Chapter 54
"Kitten..." he whispered in my ear with a undeniable hint of need in his voice.
The word hit me like a wave. It had been so long since he had called me that. Not since the days when everything was simple and I didn't know who he really was.
Maybe he had been too guilty to say it. Maybe he thought he had lost the right.
But here it was. In my ear. His voice low and warm, his lips brushing my skin.
A shiver ran down my spine, starting at the top of my head and traveling all the way to my toes. It settled somewhere deep in my chest, warm and electric.
"Yeah?"
I managed, my voice barely a whisper.
I felt him smile against my ear. His lips parted, and I felt the warmth of his tongue as he took the tip of my ear between his teeth. Gently, just enough to make me gasp.
Then Kai reared.
The horse let out a sharp neigh, his front hooves lifting off the ground, and I gasped, grabbing the reins instinctively. Caspian's arms tightened around me, steadying me, and I heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like a threat involving turning someone into glue.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." His voice was flat, but I could hear the frustration underneath. "He's just being difficult."
I bit my lip to hide my smile. "Difficult?"
"Deliberately ruining the moment." He clicked his tongue, and Kai settled down, shaking his mane like he was annoyed. "I swear he did it on purpose."
A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it. The tension broke, and I was laughing, and he was grumbling, and it was ridiculous and wonderful and exactly what I needed.
We walked the horses around the paddock, the sun dipping lower, the sky turning gold and pink. Kai was calm now, his head low, his steps slow. Caspian walked beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.
I felt lighter than I had in weeks. Months, maybe. The weight that had been sitting on my chest, the one I had been carrying since he left, was finally starting to lift.
We left the stables and walked back toward the main house. The estate was even more beautiful in the evening light, the stone walls glowing gold, the windows reflecting the setting sun.
I didn't want to leave. I didn't want the day to end.
But I knew it would eventually.
Caspian led me to his bedroom. It was at the top of the main staircase, a large room with dark wood furniture and a bed that looked like it could fit six people. The windows faced the gardens, and the last of the evening light was spilling through them, casting everything in gold.
"It's nice," I said. "Your room."
"It's just a room."
"It's a very nice room."
I turned to look at him. He was standing in the doorway, watching me with those dark eyes.
He stepped closer. The air between us grew thick, heavy with everything unsaid. His hand came up, his fingers brushing my jaw, tilting my face toward his.
Then someone knocked on the door.
Caspian closed his eyes. His jaw tightened. He muttered something under his breath that I was very glad I didn't hear.
"Not now." he called out.
"Boss, it's important." A voice, muffled through the wood. "Urgent."
He stood there for a moment, his forehead almost touching mine, his breath warm against my lips. Then he sighed, long and slow, and stepped back.
"Come here..." he said, glancing back at me.
I followed him to the door. My heart was pounding, but I kept my face neutral. I didn't want them to see how nervous I was.
Caspian put his hand on my lower back, steady and warm.
"This is Elera."
I felt their eyes on me, assessing, cataloging. Four men stood in the hallway, each with the kind of presence that made the space feel smaller.
"This is Alex."
Caspian gestured to the man I already knew. He was standing slightly apart, his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the floor. He looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to be anywhere else.
I recognized him instantly. The man who had come to my door. The man who had told me the truth about Caspian. The man who had broken my heart and saved it in the same breath.
Our eyes met. For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then I looked away. I didn't say anything. I didn't acknowledge that I knew him. I didn't want to put him in an awkward position.
Alex's shoulders relaxed, just slightly. He didn't say anything either.
"Romano."
Caspian gestured to the older man, the one with grey in his hair and a face that had seen too much. He nodded at me. It wasn't a smile, but it wasn't cold either.
"Luca."
The nervous one gave me a small, awkward wave.
"Diego."
The tall one with the scar inclined his head.
I nodded back at them, offering a polite smile. I didn't know what else to do when greeting scary-looking mafia men. Well... Caspian was a different story.
"We have some business to discuss," Caspian said, his hand squeezing my lower back gently. "Give me a few minutes?"
I nodded. "I'll wait in your room."
I turned and walked back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. But I didn't close it all the way. I left a crack, just enough to hear fragments of their conversation.
Muffled voices. Snippets of words. "The shipment..." "Those bastards are getting bolder..." "We need to show them their place..."
I couldn't make out the details, but the words felt heavy and dangerous.
I sat on the edge of his bed, my hands in my lap, and I thought about Seraphina's warning. Do you really know him?
I had said yes. I had believed it. Believed that he was the same man to me before and after I knew he was a mafia.
Sitting here, in his bedroom, listening to the muffled voices of his men discussing things I didn't want to understand, I wasn't sure anymore.
The door opened after a while. Caspian stepped in.
"Sorry about that," he said. "It was... work stuff."
I nodded. I didn't ask. I didn't want to know.
"Dinner?" he asked.
I nodded again.
The kitchen was huge, but he made it feel small.
He cooked while I sat at the counter, watching him move. The way he chopped vegetables, the way he stirred the sauce, the way he tasted it and added a little more salt. He was in his element, confident and steady, and I couldn't stop watching.
It was lasagna. Layers of pasta and meat and cheese, baked until the edges were crispy and the middle was bubbling. He served it on white plates, with a side of bread and a salad I hadn't seen him make.
I took a bite.
"Oh my God!" I exclaimed with a moan.
He looked up, a small smile on his face. "Good?"
"It's incredible." I took another bite, then another. "I don't think I've ever had a favorite food before."
"Do you now?"
"Now I do."
I didn't talk much after that. I just ate, savoring every bite, and he watched me with that soft expression he got sometimes. The one that made my heart ache.
We ate in comfortable silence, the kind that didn't need to be filled with words. When we finished, he drove me home.
The drive was quiet, but not heavy. It was the kind of quiet that felt like holding hands, even when we weren't touching.
He pulled up in front of my building and turned off the engine. Neither of us moved.
"I had a good day...." I said.
"Me too."
I looked at him. He looked at me. The air between us was thick with everything we weren't saying.
I almost invited him up. The words were right there, on the tip of my tongue. Do you want to come inside? I had said it before, in a different lifetime, when I thought he was someone he wasn't.
I didn't say it.
"Goodnight, Caspian."
"Goodnight, Elera."
I got out of the car and walked inside. I didn't look back. I didn't need to. I knew he was watching.
The apartment was quiet when I stepped inside.
I changed into my pajamas, washed my face, and collapsed onto the bed. My body was tired, but my mind was buzzing.
I thought about the estate. The library, the portrait gallery, the stables, Kai. The way he had whispered kitten in my ear. The way Kai had reared and ruined the moment. The way Caspian had looked at me like I was the only thing in the world worth seeing.
A giggle escaped me. I felt like a teenager, kicking my feet under the covers.
That horse. He had been jealous of that horse.
I reached for my phone and scrolled to his contact. His name was still there, saved as Someone Very Important, even after everything.
I stared at it for a moment. Then I unblocked him and changed his name.