Bound By Secrets

Becoming His

They didn’t return to the gala.

Leonardo led Elizabeth through a side exit, away from the crowds and cameras and curious eyes. His hand never left hers, gripping tight like he was afraid she might disappear if he let go.

James was waiting with the car, his expression carefully neutral despite the fact that they were leaving hours early. He opened the door without a word, and Elizabeth slid into the back seat, her body moving on autopilot while her mind struggled to process everything.

Sophia had tried to kill her. Her father had sold her to criminals. And Leonardo loved her.

The last part should have been the most shocking. Instead, it was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

Leonardo climbed in beside her and immediately pulled her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her like a shield. She buried her face in his shoulder and tried not to fall apart completely.

“Where to, sir?” James asked quietly.

“The penthouse. And make sure we’re not followed.”

Elizabeth felt James’s sharp glance in the rearview mirror, but he just nodded and pulled into traffic.

They rode in silence. Leonardo’s hand stroked her back in slow, soothing circles, but she could feel the tension radiating from his body. The barely controlled fury.

He’d looked ready to kill Sophia. Would have, maybe, if Elizabeth hadn’t been there.

The thought should have scared her. Instead, it made her feel something dangerous and primal. Protected. Claimed.

Mine, Leonardo had said. And he’d meant it.

When they finally reached the penthouse, Leonardo dismissed James and guided Elizabeth to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, cutting them off from the world, his control cracked.

He spun her around and kissed her. Hard. Desperate. Like he needed to prove to himself that she was real, that she was here, that she was his.

Elizabeth kissed him back with equal desperation. Because she needed it too. Needed to feel something other than the terror clawing at her insides.

The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse, but Leonardo didn’t let her go. He walked her backward through the living room, his mouth never leaving hers, until her back hit the windows overlooking the city.

“Leonardo—” she gasped when he finally pulled back to breathe.

“Tell me you’re okay.” His hands framed her face, his dark eyes searching hers frantically. “Tell me you’re not going to run. That you’re not going to try to leave to protect me from whatever’s coming.”

“I’m not okay,” she admitted. “But I’m not running either.”

“Promise me.” His grip tightened. “Promise me you won’t disappear. That you’ll let me help you. Let me protect you.”

“I promise.” The words came easier than she expected. Because despite everything, despite the fear and chaos and impossible situation, she trusted him. “But Leonardo, those men… if what Sophia said is true—”

“It doesn’t matter.” He cut her off. “I’ll handle it.”

“You can’t just throw money at this. These aren’t regular debt collectors. If my father really sold my debt to criminals—”

“Then I’ll buy it back. Or I’ll make them disappear. Whatever it takes.” His voice was cold. Final. This was Leonardo in full ruthless CEO mode. The man who’d built and protected an empire. “No one touches you. Ever. I don’t care who they are or what contracts they think they have. You’re mine now.”

The possessiveness should have set off alarm bells. Should have reminded her that she wasn’t property to be owned.

But it didn’t. Because Leonardo wasn’t claiming her like an object. He was claiming her like she was his heart. His salvation. The only thing that mattered.

“I love you,” she said again, because she needed him to know. Needed him to understand that whatever came next, they were in it together. “I’m scared and I don’t know how we’re going to survive this, but I love you.”

Something broke in his expression. The fury melted into something raw and vulnerable.

“Say it again,” he demanded.

“I love you.”

He kissed her again, but this time it was different. Slower. Deeper. A claiming of a different kind.

His hands slid down her sides, fingers tracing the curves of her body through the silk gown. She could feel the heat of him through the thin fabric, could feel how much he wanted her.

And God, she wanted him too. Had been wanting him since that first kiss in the hallway. Since he’d looked at her like she was the only thing keeping him sane.

“Elizabeth.” Her name was a rough plea. “If you want me to stop, tell me now. Because if we do this, if we cross this line, there’s no going back. You’ll be mine in every way. And I don’t think I could survive letting you go.”

“I don’t want you to stop.” She reached up and loosened his bow tie, her fingers trembling. “I want this. Want you. All of you.”

His eyes went dark. Hungry. “The contract—”

“Forget the contract.” She pushed his jacket off his shoulders. “This isn’t about the inheritance or the baby clause or any of that. This is about us. About choosing each other.”

“Are you sure?” But even as he asked, his hands were already finding the zipper at the back of her dress. “Because once I have you, I’m never letting go.”

“I’m sure.” She’d never been more sure of anything in her life.

The dress pooled at her feet in a whisper of silk. Leonardo’s breath caught as he took in the sight of her in nothing but black lace and heels.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. “So f*****g beautiful it hurts to look at you.”

Then his mouth was on hers again, and his hands were everywhere. Worshipping. Claiming. Learning every curve and hollow of her body like he was memorizing her.

Elizabeth tugged at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against hers. He helped her, shrugging out of it impatiently and tossing it aside.

And then they were skin to skin, and it was perfect. Right. Like coming home.

Leonardo lifted her easily, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to his bedroom. Not hers. His. Because this wasn’t about maintaining separate spaces anymore. This was about becoming something together.

He laid her on his massive bed with a gentleness that made her heart ache. Then he stood back and just looked at her, his chest heaving, his eyes dark with want.

“Last chance,” he said roughly. “Tell me to stop and I will. But if I start, if I have you, you’re mine. Forever. No contract. No arrangement. Just us.”

“Forever sounds perfect,” she whispered.

And then there were no more words. Just sensation. Leonardo’s mouth on her skin, his hands learning every inch of her, his body claiming hers in the most primal way possible.

This wasn’t the clinical transaction outlined in the contract. This was passion and need and love all tangled together into something that left them both gasping and desperate.

When he finally pushed inside her, Elizabeth cried out at the feeling of being so completely filled. So thoroughly claimed. Leonardo stilled, giving her time to adjust, his forehead pressed to hers.

“Okay?” he asked, his voice strained with the effort of holding back.

“More than okay.” She rolled her hips experimentally, and his control snapped.

He moved, and Elizabeth moved with him, their bodies finding a rhythm that felt ancient and new all at once. Every thrust pushed her higher, tension coiling tight in her belly.

“Look at me,” Leonardo commanded. “I want to see your eyes when you come.”

She did, and the intensity in his gaze was almost too much. He looked at her like she was everything. His world. His salvation.

“I love you,” he groaned, his movements becoming more desperate. “God, Elizabeth, I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she gasped. And then she was flying, pleasure crashing over her in waves so intense she thought she might shatter.

Leonardo followed seconds later, her name a prayer on his lips as he buried himself deep and let go.

They collapsed together, breathing hard, hearts racing in sync. Leonardo rolled to the side and immediately pulled her close, like he couldn’t bear even an inch of space between them.

“Mine,” he murmured into her hair. “You’re mine now. In every way that matters.”

“Yours,” she agreed. Because it was true. Somewhere between the contract and the confession, between the fear and the falling, she’d become his. Completely. Irrevocably.

And he was hers.

They lay there in the darkness, wrapped around each other, and for a few perfect moments, Elizabeth let herself forget about dangerous men and criminal debts and Sophia’s threats.

For now, there was just this. Just them. Just the feeling of being held by someone who loved her enough to fight the whole world to keep her.

But reality couldn’t be ignored forever.

“What do we do now?” she asked quietly. “About the debt. About those men.”

Leonardo’s arms tightened around her. “First thing tomorrow, I’m calling my lawyers. We’ll find out exactly what contracts your father signed and who holds them. Then we’ll figure out how to make this go away.”

“And if we can’t?”

“We will.” His voice held absolute certainty. “I have resources, Elizabeth. Money. Connections. Power. And I’ll use every single one of them to protect you.”

“But what if it’s not enough? What if these people—”

“Hey.” He tilted her face up to his. “Look at me. I’ve been running a billion-dollar company since I was twenty-seven years old. I’ve dealt with hostile takeovers, corporate espionage, and board members who wanted me dead. A few criminals with some paperwork don’t scare me.”

“They should,” she whispered. “These aren’t businessmen, Leonardo. They’re dangerous. Violent.”

“So am I.” The words were soft but deadly serious. “When it comes to protecting what’s mine, I’m capable of things that would terrify you. And you, Elizabeth, are mine. Which means anyone who tries to hurt you is going to learn exactly how ruthless I can be.”

The darkness in his voice should have frightened her. Instead, it made her feel safe in a twisted way. Because she believed him. Leonardo would burn down the world to keep her safe.

“What about Sophia?” she asked. “She knows everything now. She could—”

“She won’t.” Leonardo’s jaw tightened. “I meant what I said. One word from me and her family loses everything. She’s smart enough to know I wasn’t bluffing.”

“But she tried to kill me.” Elizabeth’s voice broke. “Three years ago, she drugged me and had me beaten and left for dead. And she just… admitted it. Like it was nothing.”

Rage flickered in Leonardo’s eyes. “I should have killed her when I had the chance.”

“Leonardo—”

“I’m serious.” He sat up, running a hand through his hair. “She took you from me once. Stole three years we could have had together. Made you suffer for nothing. And tonight she threatened you again.” His hands clenched into fists. “I want her to pay for that. Want her to understand what it means to cross me.”

“Revenge won’t change what happened.”

“No. But it’ll make me feel better.” He looked at her, and the raw emotion in his eyes took her breath away. “Do you know what these past three years have been like? Knowing you were out there somewhere, hurt because of me, and not being able to find you? Not being able to protect you?”

“That wasn’t your fault—”

“It was.” His voice was fierce. “I went to that bar. I let myself get drunk and vulnerable. And you paid the price. If I’d been stronger, if I’d been more careful, Sophia never would have had the chance to hurt you.”

“You can’t blame yourself for someone else’s evil.”

“Watch me.” He turned away, his shoulders tight with tension. “I’ve spent three years blaming myself. Three years searching for you. And when I finally found you, I told myself I could make it right. Could protect you this time. But I’m failing again. Because now there are more threats. More people who want to hurt you.”

Elizabeth moved to kneel behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist. “You’re not failing. You’re here. You’re fighting. That’s all I need.”

“It’s not enough.” His voice cracked. “You deserve someone who can keep you safe. Someone who doesn’t bring danger into your life.”

“I don’t want someone else.” She pressed her cheek to his back. “I want you. Danger and all. Because you make me feel alive for the first time since my father died. You make me want to fight instead of run. And if we’re going to face whatever comes next, I’d rather face it with you than be safe with anyone else.”

He turned in her arms and pulled her into his lap, holding her so tight she could barely breathe.

“I love you,” he said fiercely. “And I swear on everything I have, I will keep you safe. Even if I have to tear this city apart to do it.”

She believed him. And that terrified her almost as much as the threats themselves.

Because loving Leonardo DeLuca meant accepting that he would do anything for her. Even things that crossed lines most people wouldn’t dare approach.

But maybe that’s what love was. Not pretty declarations and romantic gestures, but the willingness to become a monster to protect the person who held your heart.

“What happens tomorrow?” she asked quietly.

“Tomorrow we start fighting back.” His hand stroked her hair. “We find out who your father made deals with. We track down the contracts. And we make it clear that you’re under my protection now. That anyone who comes after you will have to go through me.”

“And if they do?”

His smile was cold. “Then I’ll remind this city why no one crosses a DeLuca and lives to regret it.”

The words should have sounded like empty bravado. But Elizabeth knew better. Leonardo meant every word. And she had a feeling the men who thought they owned her were about to discover they’d picked a fight with the wrong billionaire.

She pressed closer to him, seeking the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart.

Tomorrow they would face the world. Would start untangling the mess her father had left behind. Would figure out how to survive threats from people who played by different rules than Leonardo’s corporate world.

But tonight, wrapped in his arms, she let herself believe in impossible things.

In love that conquered all. In protection that couldn’t be broken. In happy endings that were earned through fire and blood.

Because if anyone could make the impossible happen, it was Leonardo DeLuca.

And he loved her.

That had to count for something.