A Touch of Sin |18+|

40

ALANI

I didn't move. The van pulled up to the side of Valerio' car and a few seconds later—the passenger's door flung open and a man stepped out.

It was dark out, but I was able to make out the silhouette of Valerio walking with the help of the minimal lighting the park offered.

My chest felt heavy as I sat on his leather seat, watching him walk up to me. The van he came with was still idling and with a quick reverse, it drove away behind Valerio.  He tested the door, but it remained locked and I remained unmoving.

"Alani," Valerio called, bending down to gaze through the window. "Unlock this door."

"No," I said. "Tell your men to come out of hiding and go away. They're freaking me out."

I could barely see him, but I heard his light chuckle. "You knew that I had them follow you?"

Of course I knew. They weren't as subtle as they thought. Especially in their flashy cars. Driving away from the warehouse, it took two minutes to see that I wasn't alone on the road and I recognised both cars that were previously parked next to Valerio's own car. It wasn't a surprise.

I could never imagine Valerio sending me off alone.

Unless he was truly pissed off at me.

"Duh," I murmured. "Have you met you?"

"Right," Valerio said, letting out a little laugh and the sound of it was a breath of fresh fucking air.

He straightened up and made a movement with his hand, at the same time I clicked the button and unlocked the passenger's door for him. Two pairs of headlights emerged from a bush, in the far corner of the park before speeding away. Valerio opened the door and sat down, filling the car with his faint cologne and warmth that I sought for immediately.

Just seeing Valerio took the feeling of despair away, and I wanted to hold him until I forgot that the entire day happened.

"Oh, baby," Valerio whispered, wrapping his arms around me and I softened when he held me close to him. I breathed out a sigh, burying my face in his neck and I closed my eyes for a moment to savour the feel of his body against mine. I never wanted to be on bad terms with Valerio, and I needed him to know that I didn't care about the tracker on the chain.

He did it for his own reasons, and sitting alone for a couple hours would let anyone understand why.

My heart pumped heavily in my chest but the tension and confusion was no longer there. I felt Valerio push the neckline of my t-shirt to the side to set a soft kiss on my collarbone, staying there for a few beats as his lips grazed my skin. The overwhelming relief that he wasn't mad at me was unspeakable—beyond words description.

"Amore," Valerio breathed, pulling away but he grasped my cheek and continued to stare at me with those eyes I couldn't look away from. "I'm really sorry that I did that without talking to you, but you need to know that I put the tracker on after giving you the chain."

"Valerio—" I started, but he clasped his hand over my mouth and essentially shut me up.

"Let me speak," he said bluntly. "Just listen to me."

"Okay," I said, my voice muffled by his palm and I nodded.

Valerio slid his fingers down my arm, finding my hand and I looked down when he clasped our fingers together. His hands were clean, and Alonzo's blood was nowhere to be seen but he was bruised up. I grabbed onto his wrist, giving him a kiss on the wine coloured mark starting to form on one of his knuckles. He really fucked up Alonzo...but I couldn't say that he didn't deserve it.