Blossom in Winter (Blossom in Winter #1)(31)

He gives me a tender smile and lays his right hand on top of mine, while holding the steering wheel with the other.

His eyes are laser focused on the road, but his thumb starts caressing my fingers. I can’t help but smile at the feel of his touch. He brings my hand to his lips, yet his eyes remain forward, attentive and serious. I watch him placing subtle kisses on my knuckles. They are protective, appeasing, and warm. In fact, I realize he has never kissed me on the cheek, not even once, since we’ve only greeted each other verbally. I wonder why and, for an instant, how it would feel to rest my lips on his face.

He looks back at me.

“No one will ever hurt you again, Petra. I give you my word.”

The sound of his voice curls my lips into a pleasant smile. It feels so reassuring. And, strange or not, I have the feeling he truly means it.

“Dad gave me until one thirty a.m… Maybe we could go somewhere else before going straight home?”

“Petra, I promised your father I’d take you to the concert and the party. That’s it. No bars or clubs. Plus, with what happened, you need to rest.”

“I wasn’t thinking about any bar or club. Maybe we could go to your place for some tea? You told me you were renting a condo nearby, right?”

I hear only silence. His face reveals nothing as he glances at his watch. “Fine. I guess we have time for a quick tea and to put some soothing ointment on that cheek. But then, home.” I smile, victorious, despite his stern voice.





Chapter 8





Manhattan, June 2, 2019

Alexander Van Dieren





I hand her a cup while trying to prevent my rage and anger from consuming me. Yet, the urge to beat the hell out of my brother is all I can think about. Damn it. What a fucking bastard—he knew perfectly that Petra was my goddaughter and how much I cared about her. Before I can dwell further, I take a deep breath and sit in front of her. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah… thanks,” she confirms, stirring her tea.

But Petra seems distant, lost in her own thoughts. I bring my chair closer to hers. I can’t help noticing the red mark on her cheek. Fuck, he must’ve slapped her quite hard. That bastard is going to regret it. I’ll take care of him later.

“What’s going on, Petra? Is it because of him? That guy is a total bastard. Don’t even think about him anymore. I should’ve never introduced you to him. I’m so sorry. I never thought—”

“No, it’s not that…” she cuts me off. “It’s just…” Petra sighs, looking absently at her tea. “Every time I’m interested in someone, I get deceived.”

“You mean you already met guys like him?”

“Once. And that’s my entire romantic life.”

“So you had a boyfriend before?” I ask, my tone coming out more worried than I expected.

She giggles. “No. He was just a crush from high school, and I saw him at Emma’s party. He was so cute and nice. But anyway…”

“What happened then?” Yep, now it’s my turn to be curious, Ms. Van Gatt.

“Hey, are you gonna tell Dad?”

“Well, I’m already hiding from him your little trip to jail, so I bet I can hide one more thing.”

She studies my face for a moment with narrowed eyes and pressed lips. “Okay, fine. His name is James, and we were together in a bedroom when—”

“Wait. In a bedroom? You mean… doing it?” I have to ask.

Her jaw drops at my question. “Of course not,” she replies, nearly outraged. “I’m not like that.”

I raise an eyebrow suspiciously. “Not like what?”

She breaks eye contact instead, her cheeks flushing as she looks down at her tea. “You’ll make fun of me if I tell you...”

I escape a wry smile, intrigued. “Try me.”

But the Miss doesn’t open up further.

I put my hand on hers, searching for her gaze. When she finally meets mine again, I add, “I’ll never make fun of you, Petra. You can trust me.”

We keep quiet as we stare into each other’s eyes.

“I...” she mumbles.

Nothing but silence remains.

“I just want to do it with the right one… Like in books, when they truly love each other... It’s stupid, I know. Call me old-fashioned,” she teases with an ounce of embarrassment, her eyes darting down again.

“Petra.”

She instantly looks back at me.

“I think it’s very wise and noble. I’m sure one day you’ll find someone who will love you that way.”

Her face softens with a corner smile, and I find myself returning it. “So,” she proceeds, “James and I were kissing on the bed when Emma stepped in, telling me she caught one of his friends recording us. They wanted to use the video to blackmail us for money.”

“Wow. Disgusting.”

“Indeed. I thought he had morals and standards despite his humble background, but I got it wrong.” She lets out a sigh. “And when I met Jimmy, I kind of trusted him because he was your brother… Anyway, I should’ve listened to you.”

I hold her hand tight. “I’m truly sorry for this, Petra. I should’ve never brought you to that stupid party in the first place.”