Kings and Queens Of Crime

17.

For a moment, he was unsure. I watched as his eyes flicked from my hand on his, to my face. The moment he looked into my eyes, the unsurity was gone. He sat next to me and rubbed his thumb against my knuckles. "I will stay as long as you want me."

He spoke with a tenderness I never knew he was capable of. There was something soft about him, something that I never saw.

My mind was still filled with thoughts of Orion, Vincenzo, my family, and everything in between. How did I end up here? All I knew was that I needed to fix it and run away from every damn thing my family was placing on me. Was I truly that weak?

"Alexandra?" His voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Yes, husband," I looked up at him. He pressed his lips together as if suppressing all the words he wanted to say. Everything in that moment felt too much. I waited for him as my heart beat picked up pace. I felt his grip on my hand tighten and his Adam's apple Bob up against his throat.

"Are you feeling okay?" His voice came hoarse. I nodded, "I will be okay."

He let out a breath, curls started to free themselves from his slick styled hair. I felt myself admiring the dark curl and remembered the day I met him. He was young, and so was I. I remembered the way I felt the moment I looked at him, and as much as I hated to admit it,I still felt the same rush, the same electricity every moment we locked eyes.

He was then the boy who gave me a rush of adrenaline, and he's still the man who makes me feel the same. The feelings I felt for Vincenzo were far more confusing than my feelings for Orion.

At the slightest memory of Orion, my grip on my husband's hand tightened, and taking a sharp breath, I looked at him to already find his eyes on me. I wanted to tell him he seemed like the person. "Vincenzo," I started and began to make sense of how I was going to tell him I was once madly in love with his own brother.

"I know," he whispered. "What?" I asked. "You love him," he continued. "Vince," I found his eyes on the floor. "I know it, Alexandra. I knew it from the moment your eyes met his. I knew it," his eyes were back at me, flashing with an emotion I couldn't pinpoint.

He looked away, frowning, "but the thing is darling, I fell in love with you too," something in my chest tightened. Did he mean it? "He's my brother, and I love him... as much as you can love your sibling. But after realizing what we really do, I tried to protect him as much as I could and tried to give him everything he wanted, sacrificing my happiness for him, but you. You are the one thing I can't give up. I tried to imagine it, I ....I can't," he stood up.

I waited for words to appear in my mind, something I could say to that. Something that would help me gather my scrambled thoughts instead all I could focus on were his words and the effect they had on me.

I tried to keep my breathing even as my heart hammered against my chest. His eyes raked all over me before meeting my eyes. I wasn't sure where we stood or what he was thinking. His face was still unexpressive, but his armor seemed to crack with a sligh furrow in his eyebrows.

Taking a deep breath, he tucked the strand that came loose. His fingers grazed my skin, igniting all my dormant feelings. His fingers trailed down my jaw to my chin. I was sure I wasn't breathing anymore.

He tilted my face up with his index finger and waited for a few seconds before leaning in. His scent filled all my senses, and I realized that I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on mine. The memory of the kiss we shared resurfaced.

He leaned closer, and my eyes fluttered close in anticipation. Instead of my lips, I felt his lips on my forehead, and strangely warmth of comfort filled me up. I opened my eyes to see him gazing at me, his eyes softer than I had ever seen.

"Goodnight, my love," he said before pulling his hand away, and I instantly missed his touch. "Sleep well," he said, closing the door of my room. I fell onto my bed. Like hell, I was going to sleep well.