{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}



I take a deep breath as I reach for the door, silently praying that Rio's not in there, or that he's just sleeping if he is.

But of course, he's awake and headed out of the room right when I'm about to walk in. And we bump into each other like complete idiots.

He takes a step back, letting me go through first. I slip into the room and head to the closet, to grab some clothes.

The reason I came in here in the first place.

'Why didn't you sleep in our room last night?' Our...

Even though I didn't sleep here last night and we still haven't talked about anything, he calls it our room.

'It's your room.' He sighs deeply before dropping himself on the bed. 'And I didn't want to.'

'Why not?' He asks casually. As if yesterday didn't happen at all.

'Maybe because you won't let me leave and because you almost killed Neveah?' I say, quickly searching for something simple to wear so I can leave. 'I didn't almost kill Neveah, I just threw the knife on the floor and she moved.'

'Are you fucking serious?' I ask with a bunch of clothes in my arms. 'What?' 'Not only did you stab her, you held that knife to her throat and you were ready to kill her.'

He stays silent, not even denying it, because he knows I'm right. 'Exactly.'

'I was never going to kill her, I was just angry.' He continues, keeping his eyes on me. As if he's afraid I'll leave again if he blinks for longer than two seconds. 'So you think that it's okay for you to kill people when you're angry?'

He simply looks at me and blinks, basically telling me that he thinks what he did is morally correct, and I roll my eyes as I reach for the door again, trying to keep the clothes in my arms.

'So you want me to apologize?' He asks as he stays right where he is. 'It would be the first step.'

He takes a deep breath, before nodding and heading to the door. 'Stay here.'

'What?' He stops in the doorway and turns around to face me again. 'I just need five minutes, stay here.'

'I-' He's out the door before I can respond, making me sigh deeply. But I stay on the spot.

When he returns after about two minutes, I can't help but frown. 'Done.'

'There's no way you apologized that fast.' I say as I place the clothes on the bed and turn back to him. 'I did.'

'Don't lie to me.' There's just no way.

'Who says I'm lying?' He asks as he takes a step closer. I can see the faint amusement in his eyes. He's enjoying this a little too much.

'Because there's no way you would apologize to Neveah, especially that quick.'

'You know what.' He takes the final step, almost closing the gap that was keeping us apart, 'You're right. I didn't apologize.'

I look up, secretly wishing that I could be taller than him for just a few minutes.

'Why not?' 'Because I don't care.' I roll my eyes and turn back to the bed, ready to grab my shit and go again. 'Fuck you.'

Before I can even blink, Rio pulls me back, his hand going around my throat as if it's made for it, keeping just enough pressure to keep me in check.

'I will not be told what to do, Valentina.' Something sparks inside of me, the tension rising by the second. 'Neither will I.'

'Don't test me, Velez.' Fucking hell...

I'm supposed to be angry at him... I'm supposed to be angry at him... Fuck.

'Or what?' His grip tightens for a short second, before he lets go of me completely. 'You- fuck. Why are you so persistent to mess with me?'

I grab the pile of clothes I threw on the bed and turn back to him. 'I'm not.'

His eyes burn holes in my back as I head to the door.

'Stop avoiding me, Valentina.' He says, making me stop in the middle of the door, 'Please.'

I turn around, my heart beating like crazy, and blink a few times. 'Did you just say please?'

'Don't do that, okay. You're right, I shouldn't have hurt North and I-' 'Don't apologize to me.' I interfere, staying by the door with clothes in my arms. 'You should apologize to Neveah, you know, the girl you almost stabbed to death.'

'I didn't almost stab her to death.' He sighs, 'And I was not apologizing.'

'I'm sure you weren't.' I tilt my head a little, seeing something different in his eyes as they stay on me.

Something light, something pure.

Something warm and igniting.

'Don't go there right now.' He warns, his voice dark and brutal again. Just like it was yesterday. God.

'Oh. Am I becoming too much for you?' I ask, almost dropping the clothes so I can cross my arms. 'Did I cross a line?'

'You're acting like a child.' I can't help but chuckle a little as I turn back to open the door. 'Open that door and watch what happens.' Shit.

'You're not going to touch me.' I look over my shoulder, trying to see if he's ready to run after me, which... He is. 'I wouldn't be too sure about that one, Valentina.'

I turn back around and look into his dark eyes. 'Who's childish now?'

'What does me wanting to talk to you have to do with being childish?'

'Children lack communication, something you clearly have issues with since you never asked me to talk.' Another flash of that something I haven't seen before in his eyes, and I almost drop the clothes again, wanting to get closer so I can see it from up close.

'I want to talk to you.' He says, as if that's supposed to do the job. 'I don't want to talk to you.' Not yet at least.

I need to get everything straight. I need to weigh the pros and cons of me staying. I need to know what will happen if I stay. I need to know if he changed the way Neveah said he did. I need more time.

It's the only reason we haven't left yet because the week is officially over now.

'Why not?' He asks desperately in a way I have never seen him before. As if he's fighting himself, beating himself up on the inside.

'Because you hurt Neveah and I need more time.' I answer honestly. 'I didn't mean to hurt Neveah.'

'But you did.' He looks straight into my eyes, taking a deep breath, before nodding. 'You should honestly thank her.'

She made me look at him differently. It's weird, because she wanted me to stay as far away from him as possible in the beginning, but it's true.

He frowns at me and gets up from the bed, making me walk back to the door again.

This could either go terribly wrong or we could go our different ways.

And I don't know what I want more.

Do I want the stinging pain in my heart to stop whenever I see him by leaving him and never turning back? Or do I want to see where we could go and risk my heart all over again?

'If it wasn't for her, I would've left last night.' That and if I knew how to operate a boat.

His frown only deepens, showing those confused wrinkles on his face. 'What happened last night?'

For once, I feel like I have the upper hand. Like I know more than he does, because I do.

And I'm going to get him back with his own tricks, basically playing his stupid games with him.

'Go and ask her.' I say as I make my way to the hall, basically rushing to the spare room I'm using right now. It's the only bedroom left on this ship.

I throw the clothes on the bed and stare at them for a second, before turning back to the windows on the other side of the room. What the fuck was that?

My mind is going in circles, debating if I should or shouldn't give him another chance.

I mean, sure, in the notebook he said it and he did blow up the entire house and... He killed children...

There's so much we need to talk about. And I don't fucking know where to begin.

'What the fuck is all this?' Brandon asks as he walks into my room, pointing at all the clothes on the bed. 'Clothes.'

'I can see that.' He mutters, grabbing a shirt and throwing it on the couch, 'but why is it here and not in your room?'

'This is my room.' He throws a dress on the couch, before slowly turning to me with a frown. 'What do you mean?'

I shrug and take a seat next to the pile he's creating. 'Why aren't you in the room that you share with Rio?'

'I don't want to be there right now.' He quickly folds some pants, before throwing them on the couch as well, smirking at me. 'You do.'

'I don't.' I keep my eyes on him, waiting for him to stop smirking at me first, but he doesn't. 'You do and don't even try denying it.'

'Why would I want to be there?' 'So you two can fuck, get together already and we can go to Spain and party like we used to!' He exclaims, throwing a dress right at me.

I roll my eyes and smile as I fold the dress and put it with all the other clothes. 'We should be good to go soon.'

'Yeah, that's what you said five days ago too.' I keep my eyes on him as he takes a seat next to me, sighing dramatically, 'You're stalling.'

Am I stalling? I honestly don't know. I might be, but it's because I don't want to rush into a decision I might regret.

'I'm not.' He looks at me with a raised brow again, waiting for me to confess something I'm uncertain about. 'I'm not.'

'You are avoiding him so that you don't have to talk, meaning you're stalling.'

'I'm not avoiding him, he can come to me if he wants to talk.' If he would enter the room right now, I wouldn't walk away. If he initiated the conversation, I wouldn't leave.

But he doesn't. And I don't think he will.

'Let's have lunch, I'm hungry.' I state, jumping to my feet. I'm ready to walk out of this room and forget all about Rafael Curzio for just an hour. 'You're lucky that I'm starving, otherwise you wouldn't be able to avoid this topic, Leya.'

He follows me down the hall, towards the dining room on Veah's side of the boat.

Everyone's here except for the Curzio's themselves.

'Hello everyone.' I chime, before taking a seat next to Neveah. She seems to be passionately talking to Kai about something.

'Leya, could you please tell him that sleeping with everyone on board does not make you a hoe?' It takes me a second to process what she's saying, but as soon as I do, I turn to her with a frown. 'Why would you-'

'We were talking about Isabelle and Marco and then it came to this for some reason.' Vincent mutters, shaking his head in disbelief. 'Isabelle and Marco?'

I look at the two, realizing that they're blushing a lot more than they should. 'Did you guys-' 'Yes, Kai basically called her a hoe and-' Neveah continues to blab, while I take in Marco and Isabelle one more time.

There's definitely something going on between them.

'Are you even listening?' She asks after a while. I shake my head and grab an apple from the table, taking a bite, before turning to her. 'It doesn't matter, she's not a hoe.'

Kai sighs and looks at Neveah.

'I never said she was, I was just saying that she shouldn't be fucking everyone on board since most of us are taken.'

'It's up to those people if they cheat though.' Celine adds, making Kai blush a little. 'Unless you literally throw yourself at them and-' 'I'm not going to sleep with anyone, trust me.'

'But you already slept with my brother.' Brandon says, cringing as he reaches for the waffles on the other side of the table. 'You slept with Marco?' I ask, a little shocked that she would.

I did see them around each other a lot, but I didn't think they would sleep together for some reason.

'Can we please not talk about this right now? It's embarrassing enough as it is.' Marco says, making all of us turn to him.

Nico inhales sharply and shakes his head. 'Wrong choice of words, my friend.'

'What are you-' 'Embarrassing for you? I'm the new one here and you guys are making it sound like I'm some whore.' Isabelle says, her cheeks getting redder by the second.

'Way to go brother.' Brandon jokes, acting as if he's seriously disappointed in his brother, 'You know, mom raised you better than this.'

Marco frowns at Brandon, before turning back to Isabelle. 'I didn't mean it like that-' 'He did. He's just a piece of shit.' Neveah joins in, making Marco sweat like hell.

'He's just heartless like that, ready to use anyone to get over his little crush.' Nico joins as well, making Marco glare at him. 'Crush on who?' Killian asks curiously, making all the others grin at Marco.

Dear god... 'Guys, that's enough.' I mutter, feeling bad for Isabelle's redness and Marco's shame. 'Just let them be.'

'We were just playing with you, Marco. Calm down a bit.' Nico chimes, giving him a push. Marco rolls his eyes and gets up from his seat, heading straight to the hall without turning back.

I hear more chairs screeching the floor and notice that Nico and Killian head out too, going after him.

'Men, they're so sensitive.' Celine says, reaching out to Kai, who's holding their son. 'It's my turn.'

'Right.' Kai hands Leroy over to Celine and heads out as well.

'I'll leave you to it, I have some stuff to go through anyway.' Vince says, getting up as well. 'Things?' Celine asks as she leans back, quickly kissing him. 'Yes, our boss wants me to check Spain before we get there.'

He told them to check it...

The moment the door closes behind Vincent, all their heads turn to me. 'What's going on with you and Rio?'

'Nothing right now.' And I'm afraid it might stay that way for a while. 'I'm just trying to convince him to let us go so we can-' 'Did you guys even talk?' Celine asks, swaddling her baby in her arms.

'I think so.' They all sigh and mumble stuff like for fuck's sake or really or Jesus Christ. But only Neveah keeps her eyes on me. 'What does that mean?'

'I tried and I think I said what I wanted to say, but he didn't really reply so-' 'Did you give him the chance to reply though?' Brandon asks, looking at me curiously. Did I?

I feel like I did.

He had all this time to tell me, to show me something, anything. But he didn't.

'I don't know, now can we please talk about something else?' I ask, desperately wanting to talk about something else.

It's not like I have been thinking about this shit non-stop for the past hours.

'Leya, you should-' 'Has anyone spoken to Tiago yet?' Neveah asks, trying to stop the others from asking questions about my situation with Rafael.

I grab her hand underneath the table and squeeze the hell out of it, thanking her without saying anything. And she squeezes back, smiling at me.

'Vincent told me he didn't want to come out of his room, so I went by to ask what was going on and he didn't want to let me in for some reason.' Celine says, turning to Neveah now.

'I fucked up.' We all look at Neveah, almost moving to the edge of our seats. 'I... Told him what happened and basically ran away and now he doesn't want to come out of his room...'

'Maybe he needs time to process it?' Isabelle tries, but Neveah shakes her head and sighs deeply. 'I messed up.'

'You guys better fix your shit, because I'm team Veah x Leon all the way.' Brandon chimes playfully.

Neveah looks him dead in the eye and shakes her head, unable to contain a soft chuckle.

'Brandon can you stop with that shit?' Celine asks groaning as if this is the hundredth time she has to ask him to stop.

'Never! Those two are made for each other!'

'She doesn't need to hear that right now.' Celine counters, making Brandon frown. 'It's the truth.'

Those two start bickering about Leon and Veah's relationship, while Isabelle and I keep our attention on Veah.

'You didn't mess up, Isabelle's probably right. Give him some time to process it.' I say, squeezing her hand again.

She looks up at me and nods, taking a deep breath, before turning to the others again.

'Valentina.' I stop breathing for just a second, listening to his soft voice behind me, and feel everyone's eyes on me as I stay silent.

But most of all, I feel his eyes burn holes in the back of my head. 'Can we talk?'

I didn't even hear the fucking door, no one did, or maybe they did and they didn't want to tell me because- 'Please?'

I turn around immediately, looking straight into his eyes, and make sure to keep my walls up just in case.

He looks at me desperately, waiting for me to move or say anything. But I can't move more than this.

'We should probably head out.' Isabelle whispers, moving around behind me.

'No.' I say, finally letting the words process in my mind, 'We'll go.'

Rafael thought I was going to say something else, and for a second I thought so too, but I get up and head to the bedroom upfront.

If we're going to do this, I want to do it far away from everyone else. As far away as possible.

He follows me all the way to the room in complete silence.

I can't even hear him walking behind me, but I can feel him. I can feel his warmth.

When we finally make it to the room, he shuts the door behind him, leaning against it as I make my way to the windows, awkwardly staring out of the window.

The silence is weird. Not awkward, but weird. And a little painful.

Because there's so much we need to discuss, so much that needs an explanation, but we just stay silent.

Until he clears his throat and asks, 'Did you eat?'

I can't help but chuckle at his question because out of all the things he could ask, this is what he asks?

'Not much, but that's not why we're here is it?' He shakes his head and starts walking back and forth, pacing around on his side of the room.

'I don't know what you want me to do differently.' So fucking much... I look at him, waiting for him to look at me and see a sliver of what I'm unable to say. 'That came off wrong, I just- Fucking hell.'

'I want answers.' I say, feeling the need to help him expand in my chest. Because I hate seeing him like this. Like he's drowning in his head.

He finally looks me in the eyes and nods, before looking away again.

'Ask whatever you need and I'll answer truthfully.'

A billion questions pop into my head, and it feels impossible to pick one to start with.

But I start nonetheless.

'Why didn't you tell me you asked Neveah to seduce that guy that raped her?' He looks at me, his eyes slowly focusing on mine. 'I did.'

I shake my head and turn to him again. 'You told me that you told her to do it, as if it wasn't her choice.'

'Is there a difference?' Dear god... 'There is.' I mumble as I take a step forward, moving closer to him, 'A big difference.'

He doesn't reply and simply looks at me, his thoughts all over the place. 'I mean, you still did the wrong thing, but she had a choice and she didn't think it would go down the way it did.'

'I'm sorry.' He says, looking away again.

We stay silent for a while again, letting everything soak in for a few minutes. And I guess I'm just trying to find the courage to ask him the one question that's waiting in the back of my mind.

'Is it true that you killed a lot of people?' He nods shamelessly, but not proudly either. 'Children?'

'Who told you all of this?' He asks, clenching his fist until his knuckles start to turn white. 'Doesn't matter, did you kill children?'

'Yes.' Fucking hell... 'In what right mindset do you think that it's okay to kill children?'

'One where I had one goal and one goal only, Valentina.' He says, making my chest tighten by the second, 'I wanted to get you back and I didn't care about anything else. If it meant killing a bunch of kids who weren't going to make it past their twenties, I would do it.'

This is wrong. All of this is so wrong. 'You're fucked up.'

'I know.' He replies, sighing deeply as he starts pacing around again. 'And I'm not proud of it, but it had to be done.'

'It didn't.' He stops walking and slowly turns around to face me again. 'It didn't and you know it.'

I hate the way he's looking at me right now. I hate the way he's acting right now. But most of all I hate the way he's thinking right now.

Because he's painting a picture in my head. One where he's dark and evil, a monster. One that should be locked up in prison and never let out again.

And that's not what I need right now.

'Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. All that matters right now is that you're back.' I shake my head and feel my stomach twisting and turning. 'You didn't have to kill them to get me back.'

'Valentina, this life is nothing like you think it is.' He says, his eyes slowly moving back to mine, 'It's dark and evil and cruel in a million ways, people will do anything to get what they want.'

'And so will you.' Because he's part of this life. 'So will I.' He admits, looking away again.

We go silent again and I hate it. I need him to say how much he regrets killing those children, those little kids who probably had nothing to do with anything related to getting me back, but he won't.

Meaning he doesn't regret it.

'Was that all?' He asks after a while, looking at his watch as if he has places to be right now. And maybe he does.

But then again, he's the one who came to me to talk.

'Are you kidding me?' His lips curl up a little when he lowers his arm and looks at me again. 'What?'

'If you have places to be, you can go.' He takes a step forward, yet he stays on his side of the room. 'I don't, but you're stalling.'

That word triggers something inside of me, because Brandon said something like that as well.

And I'm not the one stalling. Rafael is.

'I'm not.' I state, watching him trying to get closer. 'You're not asking the question you want to ask.'

I hate that he can tell, even though I'm trying to keep myself as unreadable as possible. 'Ask me the question on the tip of your tongue, Valentina.' He says, slowly moving closer.

'Why did you hurt me?'

His eyes shoot to mine and I feel the urge to look away grow by the second, but I don't. I can't.

I need to look at him when he answers this question. But he stays silent.

'I know I went too quick when I said it, but it felt right at that moment.' He keeps his eyes on me as I take a step back again, 'And I know you fear it more than anything in the world because you think it makes you weak, but why did you have to hurt me?'

'I... I don't-' 'Don't say you don't know, because you do.' I interfere, feeling my heart pounding like crazy, 'You could've just let it slide, act like nothing happened, and just move on, but instead, you decided to make it your main goal to hurt me?'

I hate that I'm ready to cry again, I hate that he's just looking at me, I hate that he doesn't know what to say, but most of all I hate that I gave away this much of me again.

He should be the one opening up to me now, but he's not.

I'm ready for him to admit it, I'm waiting for him to explain why he did what he did,

'I don't know, Valentina.' He replies instead, making me let out the breath I apparently was holding. 'Well, when you know why, come and talk to me.' I say as I head to the door, past him.

He reaches out for me, pulling me back into the room before I can step into the hall.

'I just want to tell you how much I care about you but I-' 'I already know about your love for me.' His eyes widen and he lets go of me, staring straight into my eyes.

Completely in shock by what I just said. 'You do?' I nod and take a step back, away from him, but also away from the door.

'I do, but that's not what I care about right now.' He frowns, taking a big step forward, closing the gap between us with just one big step. 'I asked you why you did it, and you can't even answer the fucking question.'

'Because I was scared shitless that I would mess it up.' He finally admits, making something wash over me.

Relief.

Because he didn't do it to get back at me, which I thought was the reason in the first place.

'I saw how messed up Luciano was after my mom died, Valentina.' He starts, making my heart break a little. He was so young and he had to endure so much. 'As heartless as he was towards the world, he actually cared about her.'

I stay silent, watching him as he takes a seat on the bed. 'He broke down in the worst ways when she died and I didn't-' He inhales slowly, looking at the ground, 'I don't want to end up like that.'

Slowly, he lifts his gaze to meet mine again, 'I can't.'

'Rio, you are not your father.' He chuckles and shakes his head ironically. 'I am just like him in so many ways, Valentina, you wouldn't even know.'

'You're not like him.' He chuckles again, keeping his eyes on me. 'You don't even know him.' 'I know him the way you describe him and you are nothing like him, Rafael.'

'But I am.' He says, getting up from the bed just to pace around on the other side of the room again, 'I am cold and heartless and a murderer, just like he was. Maybe even worse.'

'Rafa-' 'I promised myself to never fall in love with anyone in fear of changing like he did, because I saw what he had to endure. I felt his pain in ways no one can describe.' He continues, standing still in the middle of the room with his face towards me again.

I wish I could turn back time and get him out of there.

Out of this messed up life that made him fear love.

'I honestly thought you would laugh at me for telling you my biggest fear that night, but you didn't.' Why would I?

Rafael opened up to me that night, despite being drunk, I know he knew exactly what he was doing.

'And that felt different. You felt different.' I have so much to say, but I know that if I open my mouth now, he'll stop talking entirely and I need him to continue. 'I felt something I've never felt before and then you left.'

The urge to say something only increases by the second, making me bite my tongue.

'I wanted to burn the whole world down, Leya. I just needed you close again.' It doesn't slip my mind that he said my name. Or my nickname.

'You make me go absolutely insane most of the time, but I want you close to me.' He continues, making my heart beat even harder than it already is. 'You make me angry, annoyed, but most of all you make me feel.'

He takes a deep breath, before looking at me again. 'You made me feel something the moment we locked eyes in the club and it made me curious. I wanted- needed more.'

I try to think back to that night we looked at each other in the club. The night that changed everything.

And I can remember it like it was yesterday.

It feels like yesterday, but at the same time, it doesn't.

Because time flew by during all of this, and I remember every single thing that happened between us.

'I was a fool back then and I still am now, because I got too attached.' Fuck he knows what he's doing...

'You make me... worry about the tiniest things, angry most of the time, but warm and happy all at once.' He mumbles, trying to find the right words somehow.

'Rio, I really don't-' He shakes his head and takes a step closer. 'You make me feel, Valentina.'

My heart swells at his words, but I won't allow him to do this to me.

I don't- If this is the truth, why did he-

'And I want it to stop, I want to stop caring because it's driving me insane, but I can't.'

He takes the last step, leaving me nowhere to go.

Not that I want to, because I want him to finish his sentence.

I want to know more.

'I am no saint, but you make me want to be good. You make me want to go through all the pain and suffering because I know in the end it will be worth it.'

His hands reach out to my face and I let him pull me closer just a little, 'Because everything is so fucked up in the world and I hate it, but I know I'm not any better than anyone else.' Even though you act like you are sometimes...

'But I forgive the world because it has you in it.'

I barely let him finish his sentence and pull him down to kiss him, needing to feel his lips on mine again.

Like I was starving and he was the only food around, dangling in front of my eyes the entire time.

'Valentina.' He whispers between kisses, trying to keep me at a distance, but I won't let him. I need this just as much as he does.

Yet he ruins it all, by saying one word that makes me want to break into a billion pieces.

'Temor.'

I freeze, feeling the need to let go of him completely, and I do.

He never said the safeword before, not like this, so it's completely new for me to react to it, but it feels natural. And I hate it.

Is this what he felt when I said it?

It's like the word forms a barrier between us, filling the air with a lot more tension than necessary.

'We have to talk about this first.' Shame creeps up and I suddenly feel embarrassed.

I'm the one who wanted to talk about this, about us, and here I am, ready to fuck him already.

'Trust me, Valentina, I want to fuck you so bad right now, but we have to clear the air first.' He says, probably sensing my shame.

He grins to himself, absolutely loving the desperate state I'm in right now, 'You know, I have to communicate like an adult and all.'

'I hate you.' I sneer, taking a step back so that he can't reach out to me. 'I can tell.' He jokes, making me want to hit him so hard.

'But tell me what's going through your mind right now.' Even though he's able to read me like an open book, he still can't read that one chapter on my mind.

The one about him and his confessions.

I know that there's one question he wants to be answered right now, but I don't know if I'm ready to answer that question yet. Because I don't even know the answer.

'You hurt me and even though you say you're sorry, I can't just run back to you as if nothing happened.' Defeat flashes through his eyes and I almost reach out to him, 'I just need more time to process all of this and I think we need to take it slow before we jump into anything.'

'You're going to make me work for this, aren't you?' I can't help but smile a little as he takes a step forward, his hand brushing against my jaw as he tilts my head up to look into his eyes. 'Yes, I am.'

'Fine with me.' He mutters, before pressing his lips on mine.

He lifts me up effortlessly and carries me to the bed, climbing on top of me as he puts me down.

It takes less than twenty seconds for us to end up naked on the bed and I can't help but watch as he tries to reach for something on the side of the bed. 'What are you doing?'

'Shut up.' He groans, pushing a finger inside of me.

I bite my lip instead of moaning and feel his tongue go over my right nipple, it's driving me insane.

Suddenly, he stops and looks at me with desire in his eyes. A desire I've come to love when it comes to this. 'Hold still.'

Before I can even blink or process what he's doing, he's tying my hands together with a silk ribbon, making me sigh deeply.

I don't want to be tied up, I want to touch him and never stop touching him, but I know he'll make up for it somehow.

He always does.

'Is this really necessary?' He nods as he presses his lips against mine again, making everything melt in my head.

'Yes.' He answers against my lips, flipping us around so that he's underneath me and I'm on top.

He lifts me up and adjusts me on his dick, keeping his eyes on mine as he enters me entirely.

It feels like I'm going to explode into a billion pieces as he pulls me all the way down on him, my hands tied together, placed on his chest.

I move my hips a little, feeling his grip on my waist tighten when I try to move a bit more, and groan when he leans up, taking my nipple between his teeth. 'Don't move.'

My body stills instantly, despite the growing urge to move my hips just a little. 'But-' 'Move and I'll stop.' Fuck.

'Good girl.' He whispers, slowly moving my hips up and down on him, making me moan softly.

He's going too slow. Way too slow.

'Rafael-' Another moan escapes my lips as he bites on my nipple. 'Fuck.'

'Use your words, Valentina.' He says, looking up at me with his face buried between my breasts. 'Tell me what you want.'

I never liked begging him for any of this, especially now that I'm supposed to be taking my time to decide what my next move will be, but he always made it worth it. Always.

So I give in to the desire going through my veins right now, and lift my arms over his head to pull him closer. 'Fuck me, Rafael.'

And just like that, something in him switches. It switches to a dark and intimate side of him.

A side that has been driving me insane from the moment we started doing this. 'All you had to do was ask.'

I roll my eyes and gasp when he flips us around again, his dick getting deeper and deeper inside of me.

'Rolling your eyes, huh?' He asks as his lips place warm kisses on my neck. 'I-' 'I'll give you a reason to roll your eyes for me.'

He removes my arms from his neck and pins them above my head, looking deep into my eyes. 'You don't get to touch me unless I tell you to, understood?'

I nod and gasp when he slowly moves his hips a little. 'Words.' 'Yes! Fuck.' I can't contain anything when it comes to this.

Not with him.

'Touch me and I'll stop.' I nod again, already feeling the need to touch him just because he told me not to. 'Okay.' I quickly say when I realize that I didn't answer with words again.

He removes his hand from my wrists and traces it down to my chest, pinching the nipple he didn't take into his perfect mouth to make up for the fact that he didn't, slowly moving down to my stomach where he draws a few circles, before going even lower and ending at my clit.

I arch up when he presses his finger on me, making him chuckle darkly.

'Look at you.' He says, keeping the slow pace of his hips going as he looks into my eyes. 'A perfect mess.' Fuck...

I need him to hurry. I need him to fuck me hard and ruthlessly, right now. Because I'm going insane. 'Please.'

It's a keyword that makes him move faster.

His hips thrust against mine, creating the most heavenly friction for the both of us, while his finger still circles on my clit.

It's something he has done before, but I don't remember it feeling this good before.

'Fuck you feel good.' He groans between each thrust, 'Too good.'

'Rafael.' His name sounds like a prayer as it comes out of my mouth, echoing through the room like the sounds of our skin clashing against each other. 'I can't hold it.'

My mind is going insane and I can feel my orgasm building up rapidly when he goes even harder and tries to get deeper. 'Shit-'

He removes his fingers from my clit, probably trying to keep me from exploding into a billion pieces.

His hand goes around my neck and he puts just enough pressure for me to move my arms, ready to keep him away, but I fight the urge to do so and hold onto the sheets for dear life.

'Fuck.' I gasp for air when he finally removes his hand from my neck, feeling his hands trace up even higher as I wrap my legs around his waist. 'Valentina...'

I lean up and kiss him, wanting to feel him in every way possible without using my hands.

His hands entangle with mine and I hold onto him instead of the sheets, not caring about the fact that he didn't give me permission.

I need to hold onto something in order to keep my orgasm in.

Or so I thought because the moment he kisses my neck, I explode into a billion pieces underneath him, feeling the whole world shake as I soar through the high he's creating.

And he doesn't stop. He keeps going.

Fucking me ruthlessly, just like I asked him to.

'Fuck, you're pussy is milking me.' He groans into my ear, keeping his hands on mine.

Despite feeling the world twist and turn as he keeps fucking me, I find the strength to move my hips up as he moves down, making him moan out of pleasure.

I continue to do it until the haze in my mind slowly fades a little, another orgasm already building up in my stomach. 'Valentina- Fuck.'

The way he says my name is making me go insane even more.

I lift up my head and trace my lips down his neck, ready to explode all over again.

He thrust himself deep inside of me again and again, my legs shaking a little from the last orgasm, and tightens his grip on my hands.

'Right.' He says as he slams deep and hard, 'There.' Fuck.

We both jump into the heat and wait for the fire to burn us, and it does.

He shoots his cum inside of me, making my eyes roll back while I shake underneath him.

I gasp for air when I feel his lips on my chest, leaving soft kisses everywhere, and melt into the mattress.

He doesn't pull out and simply keeps his dick buried inside of me as he tries to get me back to reality.

I move a little, allowing him to drop down next to me, and drape my leg around his waist so that he's still inside of me.

When I try to open my eyes, I still see the haze in front of my eyes, and decide to keep them closed.

He wore me out but in the best way possible.

And his kisses aren't helping at all.

I can't help but feel warmth wash over me as I try to catch my breath. My heart is beating like I just ran a marathon and I don't even fucking mind.

He pulls me closer, radiating a different kind of heat than I'm feeling right now, and it's amazing.

When I try to move so that I can lay a little more comfortably, he pulls my leg back, making sure I won't move too much so that his dick doesn't slip out of me.

I can't help but smile as I finally give in and rest my head on the pillows, allowing the haze to take over completely.

And I almost immediately drift to sleep.

In the same bed as the man I should be cautious with.

I slowly wake up and turn around to face him. But he's not there.

Where did he go? For a second I doubt if all of this was real. If he actually saved me at all and if it wasn't just all a dream.

But when I look around the room, I know I'm not with Hunter anymore.

And I can't stop smiling because of it.

I'm absolutely exhausted but in a good way.

I slowly climb out of bed and stretch out, letting the sunlight that's flowing through the curtains grace my skin.

Even inside I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.

In England, there was almost no sun at all. And if the sun was out, it didn't feel real.

I grab Rio's shirt from the ground and put it on, his cologne filling my senses as I head to the door leading to the bathroom and quickly brush my teeth.

My body hurts, especially the lower part, making me walk like an idiot.

The floor in the hall is shiny and reflects the sun coming from outside, so I squint my eyes as I head to the little living area on this boat.

It's gigantic.

When I finally reach the living room, I look at the clock hanging on the wall. It's barely past nine and he's already out of bed?

But I guess this is different. Hunter let most people do his job while I was with him. Rio likes to do it himself. I guess.

As I reach the door leading to a kitchen, I smell delicious spices and look at the person stirring in a pot.

It's Rio. He's... Cooking?

I don't think I've ever seen him cook before. And it looks... Bizarre.

He's a tall, strong man, which makes it weirder because he looks so gentle and kind behind that stove.

Nothing like the hard and cold Rio I remember.

'Goodmorning, Valentina.' Again. He's not even looking at me, yet he knows I'm here.

As if he felt my presence.

'Goodmorning.' I yawn, walking over to the counter.

A bunch of berries are laying in a bowl, ready to be eaten.

But the only thing that catches my eyes are the chocolate-drizzled strawberries.

I climb onto the counter and carefully grab the bowl. 'Did you make these?'

He shakes his head and finally looks up at me, sending a wave of shivers down my spine.

God, I missed him so much.

'Celine made them.' So they must be good.

I nod and pick one, slowly bringing it to my mouth.

I watch as his eyes follow the strawberry to my lips, and start chewing slowly.

'How are you feeling?' He asks, smirking a little. It's not like he can't already tell.

But I shrug and take another bite, throwing the little leaves away before grabbing a new one.

They're absolutely delicious.

'I'm exhausted.' I state, smiling a little. 'Good.' He continues to stir in a pot and throws some more spices in there.

'What are you making?'

'Food for later.' He answers a little confused.

It looks like he has no idea what he's doing, which makes me laugh.

I take another bite from the strawberry and feel the juice drip down my lip, slowly dripping down my neck.

Just when I'm about to wipe it away, Rio turns off the fire and looks into my eyes.

I freeze as he slowly walks closer, pulling my legs apart to allow him to get in between them.

Everywhere his fingers graze my skin, my body goes up in flames, fire rushing through me.

'Let me.' He moves closer to my neck, slowly licking the juice off my skin, before placing soft kisses everywhere.

I lean back, granting him as much access as he needs.

'I missed you.' He groans, making sure his hands are all over the place.

I gasp for air when he presses his hand against my thigh.

'I bet you did.' I smirk and look directly at him, seeing the look in his eyes.

Fire. He wants to burn me again.

And I'll let him. Because I need it.

'Guess you're not tired enough to talk shit, huh?'

I shake my head and pull him closer, slowly wrapping my legs around his waist. 'Apparently not.'

All the hate I felt before I left is gone. All of it. Gone.

It all burned the moment he opened up to me. But I can still feel the ashes lingering in my mind.

He carries me back to the bedroom and slams the door behind us, before placing me on the bed.

The shirt I was wearing, his shirt, flies through the air after he removes it from my body, and he starts kissing me all over again.

Just as he's about to move his lips over towards my stomach, the door slams open just as loud as he closed it not so long ago, and I pull up the sheets to cover my chest.

Rio sighs deeply and slowly climbs up from underneath the sheets, turning to the person standing at the door.

It's Neveah and she has her eyes pinched shut.

'Tell me you two are wearing clothes!' 'Why didn't you knock!?' I shout at her, feeling my cheeks burn up.

I kind of forgot that people don't knock over here.

She peeks between her fingers and takes a deep breath, before lowering her hand.

'I wanted to talk to you about Rio's hands.' Hands? She nods at me and stares at Rio before turning back to me.

'There was this incident one night, where-' 'Why the fuck are you bringing that up!' Rio groans, making me wonder what the hell this is about.

'I'm not talking to you!' She shouts at him.

I'm happy they are finally able to somewhat get along. Did he even apologize for what he did?

'Anyways!' She turns back to me and smiles sheepishly. 'What happened?'

'He was desperate for release.' What is she talking about? Wait...

Oh... Oh...

'So he was jerking off without locking the door.' She sneers, making my eyes widen. 'It was my room, North.'

'Let me finish!'

Oh god, did she- 'I am truly scarred for life, but he certainly has two hands.' She smirks unashamed.

Rio tilts his head a little, trying to find out what the hell she's on about, as I burst into laughter.

'I am absolutely traumatized until I die, but I just wanted to say: it runs in the family!' And with that being said, she runs out of our room.

Leaving both of us startled.

'Was she talking about-' 'Please don't ask!' I exclaim as I turn back to him.

He chuckles softly and wraps his arms around me, pulling my small body closer to him.

Our bodies fit together perfectly as if we're made for each other.

We just lay like that for a few seconds, before I move to get out of bed and get dressed for today.

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed and follows my every move.

'What is it?' I ask as I tie my hair up and look at him through the mirror.

'I honestly thought I would never see you again.' He whispers, making me turn to him. 'What?'

He gets up and walks into the bathroom, slowly inching closer.

'You heard me.' he sighs, wrapping his arms around me tightly. 'Did I?'

He nods, pressing his lips against my neck.

'Never do something like that again, because I swear I would've killed everyone involved.' He sighs, making me chuckle softly as I turn back to the mirror.

'Actually, if you would've simply told me I wasn't chipped, none of this-' 'Valentina. Not now.' He mumbles, kissing me again.

'Fine, I'll lecture you about it tomorrow.' I joke, climbing back onto the bed.

He climbs next to me, keeping his eyes on me the entire time

It's like he's afraid I'll disappear again if he looks away for even one second.

But I don't mind.

I press my hand against his chest and smile when I feel his heartbeat. It's calming, yet quicker than it's supposed to go. I think.

'Since when did you become so soppy?' I ask, kissing him softly.

He leans back and looks at me for a second. 'Soppy?'

I nod and smile while he pulls me closer.

'I mean, I know you missed me but this is a little too much, don't you think?' I joke, hoping to annoy him a little.

And it works. Of course, it does.

'Do you want me to lock you up and ignore you again?' He asks, slowly grinning at me.

He knows that stings and that's exactly why he said it.

Good thing I know what to say to hurt him as well.

'Do you want me to go back to Hunter?' His smile instantly disappears.

He flips us over and pins me to the bed. 'Are you trying to anger me, Valentina?'

Yes. God, yes.

'Maybe.'

I can see desire flash through his eyes for just a second, before he pushes himself off the bed again and heads to the closet. 'You'll pay for that tonight.'

What? 'Why tonight?' I want him to make me pay now and he knows it too.

'Because I have some business to take care of.' Mafia business...

He takes his time getting dressed and walks out of the closet in a fresh suit that makes me clench my thighs together in response. He looks so good...

Better than Hunter ever would.

'If you don't stop staring at me like that, I'll take you right now.' He says as he adjusts his tie in the bathroom mirror.

'Maybe that's exactly what I want.' I say, testing my limits with him again.

'I can't,' He says, clenching his jaw a little to fight the urge, 'But you'll regret tempting me like this, Valentina.'

And before I can even respond, he's out of the door.

----

A/N: YOU GUYS BETTER STOP WITH THE THREATS AND TAKE THEM ALL BACK BECAUSE THEY'RE BACK TOGETHER

Anyways... Will everything work out in the end tho? When will they get to Spain? And what will Leya's decision be?

I finally know how this story is going to end and it's going to be a happy ending... I think... I feel like it is a happy ending so yeah, it's a happy ending... Despite some people.... and... you know... PLS JUST TRUST ME OKAY! It will be a happy ending for some characters!

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT<3

I just wanted to apologize for my slow posting , I'm trying not to rush the story and I'm kinda trying to fill the gaps between the scenes I already have (it's taking SOOOOO long and I hate it), but I'm sorryyy<3

Don't forget to vote and comment on what you liked most! I hope to see you guys in the next chapter! HAVE A GREAT DAY/NIGHT MY LOVES!!!