I take my time making my way downstairs to have breakfast with Nathan. I could barely sleep last night because my mind was going over everything he told me yesterday.
The way he easily admitted to killing people, like it was a normal thing.
I should be fucking terrified by him.
I should be planning my escape and I should definitely be contacting a phenomenal lawyer to get me out of this arranged marriage.
And yet I'm not doing any of these things.
I criticized Joseph for killing two of my father's bodyguards when Nathan has probably killed far more people.
He was in the mafia but his family still is.
I should be flipping out right now.
But I'm not.
I'm not afraid of Nathan, I mean, at times I am intimidated by him but I'm not afraid of him.
I actually feel...safe around him in a strange way.
What the hell is wrong with me?
"Since I'm assuming you are my third bodyguard, what's your name?" I look up at the tall man whose eyes are anywhere but on me.
Now that I think about it none of the bodyguards ever look at me directly.
Except for Luca and Danny.
Weird.
I take notice of the jagged scar that's across his lips, quickly averting my eyes away from it, not wanting to seem rude. I never really paid attention to his face before but now that I'm walking beside him, I can see his features clearly.
"Rocco," he clears his throat and continues to look straight ahead as he leads me outside where the stunning garden is. I wonder where Luca and Danny are? "Nice to officially meet you. I'm-uh- well, you already know who I am," I awkwardly chuckle, his lips crack into a barely noticeable smirk before returning back to a thin line.
Even though I haven't had a proper tour of this enormous house yet, my favorite part is the garden. I can stand here all day admiring the beautiful flowers that bring me so much tranquility.
I look to my right and see a small round table with two empty seats. Where's Nathan? I hear Rocco's footsteps retreating away from me but I'm too focused on trying to find Nathan.
Why am I so eager to see him?
I nearly jump at the sound of a familiar deep voice behind me. "Good morning, mia cara," his husky voice sends shivers all over my body.
"G-Good morning," I clear my throat, warmth rushes to my cheeks as my back touches his front. The intoxicating smell of him makes my mind feel hazy. I need to get a grip.
I suck in a breath when I feel something delicate trail down my arm. I turn my head towards my arm and see that it's a white rose. He leans down to my ear, his breath hitting the shell of my ear, causing my heart to flutter. "For you," he whispers, repeating the action of trailing the petals of the rose down my arm, before putting it in front of me to grab.
A smile forms on my lips as I gently take the rose from his hand, turning around to look at him directly. It's like all the oxygen in my lungs leaves at the mere sight of him. He is devastatingly beautiful, which I already knew, I mean it's literally a fact, but it still never fails to amaze me.
His wavy black hair is perfectly tousled, the morning sun highlighting every sharp feature of his God-like face. And his eyes have never looked so blue.
His eyes soften once they land on mine. "How did you sleep?" He asks, placing his big hand on my cheek.
A small hum of delight escapes my lips from the warmth of his touch. I want more. I want him close. I lean further into his touch before answering his question. "Good." A complete lie but telling him about my nightmares means talking about Joseph.
And we haven't had a full proper conversation about him yet and honestly I'm scared to.
He tilts his head, studying my face as if he does not believe the words that just left my mouth. His steel blue eyes darken with swirls of gray, like a storm coming to the sea. "Thank you for the rose," I say abruptly, his intense gaze getting to me.
He doesn't know about my nightmares, does he?
For the most part I've kept them well hidden.
"Well, I'm starving so let's go-"
"Andrea told me that you woke up crying today," he steps in front of me, preventing me from walking away from him. "She also told me that you have been waking up distressed for the past two days," he says in a dangerously calm tone.
Shit, I forgot that Andrea saw me crying this morning.
I tried to wipe away my tears so she couldn't see them but they just wouldn't stop rolling down my face.
The nightmare felt so real.
"You can either tell me what is wrong, mia cara, or I can get it out of you," he warns me and my palms begin to feel clammy.
"It's...it's not important," I try to look away from him but he grabs my chin, directing my attention back to him.
"It's important to me," he sternly says. "Don't make me ask again, Lina," he exhales deeply, his patience clearly running thin.
"I've been having nightmares that's all. Everyone has nightmares...it's not a big deal," I dismiss his concern.
"You woke up crying this morning, that's a big deal to me," his jaw tenses but he instantly relaxes once I place my hand on his cheek.
"I'm fine. They are just nightmares, Nathan," I whisper, admiring the way his eyes flutter shut for a moment as I continue to caress him.
He slowly grabs my hand, lifting it to his lips to place a kiss on the inside of my wrist before putting back on the side of his face. It's like a swarm of butterflies are flying inside my stomach.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He hesitantly asks, like the words that just left his mouth are foreign to him. Like he's never asked anyone if they would like to talk about what's troubling them.
I give him a kind smile, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. A barely audible hum leaves his lips at the action. "Later," I tell him, removing my hand from his face. "I really am starving." He nods his head in understanding and grabs my hand leading us to the breakfast table.
I don't want to ruin our breakfast by talking about Joseph.
"How did you sleep?" I gently ask as he pulls out the chair for me, ushering me to sit down.
He takes the seat next to me, pulling me closer to him by the side of my chair. "Bad," he says gruffly, his eyes stealing a glance of my lips.
"Bad?" I tilt my head, looking at him with concern.
"With how you left me yesterday, mia cara, I couldn't get any sleep," his voice lowers, hunger swirling in his eyes. My face immediately grows hot at the memory of leaving him with a raging hard erection yesterday.
It took me everything not to give in to him but I stood strong.
If he wants me, he has to earn me.
"Nathan," I shyly look away from him but he grabs my chin, directing my attention back to him. I nearly gasp at how close we are.
"All I could think about was you," he whispers, his lips merely an inch from mine.
"Did you think about me or me in the bikini?" I try to hold back a laugh but I fail miserably.
His lips twitch upward and my heart skips a beat, thinking that he might actually smile. Before he has the chance to, he grabs me and sits me on his lap. "Posso ascoltare la tua risata tutto il giorno," he says, twirling one of my curly strands with his finger. (I can listen to your laugh all day)
"What did you say?" My arms instinctively wrap around his neck, enjoying the closeness between us.
"I thought Luca was teaching you Italian," he raises his eyebrows, wrapping one arm around my waist while his free hand plays with my hair.
"Yeah, but I think it is pretty obvious that I need a new teacher." I move my face closer to his, admiring every perfect feature of him. My eyes focus on his lips, wanting to feel them against mine.
"Am I interrupting?" A deep voice interrupts the nice moment we were having. I turn my head to see Alejandro with an amused look on his face. A frustrated sigh comes from Nathan at the sight of his brother.
"No," I give him a small smile, trying to get off Nathan's lap but he gently squeezes my hip, warning me not to.
"Yes, you are," he bites out and Alejandro smirks, walking to the table and taking a seat across from us.
"It is nice to see you again, Lina. Somehow you have grown more beautiful since I last saw you," Alejandro winks. I can feel the heat of Nathan's glare without turning my head to look at him.
"Non farmi incazzare, Lorenzo," he says roughly, clenching his fists. (Don't piss me off, Lorenzo)
"Thank you," I clear my throat, placing my hand on his fist and silently telling him to be nice. His hand relaxes. "It is nice of you to join us for breakfast," I say happily.
Alejandro fixes the watch on his wrist before leaning back on his chair. "I would have come sooner but I had business to attend to." The tone in his voice suggests that it was more than business that he had to deal with.
A shiver of delight travels through my body at the feel of Nathan caressing my bare thigh. "È andato tutto bene?" He asks his brother, who gives him a quick nod. (Everything went fine?)
Andrea along with two other maids come out with plates of food, my stomach grumbles at the sight of the delicious bowls of fruit. "Hungry?" Nathan whispers in my ear, his hand slowly inches up to my inner thigh.
My breath hitches but I still manage to turn my head and look at him. "Starving," I purposely wet my lips, his eyes immediately following the action.
"Fuck this," he groans, picking me up from his lap and placing me on top of the table, knocking a couple of things off in the process.
I gasp in shock and a little bit of amusement. "Leave," he orders everyone, including his brother. Andrea and the other maids instantly follow his demand by practically running back inside the house.
Nathan leans over me, his hands on either side of my thighs as his eyes stare into mine. Instead of looking away, I stare right back into those pools of blue. My chest moving up and down with anticipation. I want him close to me.
"Hm, so the honeymoon is going good," Alejandro chuckles from behind me and my cheeks begin to feel warm again.
Nathan ignores him and tangles one of his hands in my hair while the other grabs my neck, connecting our lips together in a desperate kiss. I don't know if Alejandro left and honestly I don't care if he didn't. All I care about right now is Nathan.
My arms find themselves around his neck, pulling him closer as I deepen our kiss.
His fingers tighten around my hair as if he wants more. Like he needs more. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" He says between kisses, my chest heaves at his words. I spread my legs, letting him step in between them.
"Cazzo, Lina," he groans, taking my bottom lip between his teeth. (Fuck)
"Is this why you kicked everyone out? So you can kiss me?" I smile against his lips, he pulls back to look at me, his pupils dilating. He moves his hands to my face, caressing my dimples with his thumbs.
"Yes," he answers shortly and resumes to kiss me. "I don't see what is wrong with spending time alone with my wife." His rough voice has me biting my lip to prevent a whine from coming out.
He takes his hands off my face and places them on my thighs, squeezing them tightly. "Mia cara," he grunts as I push my tongue into his mouth, enjoying the taste of him.
His hands inch up to the sides of my panties, playing with lace hem of it. Oh God. "Nathan," I moan at the feeling of his fingers brushing across the skin of my hips.
"Cazzo, let me taste you, baby." He tugs on my panties and I pull back from his lips, trailing my kisses down his neck. A string of curses leave his mouth.
"Beg," I whisper against his neck, feeling a boost of confidence.
"Lina," he moans deeply, sending an aching throb between my legs. I can hear him say my name all day.
"Beg and I'll lay down on this table and let you taste me," I hum, lightly sucking on the skin of his neck, making him squeeze my hips.
"I don't beg," he tells me but it sounds like he's telling himself.
I push him away and hop off the table, fixing my dress and hair. "Then I believe our alone time is over," I sigh, trying not to smile at how positively frustrated he looks.
"Mia cara, you can't leave me like this." He runs a hand through his hair, my eyes fall down to the huge bulge in his pants. Hm, maybe I should feel bad. I have left him like this twice.
But he deserves it.
"You'll be fine, cariño." I immediately close my mouth in shock at the endearment that just slipped out of my mouth. I wasn't even thinking...it just felt natural. (Darling)
Nathan eyes instantly meet mine, his Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows harshly. Shit, does he know what that word means?
My cheeks feel like they are on fire and my hands start to feel clammy. "Lina," his voice is low and filled with need, making my thighs clench.
"I...I have to go change," I rush out and speed walk my way inside the house.
࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎
The rest of the day I avoided Nathan, which was pretty easy because I think he needed to help his brother with something. At least that is what Rocco told me.
I should be sleeping since it is way past midnight but I can't stop tossing and turning.
I can't sleep.
All I can think about is Nathan which is utterly frustrating.
I won't deny that I am attracted to him but that is all.
He is absolutely beautiful and sex with him blew my mind.
But it is just an attraction, that is all.
So I don't understand why my heart beats faster at the sight of him. Or why I find myself missing him when I don't see him? Or why I enjoy talking to him?
Fuck.
I need some water.
I get up off the bed and slide my slippers on before exiting my room. Before I can go downstairs I stop at the sound of panicked shouting coming from down the hall. I look around, wondering if anyone else is hearing this.
Mustering up the courage, I slowly make my way towards the shouting. Even though it is loud, I don't think it is loud enough to hear downstairs. Maybe that is why no one has rushed up here to find out what is going on.
As I get closer I realize that the shouting is coming from Nathan's room. What the? Lifting up my hand, I gently knock on his door, waiting for him to open the door but he doesn't. I don't even hear him get up from his bed.
I knock again and get no response again. Shit.
"Fuck it," I whisper under my breath and open his door, letting myself into his room.
I quietly close the door and turn around to look at Nathan, who is restlessly moving around his bed. "No!" He yells, a pain in my chest occurs when I see the distressed look on his face.
"Nathan," I call out to him, my eyes briefly falling down to his bare chest only for me to pry them away. Now is not the time, Lina.
He doesn't wake up, instead he continues to shift in his sleep, his black sheets moving with each movement. I walk closer to his bed, saying his name louder this time but he still won't wake up.
"Stop! No!" he shouts, his chest heaving up and down as he grows even more restless. I place my hand on my heart, hating to see him like this.
Taking a deep breath, I sit down on the bed, gently pushing his arm so he can wake up. "Nathan." I push him a little harder. I don't remember if you are supposed to wake someone up from a nightmare or not.
After the last push he jumps up from the bed, grabbing my wrist. It doesn't hurt but it does take me by surprise. "It was just a dream," I try to soothe him as his wild eyes take in my appearance. "It was just a dream, Nathan," I clench my other hand, preventing myself from touching him as he continues to let out ragged breaths.
He looks at his hand that is wrapped around my wrist and immediately lets go. "Lina," he says in relief, gently pulling me to him.
"I'm here," I whisper and close my eyes at the feeling of him burying his head into my hair, breathing me in.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles. My hands find their way to his face, moving him away from my hair so that I can see him and those angry sad eyes. Why does it hurt me to see him like this?
"What are you sorry for?" I ask softly, caressing his face.
"For grabbing you and for waking you," he says hoarsely, taking one of my hands off of his face to place a kiss on the inside of my wrist.
"You weren't hurting me and I was already awake," I reassure him, placing my hand back on the other side of his face. "Do you need me to get you anything? Maybe some water?" I ask as he leans further into my touch. Water would do him good since he was shouting the whole time.
"No." Maybe he just wants to be alone.
"Well, I'll leave-"
"No, stay," he stops me from getting up. "Please," he adds. Me and him sleeping in the same bed?
Shit, why do I like the idea of sleeping in his arms? "Ok," I nervously chew on my bottom lip and lay down, my back facing him.
He pulls the sheets over me and wraps his arm around me, pulling me to him until my back meets the warmth of his body. Oh God. "Are you comfortable, mia cara?" He asks softly, his free hand playing with my hair.
My heart flutters. "Mhm." I hum and mindlessly caress his arm that is wrapped around me, earning a small groan from him. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask the same question he asked me this morning.
Ironic that he is worried about me having nightmares when he has been having them too.
"Later," he repeats the same words I told him. I reply with a simple 'ok.' I won't pry, he respected my decision so I will respect his.
A yawn escapes my lips and I snuggle closer to him, leaning my head back against his chest. The comfort and closeness that he is giving me is making me sleepy. "I...like being in your arms," I mumble, not really realizing what I am saying, the tiredness finally catching up to me.
For a split second I can feel his body still and his arm tighten around me. "Adoro tenerti tra le mie braccia," he whispers. Normally I would have asked him what he said but my heavy eyes finally close. (I love holding you in my arms)
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I know it has been a long time please forgive me 🧎🏽♀️🧎🏽♀️🧎🏽♀️
I've literally had no motivation to write anything but I'm really trying.
I hope you guys like this chapter because Nathan and Lina have my heart 🥹
Anyways love y'all🤍