“Elio, stop.” I pressed my hands on his chest and pushed him with all my might. His eyes burned with desire as he covered his mouth like he was about to lose it. “What happened? Why are you here?”
“I can’t,” he blurted but stopped himself.
“Can’t what?” I wanted to hear him out, but I also needed him to get the hell out of there.
“I can’t control myself. My mind is spinning, and nothing is right. There are only two ways I can get control, fucking you or murder.”
“It better not be murder because I need these people right now, so the body count will have to wait,” I joked darkly, but he didn’t find my humor funny.
“I should never have agreed to this.”
“You didn’t have a choice,” I reminded him and didn’t back down from his scary glare. “How did you get in here?”
“Ugo,” he answered. “He’s been giving me updates. And Wyatt filled me in on a few things, too.” His eyebrows rose. “Did you give them the location?”
“Yes.” I closed my eyes as everything clicked into place. “Of course,” I sighed. “So, he filled you in on Mariano?”
“You should have told me.”
I wanted to breathe fire at the two of them. At my best friend for sharing something that wasn’t his to share, and at Elio for risking everything because he was struggling with us being apart.
“You promised you told me everything.” He stuck a finger in my face.
“And you promised you’d never ever hurt me again. So, let’s not pretend that we’re playing the truth game anymore.” I stepped back as he reached for my hand. “Look, the past is the past. It can’t be changed, but we can learn from it. We came to an understanding, Elio, an agreement, of how this entire thing would play out, but don’t mistake what this is for something it’s not. We are nowhere even close to being okay.”
“We’ll discuss that later. You need to hear me out, Sienna.”
“No, I don’t.” I lifted a hand when he went to take a step toward me. “Seriously, Elio, the damage that you’ve caused me is enough for three lifetimes.”
“I never meant to hurt you.”
“Regardless, you did.”
He let out a frustrated breath and clenched his fists as he thought. “I’m sorry, Sienna.”
“I know.” I took a deep breath. “And I know not all of what happened before was your fault. You were being manipulated by your nonna, someone you trusted and loved dearly. It just hurts you couldn’t hear or trust me through all that.”
“Okay, let’s do this now.” He flexed his jaw and nodded a few times while he tried to sort out his thoughts. “I’ve only ever loved you. We fell into love so easily that things just worked. I think we can both agree none of us saw this storm coming. So, we need to pivot and start from the beginning again. We need to, I don’t know, learn how to love with obstacles?”
I smiled at his words and allowed my tightly folded arms to relax. I could feel my defenses slowly dissolve as he struggled to make me understand what was in his head.
“I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, and I’m going to say the wrong things when I mean to say the right things. It’s been ingrained in me to listen to my elders since I was a little boy. I can see my position has hurt you and probably might again, but call me selfish, I still want you.” He came closer as he went on. “I’m sorry, but I love you in the worst of ways. I rely on you emotionally, physically, mentally, and fuck, I don’t care.” He took a deep breath.
“Elio.” I wanted to stop him, but he held up his hand, and I stopped talking.
“The fairytales, romance books, great movies, whatever, are based on a version of love that only very few people actually find.” He made a low growling sound that jolted my body awake, alerting me he was primal tonight. “You consume me in ways that make the very air I breathe meaningless. To me you’rethatlove. I can’t let that go—I won’t let go.” He relaxed his shoulders and looked at me with such raw emotion it held me hostage. “So, here I am. Asking one last time for forgiveness. I want it to be just us from now on.”
I looked at him as he stood there breathing hard. His body was wound like a spring.
“If you ever question me like that again, that’s it.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat, visibly uncomfortable.
“I’m scared to let my guard down again with you.”
“I don’t blame you, but,” he slid a warm hand around my waist and pressed me into his hard body, “you will never find a man who loves you as much as I do.”
“Maybe not,” I warned as he leaned down to capture my lips. “Elio,” I said his name as his lips touched mine, “I can’t take another broken heart.”