CHIARA
"Here," he said. I sat up and grabbed the cup from his hand. "Are you crying?" he asked, sitting on a remaining stable couch. "No." I wiped my face and took a sip. He didn't reply to that and drank his coffee as well. A comfortable silence passed between us.
"When was your first kill?" I asked, wanting to get out of my head. Carmelo took a sip before replying to me, "I was fourteen," he said. I watched him keenly, waiting for him to continue.
"He touched one of our maids inappropriately from time to time. She kept it a secret because she was worried, she could lose her job and nobody would believe her. I shot him three times on the forehead when I caught him red handed." He sighed, "He was our home tutor." He added.
"And now he is only bones buried six feet under. Served him right." I said, finishing my coffee and set the cup on the nightstand. "Mhm hm. How about you?" he asked. Our gazes met and held. My heart was beating fast inside my chest. Worry smeared all over my senses. If I told him… what would he think of me? I let out a deep breath. Why was I worried about him finding out about that? I raised my head and found his gaze again. I didn't look away this time. "I was eight when I killed four men." A small emotionless smile broke on my face while he leaned forward intently, his hands rested on his thighs.
I gulped at the vivid, sickening memories. "'Deliver this package and get back to the car. Don't look anywhere. Don't say a word.' That's what they told me. And the next thing… boom." I chuckled, holding my trembling hand in place under the sheets, tears blurring my vision. "I hear their screams every night in my sleep. And since that day, I never knew what peace felt like." Carmelo just stared back at me.
And for a moment, it felt like he was conveying something through his eyes. Like he was pulling me in from the dark shackles of my prison. Something that looked like sympathy, and it made my heart squeeze so hard. I couldn't breathe. "I'm going to sleep." I blurted and laid down.
My heart pounded as I waited for his reply. Until it finally came, "Since you're taking my bed, I'm glad you haven't ruined all the couches." I squeezed my eyes shut when I heard his voice getting nearer to me.
I could feel his tall presence even with my eyes shut. Why wouldn't he say anything? Do something? I opened my eyes and met with his, my heart skipped a beat. "I thought you were going to ignore me again." He uttered, then slowly leaned down to me without breaking eye contact.
At this rate my heart was beating in my ears, and my mind was screaming for the ground to open so I could disappear in it. He reached for the duvet and tucked me in, "It's cold." He said, as if trying to justify his actions.
"What are you doing?" I asked, when he etched closer, his face just a breath away from mine. My hands gripped the sheet like my life depended on it. He reached for the strands of my wild hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His cold fingers tingled my skin as he did. I could
feel heat rising on my face. And why the hell did I like how it felt? "You're a baddass." He whispered before reaching further behind me, took something and walked back to the couch.
"I'll be here if you need anything." He said, propping his pillow nicely before plopping down with a soft thud. I pulled the sheet further up and left only my eyes uncovered. What the fuck was that just now? Maybe it was because I haven't been intimate with a man for a while now? That was the only logical answer I could think of after how my body reacted to him, and his voice, and his eyes and… Fuck! Just go to sleep, Chiara!
Another wave of silence passed. Lightning struck the room, making it look like a scene from a horror movie. Was he asleep already? I couldn't hear a sound apart from the thunder. And my mind chose now to replay what happened to me today. I bet those fuckers were guards trying to take me out without their boss's command for blowing up Arizona. Because until the wedding is done, their pathetic boss valued my life more than anything. I was itching to know the man behind Enzo. Who the hell wanted me?
My heart slammed when thunder hit again. I wasn't scared of thunder by all means but damn, could the angels reduce the amount of spice inside them even a little bit? Sighing. I bit my lip and cleared my throat. "Are you asleep?" No reply came. Maybe I wasn't doing enough. Why wasn't this man into me yet? I've tried everything I could. I sealed my lips from letting a whimper escape them. I closed my eyes and murmured "Thank you."