Chapter 39
After stopping by the supermarket, I drove Bella back to my old place and it was weird.
It no longer felt like a safe haven it had once been.
But then again, this wasn’t my home anymore, home was now wherever she was.
Dumping our bags down by the door, I chucked the keys onto the side table and cracked my knuckles as she wandered around, taking in the New York skyline.
What a shitty day. I let my guard down for five minutes and look what happened.
My mind couldn’t help reliving Bella throwing herself out of that SUV.
The way her body dropped like a rag doll onto the road and the fucker dragging her back.
I winced and ran my fingers through my hair.
I’d never felt fear like it. Emotions to me were something I never understood them and used to have no use for them.
I guessed that what happens when your past is a blanket of pain.
Shit, I actually cried today. That’s not happened since…
I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t think about her now.
Not today. Not when I’d come so close to losing another woman who’d become my whole world.
If I was being honest with myself, I had revelled in my inability to feel.
Feeling nothing gave you an intense sense of invincibility.
No happiness, meant zero pain, zero fear.
“Arturo, a man without fear is a man without treasures.”
My father’s words rang in my head. He’d been right.
The second I had given into my need for Bella, the wall in my head that had kept me numb all these years began to crack.
Clearly the terror I had experienced today had pushed me over the edge.
Without thinking, I touched my face, still expecting the tear I had shed to be there, rolling down my cheek.
“Arturo, this is beautiful.” I pulled my hand away from my face and gave her a small smile.
Damn, that woman. Looking at her you’d think she was a woman without a care in the world.
You wouldn’t suspect she’d come so close to real danger only hours earlier.
But I knew the truth. She was as shaken as I was.
I hated that she felt she needed to put a strong front on for me. She wanted to show the world she could do what her father had asked of her and do it without ever revealing her vulnerable side.
Well, fuck that.
No matter what it took, I’d help her face her fears, just as she’d guided me to face mine.
“I like that you like my place. Thought we could have a couple of days here, just the two of us.” I wandered over to her. My hands eager to touch her soft skin.
“Are you saying you want to play house with me, London Boy?” Her angelic voice teased.
“Too fuckin’ right I do,” I smirked, throwing her over my shoulder.
“Where are we going?” she giggled, straining to look up at me.
I darted towards the bathroom, not answering her.
Her hands swatted at my arse, which did fuck all.
I placed her down on the tiled floor, noticing how small she looked in my over the top, extravagant bathroom.
I flicked on the tap and poured a good amount of bubble bath into the water as steam began to fill the room.
“ You are going to take a bath and relax while I make us somethin’ to eat.” I turned my attention back to her. “Arms up.”
She lifted her arms above her head as I made quick work of removing her tank she’d changed into before we’d left. I dropped to my knees before her and pulled her leggings off, before discarding them in the corner.
“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful,” I dipped my head, breathing her in. “Y eres toda mía.” Standing, I pulled out the band holding her hair up in a bun, letting her hair tumble around her shoulders. She was a goddess.
I shut off the tap and helped her in. Hopefully the warmth of the water would wash away the adrenaline of the day and help sooth the aches and minor grazes she hadn’t yet allowed herself to feel. A soft moan of appreciation left her lips, and I knew this had been the right call.
“For once, hermosa , let someone look after you.” Her tired eyes met mine. I swallowed and whispered, “Let me take care of you.” With that, I kissed her head. She sighed softly as she nuzzled into my chest.
I’d never done this before. It felt more intimate than anything I’d ever done with a woman, but it felt… good. Felt right. After rubbing soap into her skin, focusing on her tight muscles, I carefully washed her hair… and completely underestimated how much work it would be.
“You seem to be struggling there, fella?” she laughed, her mood lifting the second she heard me huffing and puffing.
“No, you just have a lot more hair than I realised.” Not that it would stop me doing it and doing it well. “What do you fancy to eat?”
“As I said… a man of many talents.” Water trickled down her cheeks from her hair, as she flashed me her heart stopping smile.
“Yeah, right. You can decide if it’s a talent when you taste it,” I bantered.
Cooking was one of the few things I had loved doing as a kid.
From as early as I could remember, my parents began teaching me all sorts of recipes.
Up until now I’d never had a reason to put my hidden talent , as Bella liked to call it, to the test.
“Arturo, I don’t think there’s many things you can’t do. I have no doubt you’ll be amazing in the kitchen just as you are everywhere else.”
“Oh, hermosa , are you referring to my ability to lose myself in your pussy?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” she tutted, rolling her eyes.
“When it comes to you, princess, that ain’t never goin’ to happen.” I pecked her lips softly, before rising to my feet. “Now, you chill out in here for a bit, and I’ll come get you when food’s ready.”
“I’m perfectly capable of getting myself out you know,” she laid back in the bath, her gorgeous tits bobbing beneath the bubbles.
“That might be true, but it ain’t happenin’.” I winked, before leaving her alone to relax.
Humming, I began to prepare the ingredients for dinner to make Bella a paella, something I could make with my eyes shut. I rolled my shoulders back. Here in the kitchen I was in my element. For the first time in weeks I felt close to being relaxed.
Buzz. Buzz… Buzz. Buzz…
“Fuck’s sake.” That was until Lorenzo fucking Ricci decided to interrupt.
“Lorenzo, what can I do you for?” I answered curtly. Fucker was more predictable than a wind up jewellery box.
“How’s the wedding?”
“Wedding’s beautiful. Bella is catching up with Lily’s father as we speak.” I lied, yes. It might have been the worst possible thing to do, but I wanted Bella to myself for a few days without having to sneak around her family. So shoot me.
“Ah, Harold, great guy.” He paused for a moment. “You’ll be back in a few days then, right?”
“Yes, thought it’d be good to take advantage of the new surroundings.
Put Bella through some training exercises to see how she copes being out of her comfort zone,” I already knew she could handle it.
She confirmed that for me when I watched her scramble away from an SUV despite being dosed with chloroform.
“I like the way you think. Update me on her progress, okay?”
“Of course.” I waited for a second, mulling over what to say next. “She’s going to make an incredible leader, Lorenzo. You did the right thing naming her as your successor.”
“You seem to have worked wonders on her, Arturo. I applaud you.” I could tell he was smiling and it killed me knowing we were going behind his back.
Well, a tiny part of me felt guilty, but not enough to stop me being with her.
“My daughter is a kick ass woman, she just needed the right push to reach her full potential.”
“Excuse me if this isn’t my business, but, did you speak to Luca?”
“I did, and he feels awful for what he said. But you know everyone handles?—”
For fuck’s sake.
“Oh don’t give me the “everyone handles grief in different ways” crap.
Luca was wrong and you know it just as well as I do.
Bella works her fuckin’ arse off to be there for every single person in that house.
Even now with so much goin’ on, she’s there.
” A sigh on the other end of the line told me he wasn’t happy I was lecturing him, but I decided to push on regardless.
“Answer me this, Lorenzo, who’s there for her, hmm? ”
“You’re right.” Wow… Was not expecting that.
“I’ve been so wrapped up in everything else that I forget that Bella needs her father more than she needs a mentor.
My son’s been through hell and back losing Peyton, but…
so did Bella. I’ve neglected that. It pains me that I’m hearing this from you rather than others in my family. ”
“You’re welcome. I’ll send the counselling bill through with my next invoice.” He chuckled. “Seriously though, Lorenzo, it’s not gone unnoticed. I just ain’t afraid of hurting your feelings, unlike others in your family.”
“Lucky me.”
A tight knot at the centre of my chest slowly began to unravel. I’d actually gotten through to him. Perhaps now her father would give Isabella the time and support she needed, yet had never asked for.
“Oh, uhm… There was another reason for my call. I have some bad news.” His voice held a tinge of genuine regret.
Shit, what now?
“Yeah?”
“Your bike… it’s a complete write off. I’m sorry.”
I sighed, feeling pain radiate through my chest.
That was the one thing you had left from your dad, and you lost it for some girl.
Dick.
Fuck off! Bella isn’t just some girl.
I’ll get another bike.
Could have got another chick too.
Oh, take your unsolicited comments and shut the fuck up.
“It’s fine. It’s just a bike. The important thing is Bella came out of the accident without a scratch.” He knew it wasn’t fine, not really.
“I still don’t agree with you taking my daughter out on that death trap, but you protected her like you promised you would.”