Soft || 18+ Reverse Harem ||

59 - Too Much

. . .

Hedeon Kozlov

Dahlia refused to take her nose out of her books the following day.

I picked her up from her desk and set her on it. "I will go insane," I told her. "If you don't start looking at me." I rubbed my hands on her thin waist, stepping between her legs.

She looked up at me with defiance filled in her pretty eyes. Good. I could work with defiance. I couldn't work with blankless.

"I'm just reading," she mumbled.

"You're escaping."

"Reality is overrated."

"But I am here," I said. "Don't ignore me."

Her eyes softened. "I love you. I wasn't ignoring you, I promise. I'm just..." She ran her hand through her hair, her million earrings danged. "Dad is freaked out. He sent me a couple of texts. He wants me to visit him. How...how can I look him in the eye, knowing I'm the one because of whom he may lose his wife?" She whispered.

"I love you, too," I said first because I liked saying that to her. "And, you can look him in the eye because you're a victim in this. You're not the one who killed Evan, you're not the one who abducted your mother. You may be in the center of this, but you aren't the one pulling the strings. You can't hold yourself accountable for things you didn't fucking do."

She sniffed, blinking rapidly to make her tears go away. "Okay."

"Now, I have a surprise for you. Will you come with me?"

She nodded instantly. That trust...it made me feel like I was corrupting her. And maybe I was corrupting her. She had been a small-town girl with big wide, anxiety-filled eyes and I had snarched her away into a world too brutal for her.

But Dahlia had always been in the eye of the storm.

It didn't make anything easier.

Dahlia dressed herself in a violet dress that had bows as straps, bows I wondered what would open if I pulled on them. My hands itched to do just that but we had places to be.

I wrapped Dahlia in my arm and we walked out of the ship. I settled her in my car and drove her into the town. She looked around, seemingly bored but her leg was bouncing. Dahlia didn't really like leaving the ship anymore. She felt safe there. But then she looked at me and her leg stopped bouncing.

Maybe it wasn't the ship. Maybe it was me.

That thought made me a bit too happy.

. . .

Dahlia

We stopped in front of my bookstore. It took me a while to remember that it had been burnt down.

But it was right there, again. Everything was as it was. Everything was exactly as it was.

I looked at Hedeon as he opened my door and extended his large hand towards me.

His lips tilted up at my expression. "Come on."

I put my hand in his, letting him pull me out and shut the door.

We walked in.

I looked at the shelves, almost all of the books were the same as I had when the store burnt down. Everything was the same, except where I put my handmade things, the shelves were empty. But I could easily fill them. I had been making stuff at the ship.

I turned to Hedeon who had his hands in the pockets of his trousers, eyes firmly on mine, tracing my every expression.

"So?" He asked.

I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him. I kissed all over his face. "I love it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you-"

He laughed and kissed my lips, rubbing his hand over my back. "You're very welcome, baby." He kissed me harder and patted my ass. I got off him and examined everything.

I spent hours grinning till I saw my Dad striding into the bookstore.

. . .

I kept my eyes on the cup in front of me. Dad was sitting across from me, looking out of the cafe at Hedeon who was leaning against his car, not even trying to look like he wasn't staring right at me.

Cut it out, I texted him.

No, he texted back.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He smirked back. 

"He seems dangerous," Dad said out of nowhere. I looked back at him. "It seems to be a good time to have someone dangerous on your side. I don't want anything to happen to you, too."

Everything was happening because of me, though. He didn't know that.

I smiled and nodded. I put my hand on his, squeezing his fingers. "She has to be okay, dad."

He nodded stiffly, looking down at where my hand was on top of this. "Those are beautiful."

I looked down at the rings I was wearing. "Mom got these for me, about four years ago."

"She has great taste," he said hoarsely. "The only time I doubted it was when she chose me over-" he cut himself off. I frowned. He took my hand between his hands, seeming to be seeking...comfort.

I had never seen my dad like this. His hair was a mess, the suit he was wearing was a mess, and his face seemed to have lost its usual edge. He was miserable.

"Over who?"

"Someone," he muttered. "Someone who shouldn't have been competition. It doesn't matter now. What matters is where your mother is."

I decided to drop it.

"Did the police say anything?"

"Only that they are trying. They think there might be a serial killer on the loose." He met my eyes. "I want you to come back home. I want to make sure nothing happens to you. I asked Emilia to do the same but she won't budge from New York."

New York. That fucking liar. But I wasn't better.

"You said Hedeon looks dangerous," I said. "That is true. But he is...powerful, too. He won't let anything happen to me."

"What about Elliot?" He asked. "Are you with him...too?"

I grimaced. "It's a bit complicated."

He kept looking at me and dropped my hand. "You're too much like Noah."

"He was a good man. Why do you sound accusing?"

"Are you cheating on Hedeon with Elliot?"

"What? No. They are business partners and close friends. They know what I...do," I mumbled the last part.

Dad shook his head, standing up. "I have to go. I have a meeting. Come home if you want."

He kissed my forehead and walked away.

Hedeon entered the cafe. "Do I need to break his face?"

I shook my head, frowning.

You're too much like Noah.

Are you cheating on Hedeon with Elliot?

Those two questions asked like this...

I stood. "Let's go back to the ship. I need to find something in Noah's journals."

. . .