Page 39 of Fierce Secrets

MEREDITH

Sofia's house had always felt like something out of a fairy tale – an older mansion-style home set back from the road, protected by ornate gates and perfectly manicured grounds. The library, with its dark wood shelves and leather-bound books, was my favorite room. Now, as snow began to drift down outside in the darkness, coating the immaculate garden in white, I curled deeper into the cushions of the window seat, my hot chocolate warming my hands through the oversized mug. I had the weighted blanket from Leo draped around me, and I wouldn’t lie, it was perfect right now.

The gentle glow of antique lamps cast soft shadows across the room, making it feel cozy despite its grandeur. Sofia always had a strange love for old things, and this house was the perfect blend for her. She'd found a way to have her high-end taste merge with the old building, having it modernized in some ways while keeping its charm.

"I still can't believe someone shot at you. That's insane!" Sofia said from her position in the oversized armchair across from me, her own mug cradled in her hands. "And you're handling it okay?"

I nodded, my gaze on my phone as I scrolled through another useless search. Leo Donati was a ghost online – mentioned in business journals occasionally, photographed at charity events with that same controlled expression, but nothing substantial. Nothing that explained who he really was, what he really did. Even Gray's business dealings were suspiciously vague, leading to more questions than answers. No matter where I looked, the pair of them seemed clean.

Seemed being the word of the hour. Neither of them were who they seemed to be, and I knew that. I just hated the thoughts plaguing my mind. I wanted to be told differently, to learn that my dark suspicions were wrong.

I pursed my lips, eyeing the time on my phone. A little after three in the morning.

"Are you sure? Not many people would handle being shot at all too well," Sofia checked.

"It happened, nothing I can do about it now, and no one was hurt. Leo protected me too," I said, mumbling the last part as I inspected another charity event with him pictured, although this one had a model hanging off his arm. It shouldn't have bothered me, but it did.

"Tell me you grew up with trauma without telling me," Sofia scoffed, and I managed a weak smile before I continued scrolling.

"Maybe you should focus on something else," Sofia suggested, watching me with those knowing eyes that always seemed to see too much.

"Like what?"

A wicked grin spread across her face, transforming her tired features into something mischievous. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact you fucked your brother's best friend!"

"What?" The word came out as a squeak, my cheeks flooding with heat. "How did you?—"

"Please." She rolled her eyes, setting her mug down on the side table. "It's written all over you. The way you keep touching your lips when you think I'm not looking. Not to mention how cagey you got when I asked why they were arguing and why you needed to leave so badly. It's obvious. And the damn blanket he got you. C’mon."

Heat crept up my neck as I locked my phone, remembering the weight of Leo's body against mine, the burn of his lips on mine. "It just... happened."

"Things like that don't just happen, sweetie." She shifted closer, tucking her legs under her. "Tell me everything."

I bit my lip, remembering the way he'd pressed me against that counter like he couldn't bear any space between us, the way his kiss was so desperate and hungry. "He said 'I'm the man who will protect you, always. Even if you think I'm a monster.'"

Sofia's eyebrows shot up.

"And then he said I never had to be afraid of him." I traced the rim of my mug, watching the marshmallows dissolve into the chocolate. "The way he looked at me, Sof... like I was something special and dangerous all at once…"

"Like you were something he'd been denying himself for years?"

I arched a brow at her as she shrugged, giving me that awfully knowing smile.

"You thought he had a thing for me? You've met him once! By accident too, and you wanted nothing to do with him." I narrowed my eyes at her, and she rolled her own. She'd come over unannounced during one of our Christmas dinners we did together, and the pair had barely spoken a word apart from the usual civil greeting. It was clear neither of them seemed impressed with the other.

"Please, you spoke about him often enough, and it's easy to read between the lines. Besides, it's cliché. Brother's best friend?Bound to have feelings for you, happens all the time," she said with an off-handed wave, and I feigned shock as I tossed a small throw pillow at her.

She laughed as she knocked it aside before picking up her hot chocolate again.

The snow fell harder outside, creating a cocoon of white around us as I thought about my history with Leo. So much of it I struggled to recall even now.

"What else did he say?" Sofia leaned forward eagerly, though something careful lingered in her expression.

I wrapped my hands tighter around my mug, remembering Leo's words against my skin. "'Once I have you, I won't let you go. And you don't know what that means yet.'"

Sofia sat back in her chair, something shifting in her demeanor. "How was he? With you, I mean?" Her voice held a note of concern I wasn't expecting.

"He was..." Heat flooded my cheeks again. "Dominant. Commanding. He wanted me to say I was his." The memory of his hand on my throat, his voice gravelly with possession, made my skin tingle.

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