Chapter 2 Exposed.

Chapter 2.

Exposed.

Alicia's face loses color. Seeing him so close, feeling the warmth of his body is an unsettling trigger for her forbidden desires.

"I..." she breathes, agitated, turning to face him, trying to maintain control. "I don't know what you're talking about, Uncle."

"You don't know? Are you sure?"

Their gazes meet, her green eyes locking with his blue ones, which scrutinize her, trying to dig into her deepest thoughts. She nods uneasily, when suddenly, everything spins.

Seeing her, Lucas catches her in his arms, receiving an unconscious, damp, and hot Alicia. She is burning up, which Lucas notices as he lays her down on the bed.

"Alis? Alicia?"

Her unconsciousness makes him tense. Lucas quickly gets up, searching for alcohol and cotton, and tries to revive her, but she doesn't react. On the contrary, she begins to tremble involuntarily, which makes him nervous. He rushes to find his cell phone to call the family doctor.

"Darío, I need you to come to the mansion, now. It's Alicia, please hurry, she's unconscious."

"What happened to her?"

"She fainted. I'm trying to revive her, but she won't wake up. She's trembling, very hot."

"Keep calm, I'm on my way."

Lucas hangs up the call, very agitated, looking at the unconscious Alicia on the bed. He settles beside her, taking her in his arms, and kisses her forehead with a feverish devotion.

Alicia Jank is the adopted daughter of the prestigious businessman, Alirio Jank, and his wife, Carlota Paz, who died in a tragic accident on a business trip, leaving Alicia helpless until the arrival of Alirio's younger brother, Lucas Jank, 30 years old, a young magnate and now heir to the Jank corporation in Berlin. A business magnate who is willing to take charge of Alicia's custody out of moral remorse, along with a mix of guilt, since he was the one who should have been on that plane.

Knowing how important Alicia is to his brother, he decides to bring her to live with him and care for her, as is proper. However, he didn't expect Alicia to start developing a certain attraction to him—an attraction to which he is not indifferent, since a certain connection and pull has been developing between the two that he cannot stop. Seeing her on the bed in a regrettable state is a blow he didn't expect.

"Indeed, Lucas, the tests confirm she has a virus. I will give her treatment, some antibiotics. You must take very good care of her; this type of virus causes very high fever, so you must be attentive 24 hours a day. I, for my part, will come to see her daily until she gets better. If you wish, I can put a nurse at your disposal for her."

Lucas looks at her, her face colorless, weak, with an IV drip—nothing like her usual self, the Alicia who likes to play the piano and sneak around the house.

"No, it's not necessary, I will take charge."

"Alright, I'll wait for her IV to finish and then I'll leave. I will leave all the instructions for you. Excuse me."

He is left alone, and Lucas cannot help but move closer to her. He sits beside her and takes her hand, feeling that warmth that only she emits for him.

When Alicia came into his life, she was 13 years old. The times he had shared with her before that he can count on his hands; he saw her three times at most since she arrived in his brother's life. They were never close, and there was no uncle-niece relationship between them, as he lived in Berlin and his brother in Florida, California. They barely saw or spoke to each other. It was not a typical brotherly relationship, but if he needed something, his brother was always there, or vice versa; they were very close when they wanted to be, but not too much to include themselves in the other's life more than was necessary.

That is why when he received Alicia into his life, Lucas felt no emotional affection for her, other than knowing that she would be the mark and the reminder of his carelessness. If he had not gone drinking, he would have been conscious to attend the meeting in Milan, and his brother would not have died in that tragic accident. Perhaps it would be he who would be dead, and this closeness, this connection with Alicia, would not exist. This brand that has recently appeared is a condemnation that is intensely suffocating him.

"Lucas..." Alicia calls him, her voice barely a whisper. "Don't leave me, Lucas." She cries, tears running down her cheek. She is having nightmares, and Lucas, who is sleeping by her side, notices it. "Lucas, don't leave me, please don't leave me."

"Alis, Alis, it's just a nightmare, a nightmare."

Alicia slowly opens her eyes, her breathing ragged, her face pale, tears spilling down her cheek. She looks at him, her right hand caresses Lucas's cheek, trying to feel that he is real. And without giving him time to react, she kisses him, an intense kiss that becomes passionate. She is trembling, her lips are hot, her tongue burns in his mouth. She doesn't let him pull away, she doesn't let him react. Lucas returns her kisses for an instant, until she slowly pulls away.

"I love you, Lucas."

Their lips join again in an intense kiss. She, with her last strength, slowly pulls away, fading in his arms.

He looks at her in silence. His hands move automatically to change her compress, pausing for a few seconds. He caresses her cheek, and without thinking about what he is doing, he gives her a short kiss on the lips, ending with one on the forehead.

"I love you too, my princess, but this feeling you have, it cannot be. This desire you feel is forbidden."