Lina Gonzalez is a poor girl who's never had much. After running away from her abusive stepfather and starting a new life, she's left to pick up her broken pieces. What happens when a run-in with a handsome stranger leaves her with more than she bar...
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A week had passed, and Elio kept me locked in the room. He didn't sleep in here like he said he would, I wonder where he had been. I was starting to lose my mind. He was so confusing.
One minute we were walking around Italy having an actual conversation, and the next he's completely heartless and barely utters three words to me.
The sound of the lock clicking open cuts me from my thoughts as I walk back into the room. The only plus side, I got to watch the waves anytime I felt.
Giana walks into the room, a key in hand. It was already late and the house had been quiet for hours. She closes the door gently behind her. "We're sneaking out tonight." She says excitedly, a huge smile on her face.
"Where are we going?" I ask, relieved I wouldn't spend another night in here, sulking. "There's a new club that just opened up, all my friends will be there. Now come, let's find you a dress." I squeal with joy as we quietly pad down the large hallway and into her room.
Her room was similar to the one I was in but had her personal touches. I look around, my gaze landing on a painting. It looked to be two people standing in a familiar foyer.
It wasn't until I noticed the details of Elio's tattoos that I realized it was us, the night we left for our walk. "Wow, Giana. This is beautiful."
I lightly run my hands across the painting, focusing on the look between the couple. "This is how you see me?" My face structure was sharp, my features dainty.
"You're gorgeous, Lina. You should see yourself that way too." I blush at her words. My stepfather would always tell me how overweight I was, or how useless I was.
After a while, you start to believe those horrendous words and forget how to love yourself. Giana disappears into her closet, pulling out a sequenced halter-styled dress with a low back. It was short but tasteful.
She hands it to me, causing my eyes to widen with shock. "Oh no, I think this dress is meant for you," I say, pushing it back toward her. I had never worn a dress so... Daring, before.
It made me nervous, what if I didn't pull it off? "Nonsense, this would fit your curves perfectly. Just try it on." She insists, shoving me into her connected bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Letting out a shaky breath, I pull off my pajamas and slip into the dress. Giana was right. The dress laid across my curves elegantly, stopping at my upper thighs. Turning around, I admire my backside.
The dress gave me a burst of confidence, making me feel sexy. Opening up the door, I hold my breath and wait for Giana's reaction. "You look so hot!" She had already changed into a dress similar to mine with a gold tint instead of silver.
"For now, carry your heels. They'll wake the whole house." Giana says after we finished applying our make-up and fixing our hair. She hands me a pair of silver heels and hoop earrings.
Giving ourselves one final glance over, we creek her door open slowly. As we reach the front door, we hear a voice that makes us jump out of our skin.
For a moment, I think Elio may have caught me. My nerves spike but are quickly put to rest when two twin boys step out of the darkness. "And where do you lovely ladies think you're going?" The one with tattoos asks.
His eyes dance over my frame, causing me to roll my eyes. "Isn't it past your bedtime?" I fire back, causing him to clutch at his chest, "You wound me, amore." (Love.)
"Matteo, don't you have better things to do than ruin our night," Giana speaks up, her features twisting with irritation. "Who said anything about ruining your night? We want to come with." The other one whines out.
He was free of tattoos and seemed a bit more approachable than the other one. "Enzo, there are no minors allowed. Now shoo." She says with a swat of her hand, turning to leave.
Matteo places a hand over the door. "Not so fast, either you take us with or we go wake Elio and let him know his precious bambola is leaving without his permission."
Giana lets out a quiet groan of frustration, "God, Matteo. You suck." He steps away with a triumphant smile, allowing Giana to swing the door open. We all creep out quietly, piling into their car.
On the way to the club, Giana blasts the stereo. I laugh, watching her throw her hands up and sing along. Once we pull into the club, I notice a huge line wrapping around the building. Giana walks straight to the front, with no hesitation.
"DeLuca!" She shouts to the bouncer. He immediately pulls the velvet black rope aside and motions us in. It was crazy how powerful their name was. It's even crazier how powerful Elio is. Elio. I shake my head, trying to rid my thoughts.
Giana leads us to the bar first as we order drinks. The boys split off from us, finding their people. "Thank God they left. They are so annoying." Giana says into my ear, I laugh and sip on my drink. "Let's go meet everyone!" She says, grabbing my hand and leading me toward a table of people.
A guy and two girls sat around talking and laughing. Their faces light up as they spot Giana. "Guys, this is my friend Lina. She's visiting from America. This is Beatrice and Lucia, and that is Luca."
She introduces us all. I smile and try to keep up with the conversation, but they spoke a lot of Italian.
Luca leans over, talking into my ear. "Would you like to dance?" He offers with a smile. He wasn't ugly, with long black hair and dark brown eyes. But, he wasn't Elio. I didn't want to be rude so I shook my head yes, and let him lead me onto the dance floor.
We danced for a while, letting the music take over us. Somewhere along the line, I ended up with my back against his front swaying my hips.
His hands grip my waist, pulling me closer to him. It felt nice being with a man, so I let myself get lost in his touch.
Suddenly, Luca is ripped away from me and a pair of strong hands throw me over a very broad shoulder. I pound on Elio's back, screeching for him to let go of me.
He pulls down my dress, making sure I'm not exposed as he stalks out of the club. Once the cool air hits my bare flesh, he sets me down on the concrete.
I stumble a bit in my heels but quickly catch myself. "What the hell was that about? You can't just-," He cuts me off, his face dark with anger. "Get the fuck in the car or so help me God-," I cut in before he finishes his sentence,
"You'll what, Elio? Kill me? Go ahead, because at this point I'd rather be dead than stuck in this prison." I heave out.
My breath catches in my throat as I watch his tall frame step toward me. His face remained stoic, his eyes emotionless. "You were a job, bambola."(Doll.) He spits out in his heavily accented tone.
Dropping my gaze, I break eye contact. Damn me and my loud mouth, I should've just kept it shut.
I feel his rough hand grasp my chin, forcing me to look into his stormy grey eyes. Butterflies flutter around in my stomach as his burning gaze dances down my figure."If only I could bring myself to take the life out of those bright and curious eyes."
He crushes his lips against mine, causing a fire to spread through my veins. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His lips are soft and warm.
He grabs the back of my head roughly, causing a moan to escape my lips. He takes the opportunity to slide his warm tongue into my mouth.
My eyes fly open at the invasion, snapping me back to reality. I shove at his chest hard, confusion flickering over his features. "You are a monster, Elio. I could never love someone like you." I breathe out, my chest heaving.
An unknown look flashes in his eyes as he hears my words. Without another thought, he turns sharply and hops into his car. I watch as he speeds off, my eyes pooling with tears.
