Chapter 24: Deepening ties

When we reached the end of the catalog shoot, I finally took a deep breath of relief. The marathon of shooting that had started with the first light of morning had come to an end, and the feeling of exhaustion had enveloped me after the long hours of work. Sofia, understandingly, had chosen to stay at home. I knew she needed rest, and it would be selfish to push her for the shoots.

As I entered my office, I grabbed a cup of hot coffee and settled into a comfortable chair. I tried to savor this moment. However, the intensity and tension from work were still lingering within me. Throughout the shoots, I had tried to control every detail, focus on every aspect, and with each attempt, I felt the exhaustion and tension in every fiber of my being. My patience with the team had waned, and I had sometimes given overly harsh reactions. I couldn't shake the image of Sofia in her bloodied wedding dress from my mind.

As for Marco, he was a member of the Moretti family. This truth was still a reality that I couldn't fully accept.

When the office door suddenly opened, I furrowed my brows. In that moment, I felt a mix of emotions; who could be entering? When I turned my gaze to the door, I saw the familiar face of Leonardo entering with a smile. Even though I hadn't expected him, seeing him seemed to lighten the burden on my shoulders. I quickly stood up from my chair and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Bella," he said with a warm tone as his arms embraced me.

"Hmm, someone seems to have missed me," I playfully replied.

Leonardo chuckled.

"Hugging you felt good. I'm quite tense," I said, with an expression that conveyed the seriousness in my eyes.

"Yet I thought I had relieved your tension last night," he added with a mischievous tone. The memory of last night made my legs press together involuntarily. Every time I was intimate with Leo, it was better than the previous time. The bold woman inside me loved it. Leo had no boundaries, and that was quite arousing.

"My mind is constantly on Sofia. I wonder how she's doing."

"I'm sure she's fine, after all, she's an adult, isn't she? Why don't we give her a little more space to relax? We could go somewhere," he said with a playful glint in his eyes.

"I can't just leave Sofia alone, Leo. Could you please take me home? I'm too tense to drive," I said, taking a deep sigh as he agreed. I knew from his eyes that he actually meant for me to come to his place, but with my mind still on my friend, I couldn't accept such an invitation. The relationship between Leonardo and me was complicated, and I didn't want to get closer in this situation.

As we hit the road, I slipped off my high heels.

"Are your feet hurting?" he asked, glancing at my bare feet.

"Yes."

"Stretch your legs onto my leg," he suddenly suggested.

"What?"

"Stretch your feet onto my leg. I can give you a massage."

"But..."

"Come on, Bella," he urged impatiently, using one hand to place my legs on his thigh. While he controlled the steering wheel with one hand, the other hand gently massaged from my ankles to my toes.

We had been silently focused on the beauty of the road and the relaxing effects of the massage. I had distanced myself from the conflicts within me, at least for a moment. My eyebrows furrowed as a message appeared on my phone.

"What happened?"

"Sofia sent a message saying she went with Marco," I said, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Darling, aren't you a bit too worried? Both of them are adults, and interfering so much in their lives doesn't seem right to me," she said without taking her eyes off the road.

"I don't want my friend to be upset. Marco's life is dangerous. Didn't you see last night? There was blood on her wedding dress, and Marco was shot. I'm not sure she'd want a life like that, actually, I'm sure she wouldn't. Sofia absolutely despises guns and blood," I said.

Sofia's father had died when she was very young, and she remembered those moments.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you hate guns too? Or are you afraid?"

Was I afraid of guns? No, I wasn't. Unlike Sofia, I liked guns. But I wanted a safe and peaceful life.

"I don't like them," I just said.

"Bella,"

"Yes?"

"We're here, my love," she said, turning to me. When had the car stopped? I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed we had arrived. Looking around, I saw a place that wasn't my familiar home.

"This isn't my house."

"You're right, we're at my place. Since Sofia went with Marco, you don't have an excuse not to be with me," she said and picked me up in her arms.

I wrapped my arms around her neck.

"This wasn't an excuse, Leo."

"I kissed the tip of her nose. 'I know, baby,' he said, lifting me out of the car and carrying me into the house. In just a few days of knowing this man, I was quickly getting used to him, and I could feel that our relationship was deepening rapidly.

As we entered the house, she went straight to the bedroom. She laid me down on the bed and began to undress. She removed her jacket, shirt, and finally her belt and pants one by one. It was truly enjoyable to watch her undress. She was handsome and didn't shy away from knowing it.

I wanted to run my fingers through the space between her bare shoulders.

"Why are you still dressed?"

"Because I can't make love to you. I got my period this morning," I said. My words might have slightly dampened her mood, but she still climbed onto the bed and knelt on her knees. With her long fingers, she unbuttoned my shirt, her face carrying a serious expression as she did so, as if she were performing the most important task in the world.

"I don't want to make love, I just want to sleep with your naked body," she said, dropping my shirt off my shoulders. As she quickly found her place in my pants, I was left only in my underwear.

She slowly lay down beside me and reached her hand towards me. She gently stroked my hair with her fingertips, then kissed my face and lips. My eyes closed for a moment as I lost myself in her touch. Both of us were silently sharing the proximity of our bodies and the comfort it brought.

The freedom of this moment filled me, as she slowly moved closer to me. Drawing nearer to her and experiencing this warm moment, I was calming the turmoil and tension inside me. She slowly wrapped her arms around my body, kissing my back and waist gently. I took a deep breath, trying to savor this moment.

We locked our eyes on each other, silently losing ourselves in each other's gazes. Both of us put aside the past and the future, just enjoying the pleasure of this moment. With each breath, there was a feeling that we were getting closer to each other.

Lifting my leg gently, I placed it over hers. Her fingers were gently tracing my stomach, providing a light massage. My eyes were slowly closing; I was surrendering to the relaxing effects of her touch. I started to relax with the touch of her fingers, each movement filling my body with a slight numbness. My breathing slowed down, and I focused entirely on enjoying this moment.

As her touch lulled me into relaxation, she gradually lay down beside me. Approaching her and experiencing this warm moment, I could feel the deepening connection between us. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around my body, planting gentle kisses on my back and waist. I took a deep breath, trying to fully experience this moment.

With our eyes locked on each other, we both silently got lost in each other's gaze. Both of us put aside the past and the future, simply sharing the pleasure of this moment. There was a sensation with each breath that we were drawing closer to each other.

Gently lifting my leg, I placed it over hers. Her fingers were tracing my stomach slowly, providing a gentle massage. My eyes were slowly closing, and I let myself succumb to the relaxing effects of her touch. I began to unwind with each movement of her fingers, feeling a mild numbness spread through my body. My breaths became slower as I focused entirely on savoring this moment.