Sold to the Capo-Chapter 100: WORDS WE CAN’T TAKE BACK

ADRIANA’S POV

Vincenzo had his arm wrapped around me until night fell, and thankfully, no one came to disturb us.

I was watching him quietly as he slept, my mind replaying what just happened as I studied his features.

His expression was peaceful, and this was probably the most time I had spent staring at him. I did feel like a creep, but I couldn’t help; he looked gorgeous... just like he always did anyway.

With a slight shudder when he pulled me impossibly closer to himself, I reached a hand out, wanting to touch his full lips but as soon as my finger lightly made contact with his bottom lip, his hand quickly grabbed it and his eyes shot open, narrowing on me.

My eyes widened and I struggled to remove my hand from his, panic filling my expression, knowing that I had been caught.

Now I would never live this down. Oh shit.

When I realized that I was fighting a fruitless battle, I relaxed, allowing his hand to wrap around my wrist.

"Well...? Care to explain why you’re feeling me about?" He asked, his brow raised and an amused undertone in his words.

I cleared my throat, wracking my brain for the most normal answer I could come up with but I was pulling a blank. "I just wanted to see..." I croaked.

Smooth. What did I want to see?! How his lips felt?! I mentally facepalmed myself, not really eager to finish this conversation.

"You want to know how soft my lips are?" He arched a brow, his voice husky.

"Maybe.." I whispered.

A soft chuckle slipped past his lips and he gently brought my hand that he held to his bare chest, placing it flat. "Trust me, Tesoro... I’m certain, you know" He teased.

I felt my cheeks heat up at his words and I scoffed. "It’s quite hard to remember, I don’t remember things easily so I was just... trying to remember"

He hummed and pushed himself up, resting on his elbow, his hand under his jaw. "You want to remember so bad? You don’t have to do it while I sleep." With that, he leaned forward and kissed me softly, his lips lingering on mine for a beat too long, but I didn’t mind it.

When he finally pulled away, it was with a smirk on his lips. "Is there something else you forgot that I have to show to you?" He teased, his hands lightly tracing circles along my hips.

"No!" I was quick to say as soon as I understood the implications of what he was trying to say.

"What? Are you chickening out on me, Tesoro? I thought you liked a bit of danger..." He raised a brow, his voice filled with amusement. "You know I’d do anything for my beautiful wife"

I rolled my eyes at his words, but I didn’t push his hand away; I let him continue rubbing slow circles on my hips. "You’re such a pain in the ass. Anyways, what time do you leave? You’ve spent hours here in my room"

He groaned like I just made him remember something he didn’t want to. "At least it was worth it. I came here to spend time with you and I did tell Salvatore to make sure we weren’t disturbed till 10 or so, if I knew that you were not gonna be able to keep your hands off me, I wㅡ"

"Vincenzo!" I hit his arm a bit too forcefully, my eyes wide.

He threw his head back and laughed. Like really laughed, his cheeks creasing with the sound. "Yes, Tesoro?" He said between fits of laughter.

I watched him for a second, my chest tightening as I saw him laughing, it was until he wasn’t hearing me say anything that he stopped to look at me. "What?" He grinned.

With a shrug, I sat up on the bed, immediately missing the warmth his body brought. "I’m just surprised to see you laugh again" I murmured, standing to my feet. "Also, you didn’t answer my question, it’s practically 9pm"

He yawned and stood up, stretching his limbs, the sight so domestic that it made me stop to stare at him. I was drinking in the sight of him mostly because I didn’t know when else I would see him. "I’ll leave in about 2 hours or so" he informed me.

"Right, Val is in charge, I’m guessing?" I asked.

He nodded, grabbed his shirt from the chair, and shook it out, preparing to slip it on when I blurted, "Where are you even going?"

He paused, glancing at me with a smirk dancing across his lips. "Why? You don’t want me to wear it?"

"That’s not what I said," I muttered, crossing my arms.

He tilted his head, his smirk deepening. "I mean, I can go shirtless if it’ll make you happy. Hell, I could even take off my pants, too. It’s not like anyone would mind."

"Vincenzo!" I shot him a glare, though I could feel my face heating up.

He burst out laughing, his voice rich and teasing. "What? I’m just saying! You seem pretty interested in what I’m wearing—or not wearing."

"You’re annoying," I muttered, trying to fight the smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

"I live to please you, Tesoro." He winked at me before finally slipping the shirt on.

As lighthearted as the moment was, I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in my chest. I cleared my throat, crossing the room to stand in front of him. "So... How are the things in Sicily in detail?"

The smile on his face faltered slightly, though he recovered quickly. "Just some business that needs handling. Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about."

I frowned, not liking how easily he dismissed my concern. "Doesn’t this ’business’ have anything to do with the Bratva?"

His entire body stiffened, the shift in his demeanor so subtle that most people wouldn’t have noticed. But I did. "Adriana," he said softly, his tone warning. "You don’t need to concern yourself with that. I’ll handle it."

"I’m not asking to handle it. I’m asking because I care," I argued, my voice firmer now. "When will you be back?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I’ll check on you soon enough. I’m trying, Adriana. I’m doing my best right now."

The tension in the room grew heavy, and I was about to back off when he suddenly smirked. "Don’t miss me too much, though. I’d hate to come back and find you pining at the window like some tragic heroine."

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, shaking my head. "You wish"

"That’s the spirit." He leaned down and kissed me softly, his hands brushing against my waist as he straightened his shirt.

As he stepped back, adjusting his cuffs, the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Be safe... and I love you."

The room went completely silent. Vincenzo froze, his hands stilling on his cuffs as he stared at me. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Oh, God. Should I have said that? My heart raced as I tried to gauge his reaction. His face was unreadable, and for the first time since he got here, I felt vulnerable under his gaze.

Finally, he forced a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Love is a strong word, Tesoro."

The weight of his words hit me hard, but I quickly masked my embarrassment. "Forget I said anything," I mumbled, turning away from him.

He didn’t say anything more, and tension filled the air.

A knock on the door interrupted the silence, and Vincenzo walked over to open it, revealing Salvatore standing there.

Salvatore took one look at me and then fixed his gaze on Vincenzo, clearly not wanting to say what was on his mind.

"Figured that you’ve had enough time. You ready to go, Enzo?" Salvatore asked, his tone casual but his eyes glinting with unsaid words.

"Yes," Vincenzo replied curtly, stepping past him.

Salvatore’s gaze shifted to me, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Looks like you two had a productive little... meeting."

Heat rushed to my face, and I shot him a glare, my mortification rising under his knowing look.

"Mind your business, Salvatore," Vincenzo said coolly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Get the car ready. We’re heading to the airport soon."

Salvatore raised his hands in mock surrender, still smirking as he walked off.

Vincenzo turned back to me, his expression softening. "Stay safe, Adriana," he said quietly.

I nodded, my throat tight as I followed him out of the room.

We ended up sitting together in the living room for hours, the silence between us surprisingly comfortable. Vincenzo sat beside me, his hand gently stroking my hair as I leaned against him. It was moments like this that I cherished the most—the calm.

When it was finally time for him to leave, I walked him to the door, my heart sinking with every step.

He turned to face me, his expression unreadable as he studied me for a long moment. "Adriana..."

I looked up at him, trying to keep my emotions in check. "What is it?"

He hesitated, then stepped closer, his hand brushing against my cheek. "Just so you know," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I’m in love with you too."

Before I could process his words, he leaned down and kissed me, the moment forever printed into my mind.

And then he was gone, leaving me standing there with my heart racing and my mind replaying those three words.