ANDREA I didn’t expect him to kiss me again.Not after everything. Not after the way he always looked at me like I was some plague he couldn’t wait to quarantine, like every word I spoke was nails dragging across his nerves. Not after that first kiss he gave me months ago. The wild, angry, and over in an instant, as if he regretted it the second his lips left mine.I had told myself it was a mistake. His mistake.But here we were again, and this time?He didn’t stop.One second we were arguing like we always did, something about me being at the club, about the dress I was wearing, about me being a “damn exhibitionist" and the next, his hand was in my hair, and his mouth was on mine, and the entire world outside the car ceased to exist.His lips crushed into me like he was starving.Not soft. Not sweet.Hungry.Hot.Possessive.His hand cupped the back of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair as his mouth claimed me like he’d been waiting far too long to do this again. He tasted like
LEONARDO The bass was pounding, the lights were too damn bright, and the air reeked of overpriced cologne and desperation.I nursed my drink, something bitter and barely alcoholic wishing I’d stayed in the compound.Clubs like this were supposed to distract a man, not make him feel like he was slowly drowning in his own disinterest.I leaned against the back of the VIP booth, watching the chaos unfold on the dance floor. Drunken laughter, bodies grinding, and music vibrating through the walls. But me? I felt nothing. Not even a flicker.My thoughts, as usual, betrayed me.Adriano.The Alpha, the bastard, the poor bastard. He’d fallen. Hard. No matter how much he tried to hide it behind cold glares and threats, the man was besotted with her. That little thief. That girl who stumbled into our world like a storm and somehow made it her own.She had him wrapped around her fucking finger, and the worst part? He liked it.I scoffed and sipped again.I wondered how Luna Vienna would take t
AZZURRA I was halfway through a slice of cold pizza and criminally greasy, but my stomach didn’t give a damn when Andrea waltzed in like she owned the damn place. Again.She plopped onto the armchair across from the bed, legs thrown over the side, a bag of chips in one hand, an energy drink in the other.“You look like someone’s overprotective Italian nonna,” she said, eyeing the blanket Adriano had insisted on wrapping me in. “Where’s your doily and knitting needles?”I rolled my eyes. “He won’t let me do anything. I tried to get up this morning to brush my teeth and he carried me to the bathroom like I was a sack of flour.”Andrea cackled. “Oh, he’s gone full caveman.”“No, it’s worse,” I muttered. “I tried to help make the bed. He glared at me like I’d just confessed to murder. Goddess forbid I pick up a damn pillow.”“Didn’t he threaten the nurse for bringing you the wrong flavored Jell-O?”I blinked. “Wait. That happened?”Andrea smirked. “She offered him strawberry, and you lik
AZZURRA I wasn’t supposed to feel this much.Not for him.Not after everything.Not after the names he called me. The way he pushed, pulled, and played me like I was just another piece on his fucked-up chessboard.But nearly bleeding out in some godforsaken alley, thinking I might die without seeing his face again? Yeah. That’ll screw with your head.And apparently… his too.The hospital discharged me with enough painkillers to knock out a horse and the kind of sympathy you usually reserved for puppies hit by cars. My body still ached like hell, but I was alive. Barely.Adriano didn’t say a word on the drive back. Just his hand clenched on the steering wheel, jaw tight, knuckles white. The silence between us was loud, buzzing like electricity.He helped me out of the car when we got to the villa, his fingers surprisingly gentle as he steadied me. One arm around my waist, the other grabbing my overnight bag like it didn’t weigh a damn thing.“You don’t have to carry me,” I muttered, h
AZZURRA The first thing I noticed was the smell. That sharp, clean hospital scent mixed with something soft and warm like aftershave and musk. My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, everything was a blur.Then I saw him.Adriano.He was sitting on the chair next to my bed, slouched and asleep, his arms crossed but not looking very threatening. His head had tilted slightly, and a lock of his dark hair fell onto his forehead. He looked… peaceful. Almost innocent.That couldn’t be right.I blinked again just to be sure. Yep. Still him. Still, that same man who had once looked at me like I was a bug he needed to flick off his shirt.Now, here he was, looking like he hadn’t moved in a while. His jaw had a bit of stubble, and there were dark circles under his eyes.What the hell happened?I reached up slowly, my arm heavy and weak, and tried to touch that strand of hair that had fallen over his face.I didn’t know why I did it.Maybe it was because he looked less terrifying when he was
ADRIANO I stood beside her hospital bed, arms crossed, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. The nurses said she was stable now, but the oxygen tube strapped to her face made my jaw clench every time I looked at it. She looked too pale, too still. And the bruises across her skin—it made something primal growl in my chest.The doctor had told me she’d pull through. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to know she was safe, truly safe. That no bastard could ever touch her again.When the second nurse confirmed she’d be okay through the night, I finally stood and left. My men were outside the hospital room, standing like statues. I turned to Marco, my second-in-command, tonight.“No one gets near that door unless they want to die. Got it?”He nodded. “Yes, boss.”I gave Azzurra one last glance through the glass, then turned and walked down the hallway. My blood was boiling beneath my skin, and there was only one thing that could settle it.Those fuckers who laid a hand on her… They were m