“If you won’t leave me alone—” She shifts her weight and starts to sit up.
I react on pure instinct. I grab her by the waist and pull her back against me. The thought of my wife sleeping downstairs alone overwhelms my rational brain. I’m acting on pure protective instinct. She won’t be down there alone, not when her uncle is still actively looking to put a bullet in her head.
She’s sharing my bed, right where I can react fast enough to keep her safe.
Or that’s what I’m telling myself.
Because the truth is much more sinister and selfish.
“Talk to me, baby,” I whisper, her body pressed to mine. My heart’s racing against her spine, and her soft ass grinds against my dick. This right here is why I really want her. I know it’s fucked, but I’m getting hard as I keep her pinned to me. She squirms slightly. I want her so badly it’s like hunger pangs. Like I’m starving to death.
“Let me go, asshole.Seriously, let me go.”
I tighten my grip. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t like being restrained,” she says, her breath coming in faster. She’s talking through her teeth, her eyes wide and wild. “Shit, Luca, please, just let me go.”
“I’m going to keep you safe, Fiorella,” I whisper, one hand fisting her hair. She’s perfect and she’s mine, and I can’t let her leave. “I don’t know what happened, but if you won’t talk to me?—”
“Let me go!” She snaps her head backward, and her skull catches my teeth.
Sharp pain and the taste of warm blood fill my mouth. That breaks the spell. I release her, and she rips herself away, breathing hard as she leaps from the bed, arms wrapped around herself. I stare in surprise, licking my bloody lip and not moving an inch. She backs away, her eyes wide.
What the fuck just happened?
“You hit me,” I say softly.
“You wouldn’t let go. I told you, I don’t like to be restrained.” She looks scared. Like she thinks I’m going to hurt her.
Slowly, I climb out of bed. She keeps putting distance between us. “Tell me what happened to you, Fio.” Fuck the blood. Fuck the pain. All I want is her. She can’t keep pulling away. Not if I’m going to keep spiraling down into her like this.
“Let it go. Just please, let it go.”
“You’re my responsibility. I can’t close my eyes knowing something bad happened to you. Talk to me. Let me fix it. Let me listen at least. Let me help you.”
“Luca, it’s nothing, I’m fine.” Her back bumps into the dresser. She yelps in surprise and stumbles, tripping on a drawer she left open. I lunge forward and catch her before she can fall, pulling her against me again.
But this time, I don’t hold her down. My grip is gentle on her hips as she leans on my shoulder, her hands on my bare chest, her lips open as she looks up at me.
“You’re lying,” I whisper, licking my bloodied lips. “But I can’t force you to tell me what’s wrong. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“I’m just on edge.” She leans her forehead against my chest. “God, your heart is racing.”
My fingers dig into her sides. “I worry about you, Fio. All the fucking time.”
“You don’t have to. You know that. I’m just—” She shakes her head. “I’m just some girl that lives with you, that’s all. You don’t have to keep doing things for me out of obligation.”
“I don’t feel that way.” I dip my mouth down, lips brushing against her neck. “You’re not a burden to me. I came into this thinking we’d be like strangers living under the same roof, but you changed all that.”
“Just because we slept together?”
“No, baby, because you do this to me.” I tighten my grip for a brief moment before relaxing it again. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“My safety isn’t the most important thing in the world.”
“It’s not only about that. I keep thinking aboutyou, Fio. About the way you laugh. About the smell you leave on the sheets. About your shorts on the floor, about your voice on the phone, about watching you fix your car. Everything about you. I watch and I obsess, and I can’t stop myself. I don’t think I want to stop myself anymore.”
She stares at me, mouth hanging open. I’m going too damn far. I’m showing her too much. This is everything I swore I wouldn’t do.
