Most people saw the coldhearted, ruthless businessman, while I got to see a passionate and protective man behind closed doors. And sometimes possessive.
I’d fallen deeply in love with the man nobody knew. The one with scars from his past tattooed on his heart, wounds that had never healed. Though he had hidden it well from everyone, Ciro had been living in fear—the fear of losing those he loved most.
My fight or flight kicked in. I squirmed to get out of his hold and beat my fists on his back, but my efforts didn’t faze him. No matter what he thought, I wouldn’t let him charm his way back into my heart. I was finally done. Finally strong enough to resist him and ready to pave my own way and make my dreams come true.
“Jesus Christ, Ciro. Stop!” Roman followed us, of course. I was more than grateful to him for interfering.
Like a selfish bastard, Ciro ignored his brother and picked up his speed, storming down the hallway toward his bedroom.
4
CIRO
“Why are you doing this?”Isla whimpered through the emotion caught in her throat. “Why, Ciro?”
If I wasn’t so goddamn unhinged, I would put her down. Have a calm conversation. Forgive and forget about her dancing with another man and trying to make me jealous.
Yeah, not happening.
“Just put me down. Let me go.” She hit my back with her fist. Not hard enough to hurt me. Isla was the type of woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly because it would hurt her more to injure something or someone.
Unfortunately, the sentiment was one-sided because I did whatever was necessary, including killing someone. As Don of the Remotti Mafia, I did a lot of things Isla would never want to know about. She’d think I was a monster. Some days, I was the Devil in an Italian tailor-made suit.
“I don’t want to do this with you.” Her fight weakened and I felt her surrendering to me. “I don’t want to be your afterthought.”
What the fuck?
I slammed open my bedroom door and tossed her onto the bed. Gripping the sides of my head between my hands, I gasped for air. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, wholly baffled at her words.
Try as I might to regain control of myself, it just wasn’t happening.
“Did you say, an afterthought? How can you say that to me?”
“Ciro, please.” She raised her hands in front of her like they could shield her from me. Nothing and no one could ever protect her from me. She should know this by now.
“How can you say you’re an afterthought?” I roared like a madman. “Don’t you know how much you mean to me?”
“Please stop.” She shook her head and hid her face behind her hands. “I know what you’re doing. Trying to destroy my defenses so I will submit to you.”
Damn her. “Answer me!”
She surprised me and vaulted off the bed, darting for the door. But I was faster than her and slammed it shut before she could escape.
Isla froze and shivered like a trapped mouse in a lion’s den. My den. But her fight wasn’t over, not sure why I thought she would make it easy for me. If she believed we weren’t going to last, that meant she’d been contemplating making her exit.
Inhaling a deep breath, I lowered my gaze to the floor, not sure what to do next.
Suddenly, Isla ran toward Roman as if her life depended on it. I’d noticed him standing off to the side, nosy bastard. He quickly embraced her trembling body.
“Please help me,” she cried, burying her face against his chest.
“You need to calm the hell down,” Roman told me in a warning tone. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I won’t let him hurt you.” He rubbed her back. The gesture made me insanely mad.
“Answer me, Isla!” I yelled, again.
She raised her head and turned my way, looking me dead in the eyes. “I want more,” she murmured, a broken element in her soft voice. “Ineedmore, and you can’t give me what I need. So… I want out. I want to be done.”
My vision blurred as I walked backwards away from the door until the backs of my legs hit my bed. I dropped onto it in a dramaticthud. Isla wanted to be done. No matter how many times I’d thought freeing her would be for the best, hearing her say she wanted out made me want to die.
