Chapter 14
Christiano
It takes a couple of minutes for my anger to retreat, and once I’m calm again, I feel fucking exhausted.
The first thought that comes to mind is about what happened between us tonight. I didn’t come over to have sex with Sienna, but now that I’ve finally had the privilege of burying my cock inside her, I’m completely done for.
I was obsessed with her before I got to fuck her, and now… what comes after obsession?
Our fates are so intertwined that separation equals death.
I might be an irrational, controlling, murderous bastard who’s forcing the woman he loves to marry him, but at least I’m her bastard. There aren’t any words to explain how I feel about Sienna, but I can easily describe what I will do should I lose her.
Besides going fucking insane, I’ll obliterate everything in my path because without her, there’s only the darkness, and it will devour all the good in my life.
Sienna is the only one who can control the monster living in me, but that also means she has the power to unleash it.
She doesn’t realize it makes her the most powerful person in the Cosa Nostra. She can pull my strings like I’m nothing more than a puppet. If she tells me to kill for her, I will. No questions asked.
Nature calls, and positioning my arms beneath Sienna, I get up and place her on the other side of the bed before I walk to the bathroom. Once I’m done using it, I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge, drinking some while heading back down the short hallway.
Entering the room again, I switch off the light, and as I sit down on the bed, I ask, “Want some water?”
“Please.” I hand Sienna the bottle and wait while she drinks, then take it from her and set it down beside my gun.
Lying on my back, a tired sigh drifts from my chest.
Sienna shifts closer, and when she pulls me toward her, I curl my body around hers and press my face into the crook of her neck.
She begins to brush her fingers through my hair, and it makes goose bumps spread over my skin while my body shudders from the intense relief of having her hold me.
After a few minutes, I say, “I’m done talking about everything. You have a month to plan the wedding, or I’ll drag you to town hall. I don’t care where we say our vows, but for the sake of the families, I’ll give you time to make the arrangements so we can celebrate the day with everyone.”
Her body begins to tremble, and after a while she whispers, “You’re going to regret it.”
“I’ll never regret anything when it comes to you,” I mumble, already half asleep. Pressing a kiss to her skin, I whisper, “Night, baby.”
It feels as if I’ve just drifted off when the sound of a heartbreaking cry wakes me with one hell of a start. My mind is instantly clear, and I quickly realize Sienna’s crying. Her back is to me, and she’s curled into a small ball.
“No!” Her sobs come fitfully, and the words are barely audible. “…Don’t die…No!”
“Baby.” My voice is loud to pull her out of the nightmare, and when I shake her shoulder, she darts upright, a horrible sound tearing from her.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I snap, moving fast to catch her against my chest. “It’s just a bad dream.”
Each sob from her takes a swing at my heart, and I quickly rub my hands up and down her arms, squeezing and releasing because it always helps to calm her. It takes way too fucking long, and by the time she finally stops crying, she slumps against me.
“Sienna?” I tilt my head to the side while taking hold of her chin so I can tip her face up. Seeing a glassy look in her eyes, worry shoots through me. This time, my tone is harsh as I snap, “Sienna!”
Slowly, her gaze begins to focus on me, and I exhale a breath of relief. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Her voice is fragile and soft, and it makes my protective side go into overdrive.
Gripping her tightly to my chest, I pepper her temple and the side of her face with kisses. Minutes pass before I realize she’s fallen asleep against me. Refusing to let her go, I ease us down into a more comfortable position.
Holding my woman as if my life depends on it, I close my eyes, and with her scent filling every breath I take, I drift off again.
The next time I wake up, I find myself alone in bed. I blink against the light breaking through the curtains.
Christ, what time is it?
Lifting my arm, I squint as I look at my wristwatch.
One fucking pm?!
I dart off the bed, and patting my pockets for my phone, I don’t feel it. Glancing over the bed, I don’t see it anywhere. The aroma of bacon catches my attention, and I shove my fingers through my hair as I leave the bedroom.
As I walk into the kitchen, Sienna glances at me, then points at the counter. “Your phone’s been ringing non-stop, so I took it out of your pocket and put it on silent. You should change your password. It was easy to figure out.”
I pick up the device, and seeing over fifteen missed calls, I feel like crawling back into bed.
“I already spoke to Nico and told him not to worry. I let the rest of the calls go to voicemail.”
“Thanks,” I murmur while switching the device off and setting it back down on the counter.
For once, work can wait.
Stepping into Sienna’s personal space, I grip her jaw and press a kiss to her mouth before moving around her so I can grab some of the coffee she’s already brewed.
“Did you sleep okay?” she asks.
“I did.” I can’t remember when I last slept in. I pour some of the black liquid into a mug, and not adding anything, I take a sip before giving her a questioning look. “Did you sleep better after the nightmare?”
When her entire body tenses and she stops stirring the scrambled eggs, my eyes narrow.
“I don’t even remember it.” Her words sound fake. “I slept like the dead.”
I take in the light purple circles beneath her eyes as I drink more of the coffee. Not missing a single thing, I notice the slight tremble in her hands, her pulse visibly fluttering on the side of her neck, her gaze avoiding mine.
She’s extremely anxious about something.
Before I can moderate my tone, I order, “Talk to me.”
Sienna’s eyes dart to mine. “About what?”
“Whatever’s making you anxious.”
She lets out a fake chuckle. “I’m not anxious.” She focuses way too fucking hard on the task of preparing breakfast slash lunch, and when she’s done plating the food, a fake smile curves her mouth in a way that makes her look even more anxious. “Come eat.”
“Sienna,” I say, my tone deceptively calm, “stop with the lies. I see right through you.”
She presses her hand to her forehead, her features tightening as she drops the fake mask.
“We had sex, and you’re forcing me to marry you, and I don’t even know how I’m going to explain it to my parents, and once we’re married, it will all go to shit and you will regret it, and I just… can’t…deal…with…the…thought…of…you…”
Her breaths speed up fucking fast until she’s unable to finish the sentence. Realizing she’s having a full-blown panic attack, I quickly set down the mug and hurry forward. Pulling her into a tight hug, my arms engulf her against my chest, and I pepper her cheek and temple with kisses.
“Shh…it’s going to be okay.”
I go through the motions of squeezing her arms, and when her breathing finally slows down, she slumps against me.
Gripping hold of her chin, I force her head back, and when I see the same checked-out-of-reality look in her eyes that she had after the nightmare, my worry grows.
“Princess,” I murmur, my tone as gentle as I can make it. “Look at me.”
Unlike last night, her gaze doesn’t focus on me, but instead, she extracts her body from my arms, and while walking to the bathroom, she says with an unemotional tone, “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
A frown darkens my forehead as I stare at her until she shuts the door between us.
What the fuck happened to Sienna that made her learn how to dissociate from reality?
Luckily for her, she doesn’t take more than a minute in the bathroom, or I would’ve kicked the door down.
The instant she comes out, I ask, “What are you hiding from me?”
Much to my surprise, she appears to be much calmer, and the vacant expression is gone.
She actually looks relaxed.
My frown darkens even more because none of this is normal.
“Nothing.” She comes closer and leans her hip against the counter where our food is growing cold. “So, Christiano, how are you going to handle this mess?”
Maybe I’m reading too much into her behavior, and she’s just stressed out from the pressure I’m putting on her.
Wanting to give her some peace of mind, I reply, “After we’ve eaten, we’ll visit our parents. You don’t have to do anything but smile. I’ll tell them we’re getting married.”
An incredulous-sounding chuckle bursts from her. “And what will you tell my parents when they ask why I’ve suddenly changed my mind?”
“The truth. I finally made you realize that fighting our love is futile and we belong together.”
Her expression turns somber, and she doesn’t bother hiding the heartache as she whispers, “We don’t belong together, Christiano.”
Shaking my head, I give her a look of warning. “Don’t even go there. I’m done talking about this shit, Sienna.”
Letting out a sigh, she grabs a plate of food and a fork, then leaves the kitchen.
I pick up my plate, which is loaded with twice the amount of food as hers, and grabbing a fork, I go to join her in the living room.
Sienna’s sitting on the baywindow seat again, and I take the same position as last night on the couch facing her.
My eyes remain locked on her as I eat the food she’s prepared.
I drink in her feminine movements and how she nibbles on the two strips of bacon.
Watching her eat turns me on, and my cock hardens until it’s pushing against the zipper of my pants.
The white and pink summer dress she’s wearing leaves her legs exposed, and as my eyes devour every inch of creamy skin from her toes to her thighs, tension begins to vibrate in the air.
I lean forward and set my plate down on the glass coffee table before leaning back against the couch again.