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No, I don’t.
Tiero made sure of that.
The question now becomes, can I come to terms with living a life by the side of a mobster boss and all it entails? The fear, the worry, the nightmares?
“What about your children, Tiero? Do you really want to raise your children in this world of yours? Create the next generation who exploits people’s weaknesses and feeds on greed and power?”
For the first time since I’ve known Gualtiero, he looks conflicted. The normally so confident and self-assured man is gone, replaced by a man wary and exposing his vulnerability.
Maybe for the first time, I truly see him. The man behind the mask.
But I can’t revel in it. An unbearable tiredness is pulling me under. Unable to keep my eyes open any longer, I let them fall shut, pulling the blanket over me. My body is shivering, I’m freezing cold.
Am I really going to try to walk the fine line between heaven and hell?
The heaven of Tiero’s arms versus the hell of his life?
As I drift off into the land where no problems exist, I promise myself I’ll ponder my whole dilemma.
Later, though… I’ll think about it all later.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gualtiero
Ella’sbodymoldsintomine as I hold her in my arms. She’s asleep, but her eyes move rapidly under her lids, and her pulse races under my fingertips.
Trying to soothe her, I run my hands up and down her back… slowly, methodically, trying to transfer some calm into her body.
I wish I could take away every trace of the horrors she’s been through.
She’s seen things she never should have.
I make a promise to myself this will be the last time she has to go through anything like it. I will protect her at any and all costs.
Despite the upsets of the last twenty-four hours, it feels so right cradling her in my arms. I don’t want to be anywhere else. Her presence is a comfort I’ve never allowed myself to enjoy.
Even the slightest touch of her skin embroils my senses. A rush of bloods sweeps through my ears, and then pools lower.
Not now!
But tell that to my cock. It’s consumed with primal want and continues to harden almost to the point of pain. My abstinence from her has only fueled the fire, my need for her insatiable.
It’s been so long since I had her, and I’m burning for her. For the sweet release she alone can give.
Not now!I tell myself again.
I force my thoughts away from my carnal longings.
Then, as if on autopilot, they return to last night. After Ella left to go to the bathroom, an immediate sense of unease came over me, and it was like I could feel the preying eyes on her.
A minute later, I just knew something was wrong.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but that undeniable connection I have with her alerted me that there was no time to waste.
Santino by my side, alerting my men scattered throughout the club, we broke down the locked doors to the wings holding the bathrooms. They were bolted from the other side, but nothing could have withstood my wrath.
When I saw Molinaro’s goon throw Ella into the SUV, I nearly lost it. Thank God, Santino kept his cool and took over. It’s the first time since Enzo’s death that I froze. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, and it didn’t take us long to recover her.
