Chapter 43: Chapter 43

The door creaked open, and I instantly started coughing as the dust tickled my throat.

I fanned my face as I looked around the apartment that I hadn’t touched in months. Luckily, Stefano’d kept up with the rent for me, but if the landlord saw how neglected the place was, I’d get thrown out in an instant.

I left the guards standing outside and closed the door behind me.

I was finally alone.

Memories of my time here flooded through me.

The couch in the living room that Selena and I often lounged on, binging Netflix shows and eating ice cream.

The unstable dining table that broke after Selena and I jumped on top of it because we saw a mouse in the kitchen. Jalen had to come and get rid of it for us.

And the chip in the wall where Stefano had pinned me multiple times when we were together before, unshackled by the responsibilities we carried now.

I sighed, my tense shoulders relaxing.

These were happy memories of a time when I didn’t have to second guess everyone’s motives, when the worst I had to worry about was if I wanted pepperoni or veggies on my pizza.

The apartment was a stark contrast to the luxury I had been living in for the past few months, yet, as I walked through the small space, I didn’t seem to care.

This was my home.

The place where Selena and I’d gotten back on our feet after our aunt had disappeared.

I flicked on the lights and started cleaning the place, wanting to take my mind off everything that had happened today.

Knowing how tight his security was, Stefano had already received notice of my location, I was sure of it. So I needed to hurry and take care of everything before he came knocking.

The man was often predictable.

I grabbed a trash bag and started with the pile of pamphlets and letters thrown through the mail slot. Stefano had taken overpaying my bills electronically, including Selena’s tuition, so all of those could immediately get tossed. I sorted through the rest, just in case there was something from my aunt.

But it was all for naught.

I debated opening the refrigerator but ultimately decided against it. I didn’t want to know what months of rotting take out smelled like.

I moved to the bedroom and bagged most of my clothing to be donated, as I had no use for it now that my closet at Stefano’s place was full. I paused when I came across the dress I’d been wearing when I’d first met Stefano. I ran the fabric through my fingers.

Impulsively, I folded the dress and placed it in a box to take with me. I wasn’t ready to part with it yet.

I pulled out the boxes from the back of the closet. These were definitely coming with me. I opened the top box and took out the photo album. It was from when I was very young, before my parents had died.

We looked so happy together, our little family of four.

I returned the album to the box, closed it up, and placed it by the door. These were some of my most precious possessions. I couldn’t leave them behind.

The next box contained Selena’s mementos, and I added it to the pile by the door. I may be upset with her for dropping out of the semester and ignoring my frequent attempts to get in touch with her, but I couldn’t trash her belongings. No matter how angry she made me at times, she was still my sister, and I loved her.

The last box contained the most recent photographs. My last birthday, Selena’s high school graduation.

I briefly skimmed through the photos, smiling at the memories they conjured. I bent down to pick up one that had fallen to the floor. It was of Stefano and me. One of the few I had of the two of us.

It was a strip of four photos we’d taken at a photo booth when we’d brought Selena to the amusement park.

We were smiling so goofily, making weird faces at each other.

I hadn’t seen Stefano smile like that since we’d met again.

We’d confessed our growing feelings for each other that night and had sex for the first time.

~Our tongues tangled together in a flare of passion as our hands hurriedly tried to remove our clothing. I grabbed a tight hold of his hair and yanked him closer, biting on his bottom lip and eliciting a groan out of him.~

~My head fell back as we pulled apart, his lips searing my skin as they nipped and sucked on my neck, trailing toward the crest of my chest that peaked out of my lace bra.~

~He reached a hand behind my back and unclasped the bra, letting it join the rest of my clothes on the floor.~

~He dipped his head and sucked my erect nipple into his mouth. I arched into him and moaned, my nails scratching his chest and toned abs.~

~His hand trailed down my body to clutch my thigh, lifting my leg to wrap it around his waist.~

~I was shoved against the wall as his lips sucked harder.~

~My pussy throbbed, desperate to feel his thick shaft plowing into me.~

~Stefano switched to my other nipple, nipping at it before slowly flicking his tongue around the hardened bud, causing me to bite my lip as my core tightened.~

~I moved my hand from his chest to his pants, attempting to unbuckle his belt. He quickly placed a hand over mine to stop me, bringing it up to kiss my palm.~

~I stared at him through hooded eyes, the sound of our heavy breathing lingering in the air.~

~His lips curved in a smile full of desire, and I wanted nothing more than to hold him in my arms all night long.~

~He unbuckled his belt and pulled it from his belt loops, then reached for both of my hands, clasping them together against the wall above our heads.~

~“What are you doing?” I inhaled sharply as he wrapped the belt tightly around my wrists, binding my hands together.~

~“Keep them there,” he ordered as he took a step back to admire me plastered against the wall, my arms tied above my head. “Let me take care of you.”~

~I clasped my thighs together, squirming to create the friction I desperately needed to find my release.~

~“Legs open. I want to see them open, Catalina.”~

~I pursed my lips at the command, wanting to defy him but desperately needing him to touch me as well. In the end, I chose to listen, spreading my legs apart.~

~“Good.”~

~His eyes traced my body with a hunger that left me desperate, hungry for his rough hands to manhandle me. I felt like I was being worshipped, loved, and adored.~

~A weird sensation pooled in my chest as I turned my head away to look anywhere but at him. I felt completely exposed.~

~Stefano approached me and lowered to his knees. He grabbed one of my legs and threw it over his shoulder, aligning his face with my throbbing heat.~

~I looked down at him in anticipation. He dipped his head, and in an instant, his tongue was latched around my rosebud, sparking pleasure like no other before him.~

~I moaned as my bound hands came down to grab hold of his hair. A frustrated sound escaped my lips as he pulled away.~

~“Hands up,” he commanded.~

~I quickly placed my hands back up against the wall, thrusting my hips forward as if to say, “just hurry the fuck up, already.”~

~He chuckled and gave me what I wanted. His tongue lapped up my juices as it slipped—~

A knock on my bedroom door startled me, and I fumbled the photo, causing it to drop to the floor once again.

Stefano was leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, a somber look on his face.

I knew he’d come.

I turned my head away, still bitter over our argument. “I’m just collecting my family albums.”

“Do you need help?”

I shook my head and clipped, “I’ll manage.” I bent to pick up the photo and put it with the others.

He walked into the room, stopping next to me to gaze down at what I was doing.

“Is that the one we took at the park?” His eyes lingered on the photo strip in my hand.

I nodded. “Do you still have yours?”

“It’s in my wallet.”

I paused, hating that my resolve to stay mad at him slightly weakened at that.

I cleared my throat and continued flipping through the photographs.

At the bottom of the box was a framed photo, and I picked it up, a soft smile growing on my face. It was one of my favorites growing up.

Selena and I were on a blanket at some beach. I was sitting on our father’s lap; Selena was nestled comfortably in our mother’s arms. We were all smiling brightly at the camera as the picture was taken.

I sighed and traced the picture in thought.

I hadn’t thought of my parents in years. They’d died when I was eight. I remembered bits and pieces of them, but my memories had long since grown foggy with age.

“Wait…let me see that…,” Stefano murmured as he took the frame from my hand and peered at it with scrutinizing eyes.

“These are your parents?” he asked with a frown.

“Yeah, why?”

“When I researched your background, it said they died when you were a baby.”

“Huh? It must’ve been a mistake. They died from a car crash when I was eight.”

“Huh,” he said, staring intently at the picture, as if looking for something. “What was your father’s name?”

“Dave. Why?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I just thought he looked familiar for a second.”

“Well, you are looking at his gorgeous replica.”

He chuckled. “It would seem so. Do you need help with anything?”

I shook my head and closed up the box. “No, I’m done. It’s just this box and the ones by the front door. I don’t need anything else from here.”

“Let’s head back then.” He lifted the boxes by the door and carried them to the car. Neither of us mentioned our fight as we headed home.

It seemed like we were both avoiding another argument, but I knew that sooner or later, it would need to be addressed.