16
1420 Words
ESMERALDA'S POV
He looked beautiful-handsome whatever, his side profile was immaculate.
One hand rested lazily against the steering wheel while the other suddenly moved—
Straight onto my thigh.
I inhaled sharply.
His large hand spread across my bare skin beneath the skirt, warm and possessive.
Leoandros didn’t even look at me.
Like this was the most natural thing in the world.
“You jump every time I touch you,” he murmured.
“That’s because you touch me unexpectedly.”
"And it's like a dream come true"
A smirk appeared.
“Would you rather I announce it first?”
I rolled my eyes softly.
His thumb rubbed slow circles against my thigh.
My entire body betrayed me instantly.
“How are you feeling?” he asked after a moment.
I looked out the window. “Still… overwhelmed.”
“That’s expected.”
I hesitated before finally speaking quietly.
“Everything changed so fast.”
His hand squeezed my thigh gently.
“I know.”
I turned toward him slightly.
“You really meant it? Earlier?”
“Yes.”
“About wanting me and not forgetting me?”
He nodded.
Something soft entering his eyes.
“Your sister called me this afternoon.”
I blinked.
“Bethany?”
At the mention of my sister, his expression darkened immediately.
“Mhm.”
My stomach twisted painfully.
“What did she want?”
Leoandros scoffed quietly.
“She invited me to dinner.”
I stared at him.
Of course she did.
Bethany had always wanted attention. Always wanted the best.
We haven't spoken since, she still blames for replacing her as the bride.
She's always envious.
Even when we were younger.
Especially when it came to men.
Pain flickered briefly through my chest at the memories.
Leoandros noticed immediately.
His fingers tightened around my thigh.
“I declined.”
I swallowed hard. “What exactly did she say?”
“That she thought we should talk privately.” His jaw flexed slightly. “She implied there were unresolved feelings between us.”
"Said we can still make things work out even after being married to you"
My chest burned.
Even now.
Even after everything.
I looked away quickly toward the window, not wanting him to see the hurt on my face.
But Leoandros always noticed everything.
His hand slid from my thigh to gently grip my chin, turning my face back toward him while the car stopped briefly at a red light.
“Look at me.”
I did.
His blue eyes were intense.
Deadly serious.
“I told her I was busy with my wife.”
My breath caught.
“I told her there is nothing between us.” His thumb brushed my jaw softly. “And there never will be.”
"What happened on the wedding day proved that.
Emotion clogged my throat unexpectedly.
For so long I had felt stupid.
Invisible.
Replaceable.
Even on the wedding day, part of me had feared he still wanted Bethany after the news of mother's infidelity came out.
But now?
The certainty in his eyes shattered those fears piece by piece.
“You mean that?” I whispered.
His expression hardened slightly like the question offended him.
“Esmeralda, I married you even of you probably didn't chose it.”
My heart pounded.
“You are the woman beside me now. The woman in my home. The woman wearing my clothes.” His gaze darkened. “The only woman I want.”
Warmth spread through my chest so suddenly it almost hurt.
I looked down shyly.
His thumb brushed my chin again.
“You doubt me too much.”
“I’m trying not to.”
“Then stop giving ghosts power over you.”
I stared at him quietly.
God.
How did he manage to sound so terrifying and reassuring at the same time?
The light changed green and the car moved again.
This time I didn’t move away from his touch.
Instead, I relaxed beneath it.
The silence between us became softer afterward.
Comfortable.
Leoandros continued driving through the city until eventually the bright lights faded behind us.
Buildings became fewer.
Roads emptier.
The atmosphere shifted entirely.
I frowned slightly as warehouses and industrial buildings appeared around us.
“Where are we exactly?”
“The outskirts.”
I looked ahead nervously.
The area looked abandoned.
Large shipping containers sat stacked behind fences while dim streetlights flickered overhead.
Leoandros seemed entirely unfazed.
Of course he did.
“You trust me?” he asked suddenly.
I looked at him.
The answer should have been difficult.
But somehow it wasn’t.
“Yes.”
Something unreadable crossed his face briefly.
Then his hand squeezed my thigh once more.
“Good.”
After several more minutes, the BMW finally slowed.
Ahead stood a massive warehouse surrounded by black SUVs.
Men dressed in dark clothing stood outside.
Armed.
My pulse spiked instantly.
Leoandros noticed.
“It’s alright.”
Easy for him to say again.
He parked the car smoothly before turning off the engine.
The silence afterward felt heavy.
I stared at the warehouse nervously.
“What happens here?”
“Business.”
That answered absolutely nothing.
He stepped out first before walking around to my side.
When he opened the door, cold evening air rushed inside immediately.
I placed my hand into his automatically as he helped me out.
The moment I stood upright, his arm wrapped around my waist protectively.
The men outside instantly straightened.
Every single one of them lowered their heads slightly toward him.
Respect.
Fear.
Maybe both.
I suddenly remembered exactly who my husband truly was.
Not just the man teasing me in the penthouse.
Not the man I fell in love with seven years ago.
Not just the man touching my thigh while driving through Chicago.
But the man powerful enough to command absolute obedience without saying a word.
Leoandros guided me toward the warehouse entrance slowly.
“You’ll need to start preparing,” he said calmly.
“For what?”
“We won’t remain in Chicago much longer.”
I looked up at him. “You mean New York?”
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
New York.
His territory.
His world.
My home.
Where my siblings and parents lived.
Then he added casually, “And afterward we’ll go to Greece.”
I blinked. “Greece?”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“My home.”
For some reason, hearing that affected me more than expected.
I tried imagining him there.
Young.
Growing up beneath Mediterranean skies instead of Chicago skyscrapers.
Speaking Greek constantly.
Becoming the dangerous man he was now.
“What’s it like?” I asked softly.
His expression shifted slightly—less cold.
“Beautiful.”
The way he said it made me believe him instantly.
“Mountains. The sea. White houses against the cliffs.” His eyes briefly softened with memory. “You’ll like it there.”
You’ll like it there.
Not if.
When.
Like he already planned for me to stay beside him no matter where in the world he went.
My chest warmed unexpectedly.
“I’ve never left the country before,” I admitted quietly.
Leoandros looked genuinely surprised.
“Never?”
"Only Chicago and a few states around".
His arm tightened around my waist slightly.
“Then Greece will be your first.”
The thought felt unreal.
A few months ago I had been serving coffee in a cafe and serving drinks on cruise ship in Chicago.
A few weeks ago I came home and received the biggest news of my life.
A few days ago I cried because the man I have loved for year was marrying me out of convinence.
Now I was apparently flying across the world with a Greek mafia king who looked at me like I belonged to him.
Life was insane.
We approached the large warehouse doors.
Two men immediately pulled them open.
The sound echoed loudly.
Before stepping inside, Leoandros paused.
Then he turned slightly toward me.
His hand came up to brush gently against my cheek.
The tenderness caught me off guard.
“You stay beside me,” he said quietly.
I nodded.
His eyes searched mine carefully.
“No matter what you hear or see inside.”
A nervous chill slid down my spine.
“Leo…”
His thumb brushed my cheek once more.
“I’ll protect you.”
The certainty in his voice wrapped around me completely.
And somehow…
I believed him.
Completely.
Then together, we stepped into the warehouse.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD