The Mafia And His Angel: Part 3 (Tainted Hearts 3)

She stood up, her hand going to her throat. It was nervousness.

Ayla looked at me, her chest moving up and down, her breathing harsh. I took a step forward, and Ayla choked back a sob.

She walked back until she touched the wall. Ayla shook her head several times, and she rubbed at her throat furiously.

I saw her face crumble, and she cried quietly. When I tried to move forward again, she shook her head. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped for breath.

“I…I…breathe…can’t…breathe…”

“Shit!” I swore, moving forward in a rush. Taking her in my arms, I carried Ayla to the bed.

I sat down on the edge, placing her on my lap. “Calm down. It’s okay. Don’t try to breathe too fast. Take it slow. Shh…I got you, Angel. Slow breath. In and out.”

Ayla laid her head on my shoulders, but I heard her taking slow breaths, just like I told her.

When her breathing finally calmed, I heard her crying softly on my shoulder. I kept holding her in my embrace, never once letting go.

Ayla didn’t try to move away, either. No, she had a death grip on my arms.

Her tears made my heart ache in the most painful way.

It was a strange mixture of emotions building up inside of me. Agony and happiness. I didn’t know which one to hold on to.

So instead, I just held my Angel. I let her be my anchor, while I was hers.

When her tears finally dried, I shifted her in my arms and laid her on the bed.

He eyes were closed, but her face was red and puffy from crying. This was the second time she cried since we rescued her. Both reasons had nothing to do with her captivity but everything to do with me.

In that moment, I realized that all my efforts were not going to waste. She knew me. Ayla felt me deep inside her heart.

I had to continue believing in us.

Giving her a final glance, I went to get up but felt something tighten around my wrist.

My eyes widened, and I looked down to see Ayla holding the edge of my sleeve, stopping me from stepping away.

My head snapped up, and I saw that her eyes were open. Our gaze made contact, and we stared. We breathed. A matching rhythm between us.

I saw Ayla swallow several times. She looked down at my hand before staring into my eyes again.

I waited…I didn’t know for how long, but I waited.

Her lips finally parted, and her voice was melody to my ears.

“Can…you…please hold…me?”

The words were softly spoken. She stuttered them but never took her eyes off mine.

My heart leaped and danced. My stomach tightened, and with my heart in my throat, I nodded.

“I’ll hold you, Angel. I will hold you however long you want me to.” Leaning forward until our noses were touching, I said, “And even when you don’t want me to hold you anymore, I still won’t let you go.”

I saw her cheeks grow redder. Placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, I laid down beside Ayla.

Before I could move, she turned toward me and burrowed into my chest. I smiled then.

I wrapped my arms around her hips, pulling her closer. Her stomach was in the way, but I worked around it. When she was firmly held in my embrace, I kissed her cheek.

She sighed in my chest, her arms tightening around my waist. My heart soared.

We were both quiet.

I was almost asleep when she broke the silence.

Her words took me by surprise. Hell, her voice was a shock to me. I didn’t expect her to speak again. But she did.

And I had never expected her to utter those words.

“You are my savior,” she whispered so softly into my chest.

Her arms were a band of steel around my hips. I was her savior. Just like before.

My nose prickled with emotions. It was almost too much to bear, so I could only imagine what Ayla was going through.

“You are my savior,” she whispered again. “Not hers.”

My eyes widened, finally understanding where she was going. The words were filled with innocence, her voice sounding so childlike, almost scared.

“You are not hers,” she continued brokenly, stealing my breath away.

Bringing my hand up, I placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. She stared at me tearfully. Her green eyes were glassy. It reminded me of the first time we met.

“You…won’t leave me?” she asked softly.

I shook my head and pressed our foreheads together. “No. No. No. Ayla, I won’t leave you.”

“She won’t…take you…from me?” Her expression was so broken. She looked so hurt and scared.

I brought her body closer to mine. “No, Ayla. I’m never leaving you. I made a promise to you before. I said I won’t ever leave you. I’m keeping that promise. She won’t take me away from you.”