Happy new year my darlings 🤍 May this be a blessed year filled with miracles, abundance, love, and joy for all of us.
Don't forget to vote pretty please 😊
L O R E N Z O
Two days.
It had been two days since Catalina was under the care of my doctors. Her health was in critical condition and as each second ticked, my anger grew stronger.
She was fine— Safe, even. If it weren't for me then she would not have been shot. If it weren't for my heart that was much too in love with her then I would have been alert, I would have been able to protect the precious girl.
The very girl who held my heart in the palms of her sweet, delicate hands.
Dio.
I come to find out that there was a spy sent from the Bulgarians— a woman who was watching Catalina.
Now I knew why she wanted me to keep tabs off her, she wanted to protect me because they had wanted her to kill me.
I refused to get a second of sleep knowing that she could wake up at any moment. Certainly I would not pass up a second to spend with the doll.
"I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry for everything." I place a kiss against the back of her hand, the coldness of it making the hollow ache in my chest expand.
The sound of little gasps and whines came from the girl I so madly adored. At this, my immediate instinct was to hold her close to me and envelop her body with the warmth she was lacking.
"Shh," I softly spoke onto the top of her head as I let her body lay atop my own.
It had been six months that I yearned for this.
Six whole torturous, agonising, and painful months without the love of my life.
Without my wife.
"Enzo?" Her voice was raspy and broken. If our bodies weren't so close together then I would have barely heard her whisper.
She attempted to speak again, "Was this all- all a bad dream?"
My heart nearly broke in half at her words, the innocent question making me realise just how much I had corrupted and ruined the life that was cradled in my arms.
"I'm afraid not..." The back of my hand brushes against her pale, colourless face as I admire those brown eyes that held my entire world in them.
Those brown Bambi eyes.
"If- if you weren't so large and lard-ish I- I would beat you up to death," her voice quivered and I noticed the stutter that had become present again. I knew she had worked incredibly hard to rid herself of this problem that plagued her and my heart ached at the thought of her being upset by a stutter.
"Where did you get all this attitude from, baby? Hm?"
Her face grows red, the pink tinge making me want to attack her face with an abundance of kisses.
As if she had snapped back into reality, her shy expression morphed into one of disappointment. I watched her struggle to pull herself off of me, making myself internally frown at the action.
"Where is Leo?"
Here she goes.
"Catalina, listen-"
She's quick to cut me off, "I can't, Lorenzo. Seeing you hurts, talking to you hurts, you hurt. Please let me go, I don't wish to see you ever again." Her voice was desperate and if I didn't pay as much attention as I did to her then I would have missed the way her hands started to shake.
"Don't cut me off again," I spoke to her, my voice stern with authority.
Gently, I scoop her up in my arms and bring her to my chest, her head resting directly on my heart as I feel her tears trickle down my arms.
"Let me talk, hm?"
She aggressively nods as her sobs continue to grow heavier.
My baby.
"Deep breaths, baby. Listen to my voice. You're safe, I promise." My hand rubs up and down her back in a soothing manner, allowing her body to further melt into mine.
She fit so perfectly in my hold, it would be impossible to think that I wasn't made for this girl.
"That's my good girl, there you go." Her sobbing eventually calms down into light hiccups, making me hold back a smile at how adorable she was.
How I missed my girl.
My wife.
My soulmate.
My angel.
"I didn't kill your mother, Tesoro. I couldn't say anything, I couldn't hide you away from the world anymore and my father wanted to kill you. Jakob is my half brother and I had him keep an eye on you. Now my father is dead and I would cause a world war before I ever let anyone harm you again, you have my word. My life before yours, morirei mille volte prima di permettere che ti venga fatto del male, Catalina."
I would die a thousand deaths before I let harm come your way, Catalina.
"What?" Her voice was laced with anger, an emotion that I hadn't seen come out of her often, "You- you keep us away from each other for six months! You made m-m- me believe— you made me-" her small fists were hitting against my chest as her dried up tears reflected against the light that was shining on her.
It broke me to see her this way.
"Mi dispiace, amore mio, please forgive me. I will beg for your forgiveness until my last breath."
I'm sorry, my love.
"It was so- so hard without you. You made me believe the only man I've ever loved had killed my mother and you let me believe it for six months?"
Holding her fists in my own, I placed a kiss against her forehead that was covered by her bangs, "I was incompetent, I failed you. I will spend forever trying to atone for my sins, I promise you."
Catalina looked up at me from the position she was in on my lap, her body relaxing at my words.
I love looking at her.
Her eyes were earth— pure and lively soil that sheltered angels.
"My little Bambi," I whisper against her lips before settling for kissing my wife on her cheek. I didn't know if she'd be comfortable with a kiss anywhere else and I didn't want to push past her boundaries.
"All that time without you," Catalina wraps her arms around my neck as she lays her head against my shoulder, "Can I say a bad word?"
She hides her face in the crook of my neck at my chuckles. She was asking for permission to say a bad word, the amusement she unintentionally provides made me realise just how empty my life was without her.
"Only one, hm?"
Catalina eagerly nods before speaking, "I learned how to become very... badass without you."
"I know, my little seductress. Nobody is one step ahead me yet somehow you were. I'm so proud of you, baby. But no more. You're risking your safety-"
"Enzo, no-"
My hand wraps itself around her neck before I raise a thick brow at her, "What did I say about cutting me off? You let me finish speaking before saying your piece. Respect, no?"
Catalina's eyes cast down and I notice the way she clenches her thighs around me, a light grumble coming out of her at the stern authority in my voice.
"It's too soon," she says, setting a clear boundary for me to stop.
My grip on her neck falters as I lift her head up by her chin, "Look at me, pretty baby... that's my girl, there she is."
"I learned to live life without you and the Bulgarians want me to- to kill you! And I can't do that, neither of us are safe. We s- s- still can't be together, Shortcake."
Shortcake.
The nickname I grew to love made my heart stutter in my chest.
"Leo is the one who was supposed to inherit the Mafia but he didn't because everyone thought he died. Give the mafia to him and leave while you can, Tesoro."
☁️
C A T A L I N A
I would never let another man touch me. One day my husband will— a soft kiss on my bangs that cover my forehead or my nose. But other than that a man will never touch me, their touch is death; a suicide, I think.
I have no desire for a casual fling, a fun flirt, or anything of the sort.
But now, I sit here in Lorenzo's new house outside of the city and wonder what it is I want with him.
We had been sitting in silence together for the better part of an hour. Lorenzo had practically kidnapped me from the hospital (he not so kindly demanded that the doctor discharge me and not say a word to my brother or anyone else for that matter).
I shyly glanced over at him, biting on the raw skin on the inside of my face cheek as I pondered what I could possibly say to start a conversation.
His gaze lazily dragged over to me, his coloured eyes twinkling as if he already knew how badly I wanted to talk to him.
"Hi!"
"Hi," he replied, his voice husky and soothingly deep.
A furious blush took over my tan skin, allowing him to see how easily he could evoke emotions out of me. Damn this man and his hotness. I should slap him for being so handsome.
"You look sleepy, do you wanna sleep? I can make you a cup of warm milk, it might help."
Caring Cat Tip: warm milk and honey before bed. You'll sleep like a kitten.
He shook his head and beckoned me over with the flick of two fingers. "Come here."
Gulping, I padded my way over towards him, stopping in front of his spread out legs.
I let out a squeak when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me on top of him, allowing my body to fall flush against his.
"I think this might be illegal," I blurted. I was nervous that he could feel my erratic heart beat. I also commit too many illegal activities so the FBI must be tracking me down as we speak.
Jeez, i'm such a criminal.
"Are you comfortable?" His large hand moved my body so that I was sitting on him, my body laying across.
"Very. I like being on your lap." Maybe I shouldn't have said that, a simple yes would have suffice.
He hummed, a light chuckle coming out of him as he began to massage the base of my scalp. Holy cannoli that feels so good. This man has skillful hands, I definitely did not forget.
"I like having you on my lap."
Good. He should like having me and only me on his lap. I'm going to tattoo "Reserved for Catalina" on his thighs so he knows I'm serious.
"Dont stop, please," I whined when he removed his hands from my scalp.
"Needy already?" Lorenzo teased, "At least you have manners."
"Yeah, unlike you." I looked up at Lorenzo, lightly poking my tongue out at him.
With a tsk, I watched his hand come over to the base of my neck, lightly wrapping around my sensitive skin. Lord have mercy, does he want me to die? He does this too much.
"If you wanna be bratty, I'll show you how brats get treated," Lorenzo leaned into my ear and whispered hoarsely, his grip on my neck light as ever.
I pushed his hand away from me as I straddled him, my hands coming up to cup his face cheeks. "I'm not being a brat, just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
"Enough. You're done teasing me."
I giggled, "Am I?"
"Should I bend you over my knee? Make you count and thank me, hm?"
My breath hitched and all words I learned how to speak flew out the window. This man and his words, I nearly lose all my brain function 99% of the time we're together and it's only been a day.
"Answer me," he ordered.
"Why are you mean to me? I'm only a girl, do you like being mean to a sweet girl?" I focused on the aching pain in my tummy from the gunshot wound, allowing tears to spring to my eyes.
Lorenzo's smirk immediately faltered before he shushed me and held me to his chest, "Baby, don't cry because of me, please. I stepped too far, it won't happen again, si?"
"I'm only joking, don't feel bad."
The aching pain in my tummy was growing stronger by the second.
Be strong, Cat.
You've been through worse, this is nothing.
Nothing compared to what uncle Finn used to do.
"Baby, what's wrong, my love?"
"Nothing, I'm- I'm okay, Shortcake," I give him a reassuring smile, not wanting to burden him any further than I have.
"Don't lie to me, little girl."
I haven't been a good girl at all today. Sad face.
"My tummy, It j- just hurts a tiny bit. Like a- a teaspoon amount of pain— really! It's nothing."
"Can I lift our hoodie up? Let me lay you down on your back... there you go, let's see."
He said our hoodie.
Teehee.
Not a single part of me felt insecure being revealed this way to him. He had seen every part of me, inside and out, ugly and pretty— he had seen me undressed both metaphorically and physically.
And not a single thing made him love me any less.
He only grew to love me harder every single day. Every passing moment. Every spoken word.
I also knew that my scars weren't something to be insecure of anymore. They were battle wounds for a period of time in my life that I survived. They were an illustration of my strength.
I'm a strong, strong girl. A very capable girl.
"The wrap is still holding up well, we can change it in an hour or two. I'll make you some tea, the warmth will help soothe you, si?"
Can you pick carry me to the kitchen?
"Speak, silly girl."
Oh. I thought I said that out loud but I was too busy admiring how handsome he was.
He simply looked anything but simple. It seemed as though the stress of our time apart only made his facial features more attractive. To a fresh set of eyes Lorenzo would look scary, he would look mean. To me, however, the man was captivating.
His eyes held me in place, I thought if I looked away from the dark green that I'd find myself yearning for them for eternity. It was as though my entire life had led up to this moment, this moment to be with him. To exist with him.
For him.
"Will you- you carry me to the kitchen? I'm afraid m-m- my legs don't work and you need to keep- keep me in your arms at all times. Unless you want me to die, of course."
Stupid, stupid stutter. Go away.
Lorenzo carried me bridal style to the kitchen before setting me in the counter and rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt.
"You make me feel yellow."
He turns around, facing me with an adorable smirk, "How's that?"
"You're warm, like- like the sun. I feel like I'm being hugged by a million kittens. If I- I was a cat— well I am Cat, but if I was an animal cat then I would b- be purring right now. I would be so happy t- that I'd force you to know that I'm happy."
"I adore the woman that you are, Catalina. I love you. I love you to the point of no return."
Love.
The confession that made its way to my ears made time around me pause.
"You don't have to say it back now. I know a lot has happened, but I want you to be firm in your understanding that I will never stop loving you. I never stopped missing you, I never stopped thinking about you. My passion for you grew every single day and your absence only continued to make me more miserable."
"Enzo," my hands cradle his face as my thumbs brush against his skin in a soothing manner.
I knew the man in front of me very well and I knew that he was fighting very hard not to crumble beneath my touch.
"I'm going to fall apart in your hands," he quietly spoke, his eyes casting down. I could sense that he felt disappointed in himself and the sight of him this way broke my heart a million times over.
"I'm here, no? You're okay, Shortcake. Please don't be mean to yourself, you've done- done enough of t- that."
"How can I forgive myself for getting you hurt? It's my job to protect you."
"You- you are too hard on yourself, Enzo. You're a p- perfect man and I don't say that l- lightly. You have protected me and you- you take care of me and- and you treat me gently and k- kindly. You need to understand that w-we can't control every out- outcome in our lives, you couldn't possibly kno-know I was going to get hurt."
"I'm certain God has sent you to me, an angel on earth."
A U T H O R S
N O T E
Hi my lovelies 🤍 my angels. I have so many thoughts but I will keep this short:
I wanted to prolong the tension between Cat and Enzo... I didn't want them to naturally fall back together but that's not what ended up happening. The story writes itself and the soulmates missed each other too much to wait any longer.
I am in the process of starting a new book as Built for Sin is coming to an end ☹️ I hope you all will enjoy the next book I'm writing 🤍 Built for Sin will always have a special place in my heart... but it's been 3 years of this book and I need to give Cat and Enzo closure.
QUESTION (for the next book): It will have the same themes as Built for Sin (bad boy x good girl) but I need to know if you are comfortable with the name "daddy" being used? I know a lot of readers don't enjoy this and the comfort of my readers comes before what my heart desires to write.
All my love,
Red