Page 63 of King Of Order

I stumbled inside, scarcely holding it together, barely able to inhale.

His spice and musk cologne wafted in the room, and I sighed as my soul sought relief.

I was hyperventilating, and he took note of it and stopped me in my tracks.

With a push to my spine, he bent me over my knees.

‘Breathe,’ he growled.

I did as commanded, my eyes following as he moved with purpose. He crossed the room to the drinks cabinet and poured a tot of golden liquid into a crystal tumbler.

‘Here,’ he ordered, pressing the glass into my trembling hands. ‘Drink.’

The tumbler weighed heavy, foreign in my fingers, but I obeyed, bringing it to my lips.

The whiskey burned down my throat, sharp and biting.

For a brief instant, it dulled the screaming inside my head.

But only for a moment.

I lifted my head and canted my eyes to the ceiling.

‘Olivio is dead,’ I whispered, the words struggling to leave my mouth like saying them out loud would make them too real.

Too final.

Rio didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he came nearer, caging me in with his body. Hands on my hips, he crossed the room with me in his grasp, taking slow, deliberate steps.

I followed, confused.

Still, he stayed on me until he had me against the kitchen countertop.

I stared at him, blinking as his heat drew closer, scorching me even as his arms went on either side of me.

‘Let go, Chiara,’ he growled.

I clutched the tumbler in my hand tighter, unwilling to obey.

‘Fuckin’ let go, woman,’ he snarled.

One of his hands slid the glass from my clasp, setting it on the counter.

His upper limbs wrapped around me, pulling me close, and I shattered.

The sobs came, wracking my body, shaking me to my core.

I pressed my face into his chest, clutching at him like he was the only entity tethering me to the world.

The only element keeping me from breaking into a million pieces.

His hand thrust into my hair, massaging my scalp.

‘I’ve got you,’ he murmured against my ear, his rumble soft but resolute.

He didn’t tell me to stop crying. He didn’t ask me to pull it together.

He. Just. Held. Me.

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