The Man I Shouldn't Love

Amy's P.O.V

O.M.G

When the gates of the Pearson estate swiveled open, it was like heaven's gate opening. My jaw dropped at its magnificence. Up ahead, the massive stone mansion loomed. It was an architectural perfection... just like the man who owned it.

I steered my dented Toyota Camry down the winding cobblestone driveway, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Here's a little gist: Ley came from old money that dated as far back as the Victoria era. So, back when I was seventeen I used to dream of being Mrs. Pearson and giving birth to children to fill all twelve rooms. We didn't have to work nor did the kids go to school, we just stayed in our mansions, ate from a table overflowing with all kinds of food and drinks then spent the evening in the flower fields.

Okay, I heard you, fantasy right? Well don't blame me I was only seventeen. Now, I am twenty-one. I am a woman and have more realistic romantic expectations.

I killed the engine and sat there for a minute, pushing my thick glasses up my nose and taking in a deep breath.

You can do this, Amy, I told myself. It's just a temporary arrangement so your parents and brother can live their best lives in Tokyo.

Before I could even reach for my car door, a uniformed butler appeared, swinging it open with a polite bow. "Welcome, Miss Sanders. Mr. Pearson is currently in a meeting, but he instructed us to help you settle in. Follow me, please."

"Thank you," I squeaked, grabbing my oversized canvas tote bag and hauling my ten-pound suitcase out of the boot.

"Oh, you can leave that," he turned to me with a smile that says you clearly aren't a trust fund kid if not you would know. "The maids will bring them in."

Okay... Mansion... Maids... My teenage dream... Stop it Amy! Focus!

As I entered the grand foyer, Quinn descended the curved staircase. "Oh, look who has finally arrived! We've been waiting for you, darling," she spoke with her usual fake politeness.

She stepped off the last stair, gliding toward me with her arms slightly open. For a terrifying second, I thought she was going to hug me, but she simply patted my shoulders gently. "You look..." her sharp eyes travelled slowly from my messy bun, past my thick lenses, down to my oversized cardigan and baggy jeans. "Well, you look alive." She finally let out.

Well you look plastic, Quinn.

"Amy, darling," Quinn purred. "I've asked them to set up the finest room for you. I specifically chose that room for you. It's completely tucked away from the main hustle and bustle of the house. Stanley is under an immense amount of pressure with work right now, and the main wing gets so loud with executives and late-night calls. I knew a quiet, secluded space would be much better for your studying. We wouldn't want you to feel overwhelmed."

Oh please, you just want me in the furthest corner of this mansion so I can stay completely out of ley's sight. What do you have to be afraid of? I am just an amoeba right?

"That's very thoughtful of you, Quinn. Thank you," I muttered.

***

I skipped dinner entirely, terrified of running into them at a formal dining table. Instead, I spent hours staring at my laptop, trying to draft my application essay for The Herbert Wige Fellowship program. But by midnight, my brain was fried, my throat was parched, and my stomach was making noises that sounded like a dying whale.

I needed water. And maybe a slice of bread.

Slipping out of my room, I crept down the dimly lit hallway and into the kitchen. I could hear muffle sounds of people arguing. I tried to give them their privacy, which was unlike me but as I opened the fridge, I heard the door to the home office slam open.

I could hear Quinn and Ley in the hallway now.

"I don't give a damn about that, Quinn!" Ley's voice echoed with frustration.

Oh crap! I gave in to the temptation, crept to the door of the kitchen and stuck my ear to it.

"Our public image is the business, Stanley!" Quinn snapped back. "People are watching us. This marriage is supposed to solidify your new resort spot, and you are treating me like an inconvenience. You need this wedding just as much as I do."

What followed was a receding footstep towards the main door, then the aggressive sound of the door slamming.

My heart began pounding. It was never a marriage of love like Quinn wanted us all to believe. Holy Moly. The realization sent a strange, forbidden jolt of electricity straight to my core.

Needing fresh air to clear my thoughts, I left the kitchen and slipped through a set of glass French doors leading out to the backyard.

The night air was a gentle breeze rustling the perfectly manicured hedges surrounding the massive, illuminated infinity pool. I walked out onto the stone deck, only to gasp quietly and freeze.

Sitting at the edge of the water was Ley.

And oh, sweet heavens, he was shirtless. Sitting there in just his dark trousers, his bare, muscular back was turned to me. In his hand, he held a crystal glass of amber whiskey, his gaze fixed blankly on the moving water.

I should have turned around. I should have sprinted back to my room. But, I was just a girl who was in love. My feet were glued to the stone. My eyes traced every line of his physique, my inner mind screaming in absolute chaos. The crush wasn't dead. It was fully alive.

"It's impolite to spy, Amy."

Ley's baritone voice broke the silence, making me jump. He didn't turn around. He just took a sip of his drink.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, awkwardly tugging at the hem of my baggy T-shirt. "I wasn't spying. I just... I couldn't sleep. I wanted some ;....,air." I walked a few steps closer, stopping just a few feet away from him. "I heard the door slam earlier. Are you okay?"

Ley finally turned his head, his piercing eyes locking onto mine. Up close, he looked completely exhausted. The sharp lines of his jaw were tight with tension, and a few dark strands of hair fell over his forehead.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop, Amy," he said coldly, turning his gaze back to the pool. His voice was a flat wall, shutting me out. "Try and get some sleep. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

School? What am I? Seventeen?

"Why are you doing this?" The words left my mouth before my brain could stop them. Irritation overrode my caution. "Treating me like I am still a child. You can talk to me like an adult."

Stanley paused. The glass stopped halfway to his lips. Slowly, very slowly, Ley set his glass down on the tile. He turned his entire, broad, bare-chested body toward me and stood up.

He moved closer, towering over me. "You think you're an adult because you turned twenty-one, Amy?" he murmured, his voice becoming dangerously dark.

"Yes," I breathed, my heart racing at top speed. Up close, the heat radiating from his bare skin was intoxicating. My eyes instinctively raked over the defined planes of his chest and abdomen before snapping back to his face.

"You don't know anything about the world I live in," Ley said, his eyes suddenly dropping to my lips before locking back onto mine. "You are here because I promised your father I would keep you safe. Safe from everything. Including me. So, stop provoking me, and go to bed."

But I couldn't move. The sheer physical proximity and the raw, forbidden tension stretching between us made my brain short-circuit. He was right there. The man I had wanted for years was looking at me with an intensity that made me feel entirely exposed.

Driven by a sudden, reckless wave of desire, I leaned in.

I tilted my face up, closing the distance between us, my eyes fluttering shut behind my lenses as I reached for a kiss. I wanted to shatter the boundaries. I wanted him to see me as a woman.

For a heartbeat, Ley didn't pull away. I could feel the scorching heat of his breath against my skin, the sudden, sharp intake of his air as his entire body went rigid with shock, and something deep, dark, and ravenous.