My boxing Angel

Chapter 17

~Jasmine~

The way Vincenzo jumped away from my touch and scurried away from me, hurt like hell. I thought we were making some progress, hell I even started to enjoy the fact that he would show more of his smile while around me. I even liked the fact that sometimes I was the cause of that smile. It kind of made me feel special, you know? Being able to crack open this wall of a man and make him smile or laugh.

I managed to grab a hold of Vincenzo’s elbow before he could disappear into the crowd any more than he already did. I frown at him, and I see the internal battle he is having with himself, whether to push me away or to let me in.

I want to be let in!

I want to see what triggers him, what makes him laugh, what makes him cry. Hell, I want to see all of his broken pieces.

I don’t know- I don’t know what it is but being around Vincenzo makes me feel so alive. Like I can do anything and everything I put my mind to. I think, no… I know he brings the best out of me; he makes me laugh, he makes me crazy mad, he makes me worry every time that he steps into that boxing ring, but overall, he makes me feel special. I don’t know how he does it, but it’s the small things that make my heart skip a beat, whether it’s lending me his sunglasses, making sure I eat, and getting worried when I don’t answer my phone.

Could I be falling for Vincenzo?

“Please let go angel,” he says my nickname, and I start to lose my grip on him, but I recompose myself. No, not this time Vincenzo.

“If you would just tell me what you meant that night!” I exclaim tightening my grip on his arm. I’m not letting go. “Maybe, just maybe I could actually understand you” I tell him with a plea, but Vincenzo is still being his stubborn self, showing no emotions whatsoever.

“Just tell me” I say lowly to him, and something inside him snapped, his eyes softened a little, but he shook his head vigorously and stepped back.

“I can’t,” he says, his head hanging low, avoiding my burning stare.

“Why?” I challenge him, digging deeper into his mind, wanting to know what made him push me away so much over the last few years. “What’s so horrible that you won’t speak of it?” I lash out stepping into his personal space, wanting him to see how desperate I’m trying to fix the thing that is broken between us, the thing that I don’t even know that is broken.

“You don’t remember me!” He snaps and I recoil at his sudden outbursts. “Okay? You don’t remember the first special moment we shared at that fast food.” Us? In a fast food? Suddenly a few bits and pieces from a few years back come rushing into my head.

There was this one time, a broody young guy, who had just lost his first boxing match…

My eyes widen when I remember meeting Vincenzo before he became famous, and I even started working at J.C.

Vincenzo’s breath is rigid as he steps into my space and places both his hands on my face, tilting it upwards to face him. His eyes shine with lust and desperation, he strokes my cheek looking for confirmation and I lean into his rough hand. In a matter of seconds, his lips crash against mine in a hard but full of passion kiss. The kiss started off fast, but then he slowed down the movement of his lips, taking the kiss on a more savoring movement. I pull away from him when I need to breathe some air, I rest my head on his broad chest, embarrassed of what just happened.

I feel a finger under my chin, and I let it guide me until I’m seeing straight into his milk chocolate brown eyes. Have his eyes always had that bright spark in them? His touch on my face is gentle and comforting, and the smile he is sporting even more. I wrap my hands around his back and rest my face on his chest, hearing his heartbeat, at an erotic speed.

“That’s even better than I imagined,” he tells me, and I giggle at his comment. I lay my head on his chest, but spring away when I hear a loud pop. Vincenzo starts to laugh hysterically at my reaction, and he turns me around so that my back is pressed against his chest. “It’s just the firework show,” he tells me as he rests his head on my shoulder and wraps a hand around my waist. I lean into him and relax, as we watch the rest of the firework show.

Yep, this is it.

I think I’m starting to fall in love with Vincenzo D’Angelo, and I’m pretty sure there is no stopping it now.

-

The ride back to the house was silent, partly from my side and Vincenzo’s because the other brothers had been bickering and laughing, not even feeling the tension between Vincenzo and me. When we arrived at the house, I took my sweet time leaving the car, was I avoiding the inevitable, yes, yes, I am. I take a deep breath and push open the door to the house and notice that everyone was in their room. I walk to my room and decide to prepare my stuff and pack all of my belongings into my suitcase for tomorrow morning.

It's around 2:00 p.m. when I finish packing all of my stuff, not because I have a lot of stuff, it’s mostly because I kept on getting distracted easily. I smile a little at the small bedroom I’m staying out, I think I’m starting to get more comfortable spending a few nights in one place and then skipping to a plane to get to another state.

A knock on my door startles me, because everyone is supposed to be sleeping. I open the door slowly to reveal a half-naked Vincenzo, I gulp when his intense stare rakes over my body. “Can I come in?” he asks, and his voice is husky and rough, he looks like he hasn’t been sleeping since we got here.

“Sure” I say lowly and open the door for him to get in. When inside he starts to pace the room, when he stops in his tracks, he runs a hand through his hair, letting out a deep breath. “Is everything okay?” I ask him, but I’m still planted by the door, not daring myself to get intoxicated in his husky scent.

“I don’t- what are you thinking?” he asks, and I furrow my brows at his question. What am I thinking? Well, I’m thinking that I might be falling in love with you, I’m also thinking that you should be asleep. “I need to know if I have to back off because I have put my feelings on hold for 6 years, and now that I have tasted your lips, I need to taste all of you. I want to drown on you” he tells me, and I can see in his eyes that he means it.

My breath hitches inside my throat when Vincenzo takes a few steps in my direction. He gently places his hands on my cheeks and pulls my head just inches away from him, our breath mixing. “I need to know angel,” he says in a whisper as he leans his forehead against mine. I pull away from his tender touch, and the sudden movement makes him look at me with precaution. Without a second thought, I pull Vincenzo towards me and crash our lips together in a passionate kiss.