WHEN FOREVER FOUND ME

Chapter Eight-Enzo

I was f*****g furious.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this angry over something so small.

Actually, no.

It wasn’t small.

Not to me.

The image of that man’s hand on Azul’s arm kept replaying in my head.

Over and over.

His fingers around Azul.

The way Azul had stood there.

The way he hadn’t pushed him away.

The way that man had looked at him.

I could still feel the anger burning through my chest.

I had tried to calm down during the drive.

I really had.

I sat in the back of the car beside Azul, staring out the window, telling myself to let it go.

It was nothing.

A supplier.

A man delivering ingredients.

Nothing more.

But every time I closed my eyes, I saw him touching Azul again.

And it drove me f*****g insane.

How could Azul let another man get that close to him?

How could he allow it?

I didn’t understand.

And the worst part was that I knew I had no right to feel this way.

Azul wasn’t mine.

Not officially.

Not in any way that made sense.

But my mind didn’t care about that.

Somewhere along the way, something inside me had changed.

Two months ago, he had been a stranger.

A beautiful stranger I’d almost killed because of a mistake.

Now?

Now I couldn’t go a single day without seeing him.

I knew his café schedule.

I knew where he stood when he worked.

I knew what he liked to bake.

I knew which coffee he prepared most often.

I knew the way he tied his hair when he was busy.

I knew the expression he made when he was nervous.

And somehow, I had convinced myself that I needed to know everything about him.

Now I was discovering something else.

I was possessive.

Far more possessive than I had ever been.

And I f*****g hated how much I liked the feeling.

The gates of my mansion opened as we approached.

The guards immediately closed them behind us.

The car stopped.

I got out first.

Then I turned toward Azul.

He barely had time to step down before I caught his arm.

I pulled him with me.

“Come.”

He stumbled slightly behind me.

I didn’t even know why I was pulling him.

I just knew I needed answers.

I took him through the entrance and up the stairs.

He looked frightened.

I saw it.

I knew I was frightening him.

But I couldn’t stop.

Not yet.

I pushed open my bedroom door and brought him inside.

Then I released him and watched him step backward.

I pushed him lightly onto the edge of the bed.

“Who the hell was that man?”

Azul looked at me.

Silent.

Of course.

My jaw tightened.

“Why was he touching you?”

Nothing.

“Azul.”

His eyes dropped.

“I am asking you a question.”

He swallowed.

“I don’t want you to make me angry.”

I began pacing.

“I am already f*****g angry.”

I dragged a hand through my hair.

“So tell me. Who exactly the f**k is that man?”

Azul’s breathing became quicker.

I saw the fear in his mismatched eyes.

Blue.

Gray.

Beautiful eyes that were now looking at me like I was something dangerous.

Maybe I was.

I grabbed the tablet from the desk and held it toward him.

“Type.”

He hesitated.

“Type whatever the relationship between you and that man is.”

Azul took the tablet.

His fingers immediately began moving.

I started pacing again.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

My mind was running through possibilities I didn’t want to consider.

Was he dating Azul?

No.

That wasn’t happening.

Was he seeing him?

No.

I wouldn’t allow it.

The thought of another man taking Azul somewhere, holding him, touching him—

I clenched my fists.

No.

Absolutely f*****g not.

I would destroy anyone who stood between me and Azul.

I knew that with terrifying certainty.

I looked at him.

He was still typing.

Then he lifted his eyes briefly.

Our eyes met.

He immediately looked back down.

That annoyed the s**t out of me.

“How long does it take to type one sentence?”

His fingers moved faster.

Good.

At least he was listening.

Finally, he stopped.

He turned the tablet toward me.

That is Dante. He is one of the suppliers for the bakery. He supplies me flour, food, sugar, water, and other things I need to run the bakery and café.

I read it.

Then looked at him.

“Dante.”

Azul nodded.

“So who is Dante?”

He looked at me.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Azul immediately shook his head.

“No?”

Another shake.

I stepped closer.

“Are you dating him?”

He shook his head again.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

Another no.

Something inside me relaxed.

Just slightly.

“Good.”

I didn’t even realize how relieved I was until the word left my mouth.

I sat down across from him.

“Because I’m going to make something very clear.”

Azul watched me carefully.

“I don’t want you seeing anybody.”

His eyes widened.

“You are not allowed to see anybody.”

Even I knew how f*****g insane that sounded.

But I didn’t take it back.

“And don’t allow people to touch you.”

His expression changed.

Fear returned immediately.

I saw it.

The way his shoulders stiffened.

The way his fingers tightened around the tablet.

I exhaled slowly.

I had let my anger get ahead of me.

I moved closer.

My voice lowered.

“I don’t want people touching you.”

He looked at me.

“If you don’t want them to get hurt.”

His eyes widened slightly.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

I paused.

“I’m going to hurt them.”

Silence filled the room.

Azul stared at me with those strange, beautiful eyes.

Confusion.

Fear.

Something else I couldn’t identify.

I knew I was acting crazy.

I knew it.

But I couldn’t seem to stop.

After several minutes, my anger finally began to settle.

I sat beside him.

Closer than before.

“I don’t want anyone touching you.”

Azul looked down.

Then he gestured toward the door.

The café.

He wanted to go back.

I frowned.

“No.”

He gestured again.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

He looked at me.

“If I were you, I’d go to bed and rest.”

He immediately picked up the tablet.

His fingers moved quickly.

Then he turned it toward me.

I have to go back to the café. I have to pay Dante.

I stared at the words.

“You want to pay him?”

Azul nodded.

“What the hell do you want to pay him for?”

He typed again.

I owe him money. I have to pay him.

I shook my head.

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

He looked confused.

“I’ll get him paid.”

He immediately began typing again.

But I still need to go to the café. I have things to do there.

I stared at him.

“Are you running away from me?”

His eyes widened.

“Are you really leaving me and running away?”

He shook his head immediately.

Then typed.

No. My bag is there. My phone. My employees. I baked a lot of things. There are things in the oven. I need to get them out.

I stared at him.

Then I sighed.

“You have got to be f*****g kidding me.”

The man had been terrified half to death, and he was worried about bread.

I rubbed my face.

“Fine.”

I stood.

“We’re going back.”

Azul looked surprised.

I walked toward the door.

“Come on.”

We went downstairs.

A few minutes later, we were back in the car.

I drove him myself.

I didn’t trust myself to sit there and let someone else drive while my mind was still spinning.

When we reached the café, Azul reached for the door.

Before he could open it, I caught his hand.

He stopped.

He looked down.

Then he looked at me.

I was still holding him.

“I don’t want people touching you.”

His eyes moved from my face to my hand.

Then back to my face.

“You understand?”

He stared at me.

Then his expression changed.

Almost like he had just realized something.

His eyes dropped to my hand again.

I frowned.

“What?”

He didn’t answer.

Of course.

I looked at him.

Then at our hands.

And suddenly I understood.

A small, almost amused smile pulled at the corner of my mouth.

“You’re saying I shouldn’t let people touch you.”

I leaned closer.

“But I’m touching you.”

His eyes widened.

“I’m not talking about me.”

I tightened my hold slightly.

“I’m talking about other men.”

I looked directly into his eyes.

“Not me.”

I paused.

“I’m allowed to touch you.”

His eyes widened even more.

I could see the question in them.

Why?

I didn’t have an answer that wouldn’t sound completely f*****g insane.

So I simply released his hand.

“Go.”

Azul stepped out.

He walked toward the café.

I watched until he disappeared inside.

I stayed in the car.

A few minutes later, Raffaele came over.

He opened the passenger door and sat down.

“What happened?” I asked.

He shrugged.

“Nothing dramatic.”

I looked at him.

“He paid the supplier. The man left.”

“Dante?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“Fine.”

Raffaele looked at me for a second.

He knew me too well.

“You seem angry.”

I gave him a look.

He wisely said nothing else.

I drove back to the mansion.

But I wasn’t calmer.

If anything, I was worse.

Because now I understood something I hadn’t wanted to admit.

Azul wasn’t just someone I wanted to protect.

He wasn’t just someone I wanted to see every day.

He wasn’t just the beautiful baker whose eyes had somehow gotten inside my head.

I wanted him.

And the thought of someone else having him made something dark inside me come alive.

I went straight to my office.

Closed the door.

And sat behind my desk.

For years, I’d controlled everything.

Men.

Businesses.

Territories.

Deals.

Enemies.

People knew better than to challenge me.

But Azul?

Azul had somehow walked into my life without saying a single f*****g word and completely disrupted everything.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

There he was again.

His long black hair.

His blue and gray eyes.

His frightened expression.

His small hands.

And then Dante’s hand on him.

My jaw clenched.

“No.”

I opened my eyes.

I didn’t know what this was becoming.

I only knew one thing.

I couldn’t stand the thought of another man touching Azul.

Because somewhere along the way, in my f****d-up mind, I had already decided something.

Azul was mine.

And the most terrifying part?

I wasn’t sure I wanted to let him go.

Not now.

Not ever.