SILVIO
I was so far gone for this woman. Jesus Christ, she had found a way to get in my brain and brought out the monster I had tried to hide.
I didn't know what the fuck had gotten into me but I knew when I saw her trembling underneath the fucker, the logical side of my brain was flipped off and I was acting on pure emotion.
I'd promised myself tonight I wouldn't think about her. I wouldn't even think about how Octavius had fucked me over and given me an apartment right next to her when I'd asked him to look for a house.
He did it on purpose, I knew it. He believed I needed to stop driving her away but I couldn't do that. At least not while I was still a fumbling mess inside.
After I promised myself I wouldn't think about her, until she showed up right next to me looking all beautifully soft and gorgeous.
I'd blamed it on the knowledge of where she was going; it was because of that—I couldn't stop worrying about her. I counted the minutes and listened quietly for the jingling of her keys which would notify me when she got home.
After a while I succumbed to the demanding thoughts in my head and went to find her. To make sure she was safe, I told myself. I told myself it was only going to be a quick glimpse and then when she was safe, I would leave.
Lord knew I couldn't sleep at night if my heart was filled with memories of her safety.
It was utterly insane. The woman dominated most of my thoughts. No matter what I did, something always drew me back to her.
I wish I could have said I walked into the bar and saw that boy's hand gripped tightly around her wrist and the fear in those soft brown eyes. That I was protecting Finley's friend or at the very least, being an honorable man.
But it would be bullshit because I had already picked the knife from my knife sheath when the only information I knew was.. or I thought she was planning on fucking him when they were out for dinner.
And as I stood there listening to their conversation and the way he was all over her despite her reluctance, I knew I was wrong.
And I was still going to kill him anyways.
Like I said, fucking utterly insane.
She'd stopped me from killing him—something I didn't know no one could do. Begged me with those soft brown eyes and forced me to stay in the car with her.
She held me, touched me with her soft hand, and rocked her body against mine until the thought of red ceased away.
I knew in that moment, this woman would be my ruin. If anyone touched a goddamn hair on her head, I would kill them all. Every single one of them.
I inhaled a deep breath relaxing against the seats as I commanded the steering wheel with a gloved hand, my gaze shifted towards the mirror. As an attempt to watch her.
She'd been a little too silent for a while now; I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Usually I had a habit of knowing what she was thinking because even though she confused me at times, her hatred for me was something I could always predict.
And now, she gravitated towards me herself with no warning. She'd touched me, wrapped her lithe body around mine and provided me comfort until I calmed down.
Instead of ending my addiction to her, she'd fed it, and it was growing.
It was growing to the point where I needed to see her at least once a day to get through the day. I was going to die one day and she was going to kill me.
She was stunning tonight like always; I'd nearly shot out of my seat when I'd noticed her at the restaurant earlier. Nearly had to stop myself from dragging over there and underneath me.
If I had my way, I would tear off the filthy silk dress, and burn the memory on her in the car staring at me with dark brown eyes and her hard little nipples into memory.
And when I saw the boy across from her, it took every single muscle inside my body not to react. I wanted to kill him for even sitting across from her.
I didn't like people touching what was mine. Especially her.
Suddenly she tensed almost feeling my stare on her and shifted her head to the left. Locking eyes with me, and her thick, dark eyelashes fluttered. She released a little breath, chewed her bottom lip with a tentative smile and glanced away.
She was always the first to break eye contact whenever we held these little eye contests of ours; She would face me head-on, glaring at me with those soft brown eyes and then after a couple of seconds, she would crack.
When she couldn't bear the intensity of my gaze, she had no choice but to look away.
I knew in her head, she was overthinking everything that'd happened tonight. And in mine, I knew I'd fucked up. How could I have let her see that side of me? And I blamed it on Octavius.
He'd been toying with me lately, fucking planning for us to run into each other and now he'd taken it one step further. I didn't give a fuck where I lived but he had to choose the closest option to her. As her damn next-door neighbor.
He wanted to play. We could play.
"Thank you." I heard her voice whisper when I pulled into the underground parking of the apartment building.
She didn't look at me, tried everything in her power to avoid my gaze. Gazed straight ahead until I responded with a nod. Jesus, what was I supposed to say?
I needed to find a solution to this tension between us immediately. Something to make her hate me and so we could go back to—or she could go back to ignoring me with her petty pouts and glared and I could watch.
When I didn't respond, she finally graced me with her attention. She shifted her body in a way that faced me, and I suddenly noticed how brighter her eyes seemed. So warm and shiny under the overhead lights of the car.
I couldn't help but stare. She was so fucking perfect that it made me soul ache sometimes.
"How'd you find me?" She asked, crossing her arms and straightened her back. She was in nothing but a pair of ass-curving jeans and a tank top.
