Reborn into flames, p.10
Reborn Into Flames, page 10
∞∞∞
Overbearing may not be the right word.
The three of them were insane. I mean actually insane. I was buried in a pile of things I had no idea what to do with, and every time I insisted they didn’t need to buy it, they did. The worst part? It was my own curiosity’s fault. I liked touching and looking at things. I didn’t realize it at first, but whenever I showed an interest in an item, it ended up being brought to the dressing room. Now I was standing with the clothing lady, feeling absolutely overwhelmed.
“I don’t understand why they are doing this,” I muttered.
“Be happy,” she chuckled. “Some man spending this much money on me? I wouldn’t refuse.”
I frowned though. Wasn’t that the point? They didn’t need to do this. In fact, I preferred they didn’t. I looked around knowing they were waiting and planned to tell them what I thought. I picked up a light pink jacket.
“That jacket is one of my favorites,” she commented and helped me into it, closing it around my waist and then running the belt through it. “See? It has a bow in the back.”
I turned my head and it did in fact, have a bow in the back. It was actually really pretty.
With a nod I stood out to the boys and all of them looked up with big smiles. I flushed and paused, “what?”
“Freakin’ adorable,” Sai muttered.
Marco tilted his head and grinned, “does that have a bow on the back of it?”
I nodded and turned as Atlas chuckled making a comment about something regarding a present. I remembered my mission then.
“Listen,” I turned towards them, “I really like the stuff, but I can’t accept all this. I won’t use your money.”
“We are buying it either way, so you either pick what you want or go with whatever we pick,” Marco explained softly.
Sai offered me a smirk, “to be honest, I like the sound of that.”
“I’m only buying what I need,” I stated softly while crossing my arms. I wasn’t budging on this. Atlas whistled.
“Damn Marco,” he chuckled, “she’s actually serious.”
Marco stood up and walked forward slowly, but with every step, my heart beat faster and faster until I realized I was backing up and the large man had me caged against the wall. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.
“Why?” He demanded softly.
“Because I don’t want to spend your money. Friendships are supposed to be equal, and this isn’t equal,” I stated softly, but confidently.
Those darkening eyes searched mine as he made a low frustrated noise before muttering something about ‘why the fuck do I have this money then?’
I raised a brow as he backed off and Sai offered me a cheeky smile. “Impressive, Maya.”
“Oh!” I remembered, “I meant to ask, yesterday when I was leaving you said ‘mate’...”
The store attendant walked out as all the men’s eyes widened in warning, I turned and offered her a smile. I hoped they could answer my question later. She led me into the massive dressing room and for the next hour, had me try on an assortment of outfits. Some winter and some summer. All of them very pretty. Labels that said ‘Vineyard Vines’ and ‘Hilfiger’ passed me and when she asked what I wanted to wear out of here, I stopped confused. I looked at my uniform and she laughed.
“I heard they are taking you out to an early dinner,” she whispered conspiratorially. “Want me to pick?”
“Sure,” I nodded and she handed me a black A-line skirt with a bow at the waist and a purple sweater that I knew tucked into it. The edge was lace by the collar and matched the patterns of the tights she handed me. Before I changed into everything, including the leather boots she offered, she held up a finger as if forgetting something.
“I grabbed these while you were trying stuff on.” She pulled out a cart and my eyes went wide. Holy crap. I’d never seen that many pairs of lace thongs and boyshorts in my life. Which isn’t unsurprising, but there were lace items that crossed and hooked and did a bunch of other stuff I wasn’t sure of. She chuckled and patted my hand.
“I’m going to pack it all up, I went with a lot of lace and pastel as well as some darker colors for the winter,” she chimed, “but first try this one, its a 34C, so I imagine it will fit.”
I wasn’t shy about my body at all, so I easily removed my thin white bra and underwear to trade for purple lace. I slid it on my body and instantly felt like I’d transformed into one of those magazine models. True excitement filled me as I squeaked in excitement seeing myself in the mirror.
As I mentioned, I was thin, but this made me look curvy. My breasts were pushed up and the lace cut across my butt cheeks and emphasized my small waist. My dark hair was exceptionally curly today. I looked good.
“Angel?” Atlas called, “you okay?”
“I’m great,” I confirmed, not realizing how damn confident I sounded.
“Oh for Christ's sake,” a deep voice echoed as both of us turned and saw Atlas, who had peaked in to make sure. His eyes raked my body before turning and leaving the dressing room attendant laughing. It got even worse as Sai and Marco both looked in, confused. Sai just looked angry and Marco had this odd, dazed expression before turning on his heel.
Oh! I bet they felt all weird and flushed like I had when I saw Ledger’s abs. I understood that.
“You’ve got those boys wrapped around your finger,” she commented, grinning. “Ah, to be young again. Come on, let’s get you ready to go so I can organize for this to be delivered today.”
I frowned down at my finger because I wasn’t positive how to tell her they were much too big for that.
Once dressed, I tugged on the same pea coat but in black and organized my uniform in a tote bag that matched this dark purse I now owned. It was pretty neat. I walked out through the curtains to find all my men looking intently at me.
“I’m ready,” I chimed.
“Oh, I’m ready as well,” Sai muttered, looking like he meant something else.
Atlas offered me an amused grin and shook his head, going to talk to the woman as Marco leaned back, raising a finger to call me over. I put my bag down and walked over, feeling really freakin’ good about myself, to be honest. The minute I was in arms reach, the man wrapped his arms around my waist and tugged me forward so I had a knee on either side of him, a soft sound coming from my throat that had him stilling.
Everything inside of me heated as those mint eyes darkened and I shivered, causing a predatory flash to darken his gaze even further. I lifted a hand and ran my fingers across his lips as a shudder ran through him, his forehead falling against my cashmere covered chest.
“These clothes still aren’t good enough for you,” he mumbled.
I pulled back and tilted his head up, “don’t say that, I love these.”
“I love them as well,” Atlas drawled, making me blush.
“I like what’s underneath them,” Sai whispered as I squeaked and a warm flush of heat crawled up my back. Oh my.
“Mr. Moretti,” the woman stated, “it will be delivered to you within the hour.”
I turned to her and walked right up to her, pulling her into a hug. She squeaked, but I just whispered ‘thank you’ because I’d never had an adult woman treat me with that much kindness. I then turned and followed Marco to the door.
“You hungry?” Sai asked, intertwined our fingers.
My stomach rumbled. “That would be a yes.”
The entire air was chilled and drizzle fell on my head in a relaxing pattern. I squeezed Sai’s hand tighter as we walked down the paved stone pathway toward a series of restaurants. I wasn’t really paying attention to what they were talking about and I froze as we approached a smaller store front.
The door was different than the others, splattered with paint and a unique glass door handle. The sign on the door was modest and read Clara’s Craft Store. I grinned and broke away, pulling open the door as chimes sang above me making me smile. Immediately, warmth surrounded me and the yellow color of the walls made my heart pitter-patter. You know when a place just resonates with you? That’s how I felt right now.
“Angel?” Atlas called out. I was distracted though, walking across the worn wooden floors. The walls were built high with different colored shelves and a ton of craft supplies from paints to shading utensils. The center was a series of different shelves and island like surfaces, with a table at the back. A woman stood at the counter, offering me a soft smile, her warm brown eyes making me happy. She had gray hair that was covered in paint and she was wearing these jean overalls that I was jealous of.
“Hi,” I chirped approaching, “what is this place?”
She laughed her voice soft and light, “this is my craft store, pretty neat, huh?”
I nodded enthusiastically, “very. I want to spend all of my time here.”
That was very honest.
“Do you paint or draw?” She asked curiously and I shook my head.
“Never tried,” I mentioned, “what would I start with?”
“Sweetheart,” Marco’s voice had me jumping as I looked up. He searched my face and I frowned.
“What?” I raised a brow.
“Nothing,” Atlas patted Marco’s shoulder. “We will be over there if you need us.”
Sai winked, “have fun, kitten.”
Kitten? Now why did that make me blush?
“Come on,” Clara, I assumed, walked me towards a large shelf in the back. She spoke quietly and with a soothing teaching voice. “What sounds more interesting to you? Painting or drawing?”
I looked over all of the different sample projects on display, and smiled, “painting.”
She nodded and began to gather some supplies, “let’s start you on watercolor.”
I frowned noticing the pile. I really didn’t want them buying me anything else. I looked up. “Is it possible for me to work here to pay off the supplies?”
Her eyes softened as she looked over my shoulder, setting the material down. “What’s your name?”
“Maya,” I offered my hand as she met it introducing herself as Clara.
She sighed, “you remind me a lot of me. My Alec never wanted me buying or working for stuff, I’m assuming you are facing something similar?”
Who was her Alec?
I nodded, “I just don’t like them spending money on me.”
“Kitten,” Sai called and I refused to look, knowing they could hear me somehow.
“How about this,” she smiled, “you let them buy this stuff because I don’t think they are going to give you a choice, and I give you a job here? You can work out what works best with your schedule for after school.”
“How do you know I’m in school?” I frowned.
“I have a granddaughter about your age,” she explained and squeezed my shoulder.
I nodded and met her hand, “deal.”
As we walked back, Marco pinned me with a look and I wrapped my arms around his center, burying my face against his button down. His lips finding my ear as the other two checked out.
“You really want to work?”
“Yes,” I responded softly, “I’ve had my entire life controlled, it feels good to make this choice.”
Marco let out a low sound, “honey, what happened before you came here?”
I froze and swallowed, “why does it matter, Marco?”
He tightened his arms around me and spoke quietly, “because you’re our mate and I want to know everything there is about you.”
There was something more to this… and I’m sorry, what? My question from yesterday came flying back.
My head snapped up, “mate? We aren’t talking about friends, are we?”
His chest rumbled as he grasped my chin gently, searching my face. “I think you know that we aren’t talking about being friends, Maya.”
I winced and shook my head, “Marco…”
He pressed a kiss to the corner of my lips and I shivered, leaning closer to him. Grasping his arms as he let out a soft dangerous sound, nuzzling my neck gently. I whimpered as I felt his grip tighten.
“Marco,” Sai stated carefully as Marco looked up, narrowing his eyes, but shaking his head muttering a curse. I clung onto him still.
Clara handed Atlas a bag. “How do you feel about starting this Sunday?”
I snapped out of the odd haze I was in and nodded, “I’d love that. I will be here, what time?”
“We open at noon, wear something you don’t mind getting paint on.”
With that, we were out the door and I tried to take the bag from Atlas, but he just tucked me under his arm. When we reached a velvet overhang, the sound of soft music in a language I didn’t completely recognize came over head. It sounded a bit like French, but I only knew that because I’d listened through the floorboards to hear the old french films my mother liked.
I made the mistake of voicing this and all three men stilled as we made it through the door. I acted like what I’d said was perfectly fine and instead focused on the young man standing at the booth in the front. A million different senses hit me and a warm flush had me taking off my jacket and laying it across my arm.
“Hi there.” The younger man flashed me a grin, “what can I do for you?”
“We want to eat here,” I offered a smile as he chuckled like I was joking. His eyes flickered over my shoulder, “the four of you?”
I noticed all three men seemed to be having some conversation so I ignored them. I shrugged, “sure.”
His grin grew as he grabbed menus, “quite the handsome entourage you have there.”
My lips pressed together, “they are pretty handsome,” I murmured following him. I heard footsteps behind me as Atlas’ arm wrapped around me protectively. If Sai was all fire, Atlas was calm and steady, making me feel protected. Marco though made me feel like a flame was bursting out from under my skin, dangerous and extreme. At the same time, there was a contrast of safety and control he exuded.
“Calm down,” the man ‘tsked’ to Marco’s frustrated expression, “her and I bat for the same team. If anything, it’s you who should be worried.”
Now, I did know what that meant.
Father had hated men who liked other men. I didn’t understand why it mattered, so I let loose a small laugh because the host seemed to find it so funny. I wiggled from Atlas and walked next to the man as he began to talk about a bunch of different foods before finally reaching the small circular booth that was lit up by candles. He winked and I slid in running my hands over the soft material of the seat as Atlas slid in on one side and Marco on the other, my eyes tracing Sai’s still darkened expression.
“What can I start you with to drink?” He asked curiously.
Marco barked off some order and the man rolled his eyes, amused before walking away. I looked over the carefully polished silverware and very clear glasses. I touched my finger against the flower arrangement and realized they were very much real.
“Maya,” Atlas started, “what do you mean, you used to listen to them through the floorboards?”
I frowned, confused, “I’m not sure how many different ways that can be taken.”
Sai chuckled, “she makes a fair point.”
Marco grunted, “honey, I think it would help all of us if you gave us just a bit more knowledge about where you lived before this. I mean, you can’t blame us, you aren’t even registered with the state, Maya.”
I sighed and crossed my arms, “I told you I lived in Louisiana. I lived in a church. I don’t know why we need to talk more about it than that. I mean, realistically, it’s over and as of this Saturday, when I turn 18, it really won’t matter. Isn’t that enough?”
“No,” Marco stated evenly. “Can you at least tell us where the bruises were from?”
“An accident,” I mumbled.
“Maya,” Marco was practically begging.
“Remember earlier when you told me I should just relax and enjoy this? Well, let’s do that. I can explain tomorrow if you want me to,” I whispered, knowing once they realized what a freak I was, they wouldn’t want to spend time with me anymore.
“Tomorrow,” Atlas stated softly and I nodded.
I let out a happy hum as the waiter appeared and offered us menus. I took a moment to breathe in their different warm and fresh scents, knowing that when tomorrow came, I would at least have a job to look forward to on Sunday.
Chapter 11
Anani
Honestly, after the day at school we had, I expected a lot.
Maya in my house making cookies in an oversized hoodie and paint splattered face was not one of them, but I loved it. Her dark hair was in a messy bun and pale blue paint on her face as she helped Ledger make cookies. I’d literally been maybe thirty minutes behind them, how the hell did this happen?
“Peanut?” I asked as she turned to look at me with a big smile.
“Anani,” she chirped, “I missed you today.”
I felt my ears pinken as Henry chuckled, kissing her head in passing. Wasn’t it crazy how at home this already felt? She was here and looked domestic as fuck, wandering around the kitchen and tossing out beautiful smiles. Upstairs I could hear Marco and Sai talking with the contractors who were working on her room.
“What’s with the paint?” I asked curiously as her eyes warmed.
“I got a job today!” She chirped as Atlas let out a frustrated sound from the other room.
Henry rose a brow, “where at?”
“Clara’s Crafts,” she chirped and rolled a cookie in her small elegant hands.
Interesting. I smiled slightly, “are you interested in crafts?”
“Can you put in the cookies?” She asked my brother sweetly.
He nodded, like the obsessed fool we all were and she dusted off her hand on the dish towel before she grabbed my hand. I followed her to the family room and instantly smiled at the large easel that stood over a plastic sheet. We rounded the corner and my eyebrows went up.
Well, fuck me.
“Have you shown this to anyone else?” I asked quietly. There was no way she had.
Maya tilted her head, “no, it’s not really finished.”
