ELENORA

My eyes flutter open and I find Rico laying over me with his head resting on my chest. The floor to ceiling windows in the room give me a view of the city skyline and by the way the sun is setting, I'm guessing it's late afternoon, maybe evening. I don't remember coming back into the bedroom.

I rub my eyes, but cry out when something hard jabs me in my eye. "Ouch!"

My eye starts watering as I rub at it. I look at my hand with my one eye and I gasp attempting to sit up but the weight of Rico's head keeps me down.

I stare and blink at the pear sapphire, diamond ring, on my finger that I know wasn't there before. It's beautiful and the color of the sapphire is an unbelievable ocean blue-green; I'm mesmerized as it sparkles against my hand.

My vision begins to blur as I keep staring at it. I sniffle, wiping my face and Rico stirs and turns his head to press his face against my chest, kissing it before he moves to the side. "Mmm, I've never been big on napping, but I think it has something to do with you." He snuggles up next to me.

I don't say anything, not trusting my voice at the moment. He kisses my neck and then moves up on his elbow to look at me, but I turn my face away. "Hey, you okay? Are you hurting?" His hand holds my chin as he turns my face to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

"What's this?" I hold my hand up and his eyes move to the ring on my hand.

"A ring."

I exhale and sit up moving towards the edge of the bed but he pulls me back towards him. "It's an engagement ring, Elenora. Don't you like it?"

"I...I love it. It's gorgeous."

He smiles wide at my response. "But why, Rico?"

"Because we're engaged, remember?"

"No. We're not." I fold my arms. "We've only talked about it and you didn't even ask me, you slipped it on my finger when I was passed out. So romantic." Rico chuckles and I glare at him.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter. This whole thing is fake and the ring is probably fake, too." I move the blankets away from me and start to get up but Rico pulls me back again and hovers over me.

His face is somber and he moves next to me, lifting my hand in his to look at the ring. "It was my mother's."

He runs a finger over the ring. "My father had it custom made for her. It was her favorite color and when you mentioned the color mint was yours, I thought it was fate." His eyes move to mine and there's a ghost of a smile on his lips. "It's a perfect fit, too."

"Why not use a fake ring though?"

"You are the most confusing woman I've ever met." Rico kisses me. "It didn't sound like you wanted it to be fake less than a minute ago and now you're asking why it isn't?" He nips at my jaw then moves to my neck.

"It feels wrong to wear something with so much sentimental meaning behind it, and you and I—we're...we're just..."

"We are just what?" Rico prompts.

"You said it yourself, this is to throw off my dad's enemies, even though it seems like it's not working if you ask me. And while we have...chemistry, we also bring out the worst in each other it seems, even though you were pretty bad to begin with, and you're not the relationship type. Let's not forget you like to remind me how I'm not your type either—"

Rico cuts me off with a kiss.

He moves his mouth over mine as I give in to the kiss, he deepens it. His hand holds my face as he pulls away and his lips linger on mine before he rests his forehead on mine.

"I know what I said, Elenora, but since I met you...you've possessed my thoughts, my dreams; every waking moment you're on my mind and...in my heart, too." His eyes are searching mine as he looks back at me.

"I can't focus because you're all I think about and I don't know how it happened. I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone. I tried to ignore it or make excuses."

He interlaces his hand with mine and brings it in between us. "When they were trying to take you, it made me realize what I feel for you isn't fleeting and then finding Leo over you...It's been a long time since I've been scared. And I was scared that I'd lose you."

He chuckles but it's a sad laugh and when he looks at me, my heart twinges when I see his eyes are red and filling with tears. "I'm in love with you Elenora Borelli. I know I'm not very good at being a boyfriend or romantic, but I don't want this engagement to be fake. I want to be with you every day for the rest of my life."

I pull his face toward mine to kiss his eyes, feeling his tears on my lips. "I didn't want to admit that I was falling for someone who felt like a villain, Federico. But you've made me feel safe—safer than I've felt in a long time. Even though, in all honesty, my life has gotten crazier since I met you. But...you can't be serious about getting married. We've only known each other a few months and what's happened between us is so new and..."

"Do you love me, Elenora?"

"Yes." My eyes widen at the confession while his face lights up in the most adorable way. "I...I do love you, Rico. But we hardly know each other. Rosetta clearly hates me. And what will my father think? Oh my gosh, my mother will probably have a heart attack." My mind starts racing, imagining everything my mother will be saying, thinking or doing when she finds out.

"Who cares what everyone else will think or say?" He holds my face in his hands. "People get married knowing each other less time than we have."

"You're crazy." I shake my head trying to contain my tears and laughter.

"So are you," He responds and I laugh as I wrap my arms around him and hug him close to me. "How about it, Elenora?" Rico leans away and rubs his nose against mine, and then peppers my face with kisses. "Will you marry me, mia patatina?"

I look into his brown eyes and there's no mistaking love shining through them as he waits for me to answer him.

"Yes, I will marry you Federico."

He smiles and kisses me. "I promised Pia I would let you rest." He tells me in between his kisses. "But since we've slept most of the day....what she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?"

"Rico..."

"I'm kidding, but let's go out to eat." He lays on top of me nuzzling his face into my neck.

"I look like crap, Rico, all the bumps, bruises."

He sits up on his elbows. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known."

"I guess it's true what they say, love is blind." Rico doesn't laugh like I expect him to; instead his face is serious. He leans on his side and interlaces his fingers with mine.

"My love for you is not blind, amore. I might be new to this, but this isn't some infatuation, or puppy love; I feel it in my bones. You brought meaning back into my life after living mindlessly and being lost in the darkness of vendetta's and revenge. You are my life now, Elenora." He picks up our intertwined hands and brings them to his lips. I bite back a smile when he kisses his own hand.

"That was really sweet, Rico. It probably would have been sweeter if you hadn't kissed your own hand."

He lets his head fall on my chest, laughing. His voice is muffled against my body. "I was hoping you hadn't noticed."

I chuckle. "Kind of hard not to—but it was still sweet and hilarious. Okay, let's go out to eat, but can we go visit Mostro?"

He lifts his head from my chest, narrowing his eyes. "Why?"

"Rico, he almost died saving the woman you claim to love."

"I do love you, but technically it was you who saved his ass. And he knows being around me and doing what I pay him to do comes with the job hazard of the very real and very likely possibility of dying."

"Does that include me?" I sit up and he leans back. "Do I have the very real and very likely possibility of dying, being around you?"

He looks at me intently before he moves and rests his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face and running a hand through his hair. He exhales and then looks back at me. He strokes my face. "I won't let anything happen to you. Let me go grab that medicine Pia brought for you."

I take a deep breath as I sit up all the way now, I feel a little nauseous from not eating much all day. Rico walks in and hands me the morning after pill and a glass of water. "Now's probably a good time to tell me what you really do, Rico, because you sure as hell aren't just some CFO for your family's hotels, Capo."

I reach for his hand, pulling him to sit down next to me. I trace the tattoos and the veins on the back of his hand. "You travel with a horde of men, you have at minimum five different cell phones on you at all times, you fight like you've been training most of your life, you're always carrying, and something tells me Angela is trying to get you to talk to Gabriel because your version of teaching your cousin a lesson, means he will never be found again or end up as fertilizer."

He bursts into loud laughter and then crawls over me, pushing me back on the bed. "God, I love you and how that crazy mind of yours works. What else have your high observant skills discovered?" He leans his head against mine, closing his eyes.

I run my hands down his strong back. "You're definitely a cuddler, and I know you love to eat fruit for breakfast, you prefer red wine over white, and you wear more jewelry than I do." I brush some of his hair back away from his forehead when he leans back to look at me.

I run my fingers over some of the scars on his face. "I googled you and there's hardly anything other than some hotels and businesses associated with your name. And I've heard the staff mention a different last name when they talk about you...and I'm pretty sure I heard Pia say it, too." His eyes meet mine as I continue.

"Di Maggio. As in this hotel, The Di Maggio."

He observes me. "You're not mad? Or scared?"

I shake my head. "I can only assume you use 'Barone' as an alias because of your thug-life and like I've told you before, I don't scare easily, Rico. I lived in fear most of my childhood and into adulthood because of my nonno's violent demeanor towards me. My father has had threats made on his life before being a lawyer; I'm not an idiot and know he's made a lot of enemies, but that's as far as it went, empty threats until recently."

Rico lays his head on me. "No one's come after your family before?"

"If they have, papa never let us know about it, probably to not scare us. And maybe I should be scared and upset that you didn't tell me the truth." I lift his head so he can look at me. "But you've proved your loyalty by saving me, more than once." I smile as I hook my leg over his and roll us so I'm on top. Rico looks up at me with a soft smile on his lips. He sits up and holds my face as he kisses me.

"I wouldn't call what I do a thug life. I took over the family when I was really young—eighteen. I got caught up in the title and let the power go to my head and felt I needed to prove myself using my fists to earn their respect but that way of thinking landed me in prison at nineteen when I beat an old rival nearly to death."

"What happened?" I run my hands through his hair and he leans his head forward on my chest taking a deep breath before looking back at me.

"Diego's Uncle got in my face when I went to confront him for what he had done to Serafina. We argued; his Uncle said Serafina was a whore and some other bullshit. Anyway, I had a short fuse then." I raise my eyebrows at him. "Well, shorter fuse than I have now." He amends as he moves my hair back over my shoulders.

"We fought and I nearly killed him. He lost an eye, got several broken ribs, a punctured lung and he had to have his jaw surgically repaired and wired shut." He sighs. "I didn't think things out then and acted out in rage. The feud that took place between our two families ended in a blood bath; it drew too much attention to us, cops were called, I got arrested and served time."

"Is that the vendetta and revenge you referred to earlier? It's been between you and Diego?" He looks away as he nods.

"But having enemies comes with the territory. Greed, bad business dealings, betrayals, broken alliances." We sit in silence for a few moments. "Anyway, what do you say we let your family know we're officially engaged?"

"Let's wait until tomorrow, plus you already talked to my dad anyway. I don't want to deal with the circus that will ensue when my family finds out. Let's just enjoy this happy moment between us for now, before my family has you running for the hills." I smile at him and brush my lips against his. "What about your Zia? Should I worry, she'll put a hit out on me for taking her pride and joy away?"

Rico's eyebrows come together. "She already knows."

"She knows?"

He nods as his finger runs along the inside of my robe. "And how did she take it?"

He shrugs. "She wasn't happy, she thinks we're rushing..."

"She really doesn't like me, does she?"

Rico cups my face. "She doesn't know you."

I don't respond for a moment. "Let's get ready to go out and can we go see Mostro?" I move off his lap and start to crawl out of the huge bed, but he pulls me back.

"Why do you want to see him so badly?" He asks and I roll my eyes.

"Don't tell me you're jealous, Federico." I push him back and kiss him as my hair falls over us. "He's like thirteen years older than me."

"Ten."

"Close enough. You're already pushing my older guy cut off, as it is. I mean, maybe if he's really good in bed or something then I might be swayed..." I bite my lip as I look down at Rico, seeing the fire in his eyes.

I squeal in surprise and laugh as we nearly fall off the bed after he switches positions. "No one's as good as I am, mia patatina."

I smile then shrug. "Well, to be fair, I can't make a fair assessment. Maybe I should use this engagement period to test out the waters, even out the playing field, you know? After all, you have way more experience than I do and I can't imagine you're the only one that can make me feel good in bed..."

"Are you seriously trying to get me pissed off on purpose?" His eyes have darkened with intensity.

I fight back a laugh. "Marriage is no joke, Rico. Do you realize you're the last first kiss I'll ever have, the last first time—well, I consider you my first one, because Leo doesn't count, but you're the last man I'll sleep with for the rest of my life. That's serious business. And you've had the time of your life being with probably hundreds of women." I pull my lips in to hide my grin; he starts breathing heavily staring down at me.

I push him back as I get off the bed but I don't make it far before he grabs me and walks me back up against the windows of the room. He kisses me passionately. "Rico, what about what Pia said?" I barely managed to speak. I'm breathless as his mouth moves over my neck and he yanks at the sash on my robe and opens the flaps of the robe.

He tugs down his boxer briefs. "I'm going to show you why you're not going to need to fuck anyone else." He pulls the robe down my shoulders and gets on his knees as he lifts one of my legs over his shoulder. I gasp as he kisses and bites my inner thigh before his mouth is on me.

He flicks his tongue in a slow, delicious torture against my clit and I close my eyes, leaning against the cold window pane, letting my body feel all the tingling sensations that are spreading deep within my core.

He moans into me as he laps and sucks on my slit before he thrusts his tongue inside of me. My legs are trembling but he stops before the orgasm takes me over the edge and I whimper from the abrupt stop as he stands.

"No one will make you feel as good as I can." Rico kisses me and as our tongues meet he sucks on mine before he releases it and then holds my leg up as he thrusts into me deeply. "Only I can give you that feeling." He withdraws and circles his hips into me as he thrusts into me again and again. He reaches down and lifts my other leg, while I hold on to his broad shoulders and he carries me back to the bed.

He tosses me onto the bed and comes over me. His mouth is everywhere, my breasts, my neck, my stomach and I never realized how sensitive my inner hip is until his mouth kisses and his teeth graze me there. He stands and grabs my ankles, yanking me down to the edge of the bed. "Get on your hands and knees, Elenora." I look up at him panting.

"Now." I turn on my hands and knees and look over my shoulder at him. He reaches out for me and caresses my ass before he trails his hands up my back, causing a shudder to go through me. His hand rests next to my neck and shoulder; and I inhale sharply when he slams into me. His pace is rough, hard and fast and an orgasm rips through me powerfully, but he doesn't stop.

He pushes me down on my stomach and his fingers interlace with mine to brace himself as he keeps pumping into me. This new position is hitting on the right spot and I moan with need as another ball of tightness builds deep in my core, but he withdraws and flips me on my back and drives into me again; my back arches off of the bed, but he pushes me down as he lifts my legs over his shoulders and plunges into me.

The position feels deeper and I feel like he's hitting something, I jolt when he hits the spots again; Rico stops, "Am I hurting you, baby?"

"No, but you're definitely hitting something." He lowers my legs from his shoulders. I whine as I reach for him. "Don't stop, Rico."

"Let's try this way instead," He lays down on his side behind me and enters slowly. I lean into him and his hand comes around to cup by breasts, kneading and massaging them and pinching my nipples. He moves my hair aside and kisses my neck, his hand travels up to my throat and he turns my face to kiss me.

I moan when his hand travels down and his fingers find my throbbing clit. He keeps kissing me and I push up against him with each thrust and he changes positions again and hovers over me kissing me slowly.

"I want to watch you." His eyes are hooded with desire, lust and even love. We gaze into each other's eyes as he pushes himself inside of me, groaning and then his jaw tightens as he moves in and out of me; my body reacts on its own wanting to be as close to him as possible and my hips lift to meet his.

His mouth comes over my chest and he suckles on my breasts, before he moves down, and then his mouth is on my clit and the change in pace and sensation is mind-blowing as I come on his face. He moans as his tongue laps at my folds.

He moves up and kisses me, holding our intertwined hands above my head. "You're mine, Elenora." His voice is raspy and our bodies are slick now as he continues to pump into me making sure there's no doubt that he's taking over every inch of my body, mind and heart.

And just like he said he would, he's ruined me.

*****

A/N: Elenora's and Rico's story is not over yet. Please check out the sequel Saved In Darkness on my profile page!

Thanks to all of my loyal readers and new ones, too! I appreciate all the love, feedback, votes, and shares!