15
1136 Words
ESMERALDA'S POV
The moment I stepped out of the bedroom, I instantly felt his eyes on me.
It was impossible not to.
The penthouse was quiet except for the soft hum of the city beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Chicago stretched endlessly outside in silver and gold lights, the afternoon sky casting shadows across the marble floors. The warmth from the chandelier above reflected against the walls, giving the entire hallway a golden glow.
And there he was.
Leoandros stood at the bottom of the staircase like he owned the entire world.
Maybe he did.
His dark suit jacket was gone, leaving him in black slacks and a fitted charcoal shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. The first few buttons were undone, exposing the strong column of his throat and the bronzed skin beneath. His dirty brown hair was slightly messy, like he had run his fingers through it too many times, and his stormy blue eyes locked onto me the second I appeared.
Those eyes slowly dragged over my body.
My breath caught.
I had worn a black skirt flared along my hips and stopped mid-thigh, a cream-colored top beneath the oversized jacket I had stolen from one of the closets upstairs. The jacket was huge on me, falling off one shoulder slightly, making me feel both comfortable and exposed at the same time.
Leoandros looked at me like I was something dangerous.
Like he wanted to devour me whole.
I swallowed hard as I descended the staircase carefully, my boots clicking softly against the marble steps.
His gaze never moved.
Not once.
By the time I reached the bottom, my pulse was fluttering uncontrollably.
I stopped directly in front of him.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
The morning incident suddenly came to mind.
How we almost kisses
Then slowly—far too slowly—his eyes traveled down my legs again before returning to my face.
“Esmeralda,” he murmured roughly.
The way he said my name should have been illegal.
Heat crawled into my cheeks.
“What?” I asked softly.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re trying to kill me before my time.”
My lips parted slightly.
Before I could answer, his hands suddenly slid around my waist.
I gasped quietly.
His palms were large and warm even through the jacket, pulling me effortlessly against his hard body. My breath stuttered when one of his hands tightened possessively against my waist while the other slipped lower.
Then he pinched my side lightly.
I squealed softly in surprise, glaring up at him.
“Leo!”
He chuckled darkly.
The sound vibrated through me.
“You look too f*****g lovely ,” he muttered, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “What exactly am I supposed to do with you dressed like this?”
His fingers brushed the hem of my skirt slowly, dangerously.
My stomach flipped instantly.
The air between us thickened.
“You’re dramatic,” I whispered.
“I’m serious.”
His thumb slid beneath the edge of my skirt slightly before pulling away again like he was restraining himself.
The restraint somehow felt even more dangerous.
“You wear my jacket, this tiny little skirt, and then stand in front of me looking innocent.” His voice lowered. “You’re δικό μου, darling.”
The word darling was my new weakness.
The way he draws it out.
Butterflies exploded inside my stomach at the Greek words.
I still didn’t fully understand everything he said in Greek, but the way it sounded rolling off his tongue always made my knees weak.
His gaze softened slightly as he tucked a strand of blonde hair behind my ear.
Then he held out his hand toward me.
“Come.”
I stared at his hand for half a second before placing mine into it.
The second our fingers intertwined, warmth spread through my chest.
It felt natural.
Too natural.
Leoandros guided me through the massive penthouse hallway toward the private elevator. His grip on my hand never loosened once.
The elevator doors slid open immediately.
Inside, mirrors reflected us from every angle.
Me wrapped in his oversized jacket.
Him towering beside me like something dark and untouchable.
Yet his hand remained firmly around mine.
The elevator descended smoothly.
I leaned slightly against the wall while he stood close enough for me to smell his cologne—dark cedarwood mixed with something sharp and masculine.
It was becoming my favorite scent.
His eyes found mine in the mirror.
“You nervous?”
“A little.”
“About the warehouse?”
I nodded slightly.
He studied me for a moment before stepping closer.
“There’s nothing to fear darling.”
Easy for him to say.
Leoandros moved through the world like he owned violence itself. Men feared him without him needing to raise his voice. Power clung to him naturally.
But me?
I still felt like the girl from Chicago trying to survive double shifts at a café.
Still felt like the girl whose father married oof like a land.
Still felt like I was never enough.
Not the wife of Leoandros Drakos
Definitely not the wife of the Mafian Syndicate King.
The elevator doors finally opened into an underground private garage.
I froze slightly.
Luxury cars lined the enormous space—sleek black vehicles, expensive sports cars, SUVs, motorcycles. It looked more like a billionaire showroom than a garage.
My eyes widened.
“You own all these?”
Leoandros glanced at me casually. “Some.”
“Some?”
His mouth twitched.
“Esme.”
I shook my head softly in disbelief while he led me deeper into the garage.
My heels echoed against the polished concrete floor until he finally stopped in front of a matte black BMW.
The car looked expensive enough to pay my rent for ten years.
Maybe twenty.
Leoandros released my hand only to walk around and open the passenger door for me himself.
The gesture caught me off guard.
A man like him didn’t seem like the type to open doors.
Yet he did it effortlessly.
“After you, kardia mou.”
I stared up at him.
“What does that mean?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“My heart.”
My chest tightened painfully.
God.
This man would destroy me without even trying.
I slipped into the passenger seat carefully while he shut the door gently behind me.
Moments later he entered the driver’s side.
The engine purred to life smoothly.
And then we were moving.
Chicago blurred around us as we exited the underground garage and merged onto the streets.
The city lights reflected across the windows while soft music played quietly through the speakers.
For a while neither of us spoke.
I simply watched him drive.
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