Chapter 18
HAVEN
After getting to spend the whole day with Mom, I walk into my bedroom, glad to be rid of the guards.
It’s going to take some time getting used to traveling around with four armed, but very quiet, men.
Seeing a big, white box on my bed, I walk closer and pick up the note tucked into the bow.
Please accept this gift as a token of my remorse. I couldn’t find something as beautiful as you, but it will have to do.
Your coldhearted bastard,
Leo.
Ps. The tablets beside your bed are for travel sickness. I suggest you take it if you’re prone to getting nauseated while flying.
Damn, that’s actually cute.
Wait. Flying? Where is he taking me for our date?
I put the note down and pull on the bow. When it comes loose, I carefully lift the lid.
There are three more boxes inside, all different sizes.
Excitement trickles into my chest as I open the biggest one. At the sight of the black silk, my lips part. I gently lift the dress out, and holding it up in front of me, I whisper, “Wow.”
I carefully place it on the bed before checking the next box, finding a pair of black heels.
When I pick up the last gift and lift the lid, I gasp as I stare at the black diamond choker and stud earrings.
“Oh. My. God.” I brush my fingertips over the stunning pieces.
These must’ve cost Leo a fortune.
I carefully set the box down and check the time. I only have an hour and forty-five minutes to get ready.
I hurry to the bathroom and open the faucets in the shower before rushing to grab a pair of black seamless panties so they don’t show under the silk of the dress. I won’t be able to wear a bra, though.
I shower as fast as possible, washing my hair. Time freaking flies, and I start to worry that I won’t be ready in time.
I’ve just finished drying my hair when I hear the sound of a helicopter, and it has me running to the bed. I quickly put on the dress and shove my feet into the high heels, then pause to take a deep breath.
Calm down, or you’re going to be all sweaty.
I exhale slowly, and when I pull the choker out of the box, I notice my hands are trembling.
God, I’m nervous!
I struggle to put on the choker, but I finally win the battle. I slip the earrings into the holes in my earlobes then walk to the dressing table to pull a brush through my hair one last time.
I went all out with my makeup, and as I look at my reflection in the mirror, I worry it’s too much. Just as I grab a tissue to try to wipe off the red tint on my lips, there’s a knock at the door.
My heartbeat sets off at a crazy pace, and my stomach dips and sours as if it’s taking flying lessons.
I walk to the door, and when I open it, Leo’s head snaps back. Placing his hand over his heart, surprise tightens his features.
“ Gesù Cristo, sei Bellissima.”
I recognize ‘Jesus Christ’ and ‘beautiful’ as Leo looks at me in awe.
Dressed in a black silk shirt and suit pants, he looks drop-dead handsome as always.
He lets out a heavy breath. “ Cazzo , Haven. Are you even human?”
I let out a chuckle. “Enough. You’re making me feel self-conscious.”
He shakes his head. “You better get used to me giving you compliments.”
Taking a step closer to me, he lifts his hands and places them on my shoulders. His eyes fill with a serious look before he leans down and kisses my left cheek. “Thank you for going out on this date with me.”
When he pulls back, I’m hit with a wave of emotion, and my eyes mist up. “Why couldn’t you have been this great when we met instead of kidnapping me? I would’ve fallen in love with you.”
His thumbs brush over my skin. “I like doing things the hard way.”
A chuckle burst over my lips. “God, you’re impossible.”
Leo holds out his arm, and when I hook mine through his, he leads me to the stairs.
He keeps his pace slow, and as I walk beside him, my stomach flutters as if a kaleidoscope of butterflies has been set loose inside me.
When we walk out of the front door, I see the helicopter I heard earlier standing in the middle of the yard. Edoardo nods at me, then he stays in front of us as we make our way to the aircraft.
The anticipation in me keeps growing, and I’m a trembling mess by the time Leo helps me into the helicopter.
“Did you take the travel sickness pill?” he asks as he sits down beside me on the cream leather seat.
“Yes.”
I watch as the guards board, then Leo hands me a set of headphones.
I put them on, then hear him say, “We’re ready for take off.”
The pilot starts the engine, and when we begin to lift into the air, I grin so hard my cheeks hurt.
Leo wraps his arm around my shoulders and leans into me. “Look out the window.”
I turn my head and see as the entire mansion and property come into view.
“Wow,” I whisper before looking at Leo, whose eyes are glued to me. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere I can have you all to myself.”
When we fly over the ocean and head away from land, I start to think we’re going to an island, but then minutes later, a massive yacht comes into view.
The pilot sets the helicopter down on a designated spot, and when Edoardo opens the door, a cool wind hits me.
Leo instantly shrugs off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders.
After the guards get out, we follow. As we walk toward a set of steps that leads down the side of the yacht, Leo says, “Don’t worry. We’re eating inside where it’s warm.”
He keeps a tight hold of me as we take the steps down, then he leads me into a very luxurious room that’s big enough to host a party.
A table stands in the center, candles and flowers decorating it.
When Leo pulls out a chair for me, I whisper, “Thank you.” As he sits down across from me, I remove his jacket and drape it over the back of my chair while I joke, “I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have ghosted you if this were our first date.”
“Just for tonight, forget the past two weeks and give me a chance to show you who I really am.”
“You mean you’re not normally insane?”
He chuckles. “No, that’s something only you bring out in me. I’m actually quite polite and respectful of people's boundaries.”
“Right.” I let out a burst of laughter, then nod. “Okay. Just for tonight, I’ll pretend the past two weeks didn’t happen.”
A server comes to pour wine for us, and when she leaves, Leo picks up his glass and takes a sip. “I think you’ll like this particular wine. It’s sweet like you.”
I drink some, then nod. “It’s really good.” I glance around at the open space, then suddenly three people with instruments enter and take their position in the corner of the room. The musician with the violin begins to play, then the cello joins in, followed by the flute.
The music sounds like something from Bridgerton, and I listen while my heart fills with an emotion that scares the crap out of me.
It took Leo less than twenty-four hours to arrange this perfect date for me. What is he capable of doing if I give him more time?
He’s capable of making me fall for him. It’s inevitable.
I take two huge sips of my wine while I try to calm my racing heart. When I look at Leo, it’s to find him watching me with that stupidly hot smirk that makes my heart skip a beat.
He tilts his head. “Tell me something about you.”
“Like?”
“Anything. Nothing is insignificant.”
My heart.
“I was home-schooled until I was thirteen.”
“Why?”
When my parents adopted me, I couldn’t speak English. Dad had to teach me, so he ended up homeschooling me until I was ready.
The memory of my biological mother’s body flashes through my mind, and I quickly shake my head while trying to shove it away.
Leo leans forward, his features tightening with worry. “Haven?”
Not wanting to get into that part of my past, I say, “It’s something I’m not ready to share with you yet.”
A frown line appears between his eyebrows. “Something bad?”
I shrug. “It depends on how you look at it.”
“How do you look at it?”
I shake my head. “Can we talk about anything else, please?”
“Okay.” His dark gaze searches my face, then he says, “Tell me about your happiest memory.”
“Oh, that’s easy.” A smile tugs at my mouth. “Sunday mornings when my dad was still alive. I’d wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs. We always had breakfast together on Sundays and spoke about what had happened the past week.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I was told he died recently?”
I nod, sadness welling in my chest. With everything that’s happened, it’s overshadowed Dad’s death. “He had a heart attack almost two months ago. It was a huge shock to us.”
Leo reaches across the round table and gives my hand a squeeze. “You haven’t even had time to mourn.”
“No, I haven’t.”
His eyes fill with guilt. “I’m sorry, Haven. Just tell me if there’s anything I can do to make things easier for you.”
“Seeing as freedom is off the table, getting my mom a place of her own is number one on my list.”
I can see he means it when he replies, “I’ll make it a priority.”
I enjoy another sip of wine, then say, “Tell me about your childhood.”
Leo’s face grows somber, and it looks like his thoughts drift off for a moment before he says, “My father was a cruel man.” He lets out a sad-sounding chuckle, and it makes me want to hug him. “Honestly, I’m a ray of sunshine compared to him. He loved to beat us when he was stressed out.”
“Why didn’t your Mom leave him?”
“There’s no such thing as divorce in the mafia. A wife overhears things she shouldn’t, so there’s no walking away.”
Compassion fills my heart. “I’m sorry.”
He taps his fingers on the white cloth, then glances over at where the musicians are playing. “It wasn’t all bad. I had a best friend. His family and home were my safe place.”
“Massimo?”
Leo shakes his head, then intense sorrow tightens his features. “No.” When he lifts his eyes to meet mine, I can’t hold back and reach for his hand. Our fingers intertwine, then he whispers, “I don’t talk about them. It hurts too much.”
“I understand,” I whisper, rubbing my thumb over his skin. “But I’m here if you ever change your mind and you want to talk about what happened.”
He nods, his eyes flicking to the server as she pushes a cart toward the table. “Enough with the heavy subjects. Let’s enjoy the meal and keep the topics lighthearted.”
“It’s a deal.”
Pulling my hand away from Leo’s, I stare at him while the server places the plates in front of us.
If things continue like this between us, I know without a doubt it’s only a matter of time before I learn to love him.