Broken and Powerful

Chapter 22

STEFANO POV
I hardly slept last night.

I don't know what had gotten into me but my thoughts kept getting carried away after the kiss Jeda and I shared last night. I was constantly thinking about her, even more than before.

Since I first laid eyes on her she hasn't left my mind.

She was in my dreams even. Some were nightmares of her dying in my arms from overdosing, and others more rated R.

Something about that girl got me interested.

I have never been the relationship type, hell I never even had a girlfriend. I am used to one-night stands that were just for mutual benefits but never involved feelings.

I lived the kind of life where you could never get feelings involved.

If I sit there with every person and wonder what kind of life they live at home, I would never get anywhere. I had to focus on the fact that they were horrible people who no longer had a purpose in this world.

No matter if they had a family at home or not. The fact was they had done terrible things for money. Sell women, drugs, and many worse things just for a paycheck.

After a year of doing this work, I learned how to shut my emotions off and not make them personal. It was the only way to let myself sleep at night.

Now I just kept the cold face on all the time.

My heart had frozen over.

Until she came into my life.

Just thinking about the feeling of her lips on mine was enough to make me aroused. I wonder if she was thinking about me the same way I was towards her.

Maybe she wasn't, even regretted it because of what Jerad put her through.

Sitting up in bed at my thoughts I stared at the connecting door. How much I wished I could rush in there and kiss her plush, soft lips again.

That kiss was the best I ever experienced. Not that I have much knowledge on the subject but just the feeling it sent through my body felt so right.

I wanted it again, desperately. Like an addict who needs their next fix.

She was my drug.

I look over at my alarm clock to see it was quarter to six. Breakfast would be ready soon.

Getting out of bed, I walked into the bathroom to see my hair a mess. Rolling back and forth all night unable to sleep did that for me.

After a quick shower and brushing my teeth I was ready to start my day right. Grabbing a black pair of pants and a black t-shirt, I looked myself over in the mirror one last time.

Deciding I looked presentable enough, I slowly opened the conjoining door into Jeda's room. The room was quiet except for her soft breathing as she slept peacefully.

She was curled up on one side of the bed, her hair cascading over the other pillow. One arm was propped under her head while the other was limp in front of her.

Her plump lips were slightly open and her face relaxed from a peaceful dream. The sun was streaming in through the small opening of the blinds, sending a ray of light over part of her face, making her look angelic.

I couldn't help but stand back and admire her for a few seconds while she took my breath away. She was so stunning that you couldn't tell she had a dark past. She looked so innocent.

How anyone could think of hurting her made me want to lock her in a box and protect her from the world. But she would never let me, even if I tried. She deserved freedom and I was giving her that.