I pulled on the champagne dress and stared at my reflection. My hair was curled in loose curls that fell down my back. The natural eyeshadow made my eyes pop a bright shade of green. I walked to the bed and sat down to pull my shoes on.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at my door.
“One minute,” I called. I quickly walked to the door and swung it open. Lance stood on the other side and a smile split his face when he saw me.
“You look stunning, Lyla. Are you ready?”
I smiled at him and nodded. He held his arm out to me and I gently grasped it. My rib still aches a little from Stephano's beating but I didn't allow myself to focus on it. The gunshot wounds did not hurt any longer so thankfully I would be able to walk right.
“Is Jaxon going to be here?”
“Of course. He's your father's right hand man.”
I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder as we walked through double doors that led us to the top of a staircase. We walked to the edge and there was surely a hundred people in an enormous ballroom who all turned their heads to me.
My eyes quickly found Jaxon, his eyes narrowed at Lance who I was currently leaning on. I felt my anger rise.
How dare he even act angry when he slept with another woman? Sure, we aren't dating but he seemed to have real feelings for me. I guess that was all fake. I never should've said anything to my father.
Somewhere my conscious screamed at me that I didn't know the whole story but I ignored it. I turned and smiled at Lance as he placed a kiss on my forehead. We slowly descended the stairs and I felt my nerves pick up as people approached me.
I was introduced to a lot of people and asked even more questions such as:
Where have you been all this time?
Was your father hiding you in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon?
Is this your boyfriend?
A lot of women seemed to ask the last question, glancing slyly at Lance after I answered with a hard no. Lance tensed beside me every time the question was asked. I'd be sure to ask him about it later.
We finally made our way through the room and found a table. I sat down with a huff.
“This is so difficult,” I groaned. Lance chuckled. “Why did you tense every time someone asked if you weren't boyfriend?” I asked.
“Oh, well-uhm,” he cleared his throat. “I mean, I guess I sort of have a crush but I know you're off limits.”
“Lance!” I said. “Why didn't you tell me sooner?”
“Well because I was never going to act on it. Jaxon is my best friend. I would never do that to him. Besides, it's just a crush. It's not like I'm madly in love with you like he is.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Remember how I said he was the first to volunteer to be your bodyguard. He'd been watching over you already. When he actually became a bodyguard, he paid attention to everything. He noticed every little thing about you. He fell in love with your soul.”
I looked away, my heart aching. I looked across the room and immediately saw him. He was leaning against the bar, staring a hole through me.
“I'll be back,” I told Lance.
He chuckled. “Take your time.”
I walked to Jaxon and stood next to him at the bar. I ordered a drink and waited for it to be made. He didn't say a word. He kept his head down and was wringing his hands like he does when he's upset. The bartender set the drink in front of me and I grabbed it.
“Let's go have a talk, sì?” I asked him, using Italian. He looked up at me and nodded.
I followed him outside to a beautiful courtyard. We took a seat opposite of each other under the pergola.
“So,” I prompted.
“Lyla, I'm so sorry. I know what you saw but I need to tell you it is not what you think.”
“What do I think, Jaxon?”
“I did not have sex with her. I swear to you. She and I used to have a thing. I haven't seen her since I became your bodyguard. She ambushed me in the hallway on the way to my room. She was already in her underwear and began trying to take my clothes off so that we could hook up.”
I looked away. Pain ate away at my heart when I thought of him with another woman.
“I swear to you, baby-” he grabbed my hand but I snatched it away. He looked at me sadly before continuing. “-nothing happened. I got her off me quickly. She didn't even get a chance to kiss me yet. I explained to her that I was with someone and she understood. You just walked up at the wrong moment.”
I stayed silent as I looked out at the pond and the giant warehouse behind it.
“Baby, please look at me. Say something, anything.”
I looked at him and what I saw tore my heart apart. His face was sunken in. He had dark circles under his eyes. He looked 10 years older than he is.
“I can't do this.”
He dropped his head. He put his head in his hands and gripped his hair.
“I fucked this up, didn't I?”
“I don't know,” I whispered. “I don't know, Jaxon.”
“Tell me what I can do.”
“I just need time.”
He shook his head. “I can't stay away from you Lyla.”
“You're going to have to.” I stood and began walking back to the party when he grabbed me. He pulled me to his chest tight and his lips quickly found mine.
He kissed me with so much passion and so much pain that I thought I might faint. When he finally pulled away, he look into my eyes deeply.
“I'll wait forever for you, Lyla Rose Marino. But, please, don't make me wait too long. I can't stand to be without you.”
I pulled away as tears threatened to spill. I quickly walked in and rushed out of the ballroom. Lance followed after me.
“You okay?” He asked.
“Yeah. Tell my dad that I'm sorry but I wasn't feeling well, please.” He nodded as I turned.
I made it maybe 50 feet when I ran into a hard chest.
“Niccolai. I don't feel well.”
“Aw, but you didn't even get to dance at your own party.” He smirked. “Come dance with me. One dance.”
I groaned but knew I wasn't getting out of it. I gripped his hand and followed him back inside. He pulled me to his and we began to waltz.
“He didn't even get to see how your dress looks on you when you dance.”
I closed my eyes, close to tears again. “How do I know he isn't lying?”
“You don't. But I know that he didn't sleep with her.”
“How?”
“Because I'm sleeping with her.”
“Niccolai!” I slapped his chest.
“Well, we are. At first, it was just casual. Now, I really have feelings for her. After I found out what she did, I told her. It really kicked my ass into gear. Turns out, she feels the same way. She only tried that with him to make me jealous. There are no feelings there. She wasn't even going to go all the way. She was hoping I'd walk around that corner, not you.”
I felt my body turn to jello. “I need to go Niccolai.”
He smiled at me. “Okay.” He kisses the top of my head and let me go. I smiled up at him and rushed away. Again, I ran into someone. It was the red haired woman.
“Lyla,” she breathed. “I'm so sorry. Look, nothing happened with-”
“I know,” I smiled at her. She was wearing an emerald green dress that accentuated her body and went great with her red hair and brown eyes. “Now, go get my cousin. He's getting a little restless.” I winked at her.
She grabbed my hand. “My name is Sheila, by the way.”
I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Sheila. Let's get lunch sometime.”
She smiled back. “Of course.” She let me go and sauntered toward Niccolai. His face was priceless when he saw her. I giggle and made my way to my room.
>>>>>
The Bodyguard of the Mafia boss's daughter (part 22/32)