Страница 63 из 76
Chapter 21 (Lou-Lou)
I step out of his car when we arrive and have a look around.
All I see is an abandoned field which appears to be located by an airport.
He walks over to me and I can't help but notice the way his black t-shirt stretches over his broad shoulders and strong arms. The way his jeans hang perfectly on his hips, covering those muscular thighs and god only knows what else.
Jesus, even his tattoo's manage to add to his sex appeal.
I step back and give him a coy smile. “I don't know about this, Ricky.” When he lifts an eyebrow in question I say. “You are the son of a notorious mob boss. For all I know, you could be plotting my murder and pla
He gives me a lopsided smile before he bites his lip and peruses my entire body with a sultry stare. I feel my cheeks heat and I'm happy it's dark out because I know I'm blushing.
He backs me into the car and I fight for air.
I don't know how I can go from hating him one second,to wanting him to tear my clothes off and ravage me the next...but I do. Sometimes all in one singular moment.
“Trust me,” he says low and gruff. “There are a lot of things I want to do to your body. But murder isn't one of them.”
My god, he has no idea just how much I want to experience each and every single thing he wants to do to me.
But I can't. I can't give into this urge and the recent events have only made it that much clearer for me.
I'm going back to DeLuca in a few weeks.
And if I give myself fully to Ricardo...I won't survive it this time.
He takes my hand and we begin walking. I see a large blanket spread out on the horizon and my heart stops beating entirely when I see what else is there.
Surrounding the outskirts of the blanket are around 25 beautiful glass vases.
Each and every vase is filled with dandelion's...dandelions that have all gone to seed.
He leans down and kisses my cheek. “I gathered as many as I could for you. All you have to do is make a wish.”
He remembered.
Tears threaten my eyes again but I stuff them down for good.
I can't allow myself to fall apart and cry ever again. I have to be strong like I was in order to get through what will be awaiting me when I go back to DeLuca.
But that doesn't mean I can't still treasure these moments with him.
These moments where I feel like I'm a princess and I dare to believe again.
These moments where for the first time in my life—I know my wish will be for more than just freedom.
He stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I know it's not millions of dollars worth of jewelry or anything—”
I put my finger to his lips silencing him. “It's the best present I've ever received in my whole entire life.”
And I mean it...he has no idea what this means to me.
I've always hated jewelry...ever since my father handed me my first Tiffany's box as a way of bribing me for my silence.
The thought of wearing jewelry makes me want to peel off my skin and clean it with bleach.
Fucked up thing is...DeLuca knows my reasoning for not wearing jewelry...and yet he still insists on buying it for me.
I lie down on the blanket and look up at him. “This is amazing.”
He gives me a smile and lies down next to me. He holds my hand but stays silent, letting me take in my surroundings.
I look up at the night sky and breathe in the warm end of July air.
Normally it's muggy and humid this time of year, but tonight there's a breeze that makes everything that much more perfect.
I've never felt more free in my life than right now, staring up at the stars, watching the planes pass by, basking in the moon's glow.
Knowing with every beat of my heart that the man holding my hand is one who wouldn't abuse me and that I'm safe with him.
I'm breathing in air and letting it out effortlessly for the first time in my life.
I'm experiencing something that most people would take for granted but I'm soaking up every second of it...I'll remember this feeling for the rest of my life.
I turn to look at him “Can we sleep out here tonight?”
He turns to face me and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Of course.”
We face the night sky again, both of us folding our arms under our head. “Truth—I don't regret beating Scarlet up,” I say.
I hear him laugh softly. “I know you don't. Truth—you have a mean right hook.”
That's when I start laughing. “I take that as quite the compliment coming from you, coach.” I quickly utter my next statement before I lose my nerve. “Truth—I didn't beat her up because of DeLuca. I beat her up because she said she was using you.” I pause and swallow a gulp of air. “But if I'm being honest, I really wanted to punch her the second she talked about your cock piercing and your magic tongue.”
His laughing comes to a halt. “What? I didn't tell her to—”
“Are you saying it's not true?”
There's a long pause before he says, “That's not what I'm saying.”
“How did it happen?”
“I let someone stick a barbell through my dick.” He gives me a cocky smirk. “The other is pure skill.”
I nudge him with my elbow and fight the rush of arousal his words are causing. “What I meant was what made you want to get one?”
“An act of solidarity,” he says. “Jackson and Tyrone ended up falling off the grid after Tyrone got drunk at the bar after their first fight. When I finally found them at the tattoo shop, I needed to prove that I was in the gauntlet with them and they could trust me. Despite it being Tyrone's idea, he kept chickening out. So, I went first and got an apadravya. This way, he could see it wasn't all that bad. He was still a bit freaked so Jackson got one too. His drunk ass relented after that and he kept telling the piercer to make his prince albert look pretty. That's what he ended up with.”
He laughs while recalling the memory. “The next morning he screamed like a girl because he didn't remember any of it. Jackson and I laughed so hard we had tears rolling down our face. I never saw Jackson laugh or let down his guard before that, so it proved to be a bonding experience for the three of us.”
His story doesn't surprise me one bit. “They're important to you.”
He nods. “They're the closest thing to a family I've ever had. We may fight and argue sometimes but I'd do anything for them.”
I don't even need to look into his eyes to know how much he means it. Jackson and Tyrone really have no idea how much Ricardo looks out for them. What he's fighting against all by himself to ensure their safety.
The horrifying thought hits me. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You know you can ask me anything.”
“What if DeLuca uses Jackson and Tyrone as leverage in order to force you to take over for him?” I sit up. “Ricardo, you have to know it will come to that one day.”
He squeezes his eyes shut. “I know it will. In approximately 7 years to be exact.” I don't miss the affliction in his tone.
“What are you going to do?”
He visibly swallows. “If I have to become him in order to protect them I will. Hopefully, by the time DeLuca dies, I won't be so far gone that I can't find my way back.”
“I can't believe you'd do that for them. That's worse than dying for them. You hate him, Ricardo. He...you're. You're just not him and being forced to become him will ruin you.”