I was under his hold and had stopped fighting him.

"Care to tell me why you had a knife to my neck?" He asked nonchalantly as if I hadn't actually held a knife to his neck seconds earlier.

Grabbing his wrists that were holding my upper arms, I quickly lifted my legs, wrapping them around his neck. I swiftly yanked them back to the ground, putting Moretti back under me.

"Mission." Was all I said as I reached for the knife that was now in my reach. I grabbed the blade and made sure to hold Moretti down with all I had.

Once again, I held it to his neck.

Don't look at his eyes. Don't look at his eyes. Don't look at his eyes.

Then I heard his voice speak, no longer taunting or deep. But soft and vulnerable. Similar to his voice when I jumped out the window.

"So you'd really kill me?" He didn't push back against me or struggle. He just laid there. I broke my own rule, I looked up into his eyes.

Blue green pools of depth. They looked so kind despite his harder exterior. Dark black lashes framed them so perfectly. His dark hair and darker complexion in direct contrast with them.

Damnit.

"I-It's what I'm supposed to do. It's all I've ever done." I regained my grip on the knife. Why was I telling him this? Just fucking do it.

He lifted his hand to my cheek, his thumb gently rubbing a circle on my face. He didn't say anything, he just watched me. He watched me like I was the last thing he wanted to look at before he died.

When he first lifted his hand, I flinched, prepared to control it. But there was a part of me betraying everything I had ever known, a part that wanted to lean into his touch. So I did.

Quietly, almost in a whisper, he said "If I mean nothing to you at all, kill me."

My whole life from since I was nine was pain and struggling. Then it became about killing and never caring. I had never been shown love and emotions. So what was I supposed to do when I finally did care?

I dropped the knife.

As soon as the sound of the metal hitting the floor rang, Moretti's fingertips wrapped themselves delicately around my jaw and he pulled us together. Lifting his head off of the ground, his lips met mine in a deep kiss. At first, I didn't respond. It was unlike any kiss I had ever had in back alleys or in tiny, dark cramped rooms. It was so genuine and it made a deep part of my stomach feel light.

Then I finally did respond. I moved my lips against his soft ones. I closed my eyes and let myself feel everything. I felt my entire body relax and move closer to his. I leaned into the kiss and let ecstasy last for a few moments longer. Finally, he pulled away, but left his hand on my face.

"It's late. Your room is still ready for you," He breathed, his words sweet and soft still.

He really is going to let me stay here?

He sat up and I finally moved off of him, standing to my full height. He did the same and I looked at anything besides his chest and stomach which were on display as I was much more sensitive to it now than before.

Something came over me. I wanted to reassure him. "I'll stay," I said, my voice small and delicate for the first time.

He grabbed my left hand and lifted it to his lips for a chaste kiss.

"Goodnight, Bella."

•••

The sun streamed through the window in my room, alerting me to the time. I glanced over at the alarm clock and it was morning. Lifting the covers and sheets off my body, I planted my feet on the cool floor. Upon coming back into my room last night. I noticed that not a thing had been changed. All the drawers were still filled with some of Moretti's oversized clothes. In fact, I was sporting a large gray shirt of his right now.

I got up and opened the door. Across the hall, Moretti's door was wide open and he was nowhere to be found inside the room. I walked down the hallway, passing by the window as I turned to walk down the stairs. Judging by the time, Moretti should be eating breakfast. So, I made my way to the kitchen.

There was only one plate set up at the table and not a single person sitting in a chair. It was just me. A kitchen maid slipped into the room carrying a large platter of fruit and desserts. Upon noticing me, she jumped, almost spilling the plate over. "Goodness, you scared me!" She took a moment to compose herself. "Miss, Mr. Moretti has instructed me to tell you he is out on business and to make sure you eat breakfast."

I nodded, confused. No one had ever cared about making sure I ate that day. It was a small thing, but for me it was a lot. Especially since last night I had a knife to that man's throat. He's not that smart, is he?

Maybe he is. I think part of him could see that part of me wanted him, and not just for his body.

So I sat down in Moretti's old seat and let the butler push in my chair behind me.

I ate what I could of the large spread and glanced around the quiet room.

What was I going to do while Moretti was gone?

____

After her father's sudden death, Richie Ainsley is forced to move to the sleepy town of East Havens to love with her estranged biological mother and her new family.

Battling grief surrounding her father's death, toxic relationships, and no sense of purpose, Richie struggles to adjust to life in East Havens.

That is, until she meets a handsome & kind loner who turns out to be more involved in her new family than she knows.