Page 131 of Arturo's Temptation

“Oh, uhm, just someone who, despite leaving, never really left.”And I don’t think she ever would.

“Cool, want to carry on with the film?” he asked, collapsing onto the couch beside me as if what I said made complete sense.

“You want to carry on with the movie now?”

“It’s a film, and yeah, why not?” I watched his smile turn playful, he launched himself in my direction, not giving me a second to breathe let alone move.

I could think of worse places to be than beneath him on the sofa.

“Because… You?—”

“Cause I, what? Said I love you?” I had never heardI love youso many times in one night before. “Listen to me,hermosa, I ain’t expectin’ you to say it back. I said it because, well it’s the truth and it felt right. I don’t need a universally accepted special moment to tell you. For me every moment we have is just that. So yeah, no point in hidin’ how I feel anymore.”

His expression was unlike how it usually was. Instead of sharp, dominating, and sensual, it was soft and gentle. My skin burned as he trailed the pad of his finger across my cheekbone, holding my gaze.

Could he see the love burning in my eyes? Was it hurting him knowing I was holding back?

“Come on,hermosa, let’s finish the dino film,” he smiled, pecking my nose.

We sat in comfortable silence until the end of the movie, with Arturo holding me close as I nuzzled into the crook of his arm.

“Can I ask you something?” I whispered, biting my lip.

“Sure,” he smiled, curling a hair behind my ear.

“What were you planning to do once you stepped away from your days as an assassin?” I asked, trailing my fingertips over his thigh.

“You really wanna know?”

“Why do you think I asked?” I teased.

“If I tell you, it remains between these walls. I ain’t shown no one before, and I never planned to.” He rose from the sofa, squeezing my knee as he did. “Wait ‘ere, I’ll be back in a sec.”

He hurried off to his bedroom. From below, I could hear the faint beeping of what sounded like a safe. What was he planning to show me? Was it illegal, is that why he never told anyone? What if?—

“Cool your knickers, lady, it ain’t anythin’ illegal. That I can assure you. I wanted to do this shit all above board.” I hadn’t even noticed him rejoining me. How long was I thinking for?

“I wasn’t thinking that,” I lied.

He laid out some plans on the coffee table. They seemed to be a shop of some sort. My mind whirled as I took in the detail. It was obvious a lot of work went into them.

“I wanted to open a bike shop. Y’know, meet people who love their bikes as much as I did. It's somethin’ I’ve always been passionate about, so I figured… why not? I had the money and the drive?—”

“And then my father ruined your plans by offering you a job… right?”

“Oi,” he turned to me, frowning. “He ruined nothin’. I don’t regret a single thing. It was just an idea, Bella. The shop can wait.” He scratched the back of his head, looking uncertain for once. “And if you like we could, y’know… open it together.”

“Is that so?” The thought filled me with actual excitement. This was something the pair of us could do away from everyone else… Something normal.

“Nah, forget it. Just a pipe dream, innit?” he laughed. “I’m goin’ to take all this out to the bin.” He gathered up the pizza box along with the other trash and headed to the door.

My eyes scanned the plans Arturo had put his heart and soul into. Seeing his father’s bike sketched pride and place in the centre of the shop floor hurt my heart.

Enough.

Nodding to myself, I picked up my phone, dialling the one person I could call who would be able to help me fix this. Nomatter what it took, I would do everything in my power to make sure Arturo got his dream, first, by handling his father’s bike despite every other fucker saying it was beyond repair.

I wandered out onto the balcony, pulling Arturo’s sweater around my shoulders as I waited for Emmet to pick up.

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