Caught In The Crossfires - Spinoff

51

Chapter 51

Cristiano

Meanwhile in Italy...

I sat scowling to myself as I scrolled through my phone in the back of the tinted SUV. After trying and failing to focus on yet another business meeting with one of our top international investors, my mind kept drifting back to Lola.

The way she looked at me before I left, the hurt in her big blue tear-filled eyes, it all replayed in my head like a broken record. I knew I had to fix things between us, and I had to do it fast.

I had to get the hell out of there. As the meeting dragged on, I found myself becoming more and more agitated by the second. I needed to clear my head so I excused myself, claiming that I had an urgent personal matter to attend to, and I quickly made my way back to the parking garage.

Our argument had been playing on a loop in my head since I arrived. I just couldn't understand why she wanted more from me than I was willing to give but it had left a bitter taste in my mouth all the same.

Still, I didn't like how I had left things with her, and now she wasn't even answering my goddamn calls. The thought of her being hurt by me made my heart sink. It made me feel low and I hated that feeling.

I turned to my assistant, and tucked my device away into my suit pocket. "Francesca, cancel the rest of my meetings. We need to get back to Miami. Book us the next flight out."

She looked up from her day planner, brows pulled together, clearly surprised at my request. I never left business early. "Yes, right away, sir."

I further leaned back into my seat, trying to push away the thoughts of Lola that kept creeping in. It was frustrating because I knew deep down that I had feelings for her, but for some reason, I couldn't admit it to her. Instead, I just got distant and pushed her away. It was a defense mechanism that I had developed over the years, and it had served me well in business, but not in matters of the heart.

Francesca's soft voice cut through the thoughts of the impossible woman I was flying back to see. "We're booked, sir," she confirmed, earning a nod from me before relaying the information to the driver.

As the car sped towards the airport, I couldn't help but admit to myself that I was honestly struggling with my feelings for that wild Mariano woman in a way that I had never done with anyone before and I wasn't sure what to do with that bewildering information.

Still, deep down, I knew that I needed to make things right with her.


***


Lola

A few hours later back in Miami...

I couldn't stand lying in bed any longer, my heart still racing from the nightmare that had plagued me. Without a second thought, I slipped my feet into a pair of fluffy slippers and made my way out of my room and down the long, creaky hallway towards Alessandro's bedroom.

The sound of the floorboards beneath my feet echoed through the silent mansion, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for disturbing the peace.

As I reached Alessandro's door, I paused for a moment, my hand hovering uncertainly over the wooden surface. Would he even want to see me after what had happened earlier? I couldn't bear the thought of another rejection, but my need for comfort was far too great to give a shit. I summoned up my courage and knocked softly, hoping he was still awake.

As soon as I entered the room, I could see Alessandro lying on the bed, leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed and a book resting on his lap. The dim lighting from the lamp on his nightstand made it difficult to see, but I could tell he was shirtless. His hair was tousled and messy, as if he had been running his hands through it absentmindedly, and a pair of reading glasses sat low on his sharp nose.

The sight of him sent a jolt of warmth through my body, but my gaze quickly shifted to his bare chest, the muscles and veins bulging with each breath he took.

Despite the allure of his half-naked form, my attention was quickly drawn back to his face, which was peaceful and serene, and somehow I found that ridiculous porn-stache was growing on me.

While I stood there, taking in the sight before me, I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my stomach. He looked so vulnerable and yet so strong at the same time. It was a strange combination that made my heart race.

I stay there silently for a long while, contemplating whether or not to disturb him. But my fear and need for comfort won out, and I walked even closer to the bed. As I approached, I could see his chest rising and falling with each breath.

At the moment, he definitely appeared to be sleeping, and for a second, I wondered if I should just leave him be and I hesitated for a moment before speaking, not wanting to startle him.

"Alessandro," I whispered, my voice barely audible in the quiet room. "Are you awake?" When there was no response, I took a step closer and repeated myself, a little louder this time. "Alessandro, it's me, Lola. Can I...can I come in?" I asked as though I wasn't already inside the damn room.

Soon though, I just found myself standing there in the dark, feeling a bit foolish for barging into his room. "This is so stupid," I muttered to myself as I paced back and forth in his dimly lit bedroom. "What am I even doing here? He's fast asleep and probably doesn't want to be bothered. I should just go back to my own room and try to sleep."

But the memory of my nightmare was still fresh in my mind, and I couldn't bear the thought of being alone. "No, I can't do it," I continued to rant to myself. "I don't want to be by myself after that."

I stopped and glanced over at the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Maybe I should just go back to my own room," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's not like he would even want me here."

Shaking my head, I went to leave, but as I reached for the doorknob, I heard a rustling coming from the bed, and I turned to see what it was. Then before I knew it, with his eyes still closed, Alessandro was whipping the blanket back from his large body, silently inviting me to crawl into bed with him. My throat tightened when I realized that he had been awake and had been listening to me rambling like a lunatic the whole time.

Nodding to myself, I immediately kicked off my fuzzy bunny slippers without a second thought, and my heart raced with nervousness and anticipation as I slowly made my way back over to him, feeling like a shy schoolgirl all over again.

As I wordlessly climbed onto the large mattress, I quickly planted myself beside him, with my back to his front. I wasn't sure how much space he'd be comfortable with me putting between us. I knew I was already enough of a burden as it was. So I carefully decided to scoot my body to the far end of the bed, forcing myself to close my eyes as I did, and I hugged onto the pillow beneath my head, my hurt wrist throbbing from the pressure, but I didn't care.

Seconds later, I heard a heavy sigh come from him as I felt the lush comforter being draped over me, and the dim lighting went dark behind my lids. My eyes shut open and I let out an unexpected soft whimper of relief as Alessandro's massive muscular arm came to wrap around me, pulling me close to his chest. I immediately fell slack in his tight hold, feeling safe and comforted in his uncharacteristically warm embrace, my body finally relaxing after the fear and anxiety of the nightmare.

Soon the feeling of security washed over me, and I couldn't help but snuggle closer to him, feeling his warmth against my skin. I closed my eyes genuinely and snuggled closer to him, grateful for the warmth of his body next to mine.

For a moment, we lay there in silence, the only sound the sound of our breathing echoing off the walls. I felt his hard chest rise and fall against my back with each breath, and the rhythm of it was soothing to me.

As the minutes ticked by, I could feel myself slowly drifting off to sleep. The warmth of his embrace and the feeling of safety it brought me were enough to calm my racing thoughts and lull me into a peaceful slumber.

And so, with the man I thought I hated's large arms wrapped around my small body, and his warmth enveloping me, I fell asleep, knowing that I was exactly where I needed to be at that moment.

***

However, in my barely serene state, I was abruptly awoken by the loud bang of a door being slammed shut as it felt like I had gotten no sleep at all. I was guessing that had to do with the nightmares. I nearly jumped out of my skin, my eyes shooting open in confusion and then in fear, as I saw Cristiano standing over us, his face contorted in anger.

Was this another one?

I answered my own thought when I felt Alessandro tense up beside me as we both silently stared up at his livid brother, neither of us knowing what to say because he was the last person I expected to see this morning.

There was no mistaking the look on my Dom's face - he was furious. I felt his gaze burning into us as we lay there frozen in shock. The tension in the room was palpable, and it felt as though time had come to a standstill.

In spite of the silence lingering in the room between us, the air was thick with so many unspoken words and unsaid feelings. I didn't know what to say or do, and I could tell that the man next to me was in the exact same boat. We both stayed there, completely exposed and vulnerable, as Cristiano continued to glare at us with a ferocious fury.

It felt like an eternity before Cristiano finally turned and stormed out of the room, the door slamming, hard enough to rock the paintings on the walls. Just like that, I knew that everything had changed – but I didn't know how or why. All I knew was that nothing would ever be the same again.


***

Cristiano

Some time before...

My assistant and I had flown through the night, and finally, after what felt like a goddamn eternity, the plane landed in MIA.

Then without looking back, I made haste out of the airport and into a waiting car that Francesca had ordered for me. My heart tightened in my chest as the SUV sped towards my estate. Lola still wasn't answering, so I decided to go straight home instead of to hers.

I still didn't know what I was going to say or do when I saw her, so it would give me time to gather my thoughts.

As I poured myself a glass of scotch, my phone rang. My heart skipped a beat, thinking it was her, but my relief was short-lived when I recognized her purse lying on the couch, her black strappy platform heels discarded on the floor beside it.

Something was definitely off.

I decided to go to her guest bedroom to investigate, but it was empty. The bed looked like it had been slept in, but where was Lola? My mind raced with thoughts as I quickly made my way to Alessandro's room to ask if he had seen her.

"EHI, Alexei, have you seen Lo–" I barged into his room without knocking, but my words were soon caught in my throat as I saw my woman—my submissive, wrapped in my brother's arms, sleeping soundly. My blood boiled as I slammed the door closed behind me, not caring if I woke them.

The anger that was boiling within me made it hard to think straight. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had flown back to Miami to make things right with her, only to find her in bed with my own flesh and blood.

I turned, yanking the door closed behind me, my mind racing with thoughts and emotions that I couldn't even begin to sort out as I made my way back to my vehicle before I did something I regretted.

What the fuck was happening?

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