Chapter 4
She always wanted to leave something behind, or hold onto something.
Isabella's hands wrapped around Vitale's neck on their own. "If... I wanted your earring, would you give it to me?"
Vitale's gaze clearly flickered, surprised by her boldness.
The black obsidian earring in his left ear gleamed darkly under the light, complementing the deep blue in his eyes.
"No," he refused with a smile. "This is something I can never be without."
Isabella bit her lower lip in disappointment, unconsciously shifting her body, her knee inadvertently brushing against Vitale's cock between his legs.
In that instant, she clearly felt its dormant yet undeniable size and heat.
Vitale's eyes suddenly deepened, a dangerous signal flashing through them.
His large palm suddenly covered her soft breasts, kneading them through the fabric with measured pressure.
Isabella couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, the unfamiliar pleasure shooting through her spine like an electric current.
She realized that if this continued, the situation would spiral completely out of control.
"How about we exchange a secret instead?" she proposed urgently, trying but failing to push away Vitale's hand. "Tell each other something private, that way we'll both have something on each other, and we'll feel safe."
Vitale chuckled softly, his hand continuing its movements, his fingertips brushing teasingly over her hardened peaks.
"I want to know everything about you," his voice was husky, "but a secret is a start. Go ahead, my patience is limited, Ms. Brown."
"Can you let go of me first?" Isabella was almost pleading, the strange tide surging through her body making her thoughts chaotic. "I can't think like this."
Vitale looked at her deeply, finally releasing his grip.
But the next second, he scooped her up horizontally and strode toward the spacious double bed in the center of the room.
Isabella was gently placed on the soft down comforter, then he pulled another blanket over her, covering her completely, and gathered her, blanket and all, into his arms.
"Now," his arm lay across her waist, holding her in place, "speak."
Isabella calmed down slightly in the warm confinement.
After thinking for a moment, she finally spoke softly: "Actually, I shouldn't have lost to Colt."
Vitale didn't interrupt, just quietly waited for her to continue.
"My sister Sonia always thought I was trying to seduce Colt," her voice carried bitterness. "So she set up that dart game."
"She switched out my darts to make them heavier than normal. She wanted to humiliate me at tomorrow's wedding as punishment."
Vitale's soft laugh rippled through the air, carrying a hint of dangerous amusement.
"That's not really your private business, is it? That's your sister Sonia's."
As he finished speaking, he leaned down and placed a burning kiss on Isabella's full cleavage.
Isabella trembled all over, as if struck by electricity.
"Actually, I have a boyfriend, he just didn't come tonight."
Vitale's deep blue eyes gazed at her, keenly catching the flash of panic in her eyes.
This boyfriend seemed to have a complicated relationship with Isabella.
He didn't call her out on it, suddenly reaching for the cigarette pack on the nightstand.
The lighter flared and died in the dimness, smoke curling around his sharply defined face.
Vitale sat with his back to her on the edge of the bed, his back muscles looking particularly solid and powerful in the interplay of light and shadow, every line revealing restrained strength.
Isabella sat up wrapped in the blanket, not understanding what this sudden silence meant.
The air filled with the rich aroma of cigars, mixed with his unique crisp scent.
"Yesterday," Vitale's voice was so low it almost broke, "I lost my beloved sister."
This sentence hit like a heavy hammer, shattering all the ambiguous atmosphere.
He clutched his head in pain, his knuckles turning white from the force.
This invincible man was now as fragile as a lost child.
Isabella's heart inexplicably tightened.
She forgot her situation, forgot all the scheming and defenses, and just instinctively hugged Vitale from behind, her slender arms wrapping around his broad chest.
"It will get better," she said softly, her cheek pressed against Vitale's warm back.
With her whisper, the down comforter covering Isabella's body quietly slipped away, but she didn't notice.
Her warm chest pressed tightly against his hard-lined back muscles, as if trying to drive away the coldness in his heart with her own body heat.
Her slender arms embraced him, one hand carefully and soothingly stroking over an old scar on his shoulder blade.
Vitale's body tensed imperceptibly for a moment.
"This must have hurt a lot, didn't it?"
He didn't answer, but his tense muscles gradually relaxed under her touch.
Seeing that Vitale didn't resist, Isabella grew a bit bolder.
Her fingers slowly moved upward, running through his thick red hair, her fingertips gently massaging his scalp, like soothing an injured beast.
"Those bad things," Isabella continued to murmur, her breath brushing against the back of his neck, "if you're willing, you can share some with me."
It was this sentence, like a precise key, that finally pried open Vitale's locked heart.
Vitale suddenly turned around, his movement carrying an almost uncontrolled force.
He looked deeply into her clear eyes, where there was no calculation, no fear, only pure tenderness and compassion that almost drowned him.
Vitale could no longer bear such a gaze. Like a traveler who had trudged too long in the desert and finally found an oasis, he buried his face deeply in Isabella's soft and warm chest.
As if that was the only harbor where he could dock, the final refuge for his shattered soul.
Isabella drew in a sharp breath, then tightened her arms even more, holding him close.
She felt his broad shoulders trembling slightly, and then the fabric of her shirt was slowly soaked by a scalding liquid.
In this moment, they were no longer gambler and winner, just two lonely souls clinging to each other in the darkness.
After a long while, Vitale stubbed out his cigarette and suddenly lifted Isabella with one arm.
Isabella cried out in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, thinking the tender moment had ended and he was finally going to force himself on her.