Chapter 10 Elio #2
"Career over. She'll be lucky if she avoids prosecution.
At minimum, she's fired and blacklisted.
At worst, she faces charges for obstruction and conspiracy.
" Sandro looked at me. "The investigation into us is officially closed.
The federal agents who'd been watching Inferno have been reassigned. We're clear."
Relief flooded through me. We'd survived. Not just survived—we'd won.
"What about Julian?" Matteo asked. "Has Winston tried to contact him?"
"No. He's smart enough to know that would be admitting Julian was involved. But I'm sure he's figured it out." Sandro's expression turned serious. "Julian's permanently burned his bridges with his family. There's no going back from this. He needs to understand that."
"He does," I said. "We've discussed it. He's committed to staying here. To being part of this world."
"Good. Because he's proven himself valuable. Smart. Strategic. We could use someone with his skills long-term." Sandro paused. "And Elio? He's clearly important to you. I just want to make sure you've thought through the implications."
"I have."
"And?"
"And he's mine. I protect what's mine."
Sandro smiled slightly. "Good. Just wanted to hear you say it. Welcome to the club of men who fell for someone completely inappropriate and decided they didn't care about the complications."
Matteo laughed. "We should get jackets made."
***
That night I took Julian back to my apartment. He'd been staying there every night since the emergency meeting. Sleeping in my bed. Waking up beside me. Becoming part of my space in ways that should've felt invasive but instead felt right.
We'd been intimate every night. Learning each other's bodies. Building trust and pleasure in equal measure. But we hadn't gone all the way yet. I was waiting. Making sure Julian was ready. Making sure this was what he really wanted.
Tonight felt different. The danger had passed. Winston was neutralized. The immediate threats were handled. We had space to breathe. To just be together without crisis looming.
Julian seemed to sense it too. When we got to the apartment, he pulled me close and kissed me thoroughly.
"I watched my father's empire fall apart today," he said against my lips. "Watched everything he built crumble because I chose to fight back. I should feel guilty. But all I feel is free."
"You are free. He can't touch you anymore."
"Because you protected me. Because you chose to help me instead of sending me back." Julian's hands fisted in my shirt. "I want to celebrate that freedom. With you. All of you."
Want flared hot in my chest. "Julian—"
"I'm ready, Elio. I want this. Want you. Completely."
I searched his face. Found nothing but certainty and want.
"Are you sure? We don't have to rush—"
"I'm sure. I've never been more sure of anything." He kissed me again. "Show me. Teach me. Make me yours in every way."
My control cracked. I pulled him close and kissed him hard. Walked him backward to the bedroom without breaking contact.
We undressed each other slowly. Taking time. Savoring the moment. By the time we were both naked and on the bed, my heart was racing and my hands were shaking slightly.
This mattered. This was important. Julian's first time should be perfect. Should be everything he deserved.
"We're going to take this slow," I said, settling between his legs. "I need to prepare you properly. It's going to take time. But I promise it'll be worth it."
"I trust you."
Those three words hit harder than they should have. Complete trust. Complete faith that I'd take care of him.
I intended to earn that trust.
I kissed him thoroughly while my hands explored. Learning the sounds he made. The places that made him gasp. I worked my way down his body. Took him in my mouth until he was gasping and clutching the sheets.
Then I pulled back. Reached for supplies from the nightstand.
"What's that?" Julian asked breathlessly.
"Lube. Condoms. Everything we need to make this good for you." I showed him the bottle. "I'm going to use my fingers first. Stretch you. Make sure you're ready. It might feel strange at first but I need you to tell me if anything hurts. Understand?"
"Yes. I trust you, Elio. I know you'll take care of me."
I slicked my fingers. Positioned myself carefully. "Relax. Just breathe."
I started with one finger. Slow and careful. Julian tensed at the intrusion.
"Breathe," I reminded him. "Try to relax. It'll get easier."
He took a breath. Let it out slowly. His body gradually relaxed around my finger. I worked carefully. Watching his face. Looking for signs of discomfort.
"Okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. Strange but not bad."
"Good. I'm going to add another finger. Tell me if it's too much."
I added a second finger. Worked them slowly. Scissoring carefully. Stretching him gradually while watching his reactions.
"Oh—" Julian's back arched. "What was that?"
"Your prostate. Feels good, doesn't it?"
"God yes. Do that again."
I smiled and did it again. Watched him gasp and shudder. Worked that spot until he was writhing and begging.
"More," he gasped. "Please, Elio, I need more."
"Not yet. You're not ready yet."
I added a third finger. Stretched him thoroughly while he made desperate sounds and gripped the sheets. When I was satisfied he could take me, I pulled my fingers out.
Julian whimpered at the loss.
"Patience," I said. "There's one more thing I want to do first."
"What—oh God—"
I'd replaced my fingers with my tongue.
Julian nearly came off the bed. "Elio—what are you—that's—"
I looked up at him. "Tell me to stop if you don't like it."
"Don't stop. Oh God, don't stop."
I went back down. Used my tongue to open him further. To make him ready. To drive him absolutely crazy with sensation.
Julian was incoherent by the time I pulled back. Flushed and trembling and completely overwhelmed.
"Please," he begged. "Please, Elio, I need you inside me. I can't take any more of this."
"You can take it. But I think you're ready now."
I rolled on a condom. Slicked myself thoroughly. Positioned myself at his entrance.
"Look at me," I said. "I want to see you."
His eyes opened. Met mine. Dark and desperate and trusting.
"This might hurt at first," I warned. "Tell me if you need me to stop."
"I will. Just—please—"
I pushed inside slowly. Just the head. Julian's whole body tensed.
"Breathe," I reminded him. "Relax into it."
He took a shaky breath. Tried to relax. I pushed in further. Slowly. Watching his face for signs of real pain.
His expression showed discomfort. Pressure. Fullness. But not agony. Not the kind of pain that meant I should stop.
"Talk to me," I said. "How does it feel?"
"Full. Strange. Not exactly painful but—intense. So intense." His hands came up to grip my shoulders. "Keep going. I want all of you."
I pushed in further. Inch by inch. Giving him time to adjust. When I was fully seated, we both groaned.
"God, Julian. You feel incredible."
"So full. I didn't know—I couldn't imagine—" He shifted experimentally. Gasped. "Oh. That's—do that again."
I pulled back slowly. Pushed in again. Angling to hit his prostate. Julian cried out and dug his nails into my shoulders.
"That's it. Feel it. Let yourself feel everything."
I started to move. Slow and careful. Letting him adjust to the rhythm. Watching his face shift from discomfort to pleasure.
"More," he gasped. "Faster. Please, Elio."
"Not yet. I want to make this last. Want you to remember every second."
I kept the pace slow and deep. Building pleasure gradually. Watching Julian fall apart under me. His head fell back. His body arched. He made sounds I'd never heard before—desperate and needy and completely uninhibited.
"Touch yourself," I commanded. "I want to watch you."
His hand wrapped around himself. Stroked in time with my thrusts. The visual nearly destroyed me.
"That's it. So beautiful. So perfect. Mine."
"Yours," he gasped. "All yours. Always yours."
The surrender in his voice sent heat through me. I increased the pace. Thrust harder. Deeper. Hitting that spot inside him that made him cry out.
"Elio—I'm close—I can't—"
"Let go. Come for me. Let me see you."
Julian shattered. Came with my name on his lips and his body clenching around me. The sensation triggered my own orgasm. I thrust deep and held there, spilling inside him while his body milked me.
We stayed locked together. Both trembling. Both overwhelmed. Both trying to process what had just happened.
When I could move again, I pulled out carefully. Dealt with the condom. Cleaned us both up with gentle touches.
Then I pulled Julian against my chest and just held him.
He was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was awed.
"I didn't know it could be like that."
"Like what?"
"Gentle and intense at the same time. Like you were trying to take care of me and consume me simultaneously."
"That's exactly what I was doing. Taking care of you while claiming you. Making sure you felt good while making sure you knew you were mine."
"Is it always like this?"
"No. This is different. Special."
"Why?"
I thought about how to answer. Thought about the feelings I'd been avoiding naming. The attachment I'd been trying to deny.
"Because it's us. Because you matter to me in ways I didn't expect. In ways I've spent years avoiding." I kissed his forehead. "Because this isn't just sex. It's more than that."
Julian smiled against my chest. "I'm glad my first time was with you. That you were the one to show me what it could be. What it should be."
My chest tightened with an emotion I still didn't want to name. Not yet. Not when everything was so new and fragile.
"Get some sleep," I said instead. "Tomorrow we figure out what comes next. But tonight, just rest."
"Will you hold me?"
"As long as you want."
"That might be a long time."
"I'm counting on it."
We fell asleep tangled together. Julian's head on my chest. My arms around him. Both of us more settled and content than either of us had been in years.
***
I woke up the next morning with Julian in my bed and knew I was completely fucked.
Not because of the age gap. Not because of the professional boundaries I'd crossed. Not even because of the complications that came with claiming someone under my protection.
Because I was falling in love with him.
The realization hit like a physical blow. I lay there watching Julian sleep—face peaceful, hair mussed, looking young and vulnerable and absolutely devastating—and felt everything I'd been avoiding for weeks crystallize into certainty.
I was in love with Julian Bianchi.
In love with someone I was supposed to be protecting. Someone fourteen years younger than me. Someone who'd walked into my life barely a month ago and turned everything upside down.
That kind of attachment made people vulnerable. Made them weak. Made them make stupid decisions based on emotion instead of logic.
I'd spent years avoiding exactly this. Years keeping people at arm's length. Years maintaining control and discipline and perfect emotional distance.
Julian had destroyed all of that in a matter of weeks.
And I couldn't bring myself to care.
He stirred. Opened his eyes. Saw me watching him and smiled.
"Morning," he said. Voice rough with sleep.
"Morning."
"You're staring at me again."
"Can't help it. You're beautiful when you sleep."
"You're beautiful when you're awake." He stretched, winced slightly. "I'm sore in places I've never been sore before."
"That's normal. It'll get better as your body adjusts." I pulled him closer. "How do you feel otherwise?"
"Good. Really good." He looked up at me. "Was it different for you? From other times with other people?"
The honest answer was dangerous. Revealing. But Julian deserved honesty.
"Yes. It was different. More intense. More meaningful. Like I said last night—this isn't just sex. It's more than that."
"How much more?"
I should deflect. Should maintain some emotional distance. Should protect myself from the vulnerability of admitting feelings.
But looking at Julian's open, honest face, I couldn't.
"A lot more. More than I'm ready to put into words yet. But more." I kissed him gently. "Is that enough for now?"
"It's enough. I'm not going anywhere, Elio. You can tell me when you're ready."
The certainty in his voice made my chest tight.
"What about you?" I asked. "How do you feel about this? About us?"
"Like I finally found where I belong. Like all the running and hiding and fighting was leading me here. To you. To this life. To this world." He touched my face.
The emotion in my chest threatened to overwhelm me. I pulled him into a kiss instead of trying to speak.
When we finally broke apart, I said: "You're dangerous, you know that?"
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true. You're dangerous to my control. To my discipline. To every wall I've spent years building. You walked into my life and destroyed all of it."
"Is that a bad thing?"
I thought about lying. About protecting myself. About maintaining some semblance of emotional distance.
Instead I told the truth.
"No. It's the best thing that's happened to me in years."
Julian smiled. Bright and genuine and devastating. "Good. Because I'm not done being dangerous yet."
"I'm counting on it."
We lay together in comfortable silence. The morning sun streaming through the windows. The city waking up outside. Both of us content in a way that felt new and fragile and absolutely worth protecting.
I'd spent years convinced that attachment was weakness. That vulnerability was dangerous. That love was a liability I couldn't afford.
Julian was proving me wrong about all of it.
And for the first time in a very long time, I was okay with being wrong.
I was okay with being vulnerable.
I was okay with falling in love with someone I was supposed to be protecting.
Because protecting Julian didn't make me weak. It made me stronger. More focused. More determined.
And loving him? That didn't make me vulnerable. It made me human.
I pulled him closer and decided that being human might be worth it after all.
Even if it terrified me.
Even if it meant risking everything I'd built.
Even if it meant admitting that Julian Bianchi had completely destroyed my carefully controlled life and I was grateful for it.
"What are you thinking about?" Julian asked.
"You. Us. How everything changed in a month."
"Good changes?"
"The best changes."
He smiled and kissed me. "Then let's see what the next month brings."
I kissed him back and silently agreed.
Whatever came next, we'd face it together.