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How could he go to clubs as a fifteen-year-old? Where was his father? Where was Rosabella? If his mother had still been alive, would she have allowed him to go off the rails like this?
I don’t voice my thoughts, though. Who am I to judge what happened in his past? Tiero is opening up to me, and I’m thrilled he’s letting me see a side of him I’m certain few people get to witness… ever.
Tiero puts down his glass and walks to the railing, staring out over the calm sea.
“A few of the staff tried to stop us, but we practiced our intimidation tactics… and were quite successful. They were afraid of us and the consequences if they didn’t serve us or raised concerns with my father… so they let us do whatever we wanted. This went on for some time. We got cocky, feeling invincible.”
Tiero takes a deep, pained breath and closes his eyes, a haunted expression darkening his face. I sit quietly, watching him, an unusual sadness flowing through me at seeing him so distraught.
“We got in with the wrong crowd. One night, we partied with some young guys who were only a few years older than us. They were passing coke around, and we took some.” I cringe at the thought of a teenage Tiero frying his mind with drugs.
“Turns out they had stolen the coke. As we left the club, the drug dealer and his thugs were waiting for them. Enzo was high as a kite and thought he was unstoppable. He got into a fight with one of them. The guy pulled out a knife and stabbed Enzo several times. He crumbled to the ground, bleeding uncontrollably. The guy had hit a major artery. Enzo died in my arms… I still see him sometimes… the light leaving his eyes, his chest ceasing to move. It was the worst day of my life. It was the first death I witnessed. I was never the same afterward.”
There’s only silence as I let Tiero’s story sink in. The horror of what he has gone through tugging on my heart. I open my mouth to speak but can’t find words. Instead, I walk over to where Tiero is standing, his back turned to me, and I thread my arms around his waist and rest my face against his broad back, holding him the best I can.
I close my eyes to push the images of blood and death out of my mind.
What a burden to carry for a young man.
I turn Tiero towards me and cup his beautiful face, pulling him down to me for a slow, gentle kiss. I want him to forget the pains of his youth and erase the memories that still haunt him.
Yep… I’m officially a goner.
My need to comfort him takes over, and I want… no, need to see him happy again.
Of course, empathy is normal under these circumstances, but the urgency to make it all better for Tiero is overwhelming. It tells me my heart is already lost to him.
Shit! I knew I couldn’t pull off casual.
His lips are soft against mine, and we both get lost in the kiss. He pulls me flush against his body, his touch and kisses becoming more urgent.
Feverishly, Tiero’s hands sneak underneath my dress, caressing the skin of my thighs and, inch by inch, getting closer to where I long to be touched the most.
A deep ache begins to grow inside me, and my need for his body is unstoppable. He lifts me and carries me back to the lounge, sitting down so I’m straddling him.
Greedily, I grind my sex against his hard erection. We both moan as our tongues duel.
As my hands run over his gorgeous muscular chest, I feel his rapid heartbeat beneath my fingertips. I grin against his lips, loving the effect I have on him.
Then suddenly…
BANG.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ella
Whatwasthat?
It sounded like a firecracker piercing the air.
In a flash, Tiero’s powerful arms swing me through the air until I land on the floor, shielded by the lounge we sat on. Covering me with his body, he listens intently, his eyes scanning everything around us. Shouts sound from the lower deck.
What the hell is happening?
I’m about to ask what’s going on, but his hand covers my mouth gently while the pointer finger of his other hand makes a ‘Shh’ motion for me to be quiet.
My heart is beating out of my chest.
