Chapter Seven

Heidi

" Y ou're cute when you're cranky," Alessandro says, smirking at me from across his bedroom.

"Who says I'm cranky?" I sniff, scowling at him. "Maybe crazy men knock on my door every night, scoop me up over their shoulders, and kidnap me."

That's exactly what he did half an hour ago. He didn't even give me time to say anything. As soon as I answered the door, he grabbed me, tossed me over his shoulder, and stomped over here with me.

And then he deposited me in his bed, kissed me stupid, growled that he'd be right back, and disappeared again.

His dimples pop out as he prowls across the room toward me. "Crazy men better not be putting their fucking hands on you if they want to keep them, Sunshine," he says.

I roll my eyes at him, not dignifying his caveman ways with a response.

"Skeet is in the guest room."

So that's where he went.

"I told you that I wasn't staying with you tonight, Alessandro."

"We both know you're right where you want to be, angel. You're just too goddamn stubborn to admit it."

"Am not," I mutter.

"So admit it then," he challenges me, dragging his T-shirt off over his head. "Say, ‘Alessandro, I want to sleep in your bed with you.'"

I do want to sleep in his bed with him. I've thought about nothing else all day. After Charlie dragged me to the kitchen in the bakery today, she basically forced me to admit that I have feelings for him and then reminded me that there's nothing wrong with that. She also told me that love can be terrifying, but if you spend all your time afraid of it, you miss the really great parts.

I don't know when my little sister got so smart, but she's right, darn it. I don't want to spend my whole life so afraid that I miss the best parts of it. I think Alessandro may be one of those parts. But admitting to him that my own parents didn't even want me feels a little bit like ripping open a wound that never really healed. I don't know how to be vulnerable. I've never let myself do that.

And he makes me want to be able to be that person so freaking badly I can taste it. But taking that leap is, literally, the most terrifying thing I've ever done.

I think I have to do it, though.

"You're thinking awful hard, Sunshine," he says. "It's one little sentence."

"Maybe for you," I mumble, staring down at the gray comforter. "For me, it feels like giving you my freaking soul, Alessandro."

"You afraid I'll sell it to the devil?" he teases. The bed dips as he sits beside me, his heat searing into me.

"No." I swallow hard. "I'm afraid you'll give it back."

"Heidi, angel." He reaches for me, his hand curving around my jaw, demanding I look at him. His warm brown eyes bore into me. "Talk to me, Sunshine."

"My parents abandoned us when we were little girls," I blurt. "Um, they neglected us a lot and lost custody of us a few times. We spent a lot of time in foster care. One day, they just left and never came back. We were there by ourselves for a week before we ran out of food."

"Jesus," he breathes, something dark flaring in his expression. His jaw pulses. "How old were you?"

"Five."

"Your sisters?"

"Gemma was two. Charlie was three. Um, Adalynn had just turned seven. Leia was six." I exhale a shaking breath.

"I'm so fucking sorry, angel."

"We spent a lot of time separated in foster care until Adalynn's foster parents found out that she had four sisters," I whisper. "They pulled strings and got us all placed with them. As soon as they were able, they adopted all of us."

"Garrett's parents?"

I nod, my eyes watery. "They're our parents in every way that matters. They've been good to us—really good, Alessandro. But we all struggle in our own ways with what we went through. Um, I guess I've always been afraid to let people get too close because of it."

He's quiet for a minute. "If your own parents didn't want you, why would anyone else, is that it, Sunshine?"

I bob my head, my throat tight.

"Look at me, Heidi."

I resist the command, not sure I'm ready to face him yet. But he's determined to make me see him, to make me face him. He turns my face, his hand gentle but firm, until my eyes meet his.

"Your biological parents didn't deserve you," he says, his voice low and heated. "You were a miracle then, and you're just as much a miracle now. Anyone lucky enough to spend five minutes standing in front of you knows that much, baby. God knows I do."

"Alessandro," I whisper.

"I want you because you're perfect in every way," he says, his tone vibrating with a quiet intensity that steals my breath. "I want you because I spend every waking minute thinking about you—about your smile, about those dimples, about the sassy things you say, and how I can make your life even one iota better. How you make my life better just by being in it. I want you because the thought of not having you is, literally, the worst fucking thing I can imagine, Sunshine." He presses his forehead to mine. "I want you. Every perfect inch of you. And there isn't a chance in hell that I'm giving even a tiny piece of you back."

I sob his name, practically throwing myself into his arms as tears pour down my face.

He catches me, dragging me onto his lap. His lips crash against mine, his kiss wild and fierce before he eases off to brush tears from my cheeks. "Thank you for trusting me with your story, angel."

"Please be patient with me, Alessandro," I plead quietly in response. "I want this so freaking bad, but I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so afraid I'm going to mess it up."

His lips curve into a soft smile. "You can't mess it up, Heidi. There are no rules." He seems to think better of it as soon as he says it. "Actually, I take that back. There is one rule."

"What?" I ask, my heart in my throat.

"No more making me come looking for your sexy ass when I get off at night," he growls, his eyes narrowed on me. "I expect to find you in this bed where you belong."

"Alessandro, we can't just—"

He silences me with his lips against mine. "We can do whatever the fuck we want, angel," he growls against my lips. "No rules, remember?"

"You just made a rule," I remind him.

He growls playfully, making me giggle.

"Fuck, I love that sound." He kisses me again and then again, running his hands up and down my sides.

"I love that," I hum, melting into him.

"What?"

"The way you touch me." I look up at him through my lashes. "The way you look at me. I've always been a big girl, but you make me feel beautiful."

"I make you feel beautiful?" He cocks a brow. "Baby, you haven't looked in a mirror lately if you don't feel that way every goddamn day." He grabs my hand, placing it over his groin. "I've been this fucking hard since you opened the door in that damn apron."

I wrap my hand around him through his pants, unable to help myself. He's so damn hard.

He growls my name, his head falling back. His heated eyes meet mine as he bucks into my hand.

"Alessandro?" I push against his chest. "I'm feeling very brave."

"Oh, yeah?" His dimples pop out, a lazy grin spreading across his face. "How brave, Sunshine?"

"Lay back, and I'll show you."

He doesn't waste any time obeying. He stretches out on his back, his hands interlaced behind his head, a smirk on his face. God, he's gorgeous.

I sit up on my heels, staring down at him with the tip of my tongue caught between my teeth, trying to decide where to start.

"Do your worst, Sunshine. I can take it."

Grinning, I straddle his waist, my hands dancing over the defined muscles of his chest. His breath hitches as I lean down to press hot kisses against his collarbone before trailing my lips down his solid pectorals.

I pause to admire the ink swirling across his skin, the lines and curves telling stories that are part of him. My fingers trace their path as if reading braille. His heartbeat thrums beneath my fingertips, beating strong.

A low growl rumbles from him, vibrating against my lips as I continue my journey down his body. His abs tense under my touch, his muscles flexing beneath my palms.

He reaches out, tangling his hands in my hair to push it back behind my shoulders. "You're so damn sexy," he groans, watching me with half-lidded eyes. The way he looks at me...it fists around my heart, squeezing out emotions that are far more exhilarating than terrifying for once.

"So are you," I whisper, dipping my head to press a kiss just above the waistband of his pants.

He responds with a sharp intake of breath. "Careful, Sunshine." The husky warning rolls off his tongue like sweet honey.

"You told me to do my worst," I remind him, holding his gaze as I unbutton his jeans. He doesn't stop me, not even when I peel them down, and his erection springs free.

I lean down again, pressing hot kisses against his stomach, each one drifting lower.

He hisses when I get too close, his abs tightening under my lips. He practically squirms, trying to get me where he wants me, but I ignore him, kissing everywhere except there—his hips, the insides of his thighs, and the dark thatch of hair beside his shaft.

"Fuck," he groans, his entire body shuddering as he breaks. "Please, Sunshine."

Triumph surges through me as I finally give him what he wants, wrapping my lips around the head of his cock. His strangled cry of ecstasy sends waves of heat radiating through my body.

I lick the salty drop of precum from him, my heart pounding against my ribcage. His hand finds the back of my head, his fingers tightening in my hair. He's gentle as he urges me down further, his hips lifting in a silent plea.

I take him deeper, my eyes watering as I try to take all of him. I use one hand to stroke what I can't fit in my mouth, twisting it in the same rhythm as my mouth.

"You're killing me," he groans, his voice gritty with need. He's breathing hard, his stomach muscles contracting every time I suck especially hard or swirl my tongue around him. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I let his body guide me, and judging by his response, I'm not terrible at it.

The way he trembles beneath me, his fingers twitching in my hair, makes me feel so damn powerful.

His hips buck off the bed as he groans my name in a plea for release. But before I can even move, he pulls away with a curse, his dark eyes burning into mine.

"It's my turn now."

"But I wasn't—"

"Done?" he finishes for me, a devilish grin stretching across his face. "Trust me, Sunshine, we're just getting started."

In one fluid motion, he flips me onto my back, tugging roughly at my clothes. There's no subtlety in his movements now, no playful teasing. His desire is raw and all-consuming as he strips me bare.

I can barely breathe as he leans down to kiss me, intense and demanding. The desperate hunger pouring from him sends shivers down my spine.

He moves on to my neck, biting and sucking in a way that has me moaning his name and clinging to the sheets.

"Listen to how sweet you sound," he growls as his lips trail lower. He stops at my breasts, lavishing attention on them. With each kiss and bite, I feel the coil within me tightening, aching for release.

And then he's moving again, his lips ghosting over my stomach. I forget how to breathe as he pulls my legs up over his shoulders, opening me up to him.

"Watch me, angel," he breathes.

The world spins around me when he dips his head between my thighs. He teases me first with soft bites on my inner thigh, taking his time exactly like I did with him.

"Please. Oh, plea—"

My back arches off the bed as he licks me, stealing my breath all over again. Each stroke of his tongue sends bolts of pleasure ripping through me.

"Alessandro," I gasp, reaching down to thread my fingers through his hair.

He growls against me in response, spreading me open wider. The sensation of his tongue against me is too intense, too perfect. My legs shake, and my body aches, yet I can't stop grinding against him, desperate for him. Not when his lips mold against me, not when his tongue flicks over my sensitive clit again and again.

Every inch of my body is on fire, pleasure coursing through my veins like molten lava. I feel the pressure building in me, each stroke of his tongue pushing me closer to the edge.

"Let go for me," he murmurs, not missing a beat as he continues his relentless assault.

I barely register his words before a wave of pleasure crashes over me, obliterating everything else. His name spills from my lips in a whispered scream as my world explodes around me, shaking me to my core. I can't breathe, can't think. All I can do is ride out the waves of ecstasy washing over me.

I'm still mid-orgasm when he shifts suddenly, positioning himself between my thighs. His erection presses against me, hot and hard. So damn hard.

He drives forward, entering me in one powerful thrust. It's unrestrained and primal and utterly, breathlessly perfect.

I claw his back, urging him to move faster.

When he does, it's like being swept away by a tidal wave. He plunges into me with a relentless rhythm that leaves no space for thinking or breathing—only feeling. And I feel everything.

His hands are everywhere at once—palming my breasts, gripping my hips, tracing fire along my skin. It's overwhelming and intoxicating, and I don't ever want it to end.

"Look at me," he demands in a deep rumble.

Our gazes tangle as we rock together, and I see the truth in his eyes. This man is falling in love with me, too.

"Say my name," he whispers against my lips.

"Alessandro."

"That's where you belong, Heidi. Right here with Alessandro. I'm home now, Sunshine."

His words strike something deep inside me, making my heart feel like it's about to burst from my chest. The intensity of my feelings for him is almost overpowering.

"Yes," I whisper back, unable to deny the truth. "Yes, you are."

His smile is devastating, a mix of love and pure pleasure that steals my breath.

He bends down to press a searing kiss to my lips before he starts moving again. He drives into me, his thrusts brutal this time. Every stroke pulls a cry of pleasure from my lips, an answering desperation from my soul. There's an urgency to it that wasn't there before, a desperate need that won't be denied.

My fingers dig into his shoulder blades as the pleasure mounts, his name a litany spilling from my lips. I can't do anything but hold on as he takes me higher and higher, each thrust pushing me closer to the brink.

Just when I'm sure I'm going to break under the intensity of it, he dips his head to suck at a sensitive spot on my neck. His teeth scrape against my skin, and I fall apart beneath him.

With a choked cry of his name, I come undone around him, waves of pleasure crashing over me in an overwhelming rush. The strength of my orgasm seems to go on forever, wringing every last bit of sensation out of me.

He follows me over the edge, his body tensing above mine as he buries his face into the crook of my neck, groaning my name. I feel him spilling into me, every hot pulse splashing against my womb.

And when he collapses this time, pulling me into his arms, I don't panic. I simply curl into him, my head against his chest, and smile.

I jolt awake a little while later when Alessandro gently shakes me, calling my name. My eyes pop open, confusion coursing through me when I find him standing over the bed, his expression somber.

"Alessandro?"

"Hey, angel," he says softly, stroking my cheek. "I need you to get dressed."

As soon as he says the words, I know something is wrong. I feel it in my soul. My stomach twists, anxiety coursing through me.

"What…" I lick my lips, pushing myself up into a seated position. "What's wrong?"

"I just got off the phone with Dillon. Someone broke into the bakery, Sunshine."

"No," I whisper, my heart skipping a beat. "Oh no. Is it…?" I can't bring myself to ask how bad it is, but I don't even have to ask. His sympathetic smile tells me everything I need to know. It's bad. Really bad.

Tears clog my throat as I throw the blankets off and scramble to my feet, my mind a roar of confused noise.

Alessandro grabs me, dragging me into his arms. His arms close around me, and for just a moment, the chaos falls silent. "It's going to be okay, angel. I promise you; I'll make it okay."

I think he means that, but I don't know how he plans to accomplish it when everything I own is tied up in the bakery. Literally everything.

Half an hour later, we pull up outside the bakery, and I just want to cry. Dillon's cruiser and two others block the street out front, but not even they hide the devastation just beyond. The front windows are smashed, and police tape stretches across the entryway.

Alessandro barely has his truck in park before I jump out, my heart in my throat.

"Heidi, wait!" he shouts after me, but I can't wait. This is my future, my livelihood…everything I've worked for since the minute I graduated high school.

I rush toward the doors of the bakery…only to run straight into Easton Jericho, the new detective Dillon hired. He just moved here after he was shot in Dallas. He's good friends with Colter. He grabs me, his arms closing around me.

"Let me go!" I cry.

"Easy, Heidi," he says, his voice gentle. "Easy, sweetheart."

"My bakery." My voice cracks when I see the devastation waiting for me over his shoulder. Everything is ruined. The tables and chairs are overturned and broken. The custom countertop that Xavier, Bronx, and Colter spent half the afternoon installing has been smashed in half. The display cases are broken. The sight makes me want to drop to my knees in despair.

"I'm sorry, Heidi," Easton says, reluctantly releasing me. "They went through everything."

Alessandro is by my side in an instant, gripping my hand tightly. He tries to pull me into his arms again, but I shake him off. I need to see this for myself.

I step inside the bakery, steeling myself against the destruction. The smell of fresh paint still hangs heavy in the air. It's a harsh reminder of what this place was supposed to be…and what it is right now.

Tears blur my vision, slipping down my cheeks as I survey what's left of Sassy this bakery is going to open."

"We'll see," I whisper sadly.

He and Alessandro share another look over my head. And I just…can't be here anymore. Not right now.

"Am I done here? Can I go? Please?"

"Yeah," Dillon says, his voice soft. "You can go. I'll call Alessandro when we're finished here, okay?"

I bob my head in a nod, already rushing toward the door, afraid if I don't get out now, I'm going to fall apart again. And I can't do that. Not here, not now. Whoever did this has already taken everything from me that I'm willing to let them take. They don't get to take my dignity, too.