*Caterina*
‘What did he just say?’ I asked myself. ‘Love?’
My heart slamd widely inside my chest as though it were fighting to break out.
But my mind needed to back up for a mont.
I know that I was tired. The events of this entire day were enough to send any normal person into a complete tailspin. I should have been asleep hours ago. I should have tried shutting my eyes the mont my mom left my room. Lord knows that I was tired enough.
I really didn’t know what to expect when Elio first knocked on my door, asking to co in and speak with . I figured, at most, it would just involve so kind of an apology. I recalled the tense expression his features took on when I spoke to him and my mother down in the living room.
I’d said my piece. I didn’t care to talk any further. My head couldn’t possibly have fit any more unwanted information, and all I really wanted was to fall asleep and find a way to move on from it in the morning to co.
But Elio seed remorseful enough. Part of his sincere apology was literally holding together in his arms. I felt safe. The warmth his body emitted, provided with an anchor that I didn’t realize I desperately needed. Our ti together should have ended with that.
Yet, instead, I’d had to go ahead and ask that unnerving question. Part of truly didn’t want to know these things, especially when I, myself, knew and understood too little of any of it. And to think that Elio, sowhat, wanted to be a part of it all. It made my skin crawl with uneasiness.
And in all honesty, I hadn’t ant to pry into the topic of mafia business—I just needed to know why.
And, much to my surprise, Elio had told the truth.
I was willing to admit it. I was touched by his explanation. His need for involvent stemd from the murder of my father. Much like , he too wanted justice for the life that was taken. But sothing surged back amid our conversation... a feeling, a sudden wave of anger spurred within.
The fact that Elio was willing to sell his life away to such an unruly and dangerous group, all for the hopes of bringing justice to my father’s death, was proof enough that he cared deeply for .
Love... but if I really did an that much to him, then why on earth did he proceed to lie to about everything concerning my father as well as a large portion of his familial background?
He had purposely kept in the dark about so much that it was difficult for to comprehend most of what he was trying to tell. Regardless of his apology, his actions of continuously keeping in the dark are what hurt all the more.
Elio’s explanation fanned around his care and deep concern for ... how he was told to keep a watchful eye over , including his initial claim of loving . It did allow a welcoming warmth to spread through . Sohow, deep down, I always knew that Elio loved .
But this was different.
“Y-you... you’re in love with ?” I stamred.
Our relationship has been nothing short of rocky since I first kissed him. There were tis when I didn’t know how serious our relationship was. We’d had our hot and cold monts, but we’d always found a way to co back to each other and resolve any issues.
Elio still had my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Yes,” he confird. “I’m in love with you, Caterina Leone.”
I couldn’t stop the smile from taking over my face. The space between was suddenly too much of a distance to stand. I pushed myself forward and laced my arms around his neck. I leaned down and captured Elio’s lips in a fiery kiss that sealed the emotions that had been simring between us all night.
His large hands splayed across my back and loosely tugged at the material that was covering .
My hands curled into the thick locks of his hair and pulled him closer. But it still didn’t feel like enough.
Closer... god, I needed to get closer to him.
Elio kissed back with as much needy desire as I possessed in that mont. A series of small moans tore from my throat as he went on to kiss a hot trail down my neck and over my collar.
The tips of my fingers tugged at the hem of his shirt while my hips grinded forward. Elio let out a rugged grunt and caught on to my devious intention. With one hand, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. Seconds later, my own clothing joined his, and he flipped us over to where he was now on top of .
My face flushed a deep shade of pink as I felt the heat of his gaze roam over my exposed chest. He placed another chaste kiss on my lips before lowering himself down to my breasts. My breath hitched widely in my lungs as his tongue licked and played at the stiffened peak of my nipple. I arched into his lustful, skilled touch.
“Elio,” I hissed through my teeth. “Please. Stop teasing .”
He snaked his hand down between my thighs to find slick and ready. The pad of his thumb circled my clit several tis before he stopped his ministrations altogether. I moaned in discouragent when he pulled away.
“Patience, love,” he hushed.
He quickly removed his pants along with his boxers and resud his tantalizing position above . He grabbed the backs of my calves and parted my legs to slide himself between them. My mouth fell open when he ran his hand down my right leg and proceeded to hook it over his shoulder.
I felt the head of his length press against my slicked entrance. In one swift thrust, he slid into and began a steady pace. My bottom lip trembled in shock as I beca consud by the hot, rousing sensation of him moving within .
Jesus Christ. It had to have been the deepest he’d ever been. Any sounds or words I tried to find ca out incoherent.
I felt so full, so full and complete by him. I matched every thrust of his hip with my own till that beautiful heat started to burn beneath my stomach.
My hands fisted at the bed sheets until I frantically found myself reaching out for him. Elio leaned into my touch and bent down to kiss . His movents grew faster and harder. I spoke breathlessly against his lips.
“I’m in love with you too,” I told him.
Elio’s features darkened with carnal lust. He curled his hand around the back of my neck, locking in place.
“Say it again,” he demanded softly.
The corners of my mouth curved upward. “I love you, Elio Valentino, so, so much,” I cried out.
From there on out, Elio threw at everything he had. A few seconds later my entire body was buzzing as my climax sent spiraling over the edge and my vision turned white.
The next thing I knew, Elio was pulling the bed covers around us. Together, our bodies remained intertwined as the need for sleep beca too much to fight.
My eyes slowly started to flutter closed, and the day ca to a surprising end.
***
I wasn’t entirely sure what ti it was when my eyes finally opened the next morning. The sun streaked through the thin curtains on the windows and illuminated the room. The first thing I noticed was the various pieces of discarded clothing that littered the floor.
The unexpected, warm feeling of Elio’s arms wrapped protectively around made think back to the previous night’s events. A small smile began to pull my mouth.
‘Elio told that he was in love with last night,’ I thought happily.
Regardless of the ti, I was more than happy to lay around relishing the intimacy for just a bit longer. But I heard the unmistakable sound of soone coming up the stairs. Before I could do anything, the door to my room opened, and in walked my mother, whose eyes grew wide in disbelief.
My heart vaulted into my throat as I shot up in bed.
“Oh, my God! Mom!” I scread out.
“Sorry!”
She quickly grabbed the doorknob and made a hasty retreat into the hallway.
Due to the sudden ltdown, Elio was now fully awake as well. The two of us quickly gathered our clothes in awkward silence and got ready to head downstairs. I bit the inside of my cheek with worry as we descended the stairs to find my mom waiting for us in the kitchen.
She handed each of us a coffee mug and waited patiently for either of us to begin talking. I cleared my throat and started from the beginning. I admitted to having kissed Elio first and how we sort of took our ti to co to terms with our feelings for each other.
“I was the one who suggested that we keep our relationship on the down-low,” Elio confessed.
“Are you mad that we didn’t tell you?” I asked nervously.
Throughout the whole conversation, my mom’s expression remained calm. She set her mug down and spoke softly. “I’m not mad, Cat. Frankly, I’m just glad that everything is out in the open between all of us now,” she said. “I can’t very well be mad when I kept things from you for so long.”
Elio and I both shared a breath of relief.
My mother stepped forward and pulled into a reassuring hug. “I’m very happy for you two.” She pulled back only to glance at the clock. “Oh, I need to get a move on if I’m going to make it to work on ti.”
She slipped out of the kitchen, and I then turned to glance at Elio. A charming smile played on his lips.
“Would you be interested in spending the day in the city with today?” he asked.
My eyes lit up with excitent, and I quickly nodded and went back to my room to grab my bag. As my mother headed in her own direction, Elio and I made off toward the other.
He parked the car on so random side street and from there, we walked hand in hand. I had very little idea as to where he wanted to take . But the second my eye caught the street sign that read ‘Wilshire Boulevard,’ I nearly jumped out of my shoes.
It was the beginning of our self-guided art tour through the area. Murals of all sizes and stunning colors lined the buildings and walkways. We stopped several tis to gaze at so of the magnificent pieces that almost brought to tears.
It was wonderful. Each piece was as stunning and interesting as the one before it. At so point during our excursion, Elio made the great decision to stop sowhere to eat. But knowing that I still wanted to continue our walkthrough, we decided to stop at a local Thai food stall that was known for their coconut curry noodles and Thai fried rice.
When our feet were too sore for us to go any further, we headed back to the car. I couldn’t stop smiling. The day had been incredible.
“Thank you so much for today, Elio.”
A warm smile curved on his lips as I leaned over the seats and kissed his cheek.
“I’m glad you had fun. I loved exploring this part of the city with you. We’ll have to do it again—”
He was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Elio’s brows pulled together as he reached for it. My stomach twisted with worry as Alessandro’s na appeared across the screen on the dash of his car.
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