Page 86 of Arturo's Temptation

“I hate sharin’ shit. Openin’ up to people isn’t my thing, you know? There’s always some tosser waitin’ to judge or use your pain against you. But…” he kissed my forehead before continuing, “with you, it’s… easier.”

“Look at the life I grew up in, I promise you I’ll never judge you, no matter what you’ve done in the past,”

“Fuck, Isabella Ricci, where have you been my whole life?” he asked, his voice sending goosebumps across my skin.

“Right here. It’s just your demons got in the way first,” I smiled as he lifted me into his arms, and I knew that was where I was meant to be.

Fuck everything else.

We’d work it out.

And we’d do it together.

Just the two of us.

The sheets as well as his arms enveloped me the second he climbed in beside me. “What do they mean?” I traced my fingers across the tattoos that covered his chest, the tiger grabbing my attention.

“Honestly, nothin’. I thrived off the pain, so after my first one I just carried on.” He laced his fingers with mine, for once he seemed relaxed. “It started with piercings, then I went onto ink. The pain was the only thing that seemed to quieten the demons.”

“Then you ran out of space?” I giggled.

“Yeah, but I have something a lot better to quieten the demons now.”

“True,” I replied, straddling his lap. With a dark smirk, full of pleasure, he propped himself up on his elbows.

“I don’t understand. How you can be so understandin’ and calm? It don’t make sense to me,” he admitted, sounding confused.

“You can thank my mother for that,” I laughed, as did he. “Honestly though, she raised me to know that not everything was as it seemed, people express themselves in different ways, we aren’t all the same.”

“Sounds like she speaks from experience,” he was right.

“Her and my father didn’t exactly have an easy ride,” I sighed. “She was taken by someone she considered a friend… And my father was beside himself.”

“I bet he was,” Arturo’s face hardened at hearing about my parents’ trauma.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t rest until she was home safe,” I pushed a stray hair off his forehead as he listened intently. “That was his turning point, from that moment he vowed to change for her.”

“I ain’t known your father long, but I can tell he’s a good man. And trust me, I’ve been around some fuckers to know,” he whispered, bringing his lips within touching distance of mine.

“Arturo?”

“Mi princesa?” I blushed the second those words left his mouth.

“I’ve never been with a man,” I blurted. “Fuck, I mean, you knew that, but I’ve never been—” I covered my face with my hand feeling the embarrassment take over. With a gentleness he’d never shown before, he pulled my hand away, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

“In a relationship?”

“Is that what you want? A relationship?” I questioned, scared he’d say no.

“I have no doubt this will turn into somethin’ fuckin’ special, but I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he leaned in closer, “I’ve never been in one either, so why don’t we take baby steps and just take it one day at a time?”

“That sounds perfect,” I glanced over at the clock on the vanity to see it was creeping into the early hours of the morning.

“Come here, let’s get some sleep. I plan on workin’ you hard later on,” he teased, yanking me down beside him before enveloping me in his inked arms.

After that it didn’t take Arturo long to drift off into a deep sleep, I ran my fingers through his hair as the lines between his brows softened. It pained me that he believed so little in himself. I knew he’d never fully escape them and helping him face his fears from the past was going to be an almighty mountain to climb, but at least he would no longer have to do it alone. I would trek up it with him, and face them all.

I could only hope that the nightmares that plagued him would soon turn peaceful and be ones he could sleep through, ones that he might one day enjoy.

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