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Sixteen

L EON

The treetops danced in the breeze as I enjoyed my morning coffee out on the terrace.

The sparkling azure sea shimmered in the distance, the white puffy clouds floating overhead reflecting off its surface.

The water was littered with sailboats taking advantage of this breezy morning, drifting lazily around and matching my energy today.

I was so happy, I felt intoxicated and blissful. Everything was going so well with Cali, and soon she’d be with me every single day. I never imagined things would turn out so well, and yet here we were, in almost constant communication and growing closer by the day .

Today, she was out shopping with her sisters, and I’d get to see her again later.

Footsteps approaching pulled me from my revelry, and I lifted my head to see Iason walking toward me. By the look on his face, his energy did not match my blissful outlook.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, noting the tension in his clenched jaw.

He thrust a crumpled envelope toward me, frustration etched on his features.

“I’m fucking done. If you don’t take care of this, I will,” he snapped.

I lifted a brow, taking the envelope and eyeing him carefully. Iason wasn’t in the habit of giving me orders, so I knew whatever was going on had upset him.

“He’s basically putting a target on us.”

He crossed his arms, his hands fisted, as he waited for me to open it.

I exhaled, a sense of dread creeping in. “What now?”

I pulled the piece of paper from the envelope with my name scrawled on it and read it, my heart racing faster with every word.

Leon Boscos,

End your engagement immediately. If you fail to untangle yourself from Calista Vitalis, the Boscos empire will suffer the consequences. The Boscos family continues to be the source of deep insults to powerful families that cannot be ignored .

Don’t sacrifice your family’s legacy by making this grave mistake.

“It’s not signed?” I asked Iason. “Who sent this?”

“Seems obvious, right? A carrier just delivered it without any clue about the sender, but given the phrasing…”

“You suspect it’s Lucianos?”

“I think so,” he replied. “Who else would feel insulted by you? And with a reference to ongoing insults?”

“True,” I said, anger surging through me now. “I agree, Iason. We can’t let this go. Not any longer. This guy is crazy if he thinks he can fuck with me. I don’t know why he’s doing this, though. Calista made it clear she was never truly interested in him. It doesn’t add up.”

“A man whose ego is bruised rarely makes rational decisions.”

His words rang true.

Whatever Lucianos’s reasoning, this couldn’t stand. Sending me threatening letters like this? Who the fuck did he think he was?

I’d never let him near Calista again. She’d made her decision on her own, but I would die defending it.

Lucianos must be destroyed.

“Increase security for Calista,” I instructed Iason. “And then get a team together to do surveillance on Lucianos and his family.”

“Maybe the cousins can help us out?” Iason suggested .

My extended family lived all over the region, ready and available at a moment’s notice to help in any way necessary.

“Good idea,” I said. “He won’t recognize anyone.”

“I’ll take care of it right away,” Iason said. “Anything else?”

“Not at this time,” I said. “Let me know what the team finds out about Lucianos. I want to be informed of every move he makes, especially if he’s coming toward us.”

“You got it,” he said before walking away, his footsteps determined and angry.

I sighed, reading the note again with exasperation.

Finally, I picked up my phone. Elias, Nikolas, and the sisters needed to be informed about this threat. I texted all of them in a group chat and put my phone down, my head spinning.

It was important to make sure Dominic Lucianos didn’t come near any of us. With luck, my team would have enough lead time to stop him if he decided to do anything.

I was in my office later when Cali arrived.

Her sisters had dropped her off and were on their way back to Laya’s estate. I was glad to have some time alone with her, but when I noticed the way she wobbled in her high heels and the faint pink flush in her cheeks, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Looks like you had fun,” I said as she stumbled into my office, steadying herself on my desk.

“My sisters forced me to drink all the champagne,” she slurred, each vowel lingering on her tongue .

“Made you?” I echoed, feigning shock. “I didn’t know anyone could make you do anything, Calista.”

She straightened, lifting her fists like a boxer.

“You’re right,” she said. “So don’t try, or I’ll punch you in the face.”

I pulled her forward, letting her weight settle against me.

“I understand you assigned additional security to my team,” she charged, her voice sugary.

“Guilty.” I shrugged, enjoying the way she pouted, her bottom lip pink and tremulous. “Does that upset you?”

She cocked her head, trying to look stern, but her lips curved. “Not at all. If it makes you feel better, go ahead.”

“That’s good,” I said. “I would have asked you first, but then I realized I’d do it anyway—even if you said no.”

Reaching up, she cupped my face in her hands, shaking her head.

“You are so very pretty and so very fuckable, do you know that, Leon?”

Her words caught me off guard. Pretty and fuckable?

She saw me that way?

“And you and I need to have a serious conversation. Eventually.”

Before I could ask what she meant, she crushed her lips to mine, pressing hard enough to take my breath away.

My cock grew thick and ready for action in my jeans, my body instantly aroused and hungry for hers.

Fuck, she was intoxicated, and this was not the ideal time to want to fuck her.

I couldn’t tell how much she had drunk, but this newfound confidence was out of character for her, suggesting she was feeling tipsy. I turned my attention to the open office door when I noticed the staff moving about the house, cleaning up.

Cali’s fingers dove under my shirt, but I caught her wrists and held her at arm’s length. “Babe, as much as I want to flip you onto this desk and lose myself in you, I don’t think the staff needs a front-row show.”

She pouted at first, but she perked right up once she saw me heading to the bedroom. Looked as if she was in a mood.

And that mood seemed to match what I’d been feeling most of the day. The urge to get her naked skin rubbing against mine was overwhelming me. I wanted to be gentle with her, but the lust ricocheting through my veins felt anything but gentle.

Clearly, she trusted me.

Otherwise, she’d never have come to me being so open and nakedly assertive. I loved it, I did. But the line between being gentle and unleashing the full impact of the desire I felt for Cali was quickly blurring.

As soon as the door shut behind us, she attacked me again, as lust and unquenched need rolled off her in waves.

Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of my shirt.

“I want you to fuck me, Leon,” she hissed.

Well, fuck. I wasn’t expecting that to come out of her mouth. But I sure liked it. And so did my cock. It swelled painfully.

“Aren’t you drunk, darling?” I asked, my voice thick with lust .

“Yes,” she admitted. “And that’s exactly why I want to do this.”

She crashed her lips onto mine, but I gripped her shoulders and pulled back until I could see her face. “Please explain.”

She pressed both palms into my chest, her nails cool through the fabric. “I want to have drunken sex with my husband. Is that so bad?”

“We’re not married yet,” I reminded her.

“Oh, who cares?” she exclaimed before pushing my shirt from my shoulders, allowing it to drop to the floor.

I stood still. “Wait—what did you want to talk about?” I asked. “Let’s talk first.”

She pouted and let out an exasperated sigh before turning away from me, walking over to the bed, and plopping down on the edge of it.

“Fine, I’ll talk. But you have to promise to listen to everything I say before you say no.”

“I’m not in the habit of saying no to you, but I promise to listen.”

She pursed her lips, looking as if to feel me out before going on.

“Okay. I have a favor to ask you,” she said, running a hand through her long hair. “Wait. Two favors, actually.”

I shrugged. “I’m listening.”

“First,” she said, lifting her chin, “I want to be there when you confront Ozias.”

I blinked, the duvet cool under my fingertips. “ Why?”

“I want to watch.” Her voice was steady, but a faint tremor trailed her words like a ghost.

My stomach knotted. “Calista, I’m not sure I want you to see that part of me.”

I was being entirely honest with her. The last thing I wanted was to ever frighten her in any way. What if she didn’t look at me the same afterward? What if she didn’t trust me anymore?

The thought of that was too much to bear.

She leaned closer, as if ready to throw down a challenge. “Are you afraid I’ll think differently of you?”

Had she read my mind?

“You’re very perceptive. Yes, I am,” I admitted.

She smirked. “And yet you are the one who presented the idea of gifting me Ozias’s heart. Were you not afraid of the same thing then?”

That was a good question. What was the difference?

“I don’t understand why you’d want to be there. Can you explain better?”

“I’m done with the past, Leon.” She stood, staring intently at me, searching for understanding.

“I want to walk into this new life with you, free and clear of all the baggage I’ve been carrying.

Seeing the life drain from Ozias’s eyes will finally help me put that chapter behind me.

I’ll be able to move on, fully, completely, and without the demons of the past holding us back in any way. ”

My heart broke for her.

For all the shit she’d been through. All the shit she never asked for, plopped on her shoulders like a death sentence .

Cali was beautiful and kind, and her heart was pure.

She was special.

She never deserved any of this, and she deserved to be able to find a way to put it all behind her.

Her request to watch Ozias die, brutal as it sounded, felt almost tender in comparison to the cruelty she’d endured. If I’d been trapped in her shoes, I might have wanted the same.

I couldn’t blame her. I certainly did not judge her.

“I understand, darling,” I said. “But I need you to agree to something before I agree to your request. I need you to promise me that if I think you’re in danger, for any reason, you will let my people remove you.”

Her brows drew together, lips parting in silent protest.

“It’s the only way, Cali. Take it or leave it.”

I hated to be so firm, but without that vow, I’d never be able to concentrate on the task at hand. I realized I would constantly worry about her safety throughout. Ozias held great power. He would be highly protected.

Every precaution would need to be taken.

“All right,” she finally agreed.

I lowered my head and kissed her, my heart overflowing with emotions for her. I drew her toward me, holding her close. With all my being, I wished I could erase her pain, the dreadful memories and the haunting nightmares.

I knew I’d never be able to change that. Cali had been forever altered. She’d never be the same girl she once was. But I planned to do everything in my power to ensure that nobody ever hurt her again and to create plenty of wonderful memories to overshadow the bad ones she was burdened with.

I sat on the bed and pulled her onto my lap, kissing her again as she wrapped her arms around me. She straddled me until her pussy was directly against my still throbbing cock.

She moaned, pressing against me harder.

I pulled away, breaking our kiss, and stared up at her. She was beyond breathtaking, so beautiful. She made it impossible to think as she looked down at me through lust-glazed green eyes and her silky blond waves cascading around her flushed face.

“What’s the other favor?” I asked, leaning in closer to catch her whispered words. Her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink as shyness crept over her face, and she shook her head.

“Never mind,” she mumbled, her gaze darting to the floor.

I studied her, attempting to understand what was significant enough to make her stop and reconsider.

“If you don’t tell me, we’re not having drunken sex,” I teased, trying to coax a smile out of her.

She shook her head in protest. “That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not, but I mean it,” I replied with a wink. “Tell me, babe.”

“All right, fine,” she said, staring down at me, still hesitating.

“You can tell me anything, Calista. We’re friends first, remember?”

My words seemed to open something up in her.

She lifted her head. The soft curve of her lips trembled as she mustered her courage.

“I want to feel like the woman I used to be. And I can only do that if you stop holding back.”

“Holding back?” I asked.

“Yes!” she insisted, her voice rising passionately. “I promise, Leon, I won’t break! I’m not a fragile doll!”

“Is that how I make you feel?”

“Sometimes.”

“Tell me what you need from me, Calista. I’ll do anything, darling.”

My words hung in the air between us. She seemed to be weighing them to see if I really meant them.

“You always keep me on top. You never restrain me. You go out of your way to make me feel so safe.”

“And?” I asked, lifting a brow. Were these bad things?

She leaned in, her mouth brushing against mine as she whispered her next words. “I know you have a darker side, Leon. Everyone talks about it.”

Her lips traveled to my ear, capturing my earlobe between her teeth and biting down with a deliberate intensity.

“I want to see it,” she breathed, her desire more than evident. “I want you to fuck me like you mean it, Leon.”