I wake to something tickling my shin, and I smile when I realize it’s Leonara’s toe wiggling in her sleep. Opening my eyes, I see her lying on her stomach, spread out like a starfish and with her face half-hidden underneath the pillow. It’s all I can do not to lie down on top of her and suck her delicious neck until her nerves are wrecked.
Countless times I’ve fucked Victoria in every position you can imagine, and countless times she’s sucked my dick, but it was never as mind-blowing as with twenty-one-year-old, inexperienced Leonara.
How will things turn out after we return from Australia, I wonder? An aching part of my heart yells at me to keep her, but I know I have to let her go at some point. I should do everything in my power to keep her far away from me, my life, and my enemies. Not surprisingly, word of that stupid painting spread like wildfire. Bringing Leonara to Mexico was already a huge mistake on my part. I’ll have to ensure her safety from now on, even if it means sending an entire squad to Florida to guard her sweet ass twenty-four-seven.
Leonara is eerily quiet on the drive to New South Wales. Her eyes stay glued to the landscape flying by outside the window, and I notice her nibbling her thumbnail all the while.
“Are you okay?”
Her head whips in my direction as if she just realized I’m sitting next to her. A forced smile ghosts over her face. “Just a little nervous.”
“Hey, everything will be fine. I won’t leave your side, okay?” I assure her and take her hand. Her gaze falls to our joined fingers, and my heart warms at seeing her smile.
Natalia and Valentina already wait for us there when we arrive at the mansion that’s home to the Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation. Valentina shrieks when I step out of the car, and I squat down to embrace her.
“Hey, beautiful girl. Did you miss me?” She presses a sloppy kiss onto my cheek, and from the corner of my eye, I notice Leonara watching the exchange with keen interest.
“Yes!” Pulling back, I brush a hand over Valentina’s head to examine her face. She looks healthy—well, as healthy as she could be. The only signs of her disease are the slightly bushy eyebrows and a puffy upper lip. “Did you bring me something?” Valentina jumps up and down, brimming over with excitement, and I chuckle, pulling a bag from behind my back.
“Of course, I did, sweetheart.”
She squeals again when she opens the bag, rummaging through the contents. Despite her being surrounded by medical equipment and doctors since she was two, Valentina is a little science enthusiast, so I bought her a microscope kit for kids, a Lego chain reactions craft kit, and a card game to strengthen her cognitive skills. God only knows how long she’ll have them…
“Daniel, my boy,” Natalia drawls, and I stand up to give her a tight hug and a peck on the cheek.
“Hello, Mother. You get prettier every day.”
She pats me on the shoulder and laughs. “Always the charmer, Daniel.”
“Natalia, this is Leonara,” I introduce the girl next to me who looks as if she feels completely out of place. Offering her comfort, I curl an arm around her waist, pulling her close. She glances up at my mother, her eyes brimming over with uncertainty.
“Oh my, I thought I’d never see the day when Daniel finally appears with a woman under his arm. Welcome to this beautiful country, Leonara,” Natalia greets her, open and warm-hearted as always, and welcomes her with a hug. I guess Leonara feared Natalia would be shocked seeing the multiple tattoos and piercings on her body, but my mother never judges people by the looks. She has a good heart.
“Thank… thank you,” Leonara stutters when Natalia releases her, causing my mother to laugh whole-heartedly.
“Daniel, I think I like this one. You should keep her,” she adds with a wink, oblivious to the inner tumult her words cause in me. I chance a glance at Leonara, who gives me a dirty smile.
“Yeah, Daniel. You should keep me,” she says to make the situation even more embarrassing, but I keep my composure.
“Yeah? Maybe I will,” I counter with a challenging look and a squeeze of her hip, rendering Leonara speechless in an instant.
“You are beaut… beautiful,” Valentina says with a slight stutter in between, her huge eyes riveted on Leonara, who looks baffled by the compliment. Throwing me a brief glance in question, she squats down and smiles at my sister.
“Thank you, little girl. You are quite a beauty yourself.” This causes Valentina to giggle and blush a deep red.
“She is al… also very pretty,” Valentina goes on, pointing a finger at the mermaid tattoo on Leonara’s arm.
And just like that, the tension leaves Leonara’s shoulders, and she relaxes visibly. “Yeah, she is. And her hair has the same color as your eyes, you see?” With a genuine smile, she begs a closer look from Valentina, who shuffles toward her hesitantly to see what Leonara is showing her.
My mother’s intense gaze draws my eye, and I walk over to her, guiding her away from the girls to talk in private.
“Who is she?” Natalia asks, curiosity and awe underlying her question as she watches Leonara keeping Valentina busy.
“Someone I need to protect,” I answer vaguely. “Can you look after her in the afternoon and get her ready for the gala tonight? I need to make some final arrangements, and I don’t want to leave her alone. She feels uncomfortable around strangers.”
“No problem, Daniel. I love my job, I really do, but one afternoon without babysitting sick children sounds like a splendid idea. I’ll come get her in an hour, okay?”
Thanking her with another kiss on the cheek, I walk over to Leonara. She watches Valentina strolling away with Natalia, my sister waving a hand until she’s out of sight.
“She has the most awesome eyes,” Leonara remarks. “They are nearly cobalt. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
My lips curl into a smile. Everyone else would have commented on Valentina’s hyperactivity, her coarse features, or her speech problems. Not Leonara. She sees the world differently, and I simply love that about her.
~~~
For the fifth time, I make sure my bowtie sits straight, my tuxedo is wrinkle-free, and every hair is sleeked back, staying where it should.
Honestly? I hate these galas. I sponsor and host them for a good cause, true, but those shenanigans are all about kissing asses, dishing out compliments, and engaging in irrelevant conversations—annoying and a waste of time.
This time is different. I can’t deny the growing anticipation at spending the evening with Leonara. And the night, of course… With these thoughts in my mind, I make my way to my mother’s room, taking a deep breath for courage before lifting my hand to knock.
“… our worlds are light years apart,” Leonara’s hushed voice reaches my ear, letting my hand freeze in the air.
“Yet here you are,” Natalia retorts in her usual gentle tone, her voice growing even softer when she adds, “With him.”
Fabric rustling. A sigh. “I’m going to leave soon.”
A moment of silence. “Does he know that?” Natalia asks as if surprised.
A hushed chuckle. “He does. In fact, I’m pretty sure he can’t wait to have me gone.” The air leaves my lungs in a painful squeeze. She can fool my mother with that tone of indifference, but I don’t miss the wistful timbre resonating in her words.
Not bothering to knock, I quietly open the door and walk in. Leonara has her back to me—dark hair shiny and straight, falling onto her milky shoulders. She looks into the life-size mirror in front of her while Natalia wraps a necklace around her neck. My mother’s head whips around when she sees me approaching.
“In fact,” I counter, repeating her words, “I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.”
Leonara whirls around in surprise, and I open my mouth to say more, but the sight of her literally takes my breath away.
The upper part of her strapless dress hugs her breasts in the shape of a heart, blending from dark teal to a lush aquamarine at the waist to then flare out in layers of chiffon around her ankles. The turquoise eyeliner makes her eyes pop out like a gem glistening in the sun, and the silver, teardrop-shaped earrings accentuate her creamy complexion. Simple but elegant. Utterly beautiful.
“Pantone 321?” she questions, lifting a piece of the dress and flashing a pair of silver wedge sandals.
I nod, a seductive smile on my face. “And it just became my favorite color, too, seeing you in this. Mother, you did a great job. She looks beyond stunning.”
“It was my pleasure,” Natalia says, beaming as if I just gave her the most precious gift before I offer Leonara my arm to guide her outside.
“Nervous?” I ask, quirking a lip at how Leonara’s fingers claw at my forearm as if she’s afraid of walking these grounds alone.
“There will be lots of people. What do I say to them? What will they say to me?” she voices her insecurities.
I halt, pulling her to a stop. Looking at her, it’s like a mermaid just emerged from the sea, and again, my ability to speak dissolves like a wave in the ocean. Unable to fight the pull any longer, I palm her face and place a gentle kiss on her lips. “There’s no need to say anything because you’re going to take everyone’s breath away with your beauty.”
A smile tugs at her lips. “If you want to show up at this gala before I tackle you to the ground right here, stop saying things like that.”
God, how I love that smart mouth of hers. “If you want this dress to stay intact, stop saying things like that,” I fire back, but my voice comes out so husky, it’s barely more than a whisper.
“Is that a threat?” Her eyes twinkle with excitement.
“A promise but unfortunately, one that has to wait until later,” I say wistfully before pulling back and guiding her into the hall where the gala takes place.