Protected by the Beast ✔

50

Word count: 3582

Luciano's POV

*

I dropped my phone beside me and placed my palm back where it was, on Riley's head. Gently, I caressed her scalp, feeling her relax into my touch.

When we got home last night, she'd been very upset about what she saw but she didn't say anything and just ate some ice cream before we slept. And this morning, she didn't ask even a single question. Instead, she'd been snuggly and trying to just keep a physical contact with me.

One time she sat on my thighs after magically making me sit up on the bed at around four thirty and hugged me, dozing off in that position.

When she roused awake about an hour later, we went back to lying down and she clung to me like a monkey would cling to a tree, one thigh awkwardly clinging tightly to my waist. Maybe this was how she wanted to cope with what she witnessed yesterday.

Or maybe she was just needy of my attention. I could never understand her. We began to watch a thriller movie and since I rarely had time to watch movies, I decided to at least focus on this one.

Riley, who was currently lying horizontally on the bed and resting her head on my thighs heaved a sigh, squeezing her thighs together in a way that made her butt protrude some more. My eyes zoned in on the delicious arch and I placed my left palm on it to at least calm down my raging hormones.

We continued watching the TV until Riley decided to turn her back to the TV and face me.

I looked down at her, surprised when she squinted at me, as if in suspicion.

"What?" I shrugged.

She pursed her lips and shrugged as well.

I focused my attention on the thriller movie once again. Two minutes later, Riley called my name.

"Yes?"

"The mafia..."

"What about it?"

"The men are allowed to cheat while the woman is supposed to be a dutiful lady serving her man and dedicated to his cause." It was a statement, not a question.

"No dignified man would cheat on his woman." I replied her.

"But you cheated on me." She muttered softly. My expression fell for a few seconds before it was replaced by a frown.

"I didn't."

"All these years-"

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't even know you then Riley."

"Does that mean you'll never see any other woman except me from now on?" She asked glumly and I decided to play with her a little. She told me to stop making jokes because my jokes were usually taken as threats but I'd learnt to play with words since I started dating her.

I was confident I could pull it off.

"Of course I'll see women, Riley." I stated confidently and she instantly sat up.

"Then I'll see men too. Lots of men. And I'll even go ahead to enjoy kissing the, going on amazing dates, making out hotly-"

Inhaling sharply, I pulled her against me in a swift moment and she landed on my chest, placing a palm on it to steady herself. Her eyes were wide but stubborn.

"Stop playing that way, Riley. I'm serious." My words came out as a growl, the tension rising inside me.

She gave me a glare, which didn't do much because with her rosy cheeks and puckered lips, she looked cute and not as fierce as she tried to appear.