Chapter 131 I LOVE YOU ALL
Chapter 131 I LOVE YOU ALL
~ELENA~
The house is quieter than usual.
Not empty—just hushed, like it’s holding its breath.
Gianna and Valentina are downstairs, laughing softly over something stupid on their phones, giving me space without saying they are.
I linger in the hallway, barefoot, heart thudding for reasons I don’t want to admit out loud.
I miss being touched by my stepbrothers. We have been so busy lately that we don't even have time to think about sinful thoughts like that.
Now, I'm just lingering at the hallway hoping I'll see my stepbrothers and they'll figure out I want to be touched without me saying it.
I feel him before I see him.
Vincenzo stands near the window at the end of the corridor, sleeves rolled up, shirt slightly undone at the collar.
The city lights cast shadows across his sharp features, making him look almost unreal.
He turns when he senses me. Our eyes meet. And something shifts.
“You okay?” he asks quietly.
I nod, then shake my head.
“I don’t know.”
That makes him smile….slow, soft, dangerous.
He takes a step closer. Then another. He doesn’t touch me. Not yet.
“They stayed,” he says. “Your friends.”
“Yes.”
“And they didn’t run after finding out the whole truth,” he says.
“No.”
His gaze drops to my lips before he catches himself and looks away, jaw tightening like he’s restraining something.
“I’m glad,” he murmurs. “You deserve people who don’t leave. They're good people.”
The words wrap around my chest, warm and aching.
I swallow. “So do you.”
He laughs under his breath.
“I don’t think I’ve ever deserved anything good,” he tells me.
I move closer without realizing it, until there’s barely space between us.
I can feel his warmth, smell his cologne….clean, masculine, comforting.
“Look at me,” I say softly.
He hesitates… then does.
His eyes are dark, intense, vulnerable in a way he never allows anyone to see.
“You scare me,” I admit quietly.
His brow furrows. “Because of what I am? The new Mafia Lord??”
“No,” I whisper. “Because of what you make me feel.”
That stops him.
I reach out slowly, giving him time to pull away.
He doesn’t.
My fingers brush his wrist. Just barely. A question. A promise.
His breath changes.
“Elena,” he says, voice low. “If I touch you right now, I won’t stop.”
My pulse jumps. “I’m not asking you to.”
For a second, he looks like he’s fighting a war inside himself.
Then Nico’s voice drifts down the hallway.
“Wow. Am I interrupting something, or should I grab popcorn?”
I gasp softly, stepping back, embarrassed.
Vincenzo exhales sharply. “You’re insufferable.”
Nico grins as he walks closer, eyes flicking between us with open amusement.
“Relax. I’m just appreciating the tension,” he teases.
Riccardo appears moments later, leaning against the doorway, still pale but smiling.
“Am I late to the moment?” he asks. “Because I felt something intense happening.”
I laugh, heat rushing to my cheeks.
“You’re all impossible!” I exclaim.
Riccardo’s gaze softens when it lands on me.
“You look lighter and happy,” he tells me.
“I feel lighter and happy,” I admit.
He steps closer carefully, taking my hand and pressing a gentle kiss to my knuckles….slow, deliberate, intimate.
“Then it was worth surviving,” he murmurs.
Nico moves behind me, not touching, just close enough that I feel his presence.
“We’re not going anywhere,” he says quietly. “Not tonight. Not ever.”
I stand there, surrounded by them…..heat, strength, safety, temptation, my heart full and unsteady all at once.
For the first time, I don’t feel like I’m standing on the edge of something dangerous.
I feel like I’m exactly where I belong.
And the way they look at me….God.
It makes my knees weak.
The air between us thickens.
No one jokes now. No teasing. No distractions.
Just four people standing too close, breathing the same air, feeling something that can’t be taken back.
Vincenzo is the first to move.
He reaches for me slowly, deliberately, as if giving me every chance to step away. His fingers brush my chin, lifting my face just enough for him to see my eyes.
“Tell me to stop,” he murmurs.
I don’t. I tilt my head up instead.
That’s all it takes.
His mouth meets mine…..not rough, not rushed, but deep, controlled, devastating. Like he’s been holding this back for too long. Like he’s afraid of how much he wants me.
My hands clutch his shirt, pulling him closer, and the low sound he makes against my lips sends a shiver straight through me.
Then Nico is there.
Behind me. Close. One hand settling at my waist, grounding, protective. His lips brush my temple, then my ear.
“You okay?” he whispers.
“Yes,” I breathe. “More than okay.”
Riccardo moves last, careful, still healing, but his presence is just as powerful. He takes my hand, threading his fingers through mine, pressing his forehead to my shoulder.
“I’m still here,” he murmurs. “I don’t want to miss this.”
Emotion swells in my chest….love, relief, longing, all tangled together.
Vincenzo pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against mine.
“This changes everything,” he says quietly.
“I know,” I whisper.
Nico’s grip tightens slightly. “And we’re not scared anymore.”
Riccardo smiles softly. “We already lost too much to run from what we want.”
They guide me gently toward the bedroom….not hurried, not reckless. Just certain.
The door closes behind us with a soft click.
Vincenzo cups my face again, kissing me slower this time, deeper—while Nico’s touch traces warmth along my arms, and Riccardo’s presence steadies my racing heart.
Clothes are shed slowly, reverently, like every touch matters. Like this isn’t just desire, but choice.
Connection. Love.
Vincenzo’s voice is low against my skin.
“You’re safe with us, baby doll.”
Nico’s breath is warm at my neck. “You’re wanted, little dove.”
Riccardo presses a kiss to my hand. “You’re loved, my little vixen.”
“I love you all,” I admit. “So so much.”
I close my eyes, surrounded by them, heart full, body aching, soul open.
And when they finally pull me down into the bed between them…..I don’t feel overwhelmed.
I feel home.
The rest of the night belongs only to us.