Chapter 6 Wolf

• Anthony was the nicest guy I knew, but the idea of staying at his house was crazy and disturbing. I've never stayed with a boy for so long, and when I lived with Anthy, we were at my father's house and he always disappeared saying he had certain responsibilities that I couldn't know about.
• My cousin was always considerate and although he didn't like to be around children, he always let me stay with him. In fact, I believe he enjoyed my presence, as there was a loneliness within him due to the death of his parents.
• Now I saw myself with no way out to escape this decision that was made only by him. Under normal circumstances, it was no big deal for a cousin to help his cousin, but when that cousin was me and he was my childhood crush, things changed.
• I didn't know what to do, and at the moment I didn't think I could think straight. Being in this luxurious, dark apartment made me feel butterflies in my stomach. Anthy was a private man and always busy since he took over the multinational, and even though I knew the two of us would be away a good deal of the time, it still didn't make me comfortable.
• He was a man and had his particularities. We never saw him with a woman, girlfriend or whatever, but I couldn't believe that a beautiful, seductive and powerful man like him didn't have female visits during his nights alone in this house.
• I didn't want to disturb his life, however, I knew he wouldn't accept my refusal to stay here, besides, when we were together, I felt protected and welcomed, a feeling that wasn't common with anyone else. Not to mention the thought of Anthony with another woman, ridiculous as it was, made me upset, and I could tell that was jealousy.
• Before leaving, he advised me to rest, however, I couldn't stop thinking about the things that happened and what I will do in the future. I knew this was temporary and had no intention of bothering my cousin for long.
• Now, I wish I could have been more spontaneous, free and many other things that teenagers my age were, so I wouldn't be so lost in that way.
• "I see you didn't do what I asked." Anthony's deep voice startled me when he sounded behind me. He was standing, leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, looking at me strangely, as if studying me. "What are you thinking, Bella?"
• This was the dark man who so excited me. I could tell that my cousin was a wizard, who had the power to show up when I least expected it. I can't deny it, when he looked at me like that I felt like a wild rabbit about to be eaten by the wolf.
• I remembered his question and tried to find a reasonable answer to it, as the truth was very confusing and would put me in an unusual situation.
• "I've never been in this situation, I don't know what to think or how to act." I said feeling a little embarrassed. It was impossible to lie to him, moreover, his gaze held me in its charm, leaving my tongue free to say silly things. "I don't want to disturb you. You're already so busy…"
• "You don't get in my way, Ellen." She spoke approaching me. It was ridiculous to feel intimidated by him. Despite being mysterious, Anthy was not a stranger. Long fingers of his moved the strands of my unruly hair, tucking them behind my ear, and I confess that this action made me shiver from head to toe. When he interrupted me like that, my tongue froze and my mind slowed down. "It's a great pleasure to have you here. It reassures me that I can take care of you and protect you."
• Sometimes I wondered how he managed to be seductive with simple gestures and few words. I didn't know why he wasted his time taking care of me. I was a silly teenager, everyone could see that, but I wasn't a girl who needed to be watched twenty-four hours a day.
• "Sometimes I think you think I'm weak or still a child." She said feeling even more embarrassed.
• Anthony didn't say anything, just watched me. The smile on his lips didn't tell me much, but it messed up all my feelings in my chest. I felt like he was close enough to kiss me, I even salivated wanting it.
• Until a while ago I only thought of Anthony as my cousin. It was ridiculous to imagine it in any other way, but it was just one touch and everything changed.
• I was still seventeen, he had just arrived from a business trip and stopped by to talk to my father. I, as usual, had a book in my hand and didn't pay attention to what was in front of me.
• Things happened so fast that when I noticed I was already on the floor and Anthony was just a few steps away from me. We hadn't seen each other for months and then there he was, in his dark overcoat, crouching down to see if I'd hurt myself, but his hand was on my thigh, squeezing as if testing my resistance. His mouth was just a few inches from mine and in his eyes was an unusual flame that I had never seen before.
• I felt my body shudder, it was silly, a simple touch made me freak out and fall in love, however, it was more than that. All that care, the gifts, hugs and kisses that I couldn't explain in words, came together to make me see him with different eyes.
• "You're not a child anymore, Ellen, and I don't see you as one anymore, but don't worry, you'll learn not to feel like a little girl anymore." He said leaving me confused. What was he talking about? "I know you didn't eat anything earlier, you must eat. I'll prepare something for us."
• "I thought it was for the company." He said in surprise. One of the things he prioritized was the company and its management. Anthony was focused on work and I was finding it strange that he would drop everything to be with me. "You don't have to worry about me, I can be alone."
• "You'll never have to be alone, Ellen." She said leaving the room and heading towards the open kitchen, which I thought was particularly beautiful. "Now it's with me."
• I had a theory, something that troubled me when my teenage lust for him kicked in. Maybe he acted like that with me because he saw me as a younger sister. After the death of his parents, he found himself alone and lonely, and I was the only one available to him, if only to read while he studied.
• My loneliness was as great as his. I was a girl who lived alone in a mansion, my father lived in her office and my sister hated me. She had nothing but books and spending her days with Mere in the kitchen. Then Anthony came along and the two of us were lonely together.
• Even though I didn't like being in crowded places or being embarrassed to talk to them, I hated being alone. Of course there were exceptions, like when I was at the library. The truth was, my only companions were Mere and Anthy and all my book characters. Reading saved me from being a bitter person and still motivated me to be hopeful.