by Bianca Cole
She digs into her pocket. “I’ll text her and let her know you’re awake.”
I grab hold of her hand, stopping her. “if she needs to rest, then don’t disturb her.”
She shakes her head. “I promised her I’d tell her the moment you woke up.” She smiles. “We’ve become fast friends during all of this, supporting each other.”
I smile at that, loving that Kane’s fiancé and my woman get on. They can keep each other company when we’re away on business. Ellie is everything to me and all I want is for her to be happy and safe.
Her phone beeps almost instantly. “She’s on her way down,” Jasmine says, stowing it back in her pocket.
My heart hammers faster, sending the heart monitor beeping at a quicker pace. The prospect of seeing Ellie excites me and scares me all at the same time. What am I supposed to say to her?
Jasmine gives me a kind smile and then returns to sit by Kane’s side. He picked a good one there, she’s devoted to him to a fault. I swallow as my gaze lands on my brother again, in such a state because I had to lie to our eldest brother. He sustained two gun-shot wounds trying to get us both to safety.
The sound of the door swinging open makes me heart race faster. Ellie’s eyes are wide as they meet mine, and she rushes toward me. Her arms go tentatively around my neck and she holds me gently, crying into my chest.
My little thief so wounded and vulnerable. The true woman behind all the tough exterior she forces in place. I hold her close, loving her fresh strawberry scent and warmth. There were moments when she had been taken that I thought I never see her again, never touch her again and those thoughts threatened to drown me. As each day went by, my hope faded with them.
I can’t find the words to tell her. My throat closes up and I just hold her with my good arm, hoping this moment will never end. She doesn’t speak either. So many things to say, but there’s time now. We’re both safe and together.
Someone clears their throat by the door, forcing my attention over to it. Rick is standing with his shoulders back and hands stuffed in his pockets. The look in his eyes is pure disappointment as he stares at me. He walks toward me, and I know I’m about to get an earful. It’s the least I deserve.
“I’m glad you're awake,” he says, voice calm. As he gets closer, I note the dark circles around his eyes. The guy isn’t getting any sleep. “You guys almost fucking died.” There’s a slight crack in his voice. “What the hell were you thinking?”
I scrub my hand across my chin. “I’m not sure. All I knew was I had to get Ellie back.” I squeeze her hand.
Rick shifts, taking a seat next to my bed.
Ellie jumps off the side of the bed. “I’ll give you two a minute.” I want to protest, but I don’t. Instead, I watch her as she goes to join Jasmine by Kane’s side. We’ve got time to speak together later, without an audience.
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Leonardo?”
I wince at him using my full name. “Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go.”
“Then you don’t know me very well.” He shakes his head. “I could have asked the team I sent to get Alicia to delay until you’d got her and returned safely.”
“Alicia?” I ask.
His eyes flash with something I can’t quite make out. “Juliano’s daughter.” His jaw clenches. “We’re in the shit with them right now.” He rests his head in his hands. I’ve never seen Rick look so broken down before.
I nod. “Yeah, Jasmine mentioned.” I swallow hard. “I’m sorry I went off on my own and headed down to Texas without telling you. I was desperate to get her back.”
He doesn’t move for a moment, and I wonder if what I’ve done is beyond forgiveness. Would my own brother throw me out of the mob?
“I know, Leo. It’s fine, but don’t dare cross me like that again.” He shakes his head. “You put me in a precarious situation.” His gaze moves to Kane. “If it wasn’t for Kane, you’d all be fucking dead now.”
He’s right. Kane took it upon himself to get Jasmine to alert Rick. If it wasn’t for that, we would have died in that fucking car. “I know,” I say, quietly.
Rick stands abruptly, fists clenched by his side. “I’ll leave you to catch up with her.” His gaze switches to Ellie whose chatting with Jasmine. “I’ll see you later.”
He doesn’t wait for a reply and walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I know what I did was wrong. We stick together no matter what, and I should have trusted him to have let me go to Texas. Now, it seems like I’ve just escalated all the shit with the Juliano mob. There’s something else bothering him. I know Rick well enough to know when something else is bugging him.
Ellie hugs Jasmine who head out of the room, leaving the two of us alone, other than my unconscious brother. She takes my hand in hers and squeezes as she returns to my side. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Her voice is so quiet.
I pull her close to me. “I’m so glad that you are okay, Bella.” I brush a finger over the healing bruise on her cheek. The fact those men hurt her still make me so angry, but she’ll heal. We’ll both heal together. “Is this the only bruise they gave you?”
She shakes her head and my jaw clenches. I’m not even sure I want to see, but I slowly lift her baggy shirt up and rage floods me at the sight. Her already scarred body is even more scarred than before, bruises over every inch of skin. “I’ll fucking kill them,” I growl, feeling so angry.
Ellie shakes her head. “This was only one man,” she says, closing her hand over mine and pulling them shirt down. “Bruce Hernandez, my ex-boyfriend.”
I grit my teeth together. “The man that stole you away from me?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah, I don’t know if you killed him when you saved me or not. He was there.”
I blow out a long breath. “For his sake, he better hope that he’s fucking dead.”
She shivers slightly at my tone, eyes wide.
“Come here,” I whisper, pulling her to perch on the side of the hospital bed. I brush her hair from her face and kiss her gently, shutting my eyes.
She kisses me back, allowing her lips to part as I search her mouth tenderly. My chest aches as I’m finally reunited with her in a place where we are truly out of danger.
“I’ve missed you more than you can ever know,” I mutter against her lips, keeping my eyes shut.
She swallows. “I’ve missed you too, but I didn’t think you felt the same way.”
My eyes shoot open and I gaze into her oceanic blue eyes, seeing the fear in them. A fear of rejection that is so utterly ridiculous. It makes my stomach flutter with nerves as I know what is on the tip of my tongue. Words I’ve never said to anyone before, not even my own family. “I love you, Ellie,” I say, as the tightness constrict around my throat at the emotion. “Why the fuck do you think I drove down to Texas to get you out?”
A whisper of a smile plays at her full, pink lips. “I thought it was some mafia bullshit, like you take my property and I’ll come and get it back.”
I shake my head, chuckling softly. “No, although, you’re not far off with the mafia bullshit. I do have to do that too, but the real reason I came for you was because I love you.”
I hold my breath, wondering if she will say it back.
“I love you too, Leo.” She kisses me softly, and that’s when I hear a grunt from the other side of the room.
“Get a fucking room,” Kane says, shifting in the bed and wincing. Ellie jumps to her feet and rushes for the door, calling Jasmine in.
Jasmine is over to Kane in a flash. I watch as he kisses her despite his injuries, devouring the girl as if he’s been starving for her.
I can’t help but smile, as Ellie returns to my side. She’s smiling too. The rescue didn’t exactly go to plan, and the danger is far from over with the Juliano Mafia, but we’re together and alive, the whole family. We’ll find a way to survive, its what we always do.
22
Epilogue
Ellie
One-year later…
I sit on the swing in the walled garden of the Romano mansion grounds, listening to the birds chirping in the trees. The rush of water from the nearby stream is calming and makes my chest feel light. It’s almost sunrise—the reason I came out here so early. I pull my thick cardigan tighter to me, as the air is a little fresh this morning.
The morning of my birthday—a day I never celebrate. Even as a kid, my parents didn’t celebrate or give me presents. Once my granddad died when I was five, every birthday after that was shit.
My life has been one hell of a shit show, and I never believed it would get better. Then Leo turned up, and I fell into a dream. It’s been a year to the day since he saved me from Bruce. To say we’ve been through some difficulties is an understatement. Finally, things are falling back into place.
Life is full of danger now that I’m with Leo, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Brutality and abuse have been common aspects in my life since I can remember, but Leo is different. He may be the brutal underboss of the mob, but to me he’s a fierce and protective lover who would never hurt me. A man who would do anything to keep me safe.
Bruce regretted the day he snatched me from Leo, but that is all part of a story for another day. Somehow, he got away from that warehouse alive, but I’m sure he wished he hadn’t.
“My ray of sunshine,” Leo says behind me.
I smile at him, holding a hand out for him to join me on the double swing seat.
He sits next to me, kissing me on the cheek. “What are you doing, Bella?” He slips a hand behind my neck and squeezes possessively, sending an aching need between my thighs. “I woke to find you missing on your birthday, and there were so many things I wanted to do to you.”
I shiver at the notion, loving how my body reacts to his words. Leo still knows how to get me going, every time. “I wanted to enjoy the sunrise this morning,” I say, watching the orange sun rise in the sky, painting it in beautiful light.
“It’s beautiful, but not as beautiful as you,” he says, capturing my lips with his. “Happy birthday, Ciccino.”
When we part, I shrug. “I don’t celebrate my birthday.”
He cups my chin in his hands. “I celebrate it every fucking day. Without it, you wouldn’t be here with me.”
I chuckle at that. Somehow, he always knows the right things to say. He cocks his head to the side, gazing into my eyes. “I’ve got a gift for you, Mio Amore.” He places his hand inside his pocket and pulls out a small black box.
My heart pounds harder and faster in my chest at the sight, even more so when he drops to one knee in front of me.
“Ellie, there’s no doubt in my heart that you’re my soul mate.” He pauses a moment, eyes so sincere it makes my heart ache. “The other half that completes me, and I want to solidify that with you.” He opens the box to reveal a simple but stunning solitaire diamond ring.
I smile at how well he knows me, feeling tears well up deep in my chest. The last thing I’d want is some over the top huge ring—simple is all I want in life. He knows that and he knows me.
“Will you marry me?”
The tears spill down my cheeks, as I can no longer contain them. “Of course,” I say, shaking my head. I can barely say anything else—the words I want to tell him won’t come.
What are the right words to express just how much I adore the man in front of me? He slips the ring onto my finger, and I jump into his arms, kissing him passionately.
It’s always been easier for me to express my feelings physically. He groans against me as I kiss him, making the need for him rise inside of me. He shifts his weight and pins me down to the ground, holding my arms up above my head. The fire in his eyes burns brightly and makes me quiver.
“Remember I’m in control,” he growls above me.
I nod my head. “Just the way I like it, sir.”
Leo grabs hold of my waist, making me sit up. He pulls my t-shirt over my head and I shiver. “We can’t do this out here,” I protest, crossing my arms over my chest.
He cocks his head to the side. “Why not? No one comes down here.”
I shove him. “How do you know?”
He doesn’t reply, instead he kisses me. I shiver as his fingers tease under my bra cup, pinching my nipple and teasing it into a hard peak. “Live a little, baby,” he groans, grinding his thick cock into my thigh.
I moan, nodding my head in agreement. A thrill runs through me at the thought of getting caught, fucking in the garden. But, Leo is right. The likelihood of someone coming down here this early is slim.
Ever since the accident on the Oklahoma border, I’ve come down here every morning, feeling lucky to be alive–lucky all of us are alive, somehow. I’d never paid much attention to the simple things in life such as the nature around us, until then.
He unclips my bra, freeing my breasts. The cold breeze mixing with my arousal makes my nipples even harder. Leo growls, sucking on each of them in turn and making me writhe beneath him. He moves back and glances down at me, adoration in his eyes. He unbuttons my pants next, easing them down my hips.
The soft grass beneath me tickles my skin as I lay there in only a thin, lacy thong. I watch him as he pulls off his t-shirt and then unbuttons his pants, stripping to his boxers. The outline of his thick, hard length straining against the tight fabric and growing that all-consuming need inside of me.
“Keep your hands above you head, Bella,” he says, stressing his accent, because he knows I love it.
I do as he says, fire igniting in my belly as I hold them together. He shifts between my thighs and lifts my hips up, pulling my panties off. I shiver as he stares at me with a hunger so fierce I feel so wanted and needed.
He lowers his mouth to my heat, kissing me there at first. I shut my eyes, moaning as he touches me too lightly. His tongue teases through my folds, parting me. Leo loves drawing out my pleasure, making me wait for it, and wait I do. It makes me feel good, submitting to a man who loves me and makes me feel good in a way I never knew possible.
He slips two fingers inside of me, curling them to hit that spot that makes me cry out. His tongue flicks over the sensitive bud ever so softly, making my orgasm build. I can feel the pressure the moment his tongue is on my clit.
I writhe under him, keeping my hands locked above my head.
He digs his fingers into my hips, making sure he marks me with them. The pain and pleasure mingling into one perfect mix of pure ecstasy. The pressure inside of me increases as he sucks my clit into his mouth, fingering me in a way he knows drives me insane.
I dig my fingers into the palms of my hands, resisting the urge to claw at my fiancé.
My fiancé.
It’s hard to believe Leo Romano wants to marry me. A worthless thief. Leo nips at my clit with his teeth and I come apart, the pressure breaking open and flooding my pussy. He drinks up every drop, hungrily. The trembling pleasure coursing through me makes me moan. I’m flying so high as he continues to lick me, moving higher toward my tummy.
I wait for instruction, keeping my fingers laced together above my head.
“Good girl,” he groans, trailing a pattern of kisses up my chest. He pauses over my lips, before capturing them and letting me taste myself. There’s a hunger so deep inside of me to be connected to this man.
He bites my lip in warning, as I let my hands slide around the back of his neck. “Did I tell you to move your hands?” he asks, a playful glint in his eyes.
I shake my head. “No, sir.”
His lips quirk as I fall into my role, raising my hands back over my head. “My perfect submissive,” he groans, kissing me. His tongue slips into my mouth, making me moan, as he sucks on my tongue. Leo sends a powerful thrill racing to my core.
He pulls back from me and hooks his fingers into the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down his hips. My mouth dries as he frees himself from them, his hard length slapping against his chiseled abs, beading with precum and ready to take me.
> I lick my lips, struggling to keep my arms over my head. The temptation to grab hold of him is strong, but not as strong as the need to submit and please him. His lips quirk as he rubs the swollen head of his cock in my slick folds, holding eye contact. He enjoys teasing me and making me desperate for him.
I whimper as he bumps the head over my sensitive clit, sending a thrill of pleasure right through me. “Please, Leo,” I moan, digging my nails into my own wrist.
He kisses me, silencing my pleas. It is at the same moment that he fills me with one swift stroke, burying himself deep inside of me. I feel so utterly stuffed, considering the butt plug he placed inside of me last night is still firmly wedged in my ass.
The pleasure is beyond words, unable to describe as we join together as one. It’s something beyond just pleasure when we have sex, something deep and primal about our entire relationship.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this man is my soul mate. He is the other half of my whole. Leo thrust into me harder and faster, moving above me with a fiery hunger burning in his dazzling, blue eyes. His fingers dig into my hips tightly, bruising me. I groan at the thrilling pain which only strengthens the hot and fiery pressure inside of me, making me crave release, again.
Leo grunts as his hard length sinks as deep as possible. He the pulls almost all the way out, only to thrust back in even harder and faster. His fingers wrap tightly around my throat as he pounds into me, increasing the hot, fiery passion burning between us. I’m on fire. Burning beneath my fiancé in a way I’ve never felt before.
He bites my bottom lip hard, not enough to draw blood though. I moan, writhing beneath him as he keeps his hand at my throat. “Come for me, Ciccino,” he says, thrusting into me so hard I come apart.
I tumble over the edge of bliss, free falling as he keeps fucking me through it. The chirp of the birds, the rush of the stream, the gush of wind all fades to nothing as blood pumps through my ears. I cry out, screaming his name over and over.
