The Reluctant Heiress: A Novella(15)
Having heard this, I was astounded when, a year later, Sebastian Bellizzi came to live with us. There was never any logical reason for my immediate resentment of him, regardless of our explosive first meeting in the kitchen.
I nevertheless latched onto the idea that my parents regretted having more than one child. There certainly wasn’t room in their hearts for another. I adored my brothers too much to resent them for being born, so I focused my amateur loathing on Sebastian.
Despite repeated censure from my parents and brothers, from age seven to sixteen I devoted myself to making Sebastian’s life miserable. If he was unhappy enough, I reasoned, he would go back to Italy.
I embarrassed him at school in front of girls, teased him mercilessly for his accent, and ridiculed him for being poor. An undeserving charity case for my tenderhearted parents. In short, I was a right bitch. But no matter how hard I pushed, he never once rose to the bait. Never lashed out at me or defended himself.
Not until the night of my sixteenth birthday did he retaliate. Already in his second year at Harvard, he came home for the party despite my pointed lack of invitation. Manipulating me away from my friends with the lure of a fabulous gift, he led me down an empty hallway. By the time my selfish desire for presents was eclipsed by suspicion, it was far too late.
In that dark hallway at the back of the house, Sebastian pressed me hard against the wall and kissed me. Thoroughly and passionately, sealing his lithe body to mine until I could feel his arousal against my belly. With his hands and lips and tongue, he coaxed me to a plateau of need that I didn’t, at that age, understand.
Then he stepped back, smiled in devilish satisfaction, and walked away.
On Saturday, Robert and I drive to Rhubarb for lunch with Alex and Thea. We’re both frazzled by the prospect, but whereas I can mask it, he can’t hide the panic in his eyes. I don’t blame him—my brother is intimidating on a good day. On a bad day he makes people cry.
Alex’s temperament isn’t what worries me, though. He’s extremely well-mannered and charming. Even if he hates Robert on sight, he’ll still make lunch pleasant. My anxiety is due to the fact I’ve never purposefully introduced a man I’m seeing to my family. I’m terrified that I’m making a mistake, and equally hopeful I’m not.
As I pull up to the valet station, Robert asks, “What’s the name of his newest restaurant again?”
I lean over to give him a quick kiss. “Hemlock. Don’t worry. He’s not as scary as he looks. Just be yourself.”
Robert grins and pulls me back for another, deeper kiss, which is interrupted by the clipped demand, “Get your mouth off my sister!”
We jerk apart to see Alex standing in front of the car, a dark scowl on his face. My brain turns to mush, then rebuilds as my brother throws back his head and laughs. Thea walks up beside him and punches him in the arm.
Alex grins at the rebuke and tucks her into his side. To us, he says, “Come on, we’re hungry!” With a proprietary hand on Thea’s back, he guides her toward the restaurant.
Robert shoots me a tortured glance. “I think I missed something growing up with only sisters.”
I laugh and exit the car, meeting him on the other side. My arm tucked in his, we stroll sedately toward the entrance. On the threshold, Robert bends down to whisper in my ear, “I forgot to ask—how are you feeling today?”
Heat pushes into my cheeks and I duck my head. We had sex last night for the first time since last weekend’s chaos. A week of steadily building tension, and a man hellbent on discovering what made me fall apart… It was a very successful evening.
“Fantastic,” I whisper back.
His arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me close. A soft kiss presses to my head and the oddest feeling drops through me. Warm and soft.
When I realize we’ve stopped walking, I look up, a silly smile still stuck on my face. Alex looks briefly shocked but recovers quickly, standing to shake Robert’s hand. Thea stands too, and the four of us do the awkward handshake and hug dance.
Lunch is perfect. Wine, laughter, and good food. Despite their differences in character, Alex and Robert seem to hit it off.
I won’t actually know my brother’s thoughts until later, as he’s very good at playing social roles. But he makes a special effort to put Robert at ease, which in turns puts me at ease.
Thea is more animated than I’ve ever seen her, chatting easily about the remodel on the house and the success of Hemlock. At a few points in the meal, though, I catch her looking at me oddly. Almost sadly. The expression is always masked before I can address it.
The looks bother me, but I don’t know her well enough to pry. I reason to myself that she might be thinking of something unrelated. Perhaps the recent death of her mentor, a lovely society matron named Margaret White.
“I can’t believe it’s almost four thirty,” Alex says into a pocket of companionable silence. He glances at Thea with a sly grin. “We’d better head out.”
“Are you staying up here tonight?” I ask.
He shakes his head, eyes twinkling. “We still have unpacking to do.”
At Thea’s blush, I say, “Gross!”
Alex laughs, unaffected, and waves at the server for the check. Having never quite overcome her awe of serving the owner, the young woman stammers out her closing platitudes. We all listen, smiling, and Alex hands back the bill.