Page 23 of Stefano
I’ve killed more men than I can count, but nothing has ever unsettled me the way she does, sleeping in my bed.
Andrea is curled beneath the blankets, her breathing soft and even.Strands of dark hair spill across my pillow, her swollen cheek pressed into the fabric.Even bruised, she’s beautiful.Too beautiful.My chest tightens, my fists clenching at my sides.
She almost died.Because of me.
My fault.My weakness.My failure.
I should feel relief.She’s safe now.The cartel’s men are dead, their blood staining the warehouse floor.Matías’s body is rotting where I left it.I should feel peace.
But all I feel is fire.
Because every time I close my eyes, I see her tied to that chair.I hear her whisper my name in the dark.And I want to burn the whole fucking world down for ever daring to touch her.
The door creaks softly.Alceu slips inside, shutting it behind him.He leans against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes taking in Andrea before settling on me.
“You didn’t leave her side all night,” he mutters.
“No.”
“She’s not Guilia or Lyrik.She’s not Callie.She’s ...different.”
I glare at him.“What the fuck are you trying to say?”
He tilts his head, his gaze sharp.“I’m saying she’s not built for this life.If you drag her in too deep, you’ll drown her.You’ll lose her.”
A growl rumbles in my chest.“She’s already in it.They took her because of us.Because of me.There’s no going back.”
“And that’s exactly why you should let her go,” he says softly.“Before you turn her into something she’s not.”
Rage surges hot in my blood.I stand, stepping close, my voice low and lethal.“Say it again.”
Alceu’s eyes narrow.“I’ve watched you tear men apart, Stefano.I saw you tonight.You think she won’t see it too?You think she won’t flinch when she realizes the man who saved her is the same man who can break bones without blinking?”
I shove him hard against the wall, my forearm across his chest.“She won’t flinch.She’ll understand.Because I’ll never hurt her.Never.”
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t fight back.“That’s what scares me.Because you already love her enough to believe your own lies.”
The words slice deep.I release him with a snarl, turning away before I do something I can’t take back.He straightens, rubbing his chest, his gaze steady.
“Be careful, brother,” he murmurs.Then he’s gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
Silence fills the room again.My pulse still pounds, my body coiled tight.I drag a hand over my face, exhaling hard.Love.He used the word I’ve been running from for years.
I glance back at the bed.Andrea stirs, murmuring in her sleep, her fingers clutching the blanket tighter.My chest aches.I cross the room slowly, lowering myself back onto the mattress beside her.She relaxes instantly, curling closer, her face pressing into my arm like it’s instinct.
My throat burns.
I brush a strand of hair from her face, my fingers trembling.She sighs softly, and the sound is enough to undo me.My cock hardens instantly, throbbing against my jeans.Shame and hunger war inside me.
She’s bruised.Fragile.And still, my body aches to bury itself inside her, to claim her so completely that no man will ever dare touch her again.
I grit my teeth, forcing myself still.She deserves tenderness, not the violence burning in my blood.But then her eyes flutter open and instantly focus on me.
“Stefano?”Her voice is soft and groggy, but when her gaze finds mine, her lips curve faintly.“You stayed,” she says again, just like the first time she woke like she still can’t believe it.
“Of course I did.”My voice is rougher than I intend.“I told you I wouldn’t leave.”
She shifts closer, her hand brushing my chest.Even the lightest touch sears me.“Thank you.”
