Forced to Love (Original Version)

Chapter 13 - Dance

Trigger Warnings:
~ Explicit language
~ Mentions of murder
~ Mentions of rape

Isabella's PoV <3
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Matteo's face is inches away from mine, and I can feel his warm breath fanning across my face in a wave of mint. His lips are close - so close.

He has eyes that pierce straight through mine. It's almost as if he's looking inside my mind, searching through my thoughts and my feelings. It gives me a strange sense of vulnerability in front of him. A vulnerability I hate with passion.

My father has always taught me that my feelings were a weakness. He was the one who taught me how to feel nothing, just complete numbness.

And he was right, that was the sole reason I survived. I learned to kill without guilt and slaughter without regret. These people deserved death, I was doing the world a favour by disposing of them.

They had committed crimes worse than murder. These people had raped innocent girls, tortured men for information or power.

Giving them death was the easy route.

But the feeling of complete numbness in that area of my life means several consequences. I struggle with other situations; like now.

My body wants nothing more than to gravitate into the man in front of me. To wrap my arms arms tightly around his neck and never let go. He could protect me from my father, he could take me away from this life completely.

But I can't. The guilt I would feel for leaving my family behind. For leaving my Mamá with no protection, in the house with her abusive, drunk husband. In a matter of hours he would turn his harsh hands upon her, and I can't let that happen.

So instead I smile at the man in front of me, and Teo just smiles back. It seems like he understands, although it's obvious that he knows nothing of my father's abuse.

It's a secret I will carry with me until I die. For the sake of my family's sanity and the reputation of the Spanish Mafia.

Just as I take a step away from Teo, a familiar scent hits me. It's strange but sweet, and it takes a few seconds before realisation hits me and I can't suppress the smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"Did you use my shampoo?" I ask, raising my eyebrows in amusement. His messy hair smells strongly of raspberries, mixed with my coconut scented body wash.

The thought of the lethal Italian Mafia heir smelling like a fruit salad makes me want to laugh. It's a contrasting sweet smell to go with his usually sour attitude.

Teo looks at me with red flames rising up his neck and cheeks, looking almost embarrassed. "What else was I supposed to use?" He protests, holding his hands up in surrender.

I pretend to be annoyed at his response. "You could've just washed using water." I say, accompanied with a shrug and scowl.

He breaks eye contact with me and runs his tongue along the outside of his teeth. When he looks back, his face is lit up with a small smile. Not the usual sarcastic smirk, but an actual smile.

"If it matters to you that much, princess, then I'll buy you a new shampoo." His face is suddenly too close to mine again, and my breathing becomes uneven. He looks down at the mere inches between our lips and stay completely frozen on the spot.

I'm just about the pull away when something hard collides with the side of my leg. My hands reach out to grip Matteo's shirt for balance, and he holds the sides of my arms tightly.

I look down in annoyance at the object that hit me, but my face instantly crinkles into a smile. It's Matteo's little sister, Cami.

We haven't seen each other since the first day we met a few weeks ago. The day I first met Matteo and he walked out on us. The thought makes me realise that I never questioned him about it.