Chapter Thirty-Two

Irene

The next morning, Irene woke up in a strange bed. The bed was excessively big and amazingly comfortable; the linens smelled fresh, the duvet was soft and felt luxurious, and the room looked huge.

It took her a while before she realized where she was.

Then she remembered everything that happened the night before. She sat up and rubbed her face with her hand, then swung her legs out of bed. She walked over to the window and pushed the curtains to the side.

When she looked at the view, she was impressed. She could see everything happening in the front of the compound. She saw all the family members doing their duties.

She saw Zach talking seriously to someone, and she saw Ethan, Adrian, and Jackson standing beside him.

They looked like they felt good around each other; they seemed to feel so comfortable in each other’s company. They looked like one big family.

A sting of jealousy hit her. A family was something she didn’t have anymore. From the age of sixteen, she’d been on her own; the only family she had was herself.

When she saw these men together, she realized how much she missed having a family—how she missed being able to trust someone fully.

She turned back around and freshened herself up a little. She quickly put on some clothes and walked out the door. Once downstairs, she walked out the front door and looked for Zach and the guys.

They were still in the same place she had seen them a moment ago. Ethan was the first to notice her and walked around everyone to give her a hug.

“Irene.” He smiled widely. “It’s good to see you!”

“Hey, Ethan, it’s good to see you too.” Irene smiled and she hugged him back. Zach’s jealous look didn’t go unnoticed, and her smile widened a little. When Ethan let her go, she turned and looked at Zach.

She pointed her finger at him. “You have to do something about that, you know. You can’t get mad every time I hug someone.” They all laughed.

“Irene, he is a mob boss. He is more stubborn than a mule. There’s no point in saying something about it; he won’t change.” Adrian laughed and they all laughed with him.

“Who said I won’t change. Maybe I never changed because there wasn’t a reason important enough.

“I think this girl”—he looked at Irene with loving eyes and wrapped an arm around her waist—“is important enough to change for.”

Irene looked down and shyly pulled away from Zach. Everyone around them saw it. They saw how she pulled away, how she didn’t feel comfortable around Zach.

Ethan made eye contact with Zach; he had a worried look on his face. “Irene, would you like me to show you where Joanna is staying?” He tried to take the attention away from the awkwardness between her and Zach.

Irene’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes, please.” She smiled a little, still a bit uncomfortable.

“Boss, I hope you don’t mind me taking your girlfriend to my girlfriend.” Ethan looked at Zach with a frown between his eyes. You never knew how Zach would respond.

“No, it’s fine, as long as you keep her safe.” They could see that Zach had mixed feelings about this.

“You know I will always keep her safe.” Ethan turned around and walked in the direction of Joanna’s cabin. “See you later, guys.”

Irene followed him and started walking beside him.

“So, how are you holding up?” he asked her when they were out of hearing range.

“I don’t know.” She looked at her feet. “It’s all a bit much, I guess.”

“Tell me.” Ethan looked at her. “It’ll help. Maybe I could help you with the things you may not understand.”

“Hmm…” Irene thought about it and decided just to let it all out. “I just don’t know what to feel. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. I’ve been attacked by a man I trusted, or at least I did in the beginning.

“And now, Zach just told me he is my destined. And I know he feels a lot for me already. He shows it every time I look at him. I know every girl dreams of a man looking at her like that, like she’s the only thing in his world.

“But how will I know if I will ever feel the same? He deserves someone who loves him just as much as he loves her. How is he so sure that I’m the one for him? I— I just don’t know.” She shrugged.

“It’s the same for me and Joanna.” Ethan stopped walking and turned to her. “We’re still in the process of getting to know each other. But every time we are together, there is chemistry, there is a connection.

“Something we just can’t deny. And that is what Joanna trusts. She trusts the feeling deep inside her that tells her that what we have is right. I guess you have to look deep in yourself and see if you have that feeling too.

“And if you do, trust it, grab it—you won’t regret it. Maybe the pace Zach is going is a little too fast for your liking, but you can talk to him about it. He’ll do anything for you, Irene.

“Tell him to jump off a bridge, he’ll do it. Tell him to climb the highest mountain, he’ll do it. He’ll do it because it’s for you. He’ll even slow down, for you.”

Irene frowned. “But how do you know that she’s the one for you? How can you tell?”

“I just do.” Ethan shrugged. “When I see her, the sun seems to shine a bit brighter. When I see her, everything else just disappears, and it’s just me and her.

“When I touch her, everything starts to tingle, and I get a warm feeling within me. And when I smell her, hmm, oh boy.” He smiled when he thought about it.

“I want to wrap myself in her scent. When I’m near her, I want to have her, own her, possess her, and make love to her. I want to pleasure her.”

“Wow.” She was amazed by Ethan’s confession.

“Yeah.” Ethan laughed. “Sorry if I make you feel uncomfortable.” He was quiet for a minute. “But I think Zach feels almost the same about you.”

“Do you think I will be able to love him back just as much as he loves me?”

“I am sure you can. Give yourself a little time and give him a chance. He is a good guy. Hot-headed, stubborn at times, but he will never, ever hurt you. He can’t.”

Irene looked at him with big eyes. “He can’t?”

“No, not on purpose anyway.”

“Why?”

“When he hurts you, he’ll hurt himself. Now that he has made a connection with you, he’ll feel everything you feel. When you’re hurt, he’ll feel your hurt. We’re not like everyone else in the normal world. We’re intense. Our way of life demands it. A destined helps balance our emotions, but we also become intertwined.”

“Goodness.”

“Yeah, sometimes it’s very inconvenient,” Ethan laughed awkwardly and scratched his neck. “Like when it’s the time of the month.”

Irene laughed as well. “That will be a fun thing to find out.”