(Alessandro's POV)
I didn't like this.
Not the call.
Not the fact that someone saw her.
And definitely not the way she was looking at me right now.
Confused. Scared. Searching.
She didn't understand what was happening, but she could feel it. The shift. The danger.
Good. That meant she would listen.
"What's going on?" she asked again, her voice unsteady.
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I pulled her slightly closer to me, my hand moving from her wrist to her waist. It was instinctive. Protective. Possessive.
She stiffened at first.
Then… she didn't pull away.
"They saw you," I said finally.
Her brows pulled together. "Who?"
"That doesn't matter right now," Matteo said, already moving toward the door. "What matters is they shouldn't have."
Luca was quieter, but I could see it in his expression. Calculating. Thinking ahead.
"What do we do?" she asked, looking between us.
Us.
That word didn't go unnoticed.
"You stay close," I said.
"I already am," she replied softly.
My grip on her waist tightened slightly.
"Closer."
Her breath hitched.
For a second, she hesitated… then she stepped closer on her own.
That small movement did more than it should have.
Matteo noticed. Of course he did.
"Interesting," he muttered.
"Focus," I said without looking at him.
"I am focused," he replied. "On the fact that she's starting to listen to you."
"She should," I said.
"She doesn't have to," he shot back.
I turned my head slightly, just enough for him to see the warning in my eyes.
"Not now, Matteo."
Silence followed, but the tension didn't leave.
It never did.
I looked down at her again.
She was still close. Closer than before. Close enough that I could feel the way her breathing had slowed slightly, like she was trying to calm herself down.
Or maybe… like she was starting to trust that being near me meant something.
That thought stayed longer than it should have.
"Are they going to come here?" she asked quietly.
I didn't lie. "If they think you matter, yes."
Her fingers tightened slightly against her own arm.
"I don't matter," she said quickly.
I tilted my head slightly.
"You walked into our space. You saw us. That alone makes you matter."
"That's not what I meant," she said, frustration slipping into her voice.
"I know," I replied.
She looked up at me then, really looked this time.
"And what do you mean?" she asked.
I didn't answer.
Because if I did, I wouldn't be able to take it back.
Instead, my hand adjusted slightly at her waist, pulling her just a little closer again.
She didn't resist.
Not this time.
Matteo exhaled sharply. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?" I asked.
"Acting like she's already yours."
I didn't respond.
Because I didn't have an answer that wouldn't prove his point.
"She's staying close to me," I said instead.
"That doesn't mean anything," Matteo replied.
"It means enough."
Before he could respond, Luca stepped in. "We don't have time for this."
He was right.
We didn't.
"Doors stay locked," Luca continued. "No one goes in or out without us knowing."
Matteo nodded slightly. "I'll handle the outside."
"I'll stay here," I said immediately.
Again, too fast.
Too certain.
Matteo smirked faintly. "Of course you will."
I ignored him.
My focus was still on her.
She looked overwhelmed. But not panicking anymore.
That was new.
"Hey," I said quietly.
Her eyes lifted to mine.
"You stay with me, and nothing happens to you."
Silence.
Then—
"Why do you keep saying that?" she asked.
"Because it's true."
"How do I know that?" she whispered.
I didn't answer with words.
Instead, I did something I hadn't planned.
Something I didn't think through.
My hand moved from her waist slightly upward, steadying her as I leaned in just a little.
Close enough that she could feel my breath.
Close enough that she could pull away.
But she didn't.
Her eyes flickered between mine and my lips for a second.
And that was all it took.
I closed the distance , Not fully ,Not completely. Just enough. A soft, brief kiss.Barely there. But real.
Intentional. Her breath caught instantly.
And for a second…
So did mine.
I pulled back slowly, watching her reaction carefully.
She didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just looked at me like she didn't know what to do with what just happened.
Good.
Because neither did I.
"That's how," I said quietly.
Her lips parted slightly.
"You… you can't just do that," she whispered.
"I just did."
"That doesn't make it okay."
I studied her face.
The confusion.
The softness.
The way she didn't step away.
"Then why didn't you move?" I asked.
She didn't answer.
Because she didn't have one.
Matteo laughed under his breath. "Wow."
"Not now," I said sharply.
But it was too late.
The shift had already happened. She wasn't pulling away anymore. She wasn't fighting the closeness.
She was… processing it. And that was even more dangerous. For her. For me. For all of us.
"Stay with me," I said again, softer this time.
She hesitated. Then slowly… She nodded.
⸻
Did that kiss change everything… or is Elena just getting pulled deeper? 👀
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