16. Salvatore
sixteen
Salvatore
I unlock the door of the basement with the key Domenico gave me. Like all those nights before, I sneak toward Isabella’s room. I clutch the key in my hand, grateful for the support I have from Isabella’s father. I questioned his decision, contemplated the ulterior motive of this. Every time I walk through this door, I expect someone to catch me, and I’ll end up being beaten again or dead.
Last time, I didn’t fight. I couldn’t. If she wants to see me beaten and bloodied to be satisfied, I will gladly let them keep beating me up. However, this doesn’t look like the conspiracy I thought I was part of. Every time I cross this door, I’m a step closer to Isabella. If she wasn’t pleased with my gesture, she would tell someone I was coming to her room.
I come here every night. I sneak inside when everyone is asleep, and I walk up the stairs to her room. I watch her sleep for a long time, and before I leave, I write a note and leave it with a rose on her pillow.
When her father let me go and told me to show her how I feel, I needed to do a little research about what that meant. All articles said the same thing.
Listen to what she has to say.
Give her affection.
Compliment her.
Plan activities together.
These were for couples who are together, things that, at that moment, I couldn’t do.
So, I found something else.
Flowers and notes.
That is what I can do. If she doesn’t want to listen to me, I will write everything down. Maybe then she will understand, and if she doesn’t want to forgive me, maybe she will have some understanding and let us move past those horrible events.
I open the door of her bedroom with slow and cautious movements, and after checking my surroundings, I enter.
As every other night, she is asleep. I know she’s exhausted. I see it on her face and in her movements because I still stalk her every day.
I changed cars. I even let my beard grow, so I would be unrecognizable. My cousin said I was crazy. Gabriel said to hurry things up, saying I’m needed in New York.
Like I care what anyone’s opinion is. Other than Isabella, at this moment, no one else matters.
Slowly, I close the door behind me and enter, inhaling the sweet scent of lemon and vanilla. A scent I’m addicted to. I approach the bed and slowly lower myself on the other side. I place my head on the pillow, turn toward her, and watch her.
I would usually sit on the chair in the corner, but tonight, I want to be beside her. I think about what would have happened if I’d acted differently, if I knew what I know now. If I’d allowed myself to be happy, allowed myself to live my own dreams and not been bound by hatred.
What would have happened if we stayed the same and nothing split us up?
Not that there is any use in dwelling on the what-ifs because here we are. She is not in my bed, and I stalk her and watch her sleep because that is the only way I can be close to her.
I raise my hand to touch her face, but I don’t. I keep my fingers away just enough not to touch her before I pull my hand back to my side.
I don’t sleep. I watch her take breaths, and I watch her eyes, how they move under her lids while she dreams. And before the early morning light, I take off, leaving a rose and a note.
You are the only thing I care about.
You are the only one I want.
Without you, I can’t breathe.
Without you, I can’t exist.
Love, Salvatore.
Like every night before, I sneak into her room. Only, she’s not in her bed. Water is running in the bathroom, and I try to ignore it, exploring her room, looking for anything that will distract me from thinking about leaving or peeking into that bathroom.
She’s late tonight. She has followed through the deal of selling the goods they have personally. Something I never thought I would see, and now she is doing it due to her dedication to following in her father’s footsteps.
The water stops, and before she can see me, I sink into the chair in the corner of the room. I guess tonight is the night I will face the consequences of my actions. The door opens, and Isabella exits with a towel wrapped around her.
She walks toward the bed where her clothes are as my eyes trace down her wet body, and I take a breath. She stops abruptly and turns toward me. Our eyes meet, and I swallow, my mind spiraling with thoughts. Will she call her men and have them kick me out? Pino, maybe?
We look at each other for what feels like hours. I watch her face as her cheeks turn slightly pink and her lips part. I almost relax before her twinkling eyes harden, and with a rising chest, she breaks the tension, and with slow, steady steps, she approaches me.
I lean back into the chair and watch her long legs as they get closer. No words are said until she is in front of me.
“You shouldn’t be here, Salvatore.” Her voice breaks my attention from her legs, and I raise my eyes from the tips of her toes, up her long legs and her body until I reach her eyes.
I lick my lips. “But here I am. And you don’t look surprised at all.” I raise my eyebrow at her.
She grins. “It was only a matter of time before I caught you here.” She tilts her head to the side and squints. “Or did you just think you could keep sneaking around?”
“And what will you do about it now you’ve caught me?” I challenge her with a smile on my face.
“I don’t know.”
I shake my head and look her in the eyes. “What am I going to do with you, Bella?”
How do I fix things between us? The question in my head disappears as her hand lets go of the towel and it falls to the floor, so she’s naked in front of me.
“Tonight, you can do whatever you want.”
I search her eyes, looking for signs of uncertainty, but there are none. All I see is desire matching mine and lust for each other that only we can reciprocate.
Before I can second guess her answer, I stand and slam my lips on hers. I wrap my arms around her, my hands tracing down her back to the curves of her fine ass before I wrap my hands around it and pick her up.
Her legs wrap around my waist as I walk us toward the bed with my lips on hers. My tongue explores the taste of her mouth as I place her in the middle of the bed.
I take her in, all of her. Exposed and naked, allowing me to do whatever I want tonight, and I will.
I will devour her.
Tonight, she is mine.
Tonight, I will kiss every inch of her body until I leave my mark on her and make her want more.
I take her right leg and kiss the inside of her ankle, slowly kissing my way up to her knee and then her inner thigh. Before I can reach the heat of her core, I take her left leg and repeat the same action. By the time I reach her inner thigh, she is already squirming under me and thrusting her pelvis up. I keep kissing until I reach the divine smell that I’ve missed and inhale deeply before I trace her lips with my tongue. I lick her wetness, and a moan escapes her.
I lick her from the bottom to the top and focus my attention on her clit before I take it in my mouth and suck on it. Her back raises, and she grips the sheets with her hands. I don’t let her come, not yet, as I withdraw my tongue from her clit and plunge it inside her, fucking her with it.
The moans she makes are music to my ears, and I love how she squirms underneath me.
I grip her thighs and open her more to kiss her pussy, my tongue exploring every inch of it, remembering how it tastes, how it feels having her squirming. How it feels having my tongue fucking her. I switch between her clit and her warmth with my tongue. From one position to another, she shudders beneath me. Her fingers wrap around my hair, and she presses her pussy toward me, riding out her release, and I drink all of her juices.
I lift my head from between her legs and smirk; I start unbuttoning my shirt and thinking about all the things I will do to her tonight.
She raises on her elbows and her eyes sparkle as she watches me.
“You said I can do whatever I want. Baby, I plan on using every minute of the night. So, be a good girl, get back down on the bed, and enjoy the ride. Trust me, I will make it worth your time.”