{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}
'What the fuck was that about?' Leon asks as soon as I close the door behind me. 'Can I at least get dressed?'
I can see he's already changed into dark clothes, but I just came out of the shower and only have a towel around my waist.
'I dragged your drunk ass out of that fountain in Venice and made sure you changed into fresh clothes, I've seen you naked before Adriano.'
He did do that. But why is he acting as if nothing happened?
'There's a difference.' I say as I get into my closet and close the door behind me so that I can change.
'Answer the question.' He groans, standing right outside my closet. Jesus fucking Christ...
'Since when are you and Neveah so close?'
'Jealous much?' He has no reason to be, but I don't think he is. I just wonder what's up with him.
'Do I have to be?' I put on some boxers and head to the shirts, grabbing a black one. 'Why are you asking me this?'
He knows that he should be talking to Neveah as we speak, yet he's wasting time talking to me.
'She obviously doesn't want to talk to me.' Because you're being distant...
'I wonder how that happened.' I say sarcastically.
He was acting foolish a few minutes ago, and he still is right now.
'Since when did you two become buddies?'
'I hate to admit it, but she kind of... grew on me?' It's not like I won't be able to live without her or that I'll forever need her around, but I don't mind her company as much as I used to.
That's something.
And that's where it stays.
I quickly put on some pants and put on a jacket, before heading to the mirror to quickly fix my hair.
'And you called me pathetic for caring about her?'
'You are.' I say as I finally open the door and look at him, 'You're still pathetic for caring about her because you're acting like a piece of shit and it's not going to help us in the end.'
'What's that supposed to mean?' Ever since Neveah looked at Leon like she saw a ghost, I've been on edge about everything. 'If you mess shit up with Neveah, there might be a smaller chance of Valentina staying as well.'
'Trust me, Adriano, she's not actually going anywhere.' He says confidently.
Or at least he's trying to be confident. But I can hear the faint sound of fear in his voice.
I shake my head and walk past him, back to the dining room, followed by him.
'I wouldn't be too confident, Leonardo.' I say, turning back to him.
He frowns at me, concern taking over just a second before he sighs deeply. 'What changed?'
'She did.' I know she did.
And I did too. Just a little.
'Just don't mess this up for me, okay?' He rolls his eyes before dropping into one of the seats. 'So I'm just a pawn to you?'
'You are the one who gave Valentina to the Steels, so if you create another issue for me with her, I will make sure you suffer the same,' He looks me dead in the eyes, trying to see if I'm telling the truth, which I am, 'got it?'
'Got it.' He sighs, grabbing his phone from his pocket. 'So you're finally accepting your feelings for Cataleya?'
'Just shut up.' I say as I look at my watch.
They all have twenty more minutes to get in here so I can go over the strategy one more time.
And we still have to wait
'I honestly knew you were in love with her the moment you asked me to check her skills instead of trusting Marco.'
'Don't fucking go there, Leonardo.' He looks up from his phone and doesn't know what to say. 'Just because we're getting her back together doesn't mean I forgot what you did.'
'I never said anything about that.'
'You're acting like it.' Shame flickers through his eyes, but I don't feel sorry at all.
He came in last night, when everyone else was already asleep, and never apologized.
Not once.
And now he's acting like a piece of shit towards North, which means there will be another problem.
Because North will try her hardest to get Valentina away from us now.
All because my idiot of a cousin can't just talk to her.
'Look at you! All shaved and shit.' I roll my eyes before looking at the door, and watch as North walks in. 'Where are the others?'
Her hair is still a little wet from her shower, and she takes a seat in one of the chairs.
Far away from Leon.
She's wearing all black and her hair up, just like we planned.
'I don't know, here.' I throw a granola bar across the table, making her frown at me. 'Why are you-'
'Just eat it.' She hasn't eaten anything since lunch and I don't need her to faint again.
If we had more time, I would've ordered something for all of us, but we need to get this over with.
'I'm not-''North, just eat it.' She looks at me and sighs deeply as she unwraps it. 'I hate you sometimes.'
'You hate me all the time.' She rolls her eyes as she takes a bite and nods, 'that's true.'
'Ready to finish this shit?' Killian asks as he walks into the room, with Nico and Marco walking in behind him.
Everyone takes a seat and looks at me.
'We're going to attack from three sides. Left, right, and back. Nico and Marco, you take the left, Killian and Leon, you take right. And Neveah and I will take the back.'
I can tell that Leon wants to oppose. But we don't have time to switch up the entire plan. 'So I have to go with this dumbass?' Nico complains sarcastically.
'You're just a distraction anyway, so you should be fine.' He looks at me and sighs deeply, before looking at the blueprint again.
'You guys will cause a distraction on both sides of the house and we'll get to the dining room at the back of the house. Leon,' I look at him again and wait for him to finally look at me as well, 'I need you to get to the dining room as quick as you can.'
'Okay.' He replies, looking back at the blueprint. 'Who's going to take her?' 'Leon is.'
He looks back at me and frowns. 'What?'
'Neveah and I will keep them distracted and try getting them to follow us, while all of you go to the haven and get onto the boat. Vincent will text you guys everything once he's there.' Which should be any second now...
'How long do you need?' Killian asks, looking at me. 'As long as possible.'
Everyone nods and takes one more look at the blueprint.
My phone vibrates and I quickly grab it, my heart racing as I read Kai's text:
𝙳𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚗
'Is that him?' North curiously asks and I nod in response. 'We're good to go.'
'Let's finally get this over with then.' Nico grunts, heading out of the room.
I grab my shit and realize that I'm alone in the room with Leon again.
'Ready for another war?' He asks, making me smirk just a little.
Leonardo and I have been through hell with each other.
Even though he's the one who sent Valentina away, even though he's the one who gave her to my worst enemy, I need him here.
We've never done big stuff like this without each other around. And I doubt I could do this without him.
Even though it's his fault.
'Same war, same enemy.'
He nods, smiling at me as he takes a sip from his glass.
I can't believe he's finally back.
I mean, I'm the one who sent him away, but still.
If he's back, it means we're close. It means we're going to get her back. Because that was the deal.
He was only allowed to return if we were certain we were going to get Valentina back.
And we are.
We head out and all enter a different car, with North getting in the same as mine.
I get another text.
From Vince this time:
𝙵𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚊, 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝟻
Okay.
I start the car and hear North's phone pinging this time. She chuckles and puts her phone on silent, before putting it away.
'Vince says the ship is smaller than he expected.' She states, keeping her eyes forward. 'It's our escape, the big ship is at sea already.'
She doesn't answer and simply nods, making me nervous.
More than I already am.
'Stop making me nervous.' She blinks once, before turning to me with a frown. 'I'm not trying to.'
'Well, you are and if you don't want us to crash, I suggest you stop it.'
Nerves will create mistakes. And we cannot afford mistakes.
'What are you going to make for breakfast tomorrow morning?' She asks out of nowhere. 'What the fuck are you doing?'
'I'm trying to stay calm, so tell me what amazing breakfast you're going to make for Leya's birthday.'
I sigh as I continue to drive toward Whitegate Manor, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.
'I'm going to ask the chef to make all of us something.' which should be fine enough...
'You can't do that, it's her birthday.' I shrug and look at her while I wait for the light to turn green again. 'So?'
I have enough shit to do already and I think she needs to rest after everything that happened. I doubt she'll have the energy to do much.
'So?' She asks, turning to me entirely.
It's like the light is broken or something because it takes long-ass hell for it to turn green again.
'What's wrong with the food my chefs make?' I never heard them complain about it. Quite the opposite actually.
'It's good, perfect even. But it's her birthday we're talking about.'
The light finally turns green and I race away, ready to get my girl back.
For real this time.
'If you make something for her it will come from the heart, you know. It would be way more romantic if you made something for her yourself.'
'I don't do romantic.' She snorts and looks away for a second, obviously trying to contain her laughter. 'Yeah right.'
'I'm not romantic North.' She burst out into laughter and shakes her head. 'Who are you trying to fool here?'
The next light is about to turn red, so I race across just before the other cars start driving. 'Tell me one moment that I have been romantic.'
'How about that night where we talked about Leya after the party? Or what about your drunk confession?' Drunk confession? 'Or all the things you said about your future plans with Leya?'
'Those were just words.'
'Words from the heart.' I roll my eyes as I look at the time. 'Now all you have to do is tell her, tell her you're sorry for everything, and hope that she'll forgive you.'
My mind goes rigid at the thought of everything that has to be said when we get her.
If we get her... It's the little voice in my head that keeps reminding me of the risks we'll be taking today.
So many things can go wrong tonight.
'Let's just get her back first.' I state, hating the fact that I'm even thinking like this.
But it's the truth.
'We'll get her back, right?' North sounds even more on edge than I am right now, something that I definitely don't need right now.
'I'll make sure she makes it out of there alive.'
North takes a deep breath and nods as she turns her face back to the road ahead again, giving me some time to go over it all in my head again.
We both stay silent for the rest of the drive.
When we finally make it, I park the car close to a tree and hop out.
'Catch.' North throws one of those earpieces my way and puts one on herself.
'Everyone set?' I can hear North over the line and wait for a reply. 'I'm set.' 'So are we.'
Good.
'Get close but stay out of sight.' North follows me towards the back of the house, basically crouching through the bushes.
There are five men at the back of the house, which is more than before, and some of them have guns on them. 'My heart is racing right now-' 'North, shut up.'
She rolls her eyes and tries to peek between some of the leaves, while I look at my phone again.
Kai said ten minutes, but that was twenty minutes ago. So they should be having dinner right now...
'Alright, I'm going in.' Nico says and before any of us can even respond, I hear a loud explosion on the left side of the house and hear a lot of commotion from the guys standing on this side of the house.
Three of them rush over to the side that's now on fire, the other two stay put.
'We're going in as well.' Leon says, right before I hear another explosion. This time on the right side of the house.
I can tell that the guards are debating if they should help or not, but they're taking too long to decide.
So I pull my gun and shoot at them, watching as they barely have time to reach for their guns, right before they fall down.
Dead.
'Let's go.' North looks at me in shock but follows me towards the backdoor.
Which is unlocked.
There's smoke down the hall and as soon as we close the door, I hear more gunshots, this time coming from everywhere.
'Go.' Neveah pulls her gun and keeps her eyes open for anyone running up to us.
But they're too busy with the others.
'This way.' North walks straight into the smoke, covering her mouth with her vest, and I instantly lose her.
I stay behind, looking if someone is going to get us from behind, and slowly back up. Into the smoke.
'Right side clear.' Killian says over the line, 'I'll help left, Leon is heading your way.'
'Where are you guys?' 'We're-' A gunshot goes through the hall and I look ahead. Shit.
'North?' She doesn't respond and it doesn't help that more gunshots are going around ahead of me. Fucking hell.
'Neveah!' I can hear Leon panic over the line, knowing that it won't be long until he gets on this side of the house.
I aim my gun at the gunshots ahead and ready my finger around the trigger. 'North?'
'Would you shut up! I'm trying to hide!' Another shot and some glass breaking, making the smoke slowly go out the window. 'But how adorable of you to care.'
Neveah smiles at me and I wish I could just throw her out of the fucking window. 'Don't do that again.'
'I cleared the way, we should be fine.' I look at the hall ahead and realize that she indeed cleared out everyone.
How is she so good at this?
Leon rushes through the hall, stopping on the spot when he sees Neveah standing between us. 'She's good.'
'We should go.' She chimes, walking past Leon like he's a ghost, and into the next hall.
'Leon, grab her and get out of here.' I say as I head to the right door.
'They're headed this way!' Someone shouts from where we just came from, and I sigh.
They already called for reinforcement?
'We need to hurry.' North states as if it wasn't obvious yet. I grab the handle of the door leading to the dining room and realize that it's locked. Fucking hell...
'I have this but it might make the entire house burn down.' Leon says, showing me the bomb that was supposed to be used as a last resort. 'Just throw it.'
Leon sighs deeply and places the bomb on the door, entering the code, before grabbing Neveah's arm and trying to push me away.
We all hide further into the hall and watch as Hunter's men run-up to the door that explodes right in their faces.
The whole ground shudders and I can hear glass shattering almost everywhere, but we have to grab her and get out of here.
We all run into the dining room and aim our guns at the people inside.
Some parts of the wall fell down, the chandelier fell down in the middle of the table, leaving shatters all over the place.
And the table is blown to the side, crushing the one and only Hunter Steel. 'Cataleya...' He groans, before passing out.
I'll deal with him later. I need to find Valentina first.
I keep looking around, trying to find Valentina with all this smoke and fire going around.
'Where is she?' Leon disappeared into the smoke, but North is still at my side, trying to keep her mouth covered so she doesn't get gassed.
'I have her!' My heart stops at Leon's words and I take another look around. But it's too dark for me to see shit.
'They breached the door!' Shit... I turn back to the hole we made and aim at the men running inside, shooting them one by one. 'Get her out of here!'
'We'll meet you at five.' I hear more glass break behind me and take a quick look while the smoke dissolves. 'Rio!'
I feel something cut through my skin, burning like hell, and turn around to see what happened.
Someone tried to shoot me and barely struck me.
But I'm bleeding. Shit.
I can hear another explosion coming from the left side, and feel the ground shake again. Shit.
'Everyone head out, now!' North shoots two guys in the head, before rushing over to the door. I follow her, ignoring the pain in my arm, and try to keep my aim up.
Just in case there are more.
'Just one more for those sick fuckers!' Nico shouts over the line, throwing another bomb on the left side of the house.
The house is old and it's not going to hold itself any longer, slowly breaking as we run back to our exit.
'What about Hunter?' North asks as we finally make it to the door after maneuvering our way through the falling blocks of bricks. 'He's not going to make it.'
'How can you be so sure?' She asks as we head back out of the door.
As soon as we're behind the bushes I can hear the house collapse behind us, and when we finally get to the car, I see the destruction we've caused.
The house is slowly burning to the ground and I just pray to God that the fire takes Hunter to his grave.
'We did it!' North exclaims overly excited, making me smile a little. 'Let's get rid of them first.'
A set of cars trail behind us down the dirt road we're racing on. 'Shit.'
'Hold on.' I drift and make a right onto the highway, initially driving the wrong way. But we need to lose those idiots first.
'One of them went the other way for some reason.' North says, looking back to check on the cars. 'Guys lose them first.' I say, waiting for a response.
'No one's following us.' Marco says calmly, making me wonder where they are right now. 'No one's following us either.' Leon says, making me want to hear Valentina's voice as well.
Even if it's just for a second.
But it stays silent.
'Where is everyone right now?' North asks, turning around to look at the cars behind us again. 'We're ten minutes away.' Nico answers quickly, as if waiting for her to ask him anything.
'And we're twenty minutes away, since we took a detour.' Leon says, obviously bitter by the whole Nico and North situation.
But still no sound of Valentina.
'Is she with you, Leon?' I ask, trying to keep my mind on the road so we don't crash. 'Yes, she's just...' Just what?
Is she hurt? Passed out? Dead?! 'She doesn't want to talk to anyone but Neveah.'
Right... Just like on the phone yesterday.
'Tell her we'll talk as soon at the boat,' North says, looking at me with pure concern in her eyes, 'Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do here, but we need to get out of here right now so if you could please go a little bit faster.'
I look through the rearview mirror and notice that five cars are chasing us through traffic right now. 'We'll see you guys at the ship.'
I try losing the guys on the highway, but it seems impossible for some reason.
And somehow we end up on an almost empty road, making it easier for them to stick with us. Shit.
'Open the window.' I locked it for a reason. 'What are you going to do? Shoot them?' It's useless. The cars are probably bulletproof.
'I'm going to try and shoot their tires so they crash.' I quickly glance at her and smile. 'You're a lot more bloodthirsty than you'll ever admit, aren't you?'
'Just open the window.' She repeats, waiting for me to do it. But it's no use.
'And risk you getting shot, no thank you.' I state, trying to find a way out of this mess.
We have to turn around at some point, so maybe I can lose them in the city? It should be more crowded there too. Fuck it.
'They're not shooting.' North tries to open the window by pressing harder on the buttons. 'Yet, now stop doing that and hold on tight.' I make a U-turn and drive up the exit on the other side of the road.
'We lost one of them.' North says as I race through the city, ignoring every red light I drive by.
'Make that two.' Two more to go...
'We might have some trouble at the boat.' Marco says over the line, making me roll my eyes. 'What is it?' 'There are men headed this way.'
'Kill them.' I look back for a second and notice that the two cars are on both sides. 'Kill them all.'
'Alright boss.' Killian chimes, before the line is cut off again.
'North, how long until the haven?' I ask as I go left and right, swiftly moving through traffic. 'Twenty-three minutes.'
'Leon, how far away are you guys?' I ask, awaiting an answer.
Which takes a lot longer than it should. 'Leon?'
No response. 'What the fuck is going on?' North asks, looking at the cars behind us again. 'We need to lose one more.'
'We kill them at the ship and go.' I state, racing towards the haven. 'Leonardo, where are you guys?' I ask again, feeling the nerves kick in. 'Tiago?'
Nothing. 'Fuck.' I mumble, trying to keep my focus. If they crashed- 'We're there, needed to clear the road.'
A sigh of relief comes from both of us, and we try to calm down. 'There's one car after us, so be ready to shoot.'
'Don't drive on the middle of the road, but make sure they do.' What?
North turns to me with a frown, but I know just as much about whatever it is they're trying to do as she does.
'They're placing a bomb on the road.' Marco explains, making North's eyes widen. 'It's risky, but you got it.'
If we even touch it a tiny bit, we're dead.
'What side of the road?' I ask, readying myself for it even though it's at least fifteen more minutes away. 'Middle.' Nico replies. 'Middle, but more to the right.' Killian says, making me sigh deeply. 'Our right, so your left.'
'Fuck it.' I groan as I try to lose the car before we get to the haven. But they're too close.
When we're almost there, I look ahead and notice everyone standing by the gates, pointing towards the left side of the road. 'Be careful!'
Dio, per favore...
'We're going to die!' North exclaims, closing her eyes as I race through the gates.
I drift a little, allowing us to face the gate as we come to a stop, the car exploding in front of us. Holy fucking shit...
'Have some faith in me, Jesus North.' She opens her eyes and catches her breath, before rushing out of the car.
I turn off the car and jump out, watching as North runs towards the parked car not too far ahead.
I look at Leon, who smiles at me, before turning to the person beside him.
There she is, tears in her eyes as she stumbles over to North, barely able to walk straight.
They wrap their arms around each other and hug.
They simply hug.
No words needed.
And I keep my distance, feeling like I'm in a dream.
Afraid that if I move, I'll wake up.
She's here.
She's right in front of me and-
They let go of each other and slowly turn to me.
The look in her eyes is killing me and I can't help but gasp for air.
I feel like I'm about to faint.
'We need to go, before the others get here.' Nico says, dragging a blond girl with him.
I want to ask who she is and why they took her with them, but I'm too focused on Valentina.
'We should-' I should tell her everything. I should be shouting at her for disobeying my orders. I should be doing a lot of shit, but none of it feels right.
So instead of doing what feels wrong, I wrap my arms around her and simply draw her close, burying my face into her perfect curls.
I take a deep breath, taking in her delicious scent, despite its mask of wood and cement. Trying to drill my thoughts into her pretty head.
I missed you so much...
She is in way better condition than Neveah was. She doesn't seem used or touched at all. Nothing as far as the eye can see, but I know that they tried to break her mentally.
Even though she doesn't seem hurt. I just know she is. 'Are you hurt?'
She shakes her head at my question and stays in my arms, not moving an inch. As if she's afraid to breathe.
I feel like looking at every inch of her skin to see if she's actually unharmed or not.
'What happened- Is everyone okay? We should go before they come after us and-' She mumbles against my chest.
I never want to let her go again, it's too dangerous.
'Never pull something like that again.' She groans at my words, sending shivers down my spine.
I missed the sounds she makes. I missed her little giggles, huffs, groans, her voice. I missed her.
'Can we please do this later?' Leonardo asks, heading towards the boat as well. 'We need to go.' North pulls Valentina out of my arms and rushes towards the boat.
I follow them and wait for Killian to start the boat, which he does immediately.
The blond girl takes a seat close to Valentina and stares at all of us in fear. Who the fuck is she?
Everyone stays silent as we make our way to the yacht. As if we're all shocked that it's finally over.
But I couldn't care less.
I just need to look at Valentina and everything will be fine. I just know it.
'I'm Vincent by the way.' Vince chimes as I notice the yacht up ahead. 'I'm Cataleya.'
'I'm Killian and that guy that's drooling over Neveah is Nikolai, but we call him Nico.' Valentina looks at Nico, who's indeed staring at North, and smiles.
'Are you sure you're okay?' North asks, trying to move closer to her. Fuck no...
I keep my eyes on her, wanting to get those two as far away from each other as possible.
North will give her all to try and convince Valentina to leave and I barely have time to talk to her.
'Holy shit.' Killian mumbles as he slowly stops the boat at the end of the yacht. Everyone gets out and I grab North's arm, keeping her on the boat while everyone else gets off.
'What are you doing?' She asks, trying to get out of my grip. I drag her onto the yacht and make my way to her side of the boat. 'You're going to stay on this side of the boat until the week is over.'
'Excuse me?' She asks as she stumbles back a little. 'You heard me.'
I turn back to the door and ready myself for everything that's about to go down. I need to get to Valentina. I need to talk to her.
'I have to talk to Leya.' I almost want to lock this door and get out of here. 'You can talk to her when the week is over.'
'Are you fucking kidding me?' She asks as she tries to make her way to the door.
She knows she won't be fast enough to run past me. 'I need to talk to her.'
'I know exactly what you're going to tell her and I don't need you to ruin this for me.'
'I haven't seen her in three months!' She shouts, trying to push me away, but I stay put. 'Neither have I so I suggest you stay here.'
She glares at me, ready to pull her gun to make me move. But that won't happen. 'You don't trust me, do you?'
'No. I don't.' I say as I head to the door, 'Not with this.'
'Piece of shit!' She runs up to the door, but I keep it closed so she won't be able to get out and text Nico to come down here.
Within two minutes, he's on this side of the boat. 'What's up?'
'Keep her in there until she cooled down.' He frowns at me, before hearing North banging on the door, screaming, 'I'm not going to tell her anything! Just let me out!'
'Keep her on this side of the boat, away from Valentina.' He sighs deeply and nods, quickly grabbing a chair from the other room, and placing it right underneath the door handle so it won't open.
'Rafael Adriano Curzio. Open this door right now!'
I sigh as I take off my jacket and head to the front of the boat, walking into Killian and Vincent who head towards the back again. 'We're going to bed, good luck with them.'
The closer I get to the front, the more my heart starts pounding.
Marco takes the blond girl to one of the rooms as well, whispering something to her.
But I don't care about any of that right now. I need to get to Valentina...
When I finally make it to the front, I see Leon, sitting on the couch. 'Where is she?'
'Your room upstairs.' He mutters, taking a deep breath as he looks up at me, 'she's not in the mood to talk.' What?
I nod and take a deep breath, trying to ready myself to finally tell her.
Because that's what I plan on doing, finally telling her. 'Go to bed, we'll handle the rest in the morning.'
He nods but stays put, looking at the night sky through the windows.
I make my way up the steps and walk into the bedroom.
Instantly I'm met by a hard slap on my face. I take a deep breath, unable to let my anger get the best of me.
Especially with her.
Because she's here.
Valentina looks at me, anger flaring in her eyes, and pushes me away. 'You piece of shit.'
I take a step forward, ready to throw my arms around her and never let her go again, but she won't let me close.
'What the fuck is wrong with you!' She sneers, giving me another push.
I grab her arm this time, keeping her close to my chest, and she tries to break through.
She got a lot stronger and she almost escapes, but I quickly wrap my arms around her, barely giving her space to breathe.
'Fucking. Piece. Of. Shit.' She's angry and it's all becoming too much at once, 'Let go of me!'
If she needs to blow off some steam, I'll gladly be her punching bag.
As long as she's here, which she is, instead of with Hunter.
'I fucking hate you!' She tries to push me with all her might, but it's no use. I won't let her go.
And I take every slap and push she has to offer, soaking in her touch even if it's meant to hurt me, giving her the opportunity to let it all out.
Because it's her.
'I can't- I hate you.' She repeats, her slaps getting weaker and weaker, 'I hate you so much.'
I know... She's been through hell and I'm to blame for some of it. It doesn't shock me that she hates me, because, as much as I hate it, she has every right to.
'Please-' 'Let go of me, right now.' She says, making me freeze for a second.
It's just something in her tone that makes my body do as she says, even though she wasn't really demanding it.
'Valentina, I-' She slaps me again, my face shooting to my right and my cheek instantly burning red. 'Don't you fucking dare call me that.'
I slowly tilt my head back towards her, watching as the urge to murder me only increases by the second.
In less than a second, everything in her mind goes blank and she takes a look around. As if that little moment drained her completely.
I just want to carry her to the bed and lay down next to her, just to watch her the entire night, but she doesn't want me around her.
The room is exactly how I wanted it. A big bed in the middle, a lot of windows, a bathroom, a door leading to the side of the boat, and a closet.
Valentina walks over to the velvet couch, facing the door, and looks straight into my eyes.
Say it.
'Is this real?' She asks, her voice a little distant. 'What do you mean?' Just fucking say it...
'It feels real, but then again, my brain is good at pulling tricks on me, so is this real?' I can't take my eyes off of her and slowly make my way to her, trying not to scare her off as she looks up at me.
'It's real.' I say, feeling a million things wash over me. She's actually here. 'You're out.'
I take a seat next to her and grab her hand, feeling how small and warm she is. 'I'm out.'
She seems lost for a second, staring at the door as if someone is going to walk through there and take her away again.
'You're out.' I repeat, making her look at me again.
The questions disappear from her eyes and she leans closer to me, taking a deep breath before releasing it slowly. 'You're real.' She mumbles as she places her hand on my chest.
My heart is racing like crazy and I know she can feel it. 'I am.'
I pull her closer, enjoying her warmth and her smell more than anything else in the entire world right now.
'Where's Neveah?' I almost roll my eyes at her question and sigh deeply. 'She's fine.'
'I need to talk to her.' She almost makes her way out of my arms, but I keep her close, making her turn to me with a frown.
I try to pull myself together and shake off the things I would love to do to her right now, before muttering, 'We should talk first.'
She sighs as she leans even closer, draping her legs over mine. No...
'Valentina, we have to talk first.' She completely ignores me and wraps her arms around my neck.
It takes me every cell in my fucking body to not take her right now, but we have to talk.
We have to fix this. I have to apologize before we continue.
'Cataleya wait.' She groans and lets go of me, just to look at me as if I'm starving her. As if she's dehydrated and I'm the only water left.
'We need to talk.' I repeat, unable to contain my grin.
She wants me. I can tell.
She wants me so bad.
And I want her.
It's just... We have to talk about what happened first.
Because North was right, if we don't talk about it now, it will be lost for good. If it's not lost already...
I have to find the courage to tell her what I told North a million times before.
I have to say it at least once before we continue.
I owe her that much.
'I don't want to talk.' She groans, walking over to the bed. 'I can tell.' I joke, making her glare at me.
'You're still a piece of shit.'
'Is that so?' I ask, slowly moving closer to the bed.
I could easily push her down and climb on top of her. Undress her slowly and then- No.
We have to talk first.
'Listen, I want you to-' She jumps up from the bed and pulls me closer, pressing her lips against mine.
I don't think I have ever seen her this desperate, not even when she begged me to fuck her when she was drunk.
But god, do I want to give in.
'Valentina, we can't.' I push her onto the bed and step back, fighting the urge to climb on top of her right now.
'Rio if you don't give me what I want right now, I'll sleep on the fucking couch on the other side of this thing.' She grunts, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face.
It falls back and I reach out, pushing it behind her ear.
'We should talk first.' She stubbornly shakes her head, pushes me aside, and heads for the door.
What?
Before thinking twice, I grab her arm and push her back onto the bed.
'Let me out.'
'What the fuck is wrong with you?' I ask, keeping my eyes on her so she won't be able to run away from this.
'I should be asking you!' She shouts, trying to push me away so she can run again. But I stay put.
'I just want to talk.' She takes a deep breath and moves to the edge of the bed, slowly standing on her feet.
I have to look down to look at her, but I don't mind.
She slowly puts her hand on my chest and nods. 'Okay. Talk.'
Great. Just when I open my mouth, nerves rush through my body and I freeze.
I have thought about this moment for months now, but I can't actually say it.
As if everything just stops. As if everything just malfunctions, breaks into a million pieces.
Slowly but thoroughly, she pushes me towards the couch where we were just sitting, and makes sure I drop onto it.
'Cat got your tongue?' She jokes, climbing onto my lap. God.
She's doing this on purpose and I don't want to stop her.
But it certainly helps with the nerves. 'Cata-' She tuts and leans forwards, gently brushing her lips against mine.
Teasing me.
'Give me what I want, then we'll talk.' Fuck.
Three months. I've waited for three months and I can't even say it.
'We should-' She grunts and gets off my lap, before pacing around the room.
'What the fuck is wrong with you!? I mean, after everything that happened, now out of all days, you want to act like that?'
I chuckle at her desperation and tilt my head a little.
'Can't you see I want this?' She asks, finally turning back to me.
Fire.
There's fire in her eyes and I love it.
It ignites my own, sending a wave of heat through my entire body. From head to toe. Warming every cell in my fucking body.
'Do you?' I ask, teasing her more and more until she breaks.
'Isn't it obvious?!' She shouts, almost throwing a pillow at me in the process.
But I'm quicker and catch it, before placing it beside me.
And she starts pacing again, muttering to herself.
I want to tell her how much I missed her. How much she means to me. How much the past few months killed me.
But I can't. I can't tell her. I can't say the words because I'm scared.
The only way I can let her know is by showing her.
So that's what I'll do.
I just hope it will be enough.
'What do you want, Valentina?'
She groans and finally stops walking around, slowly turning back to me again.
'I told you already.' The desperation in her voice is driving me insane. 'But you won't give it to me.'
Oh, I will...
'Tell me and I'll give it to you.' I raise my hand, waiting for her to grab it. But she seems a bit skeptical about it.
'Do you want me to beg again? Because I feel like I just did?'
I roll my eyes and lean forward so that I can pull her closer.
'I want you, Rio.' She repeats, slowly climbing onto my lap again.
I melt underneath her touch and close my eyes for a second, to take it all in.
She's here. She's back. She's touching me. I can hold her again.
'You can have me.' I whisper, opening my eyes to meet hers. 'You can have all of me.'
Every piece of darkness, light, the in-between, all of it.
Every drop of blood in my body is yours to keep. You have me until the day I die. Until I take my last breath. I'm yours, Cataleya.
Something painful flashes through her eyes, but the fire doesn't die. It only grows.
And I did it. I told her all she needs to know.
The truth. A small part of it at least.
'And I'm yours.' She whispers, before grabbing my face and kissing me. 'Now fuck me.'
'So that's what all of this is about?' I ask, pulling her closer so she won't fall when I stand up, 'You're desperate for my dick?'
'Shut up.' She says, her cheeks slowly turning red as I take in her smell. Fucking hell...
She's making me go insane again, simply by being. 'Is this deja vu?'
Valentina rolls her eyes as I place her on the bed, hooking my fingers around her jeans. 'Stop doing that.'
'I hate you.' She says, struggling to keep her hands off of me as she tries to unbutton my shirt.
I unbuckle my belt and watch as she desperately pulls down my pants, pulling me on top of her. I pull down her pants and press my hand against her core, feeling how wet she is for me already.
A moan escapes her lips, sending shivers down my spine, instantly making me hard.
'Rafael, please.' She begs desperately, making me pull my boxers down before pushing her underwear to the side.
I thrust myself inside of her, letting her adjust to the size of me inside of her again as she tries to stop herself from crawling away.
'Fuck.' I can't help but moan as I feel her tightening around me just a little. 'Shit-'
She tries to move away, but I pin her hands onto the bed, keeping her in place. 'You're too big.' She groans, trying to get away from me.
'You can take it.' I grunt as I stroke a little gentler so she'll stop moving.
'Wait.' She places her hands flat on my chest and takes a deep breath, trying to get used to me inside of her again.
'You missed this, haven't you?' I whisper against her neck, kissing her soft skin time and time again.
I slither my hand underneath her shirt and reach her nipple, gently stroking it as I place kisses on her jaw. 'I forgot.' She admits, blushing like crazy.
'What did you forget?' I ask, brushing my lips against hers. 'How big you were.'
Fucking hell...
The more she talks, the harder I want to go.
But I can't do that to her. Not yet.
'Go harder.' She says, her words mixing with moans.
I take one glance at her, wishing that I pulled her shirt off before all of this, and feel her hand lift up my chin. 'Harder Rafael.'
Ignoring her request would be foolish of me. It is what I want after all.
I place my hands on her hips, making sure she won't move away again, and thrust all the way in, feeling her melt underneath me.
She rolls her head back and wraps her arms around my shoulders, thrusting her hips up with every move I make.
All the moans, all the movements, everything is just perfect.
'I'm- fuck I'm going to-' Sweat starts to form on my forehead and I look into her eyes. 'Come for me, Valentina.'
She explodes into a billion pieces, her eyes rolling back, and I keep her in that state, wanting her to be in that high state forever.
The look on her face is sending me close as well and I thrust a few more times, before exploding inside of her.
She arches her back and pulls me down, right on top of her, kissing me hungrily.
'More.' Her leg goes around mine and within the blink of an eye, she flips us over, sliding herself down on my dick.
I push myself up and watch as she grinds on my lap, enjoying every second of this.
'You missed this too.' She moans into my ear, her breath brushing against it, driving me absolutely insane.
I did... I fucking did...
I grind with her, making sure to go as deep as possible while she rides me at a quick pace, taking her nipples between my fingers.
She arches her back at my touch and pulls me closer so she can kiss me again.
'Too much.' She groans against my lips, making me chuckle. 'You need more.'
I turn us around again, making sure she keeps her legs apart, as I thrust deep and fast again.
Her clit swells with each thrust and I can tell she's going to come again.
She looks like she's going to explode again. And god do I love that look on her face. 'Not yet.'
'I can't-' 'Not. Yet.' I wrap my fingers around her throat and put just enough pressure for her eyes to widen a little. 'Hold it.'
Her hands move to my back, digging deep into my skin, but I keep thrusting. 'Please.'
Fuck...
'Come with me.' I groan, trying to keep myself contained for just a few more seconds.
I want to explode with her, give her all of me.
Within the next few thrusts, we both explode, melting together in the fire we created.
Our fire.
It burns me entirely on the inside, making my mind explode as I fall down next to her.
When the high slowly dissolves, I look to my right, seeing her trying to catch her breath.
She's shaking.
Valentina turns to me with a frown on her face. 'What is it?'
'Shouldn't you pick that up?' Apparently, my phone is going off somewhere on the floor. I get out of bed and search for my phone. And when I finally find it, I look to see who it is.
Or more what it is, because it's just a reminder.
'It's midnight.' I say, throwing my phone on the floor again. She tries to sit up, but her body is too heavy right now. 'Is it?'
'Mhm.' I move to the edge of the bed, grab her legs, and pull her closer as I get on my knees. 'It is.' I whisper as I slowly place kisses up her leg.
She bites her lip and keeps her eyes on me while I massage her legs, slowly moving up and up to her core.
'Do you know what that means?' I ask, watching as she shudders because of my breath hitting certain areas.
'It's the twenty-third of July.' She mutters, trying to keep her legs together, and I nod.
I keep them apart and brush my thumb over her swollen clit, watching as a shock goes through her entire body.
I slide two fingers inside of her, feeling her walls tighten around them, and slowly bring my lips to her clit. 'Fuck.'
She lifts her hips up a little, making sure that the friction is just at the right spot, while I start sucking and pumping in and out of her.
She tastes so sweet and I could honestly do this the whole night. 'Fuck- Rafael!'
And just like that, I'm ready for another round. 'What is it, Valentina?'
'Keep-' She can't even finish her sentence, so I pull back, teasing her a little. 'Keep going!'
A chuckle leaves my lips, making her shudder again as I continue to suck on the most sensitive part of her.
'Shit. Shit-' I feel her hand on the back of my head and let her push me down just a little more, just so she can reach her high. 'Shit!'
She comes all over me and I keep her legs apart, continuing to suck, lick, and stroke her while her legs start shaking like crazy. 'Fuck!'
She pulls my head up and gasps for air when I finally pull away entirely, placing my hands on her tighs to keep her in place. 'Happy birthday, Valentina.'
'Thank you.' She mutters, a little dazed, before dropping onto the bed and sighing deeply.
----
A/N: HERE WE GO PEOPLEEEEEEEEEEEE
The moment all of you waited for!!! It was not as hard as they thought it was going to be, but oh well...
Now that they're back together, Hunter is dead, and Rio somewhat tried to say the words back to her everything will be fine right? RIGHT?
Well, I hope you guys are happy that they're finally back together because of course they would see each other again!
Let me know in the comments what you think about the story so far and don't forget to vote!
I hope to see you guys in the next chapter!!!