The Mafia Saved Me [SAMPLE BOOK]

Chapter 19 [SAMPLE]

POV Victoria

I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me my summer would end with me kidnapped and rescued by a handsome Italian man who's now made it his mission to protect me. Yet here I am, side by side with the said man, walking through his own Versailles Garden.

I take a quick peek at Leo and marvel at how his all-black suit doesn't have a single wrinkle in sight. He's the image of a million dollars.

A lump forms in my throat as I glance down at the pair of jeans and black T-shirt I'm wearing. The contrast in our styles creates a distance between us, and there's no denying Leo and I are different.

I try not to dwell on this thought for long because it will only make me feel worse.

The tips of my fingers caress the bright pink tulips, and the trees dance with the chilly breeze in the air. Another gust of wind comes, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself.

Leo shuffles, removing his suit jacket. My heart races as he wraps it over my shoulders. His warmth and musky scent quickly cover me.

A lone strand of his hair falls from its slick back tousled style. I stare at it, and my fingers itch to reach out and put it back in its place. But I restrain myself. Instead, I admire his handsome face.

Leo is one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. A step up from the pubescent high schoolers I graduated with.

He isn't your typical looking twenty-four-year-old. He has the maturity you expect from a thirty-year-old man.

Our eyes lock, and my face gets hot beneath his gaze.

I find myself trapped by his stare. The seconds tick, and there's an all too familiar stirring in my stomach. My nervous habit of biting my bottom lip returns, and I try to ignore the tingly feelings spreading across my body.

Leo lifts his left hand and moves a strand of my hair behind my ear. The pad of his finger grazes the side of my face, and a shaky breath leaves my mouth.

I watch his Adam's Apple move up and down when he swallows, and my stare falls on his full pink lips, which have never looked plumper and more kissable.

I roll my dry lips into my mouth, wetting them. Leo's gaze drops to my mouth, and his eyes darken with a deep, emerald hue.

The tension between us fizzles with temptation. To ease my nerves, I look anywhere but at his hypnotic eyes, and my stare lands on a round, pillared gazebo. I'm in awe at the sight of it.

Leo notices my reaction and grabs my hand. Our fingers interlock, and I can't help but stare down at them with a smile.

Things between us have changed since he took me around Paris three days ago. He's always with me, and we're always talking, and it's nice until I remember Cleo. Although we always talk, he never mentions her, which is confusing. The way he spoke to her last time on the phone sounded like he really loves her, but he never expresses his love for her to me. I know there's still a possibility she can be someone other than a lover, but even if he isn't with her romantically, I can never be with him. Eventually, we'll have to part ways, and what will happen then? Heartbreak, that's what.