Adrian's POV:
The morning is too bright for the amount of chaos already happening in the house.
Some of my men are carrying our luggage to the car, some drag the tires across the tiles. And the sound it makes irks me. Irritation pricks my skin.
I'm halfway down the staircase when I hear Lucia's voice.
As I step into the the living room, she's standing in front of Elena, looking up to her as she pats on her shoulders lightly.
"Make sure to eat well, and sleep well. Take proper care of yourself. I won't be there to cook for you, so make sure you eat three times a day okay?"
"And don't think that if you come back even a bit slimmer, I won't notice" she frowns.
Elena laughs softly. "It's just three days Lucia, I won't get slim, trust me. But I promise I'll take care of myself. And you need to take care of yourself too while we're gone."
"Of course, child, don't worry about me. You need to have fun. Take some pictures so you'll show me when you get back."
She leans in then whispers, but her voice isn't as low as she thinks it is. "Don't let Adrian drag you into all his work stuff."
My lips tilt upward slightly. Then I clear my throat, making my presence known.
"Ohh." Lucia turns to me frowning. "You're here. I was just telling Elena to look after you while you're away. I wouldn't want you starving."
"Mm." I stifle a small smile. "Thank you, Lucia."
Then I turn to Elena who's standing with folded hands. "Let's go." I head for the door.
She gives Lucia a tight hug before following behind me.
"Take care of yourselves!" Lucia calls from behind us.
Elena laughs softly beside me, and a small smile creeps on my face against my own will, but I school my face back to my usual expression.
My phone rings as I step outside. It's Luca. I swipe right, and bring it to my ear.
"Boss," he says the moment I answer, "the jet's ready. The pilot's on standby. Security detail has been placed already."
"Good," I reply. Then I give a few orders to him in Italian, before ending the call.
Before now, I had already given him clear instructions. He's to take charge while I'm not around, and to report everything to me, no matter how small.
And most especially, to keep an eye on all of Romano's movements. He's been quiet since. But it doesn't mean he's not planning, so we have to be alert. We can't be too relaxed.
The driver comes to open the door for Elena, but I stop him with a firm grip on his wrist, and narrowed eyes piercing through his. I can do that myself.
Once he gets the memo, he bows his head apologetically, and releases the handle.
I pull it open myself and gesture for Elena to get in.
"Thank you," she mutters softly with a wry smile on her face, as she slides into the seat.
I make a turn and slide into the seat next to her. The engine roars to life immediately and we hit the road.
Throughout the ride, my eyes keep drifting to Elena. She stares outside the window, at all the tall buildings we pass, amusement present on her face.
Little mindless things always seem to amuse her, and her reaction to these little mindless things always seem to amuse me.
And her god-damned shorts. I don't know where she always gets these shorts from. I mean it's not as short as the last one, but it still doesn't cover shit.
Her perfect legs, and smooth thighs are exposed, and I can't seem to take my eyes off them. And it doesn't even help that they've hitched up a bit as she sits. They bunch up around her middle.
I wouldn't need to reach too far in before I touch her there...
I hiss, and stretch my legs out more, adjusting my pants and let my head rest on the head rest.
I'll be damned if I have a fucking hard on while I'm right beside her, because there's no way it'll go down anytime soon. I won't be able to hide that shit.
30 minutes later, the car comes to a stop.
I look to Elena who now has her eyes widened as she stares at the jet in the distance.
I stifle a smile. "The view is better from the outside," I say as I step out.
She steps out after me, and comes to stand beside me as she studies the jet, mouth open. She looks like a kid seeing a theme park for the first time.
She whispers, barely audible, "It's… huge."
Her eyes find mine. "You didn't tell me you own a private jet."
"You didn't ask." I nudge my head in the direction of the plane and we start towards it.
"Boss."
"Boss."
Some of my men greet as we approach. My only reply is a slight nod.
As we enter, her eyes take in all the leather seats, the polished tables, the ridiculous comfort.
Hesitantly, I place a hand on the small of her back to lead her to our seats.
Her body shudders and her eyes snap to mine almost immediately.
When I don't say anything, she looks away, swallowing.
God! Her body's bloody warm. If only I could have a little of that warmth.
When we find our seats, I let my hand fall loose beside me. I feel a sense of loss almost instantly. My fingers twitch by my side, and I inhale deeply, fisting them.
"Sit," I tell her.
She takes the seat by the window. Usually, I'd sit there instead, but I'm never usual around her.
Plus, I know she'll love the view.
Once the pilot signals we're ready, she buckles herself tightly, a wide smile plastered on her face.
My heart twists at her excitement. Is this her first time flying?
The jet ascends smoothly into the air.
Her eyes watch all the colors of the sky in excitement. Subtle satisfaction spreads through me.
I force my eyes away from her. I've got to stop watching her. She's going to notice soon if I don't stop staring at her like a fucking creep.
I scroll through a list of work files on my phone. I go through each of them, trying to keep myself busy.
Minutes pass. Elena's quiet beside me. She hasn't said a word since, which is unlike her.
I look at her from the corner of my eyes. She's leaned back into the seat, eyes shut tightly. There are beads of sweat that have formed on her forehead, and her whole face is pale, and twisted in discomfort.
A sense of worry washes over me.
"Elena," I say quietly, reaching for her arm. "What's wrong?"
She shakes her head faintly. "Nothing. I'm...I'm okay."
She's definitely not okay.
Her hand comes to her stomach, as a low whimper leaves her lips.
Without thinking, I unbucy my belt, and kneel in front of her.
"Hey, hey." I squeeze gently on her both arms. "What's wrong? How are you feeling?"
She strains lightly, but doesn't answer.
"Elena," I say again, voice lower. "Look at me."
She forces her eyes open, and once her eyes land on mine, I can see the discomfort in them.
"My…my stomach," she squeezes the flesh lightly. "It hurts. I..I feel dizzy."
I search her face trying to understand what's happening to her, then my hand comes up to her sweaty forehead. She's warm.
Her hand comes up to cover her mouth as an uncontrollable gag leaves her lips.
My hold on her arms tighten slightly, balancing her as she pushes forward from the force.
Fuck! She's air sick.
"Elena," I call more softly than I usually would.
Her gaze lifts to me.
"Have you flown before?" I ask.
She shakes her head, slowly, no.
Instant relief washes over me. Thank God it's just that.
"I feel weird, Adrian," her hand drops to my chest. My breath hitches at the sudden contact.
But I don't move her hand away. I try to steady my own breathing.
"I feel like I'm going to puke," she draws out.
Tears form at the edge of her eyes. "Am I going to die?"
My lip twitches.
"You're not going to die, cara. Sit forward."
She does, bending slightly.
My hand finds her back, and slowly but hesitantly, I begin to run it on her back. Slow, steady movements. I rub between her shoulder blades, guiding her breathing.
Her skin is warm underneath my palms and my skin tingles at the feel of her.
"In through your nose," I tell her.
She takes a deep breath, once, twice…then her head falls to my shoulder.
"If I continue, I'm going to puke," she moans into the base of my neck.
Her warm breath bathes my skin as she speaks and I shut my eyes for a brief second, and take in her strawberry scent.
I feel my cock stir.
Oh fuck me! Not now!
I force my eyes open and back to the present situation.
"If you feel like puking, mia cara, then you do just that," I breathe.
"No…no," she shakes her head in disapproval. "I'll ruin your suit."
My lips tilt upward. She's still thinking about ruining my suit, even in her condition. This girl.
"It's just a suit. I have more in my suitcase. I can just wash this later."
"No!" She shakes her head again but this time she lifts her head from the base of my neck.
"Adrian.." she stares at me with shiny, doey eyes.
"Hmm?" I hum, searching her face.
"Why's your heart beating so fast?"
My brows lift up slightly.
It's because you're so close to me right now, spewing all these cute shit and I'm struggling to decide if I should just push you back, and slide my tongue along your God -made thighs, or I should be a responsible, respectable husband, and help you get better.
"It's nothing. Just…"
Before I can finish my sentence, Elena lunges forward, as vomit pours out from her mouth onto my suit.