Vito seemed to weigh his options, and finally, he took the bottle from my hand and spoke. “Why didn’t you ask the Mihail brat to—-.”

“Vito, I asked you.” I said, making it clear he was my first choice. “But if you don’t want to, I can ask him to come back and help me—-.”

“Do it and he won’t see his child grow up.” He growled, the space between us now not more than a few inches. 

“Don’t speak like that.” I snapped, closing the space that was there completely. “I don’t like it.”

“His behaviour towards you and around you bothers me. It bothers me he has the audacity to believe he can offer you anything.”

“There's a possibility he has something to offer.” I said.

Vito didn’t like that, and slipped his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me again him, our lips brushing. He was kissing me.

When he parted from me he spoke, the hand I had set on his chest vibrating with the tone of his voice. “You’re mine.”

Despite my mental state, I couldn’t ignore the warning feeling that churned in my chest. The scent of Vito’s cologne creating a familiar odour. When he kissed me possessively, my head spun and my heart raced. The touch of his rough hands on my skin made me shiver, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing about this relationship was healthy.

He let me go, and I heard him speak again. “Go shower. I’ll grab you something to change into after I put the aloe on you.”

I wandered to the bathroom, closing the door, and setting my hand on my heart as it hammered in my chest. Why had he kissed me? Vito had never touched me like that, and I never figured he would. Nikki seemed to bring out something in this man. I didn’t understand. I waited until my heart calmed down before I showered.

Hesitating when I was finished to the leave the bathroom. I wasn’t scared of Vito or him kissing me. I just wasn’t sure if he was going to be different now. Maybe he regretted the kiss, and he would tell me. Inhaling a deep breath, I left the bathroom and went to the spare room. It was clean and my things were put away. On the bed, it had set clothing out, and not one thing there belonged to me, aside from the boxers.

Opening the dresser drawers, Vito walked in as I was getting my outfit picked out.

“I already set out a change of clothing, Ilya.”

“It’s not mine, Vito. I want my clothing.”

Vito let out a huff, probably of annoyance, and spoke. “I’ve come to rub you down with the Aloe lotion. So hold still, and I’ll make this quick.”

I debated telling him not to bother, but I figured that would just make him mad.

“Why did you kiss me?” I asked, as his hands ran over my exposed shoulders, the cool soothing cream being left behind by his hands. He remained silent and only spoke when I tried to pull away from him.

“Stay still.”

“No. Tell me why you kissed me.”

“Jealously, maybe.” He muttered.

“Maybe?”

“Yeah. I can’t fucking stand that kid around you. He has a flirty personality and was touchy with you yesterday in the pool, and again tonight. It makes me fucking livid when he touches you. I don’t like his hands anywhere near you.” Vito bitched, his hands a little less gentle as he rubbed the cream in on my arms.

“I don't know what one of us is worse.” I groaned. “You or me.”

Vito chuckled, the sound deep and guttural, and he finally answered my question. “Me. I’m the worst. I’m jealous, possessive, and territorial. I don’t like anyone getting too close to you, even if it’s your new ‘friend’. I just can’t help it.”

I sighed and leaned into his touch, my back pressing against his chest as I looked up. “I don’t know why you’re so possessive, but it’s a bit much.” I whispered.

“I want you all to myself.” He stepped away from me after finishing with the cream.

“And yet, you still want to push me away.” I said, my voice low as I turned around to face him. Annoyed, because of all the times for him to be honest, it had to be now. Right when my head is a mess, from everything else.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked away from me. “I don’t want to, Ilya. I just don’t think I can give you what you want.” He muttered.

“And what is that?” I asked, my voice still low, but it was firm. This felt like a moment I really couldn’t back down on.

“To be loved. To be wanted, and to be cherished.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper. I stepped closer and looked up into his deep eyes. All the feelings I had been suppressing for a while popping up.

“I think you can do that.” I said confidently, trusting Vito more than anyone else. My faith in him, and him alone, blinding.

He looked away from me again and spoke. “I don’t think I can do that.”

“Vito,” I said, my voice gentle, a tone I figured would be better to use with him at this very moment.

Vito finally looked back at me, and he took a deep breath. “I know you want to believe that we could be something, and I want you for myself, but I don’t think it’s wise. But Nikki is not an option.” Vito said.

“I’ll stay with you forever, if you let me.” I said, my voice muffled against his chest, because I wrapped my arms around him. It surprised me he didn’t push me away. But it seemed decently clear to me even he was struggling to understand the feelings he had for me. Much like I was.

“Ilya, please.”

Letting him go, I stepped back. “I already ate, so I’ll just take my pills and head to bed.”

“Wait, before you do, Viktor called.”

“And?” I said, heading to get my pills from where they sat on the counter.

“He is coming next Friday to have a meeting with Maddox about some things, and wanted to see if it was alright to swing by and see you.”

Grabbing a drink, I took my pills and looked at Vito, before turning to set my cup in the sink. “What did you say?”

“That he was more than welcome.”

“Of course you did.” I muttered, remembering that Vito could no longer refuse Viktor because he saved Vito’s life. Taking a deep breath. “That’s fine. I have some things I want to ask Viktor about, anyway.”

Heading to my bedroom, I closed the door and let out a sigh of annoyance. Crawling into the bed after pulling the blanket back, I got comfortable and waited for sleep. But it never came.

Angry and annoyed, unable to sleep, I left the bedroom. I bumped into Vito, who was getting out of the bathroom. A single towel hung dangerously around his hips. My eyes slipped lower down his frame until I had taken every bit of his figure in.

“Ilya,”

I was aware of him calling my name, but it was like he was calling from a distance, even as I stepped closer to him and spoke. “Just let me have you. For both of our benefits.”

I slipped my fingers down his chest, following a water droplet as it rolled, and as I reached his lower hips, he moved. He shoved me against the wall, and spoke, his voice dangerous. “Touch me like that again, Ilya, and I’ll hurt you.”

The chuckle that left my lips was the equivalent of me asking him to do it. He pressed me against the wall a little harder before he went into his room and slammed the door.

“Fuck you, Vito. You're the fucking reason my medication doesn’t fucking work, and why I’m fucking hard.” I yelled, stomping down the hall and pulling my hand through my hair.

Vito made his way back out to the livingroom and kitchen, and spoke.

“Why the hell aren’t you sleeping like you should be? You took your pills.” He grabbed the pack of pills. He looked over all of them before speaking again. “Some of your pills are missing. You might not have taken a sleeping pill at all, I’ll sort this out—”

I grabbed my shoes and put them on my feet.

“Where are you going?”

Wanting to get under his skin, the way he seemed to get under mine, I smiled, turning back to look at him. “To find someone to touch me in ways you won’t, after all, Nikki offered.”

Several emotions went over his face, and he crossed his arms, flinching momentarily because of his ribs, and his jaws clenched. “Do it, I dare you.” He said, through his teeth, and I knew he wanted to call my bluff.

Walking to the table, I snagged my phone off it, and found Nikki’s number, and hit call and speaker. He picked up on the second ring.

“Good evening Ilya.”

“Nikki, say perhaps. I asked for what we talked about at the beach tonight?”

Vito’s eyes were locked on the phone in my hand, and Nikki answered. “If that’s what you want, I can make myself available to you.”

If I was looking at pushing Vito to his limit, or finding it, I’d definitely done that. He slammed me against the front door, and grabbed the phone out of my hand, before he hung up on Nikki. Not nicely, either.

“Are you happy now, Ilya? I’m pissed beyond compare, and you’ve gotten me all possessive. Are you proud of yourself?” Vito panted.

Meeting his eyes, I spoke. “Yes. I am proud of myself.”

He yanked me away from the front door, and I was expecting him to taking to me my room, but he didn’t. He took me to his room, and he threw me into the darker room, the clock the only light. He closed the door behind himself. “Get into the bed and go the fuck to sleep.”

“I don’t want to. I was trying to make plans——-”

“For that fucking kid’s funeral, Ilya, keep pushing me and that’s what you’re going to get.”

“Then fucking touch me!” I yelled into the dark.

“Lower your voice.”

“Why don’t you fucking make me? Huh!” I yelled again, and in the clock light, I was all too aware of of Vito coming at me. He shoved me down onto the mattress. He grabbed my arms and pinned them above my head before he lowered his lips against my ear. “Go the fuck to sleep, Ilya.”

I could feel his hard cock through his sweatpants, and instead of just keeping my mouth closed about my findings, I drove that nail in deeper. “Your cock is pretty hard for someone who won’t touch me. You must really like something about me, right Vito? Not so straight, are you?”

I rolled my hips against his, and he grunted, still pissed off with me. He tightened his grip on my wrists, and his free hand slipped between my legs, and he grabbed my cock through the sweats. He gave two decent strokes before I went soft in his fucking hand, and not because I came. But because of the fucking medications.

“Big talk for some who’s gone soft.” Vito hissed, right in my ear. Anger washed over me, and I just laid there, even as Vito retreated. I was seething, but not with him entirely. Most of my anger was with my body.