Page 28 of Seven+Four

The disease part is the main reason for my moving, and now also the image of gnawed books. Uri knows how much I value them. Don’t want them turned into chew toys. “But will all thisfit inside your place?” I haven’t been to his lake house yet, don’t know how big it is.

“Don’t you trust me anymore, Baby Blue?”

That’s the million-dollar question. Do I? I close my eyes for a moment, letting the endearment echo inside my head. Reality, though, comes inexorably back.

“How was meeting your biological brother—Ezra—for the first time?” I ask him. Rami told me about it. Rami did, not Uri. A sense of bitterness starts forming inside my gut. My chest tightens, and I try to grasp that one emotion tangled up in the complex web of feelings I constantly feel for him.

He grabs the bags from my hands. Albert E.’s cage, and a couple more things from the floor as he leads me toward the front door, replying to my question only when we enter the elevator.

“Uneventful. But it’s too early to say anything.”

The twisted sensation at the bottom of my stomach worsens at the hint of interest on his face when talking about his biological brother. His answer is far from satisfying, but I can’t seem to get out another word. My teeth are grinding. I feel so damn…irked. Has it always been like this between us? He doesn’t inform me because he thinks that I can’t be of any help. Too weak. It almost makes me feel like an outsider.

I cross my arms, not able to enjoy the soft fabric of my cowl-neck sweater against my wrists. Uri suddenly pulls on my braid. I’m barely able to stifle the moan about to leave my lips. I was so lost in my angry thoughts, I didn’t realize the elevator stopped in the underground parking.

“What’s wrong?” Uri drops the bags on the ground, pushing his knuckle under my chin to tilt my head up and meet my eyes. I weakly try to shake my head, but his thumb makes me freeze. It’s stroking my chin, tip brushing my lower lip. I’m spellbound. My heart is pounding as my breath gets caught inside my lungs.

Does he have any idea how easily he can enthrall me? His scent alone is getting me high. He shifts those light cinnamon brown eyes to me, and I’m his. It doesn’t mean anything though…not to him.

“I just feel…a little unsettled by the change,” I utter. Which is the truth, or part of it. He’s the catalyst of my disruption, always provoking significant changes in my emotions.

He stares at me for a few more seconds, his gaze nearly piercing a hole in my head. I see his jaw tick, and I’m waiting for more questions. But he lets my chin go and grabs the bags and cage from the floor instead. We make our way across the underground parking to his big car.

I spend most of the ride on my phone talking to Sandy, my PA. We are going through my calendar for next month. There are a few lectures and appearances at a gala and a charity ball. Raph said I need to promote our research company more, that people need to hear science. I think this is his not very subtle way of getting me out of the labs—Michael thinks I’m overworked. Since my whole family is saying it, maybe there’s something there. So I don’t mind meeting people and shaking hands. A lot of changes these days.

I look at Uri confidently driving this monster of a car. His fingers wrap around the wheel as he stops in front of a metal gate. He passes Serena’s face scanner, and after the gates open, steers us down the driveway. The house appearing in front ofme is gorgeous. It’s made of wood and gray stones, almost blending with the natural surroundings and featuringlarge, tall windows.There’s a covered porch going all around the building, perfect for enjoying outdoor dining and the lake view. Hummingbird feeders are hanging from the porch posts, adding a touch of sweet nature to the exterior.

Uri parks the car in front of the garage, and from here I can see a fire pit near the large dock on the lake.

“Welcome home,” he utters before getting out of the car. Such a sweet statement coming from his lips, it makes me shiver not from the cold but anxiousness, for some weird reason. I open the passenger door and place my foot on the step, ready to slide down to the ground. But just as I’m starting the ungraceful descent, Uri appears. He grabs my hips, gliding his hands under my white down jacket and lifts me in the air before slowly letting my body slide down against his until my feet touch the ground.

The light shade of his eyes seems darker—must be a trick of the afternoon light. I can feel the warmth of his hands through the layers of clothes like brands imprinting on my bare skin. It takes only a few seconds to deposit me on the ground, but it’s enough to start a blazing fire inside me. I swallow as my gaze fixes on his lips. His pierced tongue comes out, slicking the plump flesh, and my mind just stops working for a moment.

A distant quack makes me blink, breaking the spell. Uri turns his head in the direction of the lake, and I see a couple of ducks with their green and black feathers taking advantage of an area with less current.

“Let’s go. It’s too cold for you out here.” He grabs my stuff and heads for the front door.

I follow him inside after he goes through another house security check. There’s a lovely, old wood-burning stove in the entryway in perfect condition. The smell of burning logs and the warmth coming from it makes me shudder with delight. I look up, and my lips part at the sight in front of me.

It’s a courtyard surrounded by glass walls. A very old tree is situated in the middle, its skeletal branches reaching in all directions are covered in snow—the whole area is. I can see myself reading one of my books under those boughs when a milder season allows.

“It’s a pomegranate tree,” Uri lets me know.

“Really? My favorite!” I turn to beam at him.

“I know.” The small satisfied smile on his lips tells me everything. He did this for me. I always thought that his attentiveness toward me was guided by gratification. His. He seems to feel pleased when satisfying my needs and desires. It kills me every time.

I focus my attention around me as I make my way down the corridor and into a solarium. The decor is modern, slick, and polished, seemingly untouched since Uri bought the place only last year. I don’t think he has spent much time here, considering the lack of life anywhere in this place. There are some sepia-toned photographs on the walls, and other little touches like a vintage jukebox, shelves covered in books with very familiar titles, and some potted plants—all thingsIlike.

He keeps going into the next room. It’s a living room with a huge TV, a comfy-looking sofa, gently colored, soft rugs, and a stone fireplace. In the corner, there’s quite a large cage—there was another one in the solarium.

“It’s for Albert E.,” Uri answers my silent question as he catches me staring. “I put one in every room in case you want to take your pet with you.”

I know this isn’t for Albert E. He doesn’t approve of him. If it was up to Uri, he’d drop my hairless guinea pig into the sewer. He did this once again for me. And that’s another stab to my already bleeding heart. How can I get over him if he keeps doing stuff like this?

“Come,” he orders as he leaves the room. We pass the large kitchen to stop in front of the next door. It opens to guinea pig heaven.

A metal and plastic fence goes all around the spacious room, the floor is covered in a variety of bedding, tunnels, hiding boxes, and covered areas for Albert E. to retreat to when he feels like he needs a bit of privacy. There are chew sticks, and forage mixes to keep him entertained, a hay rack and even an exercise area with three different wheels.

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