ALEJANDRO SERRANO

Alejandro tightened his arms around her. "Go back to sleep." He mumbled groggily against her forehead as he placed his lips against her skin, the pressure soothing her otherwise erratically beating heart.

She hummed in response and snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes briefly before they quickly opened again, momentarily startled. Tears stung her eyes and she pushed away from him slightly. The slither of moonlight that escaped from the gap in between her curtains highlighted his face for her hungry, deprived eyes to feast on.

Not believing it, she hesitated briefly before reaching forward to stroke his jaw tenderly, her caress gentle. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes in bliss.

He had missed this.

A sob threatened to escape her as she drank in the sight of him.

Pulling her back to him, Alejandro placed another kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering there, brushing against her skin as he spoke. "I meant what I said, when I said I took my job seriously. I intend to guard you and your body with my life."

"I love you so much!" She pressed her lips into his neck, a silent sob wracking her body as she clung onto him for dear life, afraid that this was just a dream and he would be gone when she opened her eyes.

He must have sensed her distress as he ran a hand down her back soothingly. "I love you too, beautiful. You're my whole world. I wouldn't be able to live without you."

"Don't say that." She chastised him, her eyes brimming with tears once again. She had never cried as much in her entire life as she had in the past few days.

"Just stating the truth." He pressed a kiss to her head and hummed. "Let's go back to sleep. We both need the rest. We can talk in the morning."

He continued to whisper sweet nothings to her, his voice lulling her back to sleep.

This time, she went willingly.

Despite their respective injuries, the small, uncomfortable hospital bed they were lying on and their unfamiliar surroundings, she had just had the best sleep of her life and she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms forever. She didn't care where she lived or what her apartment looked like. Her home was in his arms and she would do everything in her power to never leave them, for that was where she truly belonged.

"You shouldn't be here." She sighed and nuzzled her face into his good shoulder, despite her words. They were both lying on their sides facing each other, wary of their bad shoulders which he had made sure to keep elevated when he slipped into her bed late at night. Hers had been dislocated and his ached from a bullet graze.

He snorted and buried his face in her hair. "As if that's going to keep me away."

"You're going to get us in trouble."

He groaned slightly. "When have you ever cared about getting in trouble?"

She sighed. He was right. There was no point starting now.

"I can't sleep without you." He murmured into her hair, his hands rubbing his hand up and down her back underneath the hospital gown. While the gesture was reassuring, it was more so for his sake than hers. He needed to feel her naked skin against his, if only under his hand, to know that she was okay and with him. His mind kept drifting back to that moment when a gun had been pointed to her head and he feared that would be her last breath.

He swallowed painfully as the memories welled up again, but he forced them down. He pressed another kiss to her hair to calm himself, reminding himself that she was here. Right here. With him. She was safe and in his arms. He didn't need to worry anymore.

"How do they expect me to heal without you near?" He whispered. "You're the only medicine I need to get better."

She chuckled. "When did you get so cheesy?"

"When I fell in love with you."

Her cheeks heated at his confession. She had never been a blusher before him, but the man was either incredibly crude or incredibly sweet to her. There was never a middle with him, and that was one of the reasons she fell head over heels for him.

When his face grew serious, she knew he was ready to talk.

"The detectives mentioned you placed a tracker in my boots." She stated, thinking that would a great place to start.

His body tensed immediately and he tightened his grip on her hair, almost afraid that she would leave. If only he knew that she could never leave him.

"Thank you." She whispered into his neck.

"You're not mad at me?" He asked, looking down at her with surprise evident in his eyes.

Layla shook her head gently. "I might not like it, but the truth of the matter is that you saved my life. How did you do it?"

"I placed it on the side of the heel. That was why I chose your boots. It was easier and there was less chance it would be damaged that way."

"You could have just told me." She pointed out.

He nodded and sighed. "I was afraid you would say no."

"I probably would have." She admitted honestly and leaned her cheek against his chest. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to listen to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

"What happened to Nixon?" She asked softly. "The detectives didn't tell me."

"They killed him."

Her skin erupted in goose bumps and a shiver ran down her back at the thought of Nixon and his fateful death. She didn't want to say that he deserved it, because she sincerely believed against the death penalty and with humans killing other humans, but she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him.

"And the note?" She referred to the piece of paper they had found in Byron's apartment once they discovered his kidnapping, the one that they refused to tell her about even when she insisted.

"What note?" He blinked down at her innocently, but sighed and dropped the act when he noted the pointed look on her face. "Ralph admitted to leaving it."

"Ralph?" Just uttering his name sent a painful, fearsome shiver down her spine. To calm herself down, she nuzzled her face into his chest. "You spoke to him?"

He shook his head, his jaw wired tightly shut. "The detectives told me."

"What did it say?"

Alejandro gulped and looked down at her, locking his eyes with hers. "He said he loved you."

"What? Who?" Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"Ralph."

Layla was rendered speechless as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "He can't love me. He was going to shoot me."

Alejandro closed his eyes briefly and released a deep sigh. "The gun he was holding to your head was empty. He wasn't going to shoot you."

"What?" She shook her head. "I saw him shoot at the police! And he shot you too!"

"They found two guns on him. One tucked into his jeans and one he was holding to your head. The one in his jeans was loaded but the one he threatened you with, was empty. He didn't fire any more shots until one of the officers fired at him, getting him in the arm." He explained. "Once you blacked out, he dropped you and reached for the gun in his jeans. I ran to you and that was when he shot me."

"What else did his note say?" She just knew there had to be more.

"In his note he said he was sorry for how you two met, and that he hoped things could have been different between you. He describes it as love at first sight." He growled at the thought of another man being in love with her, especially one as despicable as her kidnapper. "He said he was going to come for you. He said he would get you out of this mess, whatever it takes. That's why we had to move you to the safe house."

Layla bit her lip, refusing to dwell too much on the matter. She didn't care if he loved her. Even if the barrel of the gun was empty, he had still put her life in danger and allowed her to believe that he would actually shoot her. She had been in genuine fear of her life and leaving behind everyone that she cared for, and that was all due to him.

She refused to glorify her attacker and kidnapper, even if he had treated her humanely when it had really mattered.

When she heard a sniffle, she ploughed through her thoughts and glanced at him.

"I've never been so scared before. I thought I was going to lose you. I thought I would never see you again." He pressed his face further into her hair and tightened his arms around her, careful not to apply too much pressure as he knew she was still sore. When she felt a lone tear drip onto her forehead, she knew he was crying.

Him crying made her cry.

"I thought I was going to watch you die." He admitted with a quiet voice wobbling with emotion.

"You took a bullet for me." She blinked back the tears but to no avail as they streamed down her face despite her many attempts to keep them back. "Two bullets."

"And I would do it all over again if it means I get to keep you in my arms." To emphasise his point, he slid a hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer to him.

"Don't say that." She hated the thought of him hurt. It physically pained her.

His jaw clenched. "I mean it, though. I would travel to the ends of the world to be with you, Layla, and don't you forget it. I'm yours just as much as you're mine."

"I'm not going anywhere." She promised and reached up to caress his jaw, gliding her fingers over his face. While he usually sported some light stubble, he had let it grow out now and was close to a full beard. She couldn't help but think he looked even more handsome with facial hair.

"We belong together."

Alejandro pressed his hand against hers and turned his head, placing a sweet kiss into her palm. "We do, and nothing is going to separate us from this day forward." He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, his mouth inching towards hers. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"You're going to get sick of me." She teased lightly; her eyes still wet.

"Never." He pressed a deep kiss to her mouth, slanting his head to entwine their tongues as they locked lips.

"I just got you back, beautiful. I can't stand the thought of you leaving again." Vulnerability drowned his voice as he pulled back slightly to gaze into her eyes, rendering her at a loss of words.

Instead, she lowered her face to his, pushing him on his back slightly as she towered over him. She was careful as she straddled his body, not wanting to injure him further. She leaned down and braced her hands on either side of his head before her face descended down on his.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise." She sealed it with a chaste kiss. "I love you too much to leave you."

"I'm going to hold you to that." He mumbled against her lips and grabbed her waist to pull her body flush against him. When she tried to protest, he swallowed the sound and bit into her lip, tugging it into his mouth. When she smiled, he took the opportunity to snake his tongue around hers to suck on it, groaning at the taste of her welcoming him home.

"I've missed you so fucking much."

Before he could prove to her just how much, they were rudely interrupted.

"I had a feeling you would be in here." A voice called out, bursting their perfect little bubble.

Layla tried to escape at the sound and naturally, he followed. His back was turned to the door and his shoulder was still in some pain, so Layla propped herself up and glanced over him at the nurse. Her cheeks heated and she struggled to keep the smile off her face at the idea that they had been discovered in such a compromising position.

Alejandro groaned and flopped onto his back. When he winced, both women stilled and watched him closely for any further signs of discomfort.

"I'm fine." He grumbled. "I could do with some painkillers though."

"I thought I was the only medicine you needed?" She teased and ran her fingers through his hair.

He leaned into her touch and grinned cheekily, his eyes looking her up and down as the gown had slipped off her shoulder. "I don't think you're up for the kind of medicine I've got in mind."

"Pervert."

"Mr Serrano." The nurse called to grab their attention, embarrassed at having walked in on such an intimate moment. A part of her wanted to step outside and let them have their privacy, but then she remembered they were both patients and he had left his bed to come to her, breaking multiple hospital rules.

"You've caused enough trouble already."

Alejandro grinned and planted another kiss on his lover before he sat up and swung his legs off the bed, not even bothering to hold down the back of his gown which lifted to flash them both with the delicious sight of his bare, toned ass.

What she would do to sink her teeth into that delectable ass right about now.

Layla stifled a giggle and watched as the nurse looked anywhere but at him, and reached out to help guide him out of her room and back to his own.

"Oh, I haven't even started yet."

-

You can read ahead on Inkitt for FREE: https://inkitt.app.link/RA__illuminating_

Support me to read the rest of this series! https://www.patreon.com/LaylaKnight

Layla Knight

11.06.2020