His Corruption

Chapter 33

~Elena POV~

I never thought I'd eat from a food cart in Central Park. These things were basically fairytales for me thanks to being the daughter of a don who made so many enemies daily, my life was at risk every time I left the house.

After finishing my corndog, I tossed the stick in the trash, but as I turned, the pond caught my eyes. Oh my God.

It was a scene from a fantasy movie. My exhale turned into a cloud as I moved closer to the dark body of water, surrounded by trees. The branches were covered in white. Everything was actually, and the scene looked beautiful against the buildings.

Towers stood all around the park, so tall my neck hurt from looking up. As I tried to count the floors of the tallest building, I didn't realise my feet were moving forward.

My foot slipped on some ice and I slid towards the pond, but a pair of arms grabbed my waist.

"You need glasses Princess." He rasped against my back. A blush struck my stomach and I spun around.

"Hopefully not. Then I'd have to see you clearly." I said, walking past him. I thought I felt his dry stare on me but when I glanced back, the corner of his mouth was tugged high.

He shook his head and followed behind as I moved along the icy pathway, watching children throw snowballs at each other and their parents chase them.

Everyone here wore jackets and scarves except us. It was a wonder how Cristian could act normal without a coat, because I was as stiff as an ice pop.

"It's weird, being here without bodyguards." I said, slowly stopping to touch a low lying branch. "My family don't go anywhere without them."

I dusted the snow off the branch, and turned to him.

"Ricci's are cowards." He slid his hands into his pocket.

"I'm one."

"You're not like the others."

My stomach fluttered at his voice, deep with conviction. I held my breath to stop a smile from forming, and turned so he wouldn't see. Something violently naive was brewing inside me, and I could do nothing but hide it.

Whatever this was, I prayed I'd come out the other side alive.

———

We walked around the park until I was cold enough to complain, drove home in a soothing silence and by the time we got there, the chill from our bodies became tension, melting into the warm air.

I took my boots off, the ones he had the maid buy me and I walked to the windows to see the sunset. It was rather dull, but I liked it. For me, Winter was comfort.

It gave you the darkness to heal, to hide in.

A clatter cut through the air as Cristian set his keys on the counter, and our eyes locked. Even after spending an hour outside without a jacket, it wasn't enough to cool the carnal part of me. The part that begged me to get closer to him.

Sometimes I asked myself that if I touched him...if I gave in to what I wanted for just a night, would it chase away the infatuation?