. I wasn’t going to tell her that since I didn't know if she would take it offensively or not. It was best just to keep my mouth shut about her family.

She pulled me through a maze-like set of hallways until we ended up in a large open space that looked like it was a living room, dining room, and kitchen meshed into one. Cin motioned toward the kitchen. “Let's get a drink.”

---