Page 43 of Bite Marks

Her eyes never left him as his body changed. His bones snapped and shrank until Nunzio, the man, stood in his place. Seeing him there brought her a sense of relief.

She walked up behind him, placing her palm on his back. The blood had stopped flowing from the gashes that littered his body. Already healing.

Nunzio began barking orders at the men who had arrived during the battle. They were the clean-up crew. Vanessa looked around, letting the events of the last twenty-four hours sink in. She had never imagined that she would be one of these girls.

Her mother had warned her what getting involved with Nunzio would be like. How life tended to pull everyone around these men into situations, not everyone made it out of. Vanessa had been aware of all this, yet standing here watching Nunzio put his life on the line for her fed the part of her brain that wanted to be his.

Nunzio led her away from the scene, allowing his men to work undisturbed. It was surreal how normal all of this felt to her. Vanessa was aware she should have been panicking after what she had witnessed. Yet she felt calm. Maybe it was a sign of an early mental breakdown, or maybe it was the presence of the man that stood beside her.

Vanessa took Nunzio in the same way she would a new piece in her gallery. She deconstructed the power in his flesh, memorizing the lines of his back and shoulders. She noticed the way his eyes kept moving between her and his men as if to make sure she was still next to him. His attention was honed into her, even when she didn't see it.

Has it always been this way?Vanessa was so focused on not falling for him that she missed the little things. Thinking back, Nunzio had always treated her with respect. When he was with her, she felt as if she were the only interesting thing in the room. And when she was without him, she found herself missing something, but she could never quite figure out what.

He came for her. Protected her. A warmth filled her chest, and her body began to tremble. Hope scattered across the pieces of her heart, an invitation to put them back together. Nunzio turned to her, holding her with his endless gaze. He filled her without touching her, offering her deepest desire to her. She lost herself in his silent promise. No one else existed. His large hand covered hers. Gently cradling it in his own.

Vanessa was pulled into his chest. His hard form enveloped her frame. Vanessa felt the weightlessness of trust as she melted into him. He held her close, a shield holding the evil of the world at bay. And she believed he could. She knew he would conquer the storms.

Yes. She had come close to losing him tonight, just like she lost her father. They had used her to get to him. To lure him out. Yet he still came, ready for battle and unwilling to leave without her. It was the most selfless and stupid thing anyone had ever done for her. Vanessa wanted to hit him and kiss him all at once.

The pain she had felt when Lenny threatened to end Nunzio echoed in her chest. It was too close, unearthing the fears she tried to bury. That was when she knew she had failed. Somehow, she had fallen for Nunzio. He had weaved himself into the fibers of her being. Without realizing it, the picture of her future was beginning to change, and Nunzio was at the end of everything.

He was worth it. Every bad scenario that had haunted her was starting to feel more and more like a monster she would face for him. Vanessa knew that it wouldn't be easy living at the crossroads of two worlds. She had seen firsthand the lives it took.

Nunzio may have promised to be less involved, but what did that mean to the men who had it out for anyone like him? Nothing, that was what it meant. It was just a part of the package.

They would always be a target.

But at least they would have each other.

She had imagined a world without him. The hollow wound that opened in his absence was an abyss more frightening than any fate she could imagine. It was unbearable. Nothing held joy without Nunzio. Even the scariest possibilities were worth facing with him by her side. She knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She wouldn’t let anything happen to him either.

She held him back. Leaning into his warmth.

She wanted to trust him. A part of her was brave enough to admit she already did. It weighed against the scale which held her doubts. She knew her time was up. It was time to stop hiding from the only thing she wanted. If she couldn’t, she would lose him.

Nunzio leaned her back, and Vanessa instinctively looked up at him. Relief and determination reflected in his eyes. He scanned her face searching for something she couldn’t place. Her heart began to race, a small voice inside of her understanding that she wouldn’t be the same after this.

“I need to tell you something,bella," he said. "And I need you to hear me out. This may not be the best time, and maybe you don't want to hear it, but I'm tired of this. … "

“Nunzio?” she questioned, her voice with a breathy whisper.

Vanessa felt the earth sinking beneath her feet. His face held a seriousness he reserved for family matters. She couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He was on a rapid cycling of emotions that matched her own. Two tornados headed for each other.

“I almost lost everything when I thought I lost you. Every second believing something horrible was happening to you made me realize I was wrong.” He took her hands in his.

Turning her wrist, he kissed the smooth flesh. A shiver ran down Vanessa's spine. The tender way he held her was a stark contrast to his hardened flesh. His eyes flashed, and a jolt ran through her. His desire for her was so apparent it coated her like a suit of armor. He leaned in, closing the space between them. Stopping only when their noses were whispers apart.

“You’re everything to me, Vanessa. I just wasn’t smart enough to make it clear sooner. I was too focused on all the things that didn’t matter. None of that is important anymore. You are.”

“What are you saying, Nunzio?” she asked.

“I'm saying that even if you believed that this relationship was fake, I gave you the real me. And I believe you showed me the real you too. Even though I know you have your doubts, I'm telling you straight out that you can trust me as a man. Ever since that first night …”

“Nunzio, I …”

"Wait, I need to say this," he said. "I had a plan for my life. I was going to be legendary. Nothing mattered but my title and how fast I could get there. Then you came along, and I started to see that there was so much more to the world. I started wanting more than this life for me. And I want everything with you. You saved my life,bella. You changed what I want for my future.” He cupped her cheek, a look of adoration she had never seen in his eyes. “I love you, Vanessa, and I have no intention of letting you walk away.”

Vanessa froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Did she love him? The voice urging her to take the risk told her she did. But could she really love him? Could she walk into his arms and stay? Could she face each day knowing everything he did came with risk? Or was she in way over her head?

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