She spins on her heels, shocked by my closeness. “What?”
“You heard me,” I say.
“But why?”
“Because you stayed by my side.”
She sucks on her bottom lip while looking at me, really looking at me for the first time, and I feel humbled by her gaze. Her fingers rise to touch the scar on my skin left by the bullet, almost as if she can’t stop herself. It doesn’t hurt anymore. It only reminds me of the stakes I have in this game.
It used to be all about my revenge. I didn’t care aboutanything else, not even my life. But now there isher.
All there is … isher.
My hand instinctively covers hers, and she swallows.
“Is it painful?”
I shake my head. “I’m lucky. Pain doesn’t faze me, but I’m far luckier that I have you by my side.”
She averts her gaze, so I cup her face and make her look at me. “You stayed with me. Tell me why you didn’t run.”
“Because …” she mutters without finishing her sentence.
“I told you to run. Why didn’t you?” I ask, searching her face for the truth. “Tell me.”
“I didn’t want you to die,” she says, tears staining her eyes. “And if I had run, you’d be dead, and it would’ve been all my fault.”
I grab her close and hug her tight. “I’m still alive thanks to you. If you hadn’t been there, Lucio would have certainly gotten to me.”
She rests her head on my shoulder, and I feel her visibly relax. It means the world to me that she feels safe in my arms.
“When you got hit by the bullet, I was so scared you were going to die,” she whispers.
“Scared that your unwanted husband would be dead?” I smirk, finding her eyes in the light. “And then you’ll be left with all of his fortune. Pity.”
She chuckles and playfully slaps me on the shoulder. “Oh my God, Matteo. You know I don’t care aboutmoney.”
I smile. Her laughter always brings me joy. “Good night.”
With my hand on her waist, I lean in to press the smallest of pecks to her cheek, but when my lips leave her skin, my body refuses to move away as her eyes find mine again, lips quaking, a needy breath shuddering in her throat. I can feel the tension, like a physical spark lighting the air between us.
Fuck.
I want her. I want her so badly I can barely breathe.
But I have to remain a gentleman, always, because she’s worth the wait.
I know she wants me too, because I can feel it from the way she touches me and the way she looks at me, but she’s still fighting the attraction. That is why she didn’t listen in the cemetery. She wasn’t scared of all those men. She couldn’t bear to leave my side.
If it wasn’t for her, I would have died.Shesaved me, and that means something.
And maybe, just maybe, we’re both tired as hell of fighting against it. And I think it’s about time we do something about that.
Stella
His jaw clenches. And I don’t know why I notice, but I do.
As he steps away from me, my skin still tingles where he kissed me. He walks backward, not taking his eyes off me for one single second as he sits down on the edge of his bed, legs spread, pants obviously tented.
