Chapter 7 - THE VALENTE COMPOUND
The air in the kitchen instantly ignited.
I stood paralyzed, the rolling pin slipping from my hands and clattering onto the marble counter. Alessandro didn't flinch. He didn't move. He simply let his admission hang in the air between us, heavy with the promise of ruin and redemption.
"I..." My voice failed me. I tried to swallow, but my throat was painfully dry.
Alessandro stepped closer, closing the final inch between us. The heat radiating off his body was intoxicating. He raised his hands, gently cupping my face. His thumbs traced the line of my jaw, entirely mapping my features as if I were something precious and fragile.
"You are terrified," he stated quietly, his dark eyes searching mine. "Not of me. But of what this means. Of what happens if you let go of the control you fought so hard to rebuild."
"Yes," I breathed, a single tear escaping my eye. He knew. He saw right through the bravado. Marcus had destroyed my trust in men. He had made me believe that yielding meant being broken.
"I am not a good man, Roslyn," Alessandro whispered, his forehead coming to rest against mine. "I have blood on my hands. I command an empire built on shadows. But I swear to you on my soul, I will never break you. If you yield to me, I will only ever use my strength to hold you up."
The absolute sincerity in his voice shattered the last wall around my heart. I didn't want to be safe in my lonely little apartment anymore. I wanted to be safe in his arms.
I reached up, my small, flour-dusted hands gripping the front of his t-shirt. I pulled myself up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.
Alessandro groaned, a deep, primal sound that vibrated through my chest. The gentle restraint he had been showing vanished instantly. His arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me off the ground and setting me onto the marble island. He stepped between my thighs, kissing me with a desperate, starving intensity.
It wasn't a sweet kiss. It was fire. It was possession. It was a man staking a claim on my soul. I kissed him back with equal ferocity, tangling my fingers in his silver-streaked hair, pulling him closer. He tasted like expensive scotch and dark, intoxicating desire.
"Roslyn," he rasped against my lips, his hands sliding up my sides, his thumbs brushing the underside of my breasts through the silk robe.
Before we could push past the point of no return, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.
We sprang apart just as Leo walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Is someone baking? I smelled butter—"
Leo froze.
He looked at me, sitting on the counter with swollen lips, flushed cheeks, and a robe that was slightly askew. He looked at his father, whose chest was heaving and whose eyes were currently murdering Leo for the interruption.
"Oh, my God," Leo breathed, his jaw dropping. "I am going to vomit."
"Leo, it's not—" I started, utterly mortified.
"Do not finish that sentence, Rosie," Leo held up a hand, looking horrified. "Dad. Please tell me you were just intimidating her about her baking techniques."
Alessandro straightened his shirt, his composure instantly returning. He looked at his son with an unbothered, authoritative stare. "I was informing Roslyn that she will be extending her stay at the compound indefinitely."
Leo blinked, looking between the two of us. The horror slowly morphed into a protective, older-brother glare. He pointed a finger at his father. "If you hurt her, Dad. I swear to God, I don't care if you run the East Coast. I will poison your espresso."
Alessandro smiled slightly. "I would expect nothing less, Leonardo. Go back to bed."
Leo groaned in disgust and turned around, marching back down the hall. "I need therapy. And bleach for my brain."
When the coast was clear, I buried my face in my hands. "I am going to die of embarrassment."
May you like
Alessandro chuckled, a rich, dark sound. He stepped back between my knees, gently pulling my hands away from my face. "Do not be embarrassed. He is my son, and he loves you. But he will have to get used to the fact that you belong by my side now."
He kissed me once more, softly this time, before stepping back. "Finish your baking, piccola. Tomorrow, we discuss your future."
