Alessio hooted loudly. “Oooh. I’m so scared.”
There was no way to sugarcoat it. My brother was a jerk. A cruel, nasty jerk. I didn’t want to know him. I wanted to pretend this night never happened.
Turning to Laredo, I kept my eyes on the ground as I stated, “This was a bad idea. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
He sounded miserable. “Mina, please don’t go.”
“Enjoy your dinner,” I replied as Lev walked me to the double doors. Before we made our exit, Lev paused mid-step and turned to face Alessio one last time. What he said made me cry all over again.
“Mina might have had a decent childhood, but she’s been dealt her share of hardship. She’s been without a home for seven years. She spent that time on the streets, sleeping in alleyways, eating trash to stay alive. Where were you sleeping two months ago, Alessio?” He spoke quietly, “I found Mina sleeping next to a puddle of piss, so emaciated that she was on the brink of death having not eaten in days.”
“Mina,” Laredo muttered, shaking his head with sadness. “Sweetheart.”
Lev eyed my brother, who lifted his chin in defiance. “Don’t assume to know her. You don’t know anything about her, you sack of shit.”
I cried into Lev’s sleeve, tired of people seeing my tears. Lev rubbed my arm as we let ourselves out. As he opened the front door to let us out, I heard Nicolas Van Eden speak, his accent thick and harsh.
“That girl is your sister. She was sweet. And you…you are a fucking asshole, boykie.”
To which Alessio responded a hushed, “Shut the fuck up, Eden.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mina
I initiated sex with Lev as a distraction. It was a shitty thing to do, but I felt I needed it. I needed him. At first, he fought me, trying to tame my lustful kisses to the sweet ones I viewed as dangerous. I climbed him, nipping the taut skin at his neck, sucked at his tongue, and ground myself into his hardening length until my panties were soaked through. I’d said it before, there was just no faking my reaction to Lev. I pulled my panties to the side and slid down on him, impaling myself on his thick cock as far as I could. He’d lost this round, and with it, his control. With his back to the headboard, he sat up taller, thrusting up into me, his strong arms wrapped around me, holding me firmly, and the sex was no longer a distraction, rather a place of refuge for me.
Lev’s hands on my body calmed me like a prayer. He had proved time and time again that he was everything I needed.
God…I loved him so.
My body begged for release. I wanted so much to not feel numb. I wanted to feel him release inside me. Nothing satisfied me like that feeling.
His hand came around me, gripped my wrist, and then brought it down between our joined bodies. “Rub your clit, baby. Nice and slow.” Then his head dipped down to take my nipple into his warm mouth. I did as he ordered and he suckled me. Within a minute, my body went rigid, my head flinging back as my pussy clamped around him, and I whimper through my orgasm. It took less than ten seconds for Lev to follow. He released my nipple with a pop and let out a long groan as his arms tightened around me, holding me in place. His cock pulsed inside me, and I felt that wonderful wet warmth drip down, out of my core.
I felt better, and I blinked sleepily at him, cupping his cheeks and taking his mouth in a tender kiss. “God, I needed that.”
“I know you did,” he said quietly as he stroked my back. “How are you feeling?” he asked, keeping us joined at our most intimate places.
I leaned my forehead onto his shoulder, accepting his embrace. “I didn’t have a brother before. I’ll be fine without one now.”
“Mina,” he started. “You must be hurt.”
I was hurt, but I wasn’t going to let it affect me. “I’ll be fine, sweetie. I promise.” But my heart ached for Alessio. “I’m just sad that he suffered like that by the hands of his—our— father. I wish he’d been there with us. I wish Mom had taken him with her.”
“You’re too kind,” he huffed out. “He was rude and obscene. He was a dickhead. You shouldn’t care about him at all. He certainly doesn’t care about you.”
“Yeah,” I muttered as I turned my neck to breathe him in. “Still, I don’t blame him for being bitter. Sins of the father and all that crap.”
His lips landed at my temple. He kissed me there and whispered, “It’s okay to feel wounded, mouse. It’s okay.”
The first sob escaped me so painfully that I felt like my chest was ripped open and my heart was falling away piece by piece. More tears followed, and as I let out my sorrow over losing the brother I’d never had, Lev kept his arms around me and his lips at my temple, holding me until there were no more tears to cry.
The truth was, I wanted a brother, and now that I knew I had one and he rejected me, it hurt worse than the agony I’d felt when my mother passed away.
My brother hated me.
He didn’t know me, yet he hated me.
The jury was in.
Life just wasn’t fair.
Two days passed, and although it was a short time, it was long enough for almost everyone at Bleeding Hearts to find out I had a brother, more shockingly that it was Alessio ‘Scar Face’ Scarfo. Sasha found it particularly funny. And I hated him for it.
He found every excuse to tell people about the brother who didn’t want a sister, and gloated while I shrank into myself.
It surprised me that Anika took me aside, and with a sympathetic look in her eye, she hugged me tight as she stroked my hair, telling me she was sorry. I despised her for that too. I could never figure out if we were friends or not. She made it hard to hate her when I so desperately needed the comfort.
Nas asked me about Laredo, feigning disinterest, but I could see she wanted to know about him. I smiled at her. “You want to come with me next time I see him? He’s our uncle, after all.”
She blinked down at her coffee mug and nodded. “Yeah, that might be okay.” She quickly added, “I mean, I wouldn’t let you go alone anyway. Not after Alessio pulled that shit.” She nudged me lightly. “I got your back, kukla.”
“I know he had an affair with your mom, but it’s okay to admit you miss him,” I muttered gently.
“I don’t,” she said all too quickly. At my unmoving stare, she shrugged and squawked, “I don’t!”
I let it go. She didn’t want to admit it, but I knew the truth.
Saturday morning came, and Lev and I lazed around in bed, making love with aching slowness, in no rush to leave our bubble-o-love when the buzzer sounded. Lev got out of bed, in all his nude glory, went to the wall, and picked up the receiver. “Yeah?”
I watched from across the room as his shoulders stiffened and he hissed, “You got some nerve, asshole,” then he hung up. When he turned, his jaw was tense and he looked over at me.
A frown marred my brow. “What is it?”
He opened his mouth to speak, when the buzzer went off again. He picked up the receiver once more and held it to his ear. He held it there a long while and closed his eyes. “You’ve got five minutes. Not a second more.” With a sigh, he hung up the receiver and told me, “You might want to shower. You have a guest.”
“Who is it?”
He leaned against the wall and spoke quietly, “Your brother.”
I pulled the sheets higher up my body, my shoulders stiffening. “I don’t want to see him.”
Lev watched me closely. “Are you sure?” I didn’t respond quickly enough, so he threw on a pair of pajama pants. “Okay. I’ll send him away, mouse.”
Just as he unlocked the bedroom door from the inside, I called out, “Wait.” If I didn’t hear him out, I would forever wonder what he’d come to say to me. “Okay, I’ll see him. Give me a minute.”
I rushed across the room into the en suite and had the quickest shower of my life. I didn’t bother with makeup, just brushed out my wet hair, threw on a pair of blue jeans and a loose white sweater, and slipped on a pair of flip-flops before making my way downstairs.