A Touch of Sin |18+|

25

ALANI

So warm. So comfortable. I could have fallen asleep right there—on top of Valerio while he stroked my hair. His breathing was slow, but the heartbeat underneath my cheek was not.

The rhythmic beat was comforting, but I wanted to know what was happening inside of his head.

What was he thinking about?

I lifted my head off my chest, finding his eyes close. Those eyelashes.  I'd never been more jealous of anything. I took a second to look at him. Really look at him. I knew Valerio was gorgeous, but seeing him at peace as he laid beneath me— it had an array of emotions rushing through me and suddenly the beating of my heart caught up with his. 

What were we doing? Just platonically cuddling? I never experienced that before and I became aware, again, of how drastically different Valerio was from the other men I've been with.

The type of men who'd tell me that they didn't want to touch me because I was on my period. The type of men who'd tell me that my mouth was available whenever I'd start menstruating. It was one of the reasons why I never had a boyfriend and only fucked someone once I knew them for a few months.

How was it that Valerio just popped up out of nowhere and showed me what I had been missing?

During this time, where my stomach cramped and my legs ached— I just wanted to hold anyone and Valerio unintentionally became that person. Perhaps it was deliberate, but I didn't want him to leave. I wanted him around, even when we couldn't do anything.

Valerio didn't even look at me sexually—that I knew about.

"You okay?" he asked, looking at me through half-lidded eyes.

I nodded, giving him a small smile and I didn't expect him to start smiling too. His full lips lazily stretched into a grin and he closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath in. Truthfully, Valerio seemed as if he wanted to do this just as much as me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, not wanting to pester but just needing to make sure that he was genuinely okay. He was acting different, not entirely different but enough for me to see the change.

Almost as if he was worried about something but in his position and his title—being worried all the time was to be expected.

I had a Mafia Capo in my living room, cuddling me while his gun rested on the coffee table.

I never felt more protected.

"I'm okay," he whispered, lifting his hand and pushing my head back to his chest. I pursed my lips as I settled down.

"Good," I murmured, tracing circles on his chest.

"Did you study?" he asked, going back to stroking my hair with a flat hand.

I nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Good girl. I'm proud of you," he said softly—soft enough for me to barely understand him but I did.

I swallowed hard, shifting my leg over his own to get comfortable. Why did he have to praise me like that? I'd study harder if it meant I got to hear him say he was proud of me. 

"You can't get any closer than this," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I huffed, giving up on moving around.

There wasn't any space between us, but I felt as if he could be closer. What the fuck was wrong with me? He was already there—holding me tightly—but I wanted him to squeeze me harder.

"I know," I said solemnly.

Valerio chuckled at my disappointment. "You can try. I don't mind."

"I think I'm good now," I whispered, letting my hand rest on his chest, the material of his shirt the only thing between me and his skin. "But you're not. Your heart is beating out of your chest." I didn't know if that was a plausible reason to be concerned, but it didn't feel normal.