Cataleya Valentina Velez:

'You just had to blurt that out didn't you?' Rio asks, obviously annoyed by something. 'I-' 'Forget it.' He sighs before wrapping his arm around my waist and putting up a front again.

He smiles at the cameras that are surrounding us and gently nudges me forward. I keep my eyes on him, that way I won't have to look at the cameras or interviewers, and they won't be able to ask me anything.

'Shouldn't we go look for them?' I whisper as I force a smile on my face. The people seem to love the fact that I'm only staring at Rio. As if were actually in love... If only they fucking knew.

'They'll be fine.' He smiles before walking towards the bar again. I hate that I have to follow him around like a dog. Rio told me to stay close to him, but he keeps walking away from me.

A loud bang makes both of us turn around, standing in the middle of the crowd. No one seems to notice it besides me and Rio. 'Was that the music or something else?'

He stares at me for a second and shrugs, before he walks away again. I sigh deeply and rush after him. Almost losing him in the crowd.

'Leya!' Someone pulls at my arm and turns me around. It's Brandon and he is absolutely panicking. All the doors leading to this room are thrown open and a group of masked men marches in. They're wearing black masks, probably so you won't recognize them.

'What the fuck is going on?' 'Where is Rio?' Brandon searches for Rio and pulls me with him. 'Brandon!?'

He ignores me and continues to pull me through the crowd, reaching Rio who is talking to Marcello again.

That's basically all he did today. He's been talking to Marcello, kissing his ass, the entire time. Pathetic...

'Please just come with me, we need to get the fuck out of here before-' And then the shooting starts. Everyone turns around now, towards the men standing at the door. They're shooting into the crowd, shooting at Marcello.

His guards run up to him and make sure he's protected at all cost, leaving everyone around him to fend for themselves.

'Rio!' We run over to him and follow him through a back door, leading to the terras we came through. 'We have to go, where is Tiago?' Rio fumes.

He's angry again, like always. 'What the fuck is going on?!' A man bumps into me as he runs towards Marcello's security, waving a gun around like a complete idiot, but Rio stops him.

'Not so fast Davis.' Davis points his gun at Rio and tries to get out of his grip. It takes Rio about two seconds to swiftly grab the gun out of his hand and pointing at his own head.

Davis has tattoos crawling up his neck. His hair is pitch-black and neatly styled, matching his all-black outfit. The Asian-looking man looks at Rio as if he's ready to kill him, even though he's the one being held at gunpoint.

'I should've known Steel was planning something.' Rio sneers, pressing the barrel of the gun harder against his head. 'Fuck you-' Rio bashes the gun against his head, making him lose his consciousness.

'Where the fuck is Tiago?' Rio asks again, dropping the gun as he picks up Davis. 'Neveah got shot, he told me to go get you. They're heading to Celine.' What?

My heart drops. I knew I should've gone after her. If it wasn't for Rio I would've been with her right now.

'We have to go. Now.' I sneer, running down the stairs. 'Help me carry him to the car.' Rio carries Davis down the stairs, taking his time as he tries to not fall down the stairs himself.

'Fuck Davis! I have to get to Neveah!' I shout at the maniac in front of me. If he thinks I'll wait for him to get in that stupid car of his. 'She'll be fine! Celine will handle it. Now come and help me!'

'Rio, I swear to fucking god! If you don't get your ass here right now, I am going to-' The shooting inside continues, and people are screaming for help, but it's no use. Shit...

I feel bad for wanting to leave. These people need help, but what the fuck am I supposed to do. I need to get to Neveah.

Rio rolls his eyes as Brandon rushes to him, to support him with his idiotic plan. 'Hurry up!'

'How about you stop being a spoiled brat and get in the fucking car!' Rio sneers as he throws the keys my way. I catch them and run over to his car, unlocking it immediately.

'I'll take him.' Brandon insists, but Rio pulls Davis away from him. 'Give me Tiago's keys, you go with Velez. I'll meet you at the house.'

'What?' Rio rolls his eyes and heads over to the other side of the parking lot. Leaving me alone with Brandon and the sound of people screaming for help in the background. 'Leya, get in!'

I jump in the car and hand him the keys. No way am I driving right now.

Brandon starts the car and races away, making me dig my nails into the leather seat.

'Was it bad?' I ask, afraid of his answer. He takes a deep breath and nods. 'She was bleeding a lot, but Leonardo is with her.' And what the fuck is Leon going to do!?

'It's a two-hour drive, there's no way-' 'Don't say that, she'll be fine. Celine is probably on her way so that we can meet each other halfway.' He trembles.

Brandon is trying to keep me grounded, but he doesn't even believe his own words, making me panic all the more.

My phone, which I kept in my bag the entire night, rings and I immediately pick it up, without looking who it is.

'Tell Rio to come to San Clement, I'll send you the address.' And that's it. Marco hangs up and texts me the information.

We drive up to the location and jump out of the car. We're literally in the middle of nowhere, with an abandoned building in front of us.

Two cars, a white Porsche and a black Range rover are parked in front of the building. A trail of blood is leading from the Range to the entrance of the building, making my heart race like crazy.

'We have to go!' I run to the door and throw it open so I can run inside. It's a dark hallway leading to another door. When I open it, I'm blinded by the bright lights.

'Where is she?' 'Celine is working on her.' Marco whispers, standing in front of my way so that I can't move past him. 'Get out of my way!' 'You're only going to take up a bunch of space, let Celine do her thing, Neveah will be fine.'

I huff and glance around the room. Leon is sitting in a crooked chair, tapping his foot. This is obviously hard on him, but he's not the person I'm worried about right now. The amount of blood that stained his shirt, scares me. There is almost no white left.

'What happened?' He looks up with the most exhausted eyes ever. 'She-' He takes a shaky breath and looks at the door. 'She wanted to run back to you and someone shot her.' Of course, she fucking did...

'She's going to be fine.' 'She lost too much blood bro.' Leon quakes, unable to contain himself from freaking out.

Everyone kept telling me she was going to be fine, but Leon's expression tells me differently.

'Where's Rio?' Marco asks after a moment of silence. 'I don't care. When can I go in?'

'When she's done. Take a seat, do you want to drink something?' Brandon asks, gently nudging me towards one of the crooked chairs.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. None of this is their fault. They couldn't have known something like this was going to happen. I mean, it could've been prevented. They could've left us at home, they could've never forced us to go with them in the first place, they could've set us free and let us enjoy our lives in peace, but no.

'I'll call him.' Marco mumbles as he walks out of the room. I look at Brandon, before moving my gaze to Leon. He's trying to find something to think about, anything as long as his mind is off Neveah.

'I'm sorry, little girl.' He whispers oh so softly. I tilt my head, trying to look into his eyes since he looks away from me. 'This is all my fault.'

I don't know what to say. It can't be entirely his fault, but he had some part. He should not have forced us to go with him. I know that he could change Rio's mind if he really wants to, they listen to each other. But I can't blame him for this. Not entirely.

'Let's just hopes she'll make it.' I groaned a little harder than needed.

Everything is fucked. If Neveah doesn't make it, I'll make sure to kill everyone involved, including that bastard that forced me to accompany him to this stupid dance. We didn't want to go in the first place!

'She's strong. She'll make it.' Brandon tries to cheer us up, but it's no use. I don't believe anything they have to say. Not until I talk to Celine about her condition.

Marco comes back into the room and sighs deeply. 'Rio wants you to go to San Diego. He has Kai Davis.'

'I'm not leaving-' 'He says he's the one who shot Neveah.' We both look at him now, eyes wide as we get up from our chairs. 'What?' We both say at the same time.

Marco nods and steps to the side, making sure that he won't get knocked over because of Leon. But Leon doesn't budge. He simply looks at me.

'Can you tell her that I'm with Rio?' He asks softly. I think about it for a second. Maybe Neveah needs him when she wakes up, but I know he's going to handle the man who shot her as well. Both options are valid.

'Keep him alive though, she's going to want to finish him herself.' I insist and he nods, before rushing through the doors, with Marco running after him.

'Now what?' Brandon softly asks, making me sigh deeply. 'Now we wait.'

And we do. We wait for about two hours for Celine to open the door. And when she finally does, she looks absolutely exhausted.

'Leya! You're here!' I nod and rush over to her, trying to peek inside the room as the door closes behind her. 'How is she doing? Will she make it?'

'She'll make it.' A weight lifts off my chest, allowing me to breathe again, 'But we need to get her to the house. I need more blood because I didn't bring enough. She lost too much.'

I nod and wait for Brandon to walk over to us. 'Where are the others?' 'They left to fix some shit, what do you need us to do?'

'We need to carry her to the car. I hope they left the Range?' Brandon shrugs and walks towards the room. The room where Neveah is.

I follow him and try to hold back the tears as I see my best friend attached to a beeping machine. She looks so peaceful, but at the same time in so much pain. I'm afraid that, if the machine somehow shuts off, she'll die. It's as if the machine is the only thing keeping her alive.

'She'll make it Leya, trust me.' Celine mumbles before she hugs me gently. I take a shaky breath and grab onto Veah's hand, squeezing it tightly. 'You idiot.'

'Okay, we have to go. Brandon, carry her to the car. Leya, take these for me.' She hands me a bunch of stuff, including a blood bag filled with blood. O+

I hold onto everything tightly and follow her to the hall as Brandon gently carries her after us. We walk to the car slowly, trying not to hurt her even more.

We get into the Range, Celine in the backseat, so that she can watch Veah, and Brandon and me upfront.

'Okay we have to go fast, but please drive safe.' Brandon smirks before he starts racing away from the weird-looking building. It takes about an hour to get back to the apartment.

We all hop out of the car and rush inside, waiting for the stupid elevator that takes too damn long. The moment we reach the right floor, I rush to the door, banging on it like a maniac.

Rio opens the door and smirks at me. He's not wearing the black blazer from before and his white button-up is smudged with red. Blood.

'You're finally here.' He sighs, stepping back a little. Brandon pushes through before I can even answer, and rushes to a room. Not our room, just another empty room.

'What took you so long, Velez?' His words are vague, not the usual arrogance in his voice. 'I thought you guys crashed or something.' He smirks, before leaning against the wall. He's barely able to stand on his own. Oh god...

'Please tell me you're sober?' Celine asks as she rushes after Brandon, but Rio doesn't seem sober at all. He's completely wasted.

'I am!' He exclaims, pointing his finger in the air. Celine rolls her eyes and runs towards the room Brandon went in.

Drunk Rio is more relaxed. I don't trust it one bit.

Just as I'm about to run after them, he grabs my arm and pulls me back. 'Let them fix it. You're coming with me.' He smirks as he tries pulling me with him.

Since he's drunk, I have the upper hand. I pull away and push him a little, making him step back and stare at me in shock.

'Don't touch me, go and get Leon.' I sneer before running to Neveah. She's the person I need to be with right now, she needs me. I need to make sure she's going to be okay.

Celine's already working on her as I walk into the room. It's a simple room with a bed just big enough for two people.

'You shouldn't be here..' She mumbles as she pinches a needle in Neveah's arm. 'I'm staying.'

She stops and stares at me for a second. Brandon does too. They stare at me as if I'm crazy. As if it's weird that I want to stay with my best friend.

'Fine. Just go sit over there.' Brandon sighs as he points to a chair on the other side of the room. I walk over to the chair and take a seat.

My eyes are on Neveah the entire time as Celine tries to stabilize her. Please be okay...

After two hours of waiting, Celine sighs deeply. 'I need more blood.'

She used a lot of it already, but apparently, it's not enough. How much blood did she use?

'How are we going to get it?' She looks at Brandon and rushes to the desk in the corner of the room. 'Go and get me these pills from the medical center.' Celine scribbles something down and hands the piece of paper to Brandon.

He nods and walks out of the room, leaving the two of us in silence. 'Can you do something for me?' She whispers softly.

I nod and rush over to her, thinking that she needs me to hold something for her. 'I need you to sober up Rio.'

'What? Why?' She sighs deeply and turns back to her pills. 'He's the only one with O+ blood in this place.'

She hates that she has to even ask me this. 'But I have-' 'AB+ I know, but it's better if I use O+.'

'How am I supposed to sober him up?' This is not what I want to do, but I'll do it if it means I'll be saving Neveah. 'Just bring him to his room and make sure he drinks a lot of water.'

I nod and turn towards Neveah one last time. I gently place my hand on hers and take a deep breath. 'I swear to fucking god, you better wake the fuck up after this...'

Celine chuckles and continues to rumble through a few pills. 'I'll stay with her and call you as soon as she wakes up.'

I nod and head to the door, taking a deep breath as I enter the hallway. Where the fuck is he?

'Rio!' I shout as I run through the huge apartment. When I reach the other side, the side I have not been to yet, I hear someone scream out of pain.

I burst through the door and gasp for air when I see Davis tied to a chair. He's all bruised up and bleeding from all the cuts.

Leon rams his fist in Davis's stomach and steps back. 'Leya?' He turns towards me and immediately panics again. 'When did you get here? Is everything okay?'

I turn towards Rio who is gulping down on something, probably alcohol again. 'I told Rio to get you! Celine is working on her and she needs Rio's blood.'

Rio finally acknowledges me and smiles. 'Of course- she fucking does.' He stumbles over to me and bashes his fist against Davis's head on his way.

'But he's-' 'I need to sober him up.' I sigh as I step away from the both of them.

Just two seconds ago, they were torturing Davis and now they both stare at me a little confused. 'And how are you going to do that?' Rio asks, totally enjoying this.

'Celine told me to take you to your room and give you a lot of water.' Rio walks over to me and throws his arms in the air like a little kid.

Drunk Rio is way too lively, it's scary. I know that he can switch to the asshole he is within seconds.

'Take me then.' I roll my eyes and walk back into the hall, waiting for him to follow me, which takes too long.

Usually, I'm the one who needs to keep up with him, but not tonight. He's too wasted to walk straight and needs the support of the walls to prevent him from falling over his own feet.

'Why are you so fast Velez?' He asks, pulling at my arm to turn me around. 'I told you not to touch me didn't-' Within seconds I'm pressed against the wall with his hands on both sides of my frame, locking me between him and the wall.

And there he is again. Asshole Rio.

'Are you sure you don't want me to Velez?' He whispers against my neck. He's wasted, yet he smells as fresh as usual. 'Because if I do this,' He drags his hand down my chest, stopping at my waist.

I stare into his eyes and press my hands against his chest, trying to keep him away. But it's no use. He won't fucking budge.

'If I would touch you, you would melt. Wouldn't you?' A flicker of lust flashes through his eyes.

Celine and Leon were right. He needs to fuck. And I am certainly not the one he's going to release himself to.

His hands are so tender, not the hardness I'm used to, as he drags it back up to my chest, tugging at the straps of my dress. 'You looked good tonight.' What?

I'm shocked by his words and take a deep breath, before looking into his eyes again. Did he just compliment me?

'You said you didn't-' 'I said I didn't like your hair. I didn't say anything about your make-up, your dress, or the way it clung to your fucking body...' He mumbles, gently pressing me harder against the wall.

I'm amazed. I really don't know what to say. This gorgeous monster of a man just complimented me. I should hate it, but I can't. It's impossible.

'Well-' I start and his eyes dart to my lips, 'You didn't look too bad yourself.' I whisper as he leans in a little more. What the fuck is this?

'Don't touch me, Rio.' I almost growl. He lets out a low chuckle and moves his gaze to my eyes again. 'That's the first time a woman has ever said that to me.'

'I don't doubt it will be the last.' His eyes flash, he likes this. He likes the fact that I fight back. 'From your lips, sure.'

He lowers himself a bit more, making sure that his chest is pressed against mine as much as he can. My heart is beating like crazy and I wish my body would listen to my fucking mind.

'But trust me, Velez, soon you'll be begging for me to touch you.' I almost gasp for air as the words roll out of his lips, and look into his eyes since he's leaning back again.

I'm unable to move, afraid that I'll ruin the moment. A moment I didn't know I craved. No.

I push him away from me a little harder, making him smirk as he steps back a little.

'Where is your room?' I ask, trying to compose myself. He chuckles and wraps his arm around my shoulder so that I can carry him to his room, as he takes the first step.

I sigh, reminding myself that nothing can happen between us. Not only did he abduct us. He's also a killer. He forced Celine to put those trackers in us and he forced Neveah to kill that french guy, even though she keeps telling me she wanted to kill him. I know she didn't. Not unless someone planted that seed in her head, which Rio did. And he's heartless, mean, the most selfish person I'll ever meet, and annoying as hell.

But he's also handsome. And at this moment, he's nice to me. For the first time in two months.

'Why did you drink so much?' I ask as I open his bedroom door. It's exactly as I expected.

Everything is dark, the only thing that makes it visible is the moonlight shining through the open curtains.

He lets go of me and stumbles to his bed, lowering himself on it before sighing deeply.

I turn to the wall, trying to find a light switch. When I turn it on, nothing changes. At least not enough. It's still dark.

'Rio?' 'Mhm!' He groans before turning to his back. 'Why did you drink so much?' I ask again, walking over to the additional bathroom.

'Well-' I hear a loud thump as I fill up a glass of water for him to drink. I sigh and just pray to God that he didn't knock himself out yet. 'I felt like it!' He shouts a little louder than before. I'm just happy that he's still awake.

'Okay. Why did you bring Davis here?' I ask, using his drunk state to my advantage.

Rio never talks to me this much. So maybe if I ask him some questions while he's drunk, he'll answer all of them honestly. Maybe that way I can at least get to know him a little bit.

I walk back into the room and hand him the glass. He sighs deeply before chugging it down and falling back onto the bed. 'Are you going to sleep in that?'

'No, go grab me something to wear.' 'Can you please grab me something to wear Cataleya?' I correct, making him sigh deeply as he takes another big sip of his water. 'It's empty!' He shouts dramatically.

'I'll go grab some bottles and you should change.' I turn towards him and wait for him to respond. Instead of saying anything, he jumps up from the bed and walks over to the other door, probably leading to the closet. 'I'll be back!'

'Whatever!' He shouts back, before slamming the door behind him. God, he's annoying!

Yet I like drunk Rio more than sober Rio. He's easier like this. More bothersome, but easier.

I quickly make my way to the kitchen and search for a few bottles of water. That way I don't have to keep running to the bathroom to fill up his glass. I grab a whole pack and carry it back to the room, throwing it on the empty bed.

'What is taking you so long!?' I feel like a goddamn babysitter. I'm basically babysitting a grown-ass man!

'Why were you talking to Steel the whole night?' His question comes out of nowhere and makes me turn towards the door. He's standing there, with grey sweats and nothing else.

I knew Rio would be buff, but this. This is something completely different.

His chest is absolutely perfect, carved in the most perfect way ever. He has more tattoos than I imagined, snaking all over his body. Holy- I lower my gaze to the ground and take a deep breath. 'Why are you not wearing a shirt?'

'Because it's hot. I don't sleep with clothes when it's hot.' He smirks as he makes his way to the bed. 'You should be happy I'm not completely naked, Velez.' Oh my...

I roll my eyes and take a seat on the other side of the room, trying to stay as far away from him as possible.

He stumbles back to the bed and opens the pack of water, chugging an entire bottle down in less than thirty seconds.

'But that doesn't answer my question does it?' He mumbles before propping himself up just a little so that he can look at me.

The sight of him is driving me absolutely insane. He looks so good. His arm muscles flex in the best way they can, making me stare at the tattoos on them. I don't know what the fuck it's supposed to be, but it looks good.

'Why were you talking to Steel?' I ignore the lump in my throat and take a deep breath, before looking at his eyes again. So I have heard of Steel before... 'He came and talked to me.'

'I told you not to talk to strangers, didn't I?' He asks, raising his perfectly shaped brow at me.

'You did, but you kept walking away from me so I decided to not move at all, and then Hunter came to me.' I snap at him.

If he thinks that he can order me around like a dog, he's wrong. No way in hell will I let him treat me like a dog.

'And at least he talks to me.' For some reason, that made him look at me. He's angry again. Oh shit...

I jump up from the bed and rush to the door, but he's faster and slams me against the wall, making me groan out of pain.

'Don't you fucking dare!' I scream as I push him away from me, but he doesn't budge.

I knew it wasn't going to take long for the real Rio to come out.

'You want me to talk to you?' He asks, intrigued by my statement. 'You should go to bed. I'm going-' 'You're not going anywhere, answer the question.' He demands, sending shivers down my spine.

'We've been with you for two months now and I don't know shit about you.' My hands are pressed against his bare chest, sending a wave of heat through me. I try pushing him away, but he doesn't seem to fucking care. He's towering over me like the creep he is.

'What do you mean?' I roll my eyes and try to run past him, but he's faster and pins my hands against the wall, leaning in a little more. 'Stop doing that!'

It takes a second for him to respond. 'Can't handle the heat, Velez?' He whispers into my ear, sending my body on overdrive. Why the fuck am I reacting this way!?

It's like my body and mind are in two different worlds. My body wants him to keep going, to see where this might lead to, but my mind is telling me to run. Telling me to spit in his face and get as far away as possible.

'Explain your statement, Velez.' I take a deep breath and look into his eyes. 'Hunter talked to me about simple stuff, he wanted to know me. Unlike you.' I hiss, trying to break free again.

'But I already know everything about you.' He whispers and I roll my eyes again. 'Keep rolling your eyes, Velez, and I'll give you a real reason to.' Oh god...

'Let go of me. Now.' He smirks and tightens his grip around my wrists. 'Or what?'

I've never felt more vulnerable in my entire life. I feel weak. There's nothing I can do right now, besides talking to him and telling him to fuck off, but the way he looks at me just drives me nuts.

'Or what, Velez?' He's trying to push my buttons. And it's fucking working.

'I hate you.'

Rio raises an eyebrow at me, before pushing his knee in between my thighs so he can lean in more. I gasp for air when I feel him breathing in my neck.

'Is that so?' I nod, trying to break free again, but he's too strong. He takes a deep breath and leans back, making me finally catch my breath.

This man is playing a dangerous game and I hate that I'm enjoying it.

'What else did Steel talk to you about?' He asks, walking back to the bed, leaving me like a total mess against the wall. 'Nothing.'

I turn towards the door, wanting to leave this psychopath as fast as I can. 'I said you're not going anywhere. You're staying with me tonight.'

'No. Drink all that water and talk to Celine when you wake up.' My hand wraps around the doorknob, and a low groan escapes Rio's mouth, making me turn to him immediately.

'I said,' He states as he walks back to me, pressing me against the door again, You're staying here.' Oh god...

He's close again, making me stare into his dark eyes.

'Fine, but don't you dare touch me!' I scream as I push him away. He chuckles and walks to the bed, before opening another bottle and drinking it. 'I need to grab something to-' 'Just go naked.' He smirks, making me stare at him for a second.

'If you think that I'm going to-' 'I'm kidding Velez, calm down!' He laughs before pointing towards the closet. 'Grab something from there and come back.' I can't believe I'm doing this...

I walk over to the closet and open the door, staring at all the clothes Rio owns. There is no way that this is all of it. The closet is not even fully filled. Just a few clothes lying around everywhere. I walk over to his shirts and simply grab one, undress myself and pull the shirt over my head. It smells like him.

The shirt hangs to my knees, making me stare into the mirror. I look like a girlfriend. His girlfriend since I'm wearing his shirt. Oh god...

'What's taking you so long!?' I huff as I walk back into the bedroom and stare at him. He already emptied two bottles and smiles at me.

He never smiles at me like this. I try to hide the fact that my cheeks are burning up, by moving away from him. I tie my hair up into a simple bun, quickly run to the bathroom to wipe away the make-up, and walk back into the bedroom.

'I don't know if I'll be able to keep my hands off of you, Velez.' My eyes shoot to his, and he smirks. He knows what he's saying and doesn't bother to care.

'Okay, I guess I'll be going then!' I head to the door, running to it if you might, and open it just a little before he slams it shut again. He turns me around in one swift motion and sighs deeply.

'I hate you.' He whispers, slowly moving closer to me.

'Is that so? Then maybe I should go?' I turn around, grasping the doorknob, ready to leave, but he stops me, turns me around, and towers over me again.

He's angry, I can see it in how each of his muscles tense. He's ready to explode.

His cold hands slowly travel to mine, making sure to keep them in place. He's pressing my body further to the surface, he is in control again. Making me feel absolutely disgusted but intrigued at the same time.

'You're not going anywhere Velez.' The way he says it this time, drives me absolutely insane.

'Is that so?' His lips curl up into a grin and he nods, moving even closer.

He lets go of my arms and lowers his hand towards my throat, wrapping his long, cold fingers around me. 'Absolutely.'

He takes a deep breath, taking all the air and energy that's left inside me, out of me. Devouring it, using it for his own purposes.

'Desperate are we now?' I try shoving him away, but he pushes me back again. 'You ass-'

And when I least expected it, he has the nerves to kiss me. And I have the nerves to kiss him back. Heat rushing through my entire body as our lips crash into each other in the most perfect way ever.

I feel his stubbles scraping against my chin and enjoy the tickling feeling it brings. What the fuck am I doing?!

'I hate you more.' I gasp, he presses his forehead against mine, his heavy breathing close to my cheeks. 'I know.' And yet he kisses me again, without giving a single shit about anything I just said.

The bitter taste of alcohol slips into my mouth as his tongue roughly enters it. I never liked alcohol, but I don't mind it right now. It adds to the sweet taste it brings. The sweet taste he brings.

My mind is screaming at me, telling me to push this beautiful asshole away and do what's rational. Although my heart thinks of anything but rational.

His hands travel down to my waist, tugging at me to come closer. I wrap my arms around his neck and let it all go. The heat, it's insane. I feel like my body's on fire and he's the reason for it.

Suddenly, he pulls back his hands and steps away. Making me gasp for air. What the fuck was that?

'I'm too drunk for this- We-' He stumbles back to the bed and takes a seat. I slowly reach for my lips, trying to imprint the way he felt in my mind. 'I'm- I should-' 'Come over here.' He demands, patting the space beside him as he climbs onto the bed.

I hesitate for a second. This is the last place I should be right now. I can't do this to Neveah, he forced her to kill that boy from the club, she hates him and she's dying, but I can't. I can't leave, cause if I do, Rio is going to lose his shit again. So I simply walk over to the bed and climb under the sheets, keeping my eyes on him at all cost.

'Here,' He places some spare pillows between us, as some kind of "barrier", 'So you know I won't touch you.' I snort and roll my eyes as he pulls the covers all the way up, making me peek out just a little. 'You better not.'

We both go silent for a second, staring at each other in full amazement. I admire his beauty from up close once more, enjoying everything while I can.

Tomorrow morning everything will go back to how it was. Neither of us are going to talk about this and we will act as if nothing ever happened.

'You want to get to know me, huh?' He whispers while he stares at the ceiling. I nod and lay on my back, mirroring his every move to annoy him a little. He doesn't notice and continues.

'Ask me anything, I'll be honest.' What? I stare at him and he smiles again. 'You should smile more often.' I blurt out, making him look at me for a second. 'Give me something to smile about then.'

I huff and turn back to look at the ceiling. 'How old are you?' I ask honestly curious as to how old he is. I mean, I've been living with him for months and I still don't know how old he is?

'I'm twenty-six.' He states, staring at me, waiting for me to react. To be honest, that's older than I thought. He looks nothing over twenty-four. 'Not what you expected huh?' I shrug and turn to my side so I can look at him again.

He stares into my soul, making me feel all kinds of things. I've never wanted someone to touch me as bad as I want him to touch me. I want to feel the heat rush through me again. But deep down I know it won't happen again. And it's better if it won't.

'If your name is Rafael, how come everyone calls you Rio?' He chuckles softly and closes his eyes for a second. 'These are some really simple questions... But-' He takes a deep breath and looks at me again, 'My grandma always called me Rio when she was still alive, so I went with it. Now everyone calls me Rio.' oh...

I've never seen him this proud. He's such a big baby...

'Was that it?' He asks trying to pry the biggest questions out of me. 'No.'

I turn around so that I can lay on my stomach and stare at him for another ten seconds before he turns to me as well.

I want him to kiss me again, but I can't let that happen. It's not good. It's not what I need. But I want it... No.

I press my face in the soft pillows and grunt, making him laugh a little. 'You okay Velez?'

'Stop calling me that. It's annoying.' He nods and grabs another bottle, before bringing it to his perfect lips. Fuck..

I turn around so I can lay on my back again and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down from whatever this is.

'Love.' I start, watching his reaction from the corner of my eyes.

'What about it?' He asks, propping himself up so that he can look at me.

'Everyone keeps talking about you like you don't know what it is. Have you ever been in love?'

This is a touchy subject, but he told me he would answer all of my questions as honestly as possible, so I might as well take advantage of it.

'No. And I don't want to. I don't think you have to fall in love to live a happy life.' He says, his voice thick with annoyance.

I nod, letting his words sink in for a second.

'You?' he asks, moving a little closer to my side of the bed.

The fact that he's the one who created this "barrier" between us and still decides to go over the line, is kind of funny to me.

'I don't know.' I answer honestly. The last time I've ever felt something for a boy was ages ago. Highschool to be exact. He didn't like me back, so that ended in heartbreak, but I survived. 'I liked someone for a long time, but I wouldn't call it love.'

He nods and turns his gaze back to the ceiling, sighing as he takes another big sip from the bottle. How is he not spilling anything?

'What is your biggest fear?' I ask, hoping that he'll keep answering my questions honestly.

I want to get to know Rafael better. Maybe that way we can kind of get along.

'You were waiting to ask me these questions, weren't you Velez?' He asks, smiling at me with his perfect smile again.

'Maybe.' I say before shrugging and looking into his eyes. 'Who says I am afraid?'

I felt like he was going to say something like that. Something cheesy, something only men can come up with.

Sure, he's one of the most feared people on earth. But something has to scare him.

'Everyone fears something.' He nods and looks at my hands as I run them up and down the pillow between us, waiting for him to answer my question.

'Answer the question.' He sighs and looks at the ceiling for a second.

'You want to know my biggest fear?' I sigh, staring at his perfect jaw. He's doing this on purpose, trying to talk his way out of this. 'Just tell me-' 'Calm down Velez.'

His hand wraps around my waist, pulling me towards him. Our lips are about to touch again, but I stop him. I want him to answer my question more than I want his delicious lips against mine.

'It's love.' He states, slowly letting go of me. 'What?'

'My biggest fear is love' he whispers a little embarrassed. I look up at him, but he's staring at the ceiling again. 'Why?'

He takes another deep breath and closes his eyes for a second.

'Because I know that love makes people weak.' He opens his eyes and stares at my fingers again, 'if I ever decide to love someone, I would not only ruin myself, but I would ruin my empire and everything that I own. Including her.'

His gaze goes up until our eyes connect again. 'I would ruin her.'

My mouth goes dry because of his words. It's a weird but amazing feeling that rushes through me. For some reason, I feel more powerful than ever.

Rafael Adriano Curzio, the man I once feared, is afraid of love.

'What's yours?' He asks, turning to me like a curious teenager. 'What's my what?' 'Biggest fear Velez. Everyone fears something, right?' I giggle at his impression of me and take a deep breath.

The only thing that feared me the past few days, is him. But I won't tell him that. He'll enjoy it too much. 'I don't know.'

'Of course, you do.' He mumbles, before turning back to face the ceiling.

I noticed that neither of us can stare at each other too long. It's just weird.

He climbs out of bed and grabs another bottle before crawling back under the sheets. He opens the bottle and takes a few big gulps, before turning back to the ceiling again.

'What about kids, do you want kids?' I ask, curious to what his answer might be.

All I know so far is that one of the Curzio's has to produce an heir for their line to continue.

'Why are all these questions relationship-related?' He asks, groaning as he gets comfortable on his side of the bed.

I didn't even notice until now.

'It- I- Just answer the question.' I say, feeling my cheeks glow red.

'Only if necessary.' He answers with a tired voice. 'Meaning?'

He chuckles and turns towards me again. 'Meaning that if Leonardo doesn't get Neveah pregnant soon, I might have to get kids myself.'

I roll my eyes at his answer and can't help but smile. The way those two act around each other is insane, but kids, that's a little much. As far as I know, they haven't had sex. Yet.

'So you don't want kids?' He shrugs. 'Not really.' 'Why?'

'In order for me to have kids, I have to find a woman that is able to have kids.' I nod since that makes total sense. 'So?'

'She also has to be bearable, unlike you.' I raise an eyebrow at him and hear him chuckle, 'And in order for her to stay with me, I have to love her.'

There it is again. Love. The one thing he fears the most.

'For a man feared by so many, you sure are strange.' I say, trying to annoy him a little. He doesn't respond and simply closes his eyes. He is absolutely enchanting.

To think that I absolutely wanted to kill him a few days ago.

For the first time in two months, I feel like Rio is finally opening up. He's finally letting me see the real him.

'Rio?' He groans and turns to my side, keeping his eyes closed as he hugs his pillow tightly. 'Goodnight.'

His lips curl up and he opens his eyes just a little, looking into my eyes. 'Goodnight Velez...'