CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

When Arcadio said he was taking me to dinner, never in a million years, I thought he would bring me to such a unique place. I thought he was talking about going to some restaurant. Instead, here we were in front of a greenhouse. It seemed so odd to me, but when we entered, it just took my breath away.

There were plants at every corner. The walls were big, and strings of lights lit up the whole place like Christmas. It looked so beautiful. However, there was one thing that caught my breath. It was the set up in the center, for our dinner. The candlestick in the middle gave it an extra movie vibe.

Is this how a date happens? I've been so busy with my life that I never thought of going out on a date. Even when I was in India, I wasn't allowed to date. My parents were strict then, and they are still. However, because of this, I had to hide my relationships. So that meant dressing up and leaving the house till midnight was something not on my priority list. At the same time, I felt slightly sad because even if I had a relationship before, no guy had officially asked me out on one.

"Is everything alright, Tesoro?"

Shaking off the negative thoughts, I smile at him. "Absolutely."

"You don't like it, do you? We could go somewhere else if you want." His suggestion makes my heart heavy. I would hate if whatever this between Arcadio and me came to an end. I had never seen this side of him in the villa, which makes me question, did I even try to get to know the real him?

"No, this is just so beautiful. When did you do all this?"

"Would your appreciation be lessened if I told you that Nora and Richard helped me with this?"

I chuckled at him when he nervously rubs his head with his palm. Thank God! I was not the only one who was nervous, and this made me calm.

We moved forward. Arcadio pulled out a chair for me. What a gentleman!

I look around the place, "I didn't know you were into gardening?"

"I am not, Tesoro." His words sounded with a hint of sadness. "This was my mom's place."

"She loved this place?"

"She did. She always used to spend her time here. It was the only good thing that man did for her. He gifted her this so that she could pass her time in this trap house." His jaw became hard, and anger was all over his face.

"Who gifted her this?"

He raised his head, and with a cold expression, he hissed. "Dad."

Immediately I move my hand over his and squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? It was her choice. She wanted to stay with him because she loved him." He stood up suddenly, removing his hand from mine. He moved away, and his back was to me. I could see the tension vibrating from him.

So, I stood up as well and went close to him. I feel him getting stilled when I put my hands on his shoulder. Slowly I felt him getting calm under my touch. He turned around towards me, but his arms still pull me close to him as if needing an anchor as he faces his demons.

His eyes blank. "Every time I saw his face, all I remembered the tears my mother cried. How she was discarded like a piece of trash and was kept here far away in this hellhole."

"Which was designed to hide the fact that she was his prisoner. Even after grandfather's death, she stayed. He could've let her go and played family with his actual wife, yet he still kept her for his purpose. He did all this in the name of love. For love, he kept her as his mistress."

The words were a hard blow to me. I held Arcadio tightly. I put my head on his chest and rub my fingers lightly. I was trying to bring him back from his past. Hearing all this brings tears to my eyes. I can't even imagine the pain that he went through.

However, I did know the feeling when your young and feel helpless for helping your parents. You see them suffer, yet you feel like your hands are tied.

His arms around me tighten hearing my little cries. "Tesoro?"

Shaking my head, I don't move from my spot. I shut my mouth so that I don't become a loud crying mess.

He raises my head from his chest and cups both my cheek. "Are you crying for me?"

Pouting my lips, I shake my head. He gives a sad smile. "You don't have to cry for me."

"I'm not...not crying for you," I murmur, snorting.

Acardio's smile widens. He wipes my tears with his thumbs and brings my face close to his. Lightly kissing my nose, he says, "Mi Amore, you look so cute when you cry."

He continues, "and I'm sorry for making you cry on our first date."

Before I could react to the words first date, he adds, "let's eat."

"Dinner was delicious. Compliments to Nora." I exclaim.

After the emotional fiasco, we settled back in our seats and continued our date. Casual talks flowed in between us, removing the previous events.

I realized that this was the real Arcadio. He is not a dangerous Mafia man at this moment. Instead, he was a guy who laughed without caring. He made me laugh till my stomach hurts. He also cared for me.

"Then I'm hoping I will get compliments for dessert," his cocky tone was back.

"Dessert?" I frown.

"Yes." He says, getting up and puts his hand out. I put my hand in his grasp. He pulls my body close to him.

"Arcadio," his names come out as a whisper.

Clouds thundered outside the greenhouse startling me. I look up and see the raindrops falling on the roof of the greenhouse. No one said anything about raining today.

It started with a little drizzling then became a full-blown rain. Water rushed down the walls of the greenhouse.

"Do you think you can run in those heels, Mi Amore?"

It took me a second to realize what he was suggesting. Smiling at him, I push him back. Then remove my heels slowly, using his hand for support.

We rushed out of the greenhouse. Arcadio's hand tightly gripped mine. We both looked at each other after getting inside.

"Well, that was unexpected," I say, removing the suit jacket he gave me to put over my shoulders.

"It was," Arcadio laughs loudly, so did I.

There was no one inside the house. "Where is everyone?"

"I gave them the evening off," I could feel his eyes all over me.

A silence fell over between us. It was our eyes that did the talking. I squirmed when Arcadio's dilated eyes look at me. I should say something, yet only a breath came out.

WARNING: Mature Content Ahead

My eyes roamed over his body. The white shirt that he wore looked drenched because of the rain. You could see the ridges of his body through the sheer material. I have seen him shirtless before. But every time I saw him, my hands itch to touch it.

No verbal words were exchanged between us but actions. Arcadio's body immediately closes on mine and my back on the wall. He captured both my wrists to the sides of my head and his mouth on me.

He kissed me hard and deep, then his mouth moved over my neck, to my collarbone, between my breasts, and then my nipples.

The overwhelming sensation was too much for me. The need for touching Arcadio's body was too much. My moans echoed in the empty hall because of the things he was doing to me.

"I want to touch, you"

He moves back and demands, "say, it again."

I did.

He let go of my hands. I moved my hands over his back, his shoulders, and everywhere. While he slid his hands along my dress, down from the bottom, then I felt the fingers of his hand curl into the material. He pulled it up, and then one of his hands tightened around my waist, the other over my bottom, pulling me deeper into him.

I held my breath through his movements, my stomach fluttering. I stilled when I felt hardness touching my core.

Suddenly I gasped into his shoulder when he picked me up by raising my thighs. My arms tighten held onto his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall." He said in a hoarse voice, and I believed him.