Because Of Love

The banging on the door woke her. At first she thought the banging was the headache thanks to the several shots Carrie had shoved down her throat, but then she began to come fully awake and her mind shifted to the thoughts of someone trying to break into her house. That was until she heard a familiar accented voice call her name. Confused, Talia dragged herself out of bed and shuffled her heavy feet to her bedroom door. She opened it only to flinch at the loud banging that shook her door with such force, one would think there was a bulldozer on the other side. Thinking of her neighbors, especially the old lady down the hall that complained about every little thing – it was amazing she wasn’t already outside yelling about the noise – Talia ran the short distance of her open space living room and kitchen, between the two doors and yanked it open.

“What is your problem?” she yelled at the intruder a decimal above a whisper.

It took her a moment to realize who the six feet plus wide frame in different clothes than he had earlier that day, though disheveled matching his hair, stood in front of her, his hand interrupted mid knock, slowly lowering to his side. It was the look on his face that made her flinch. Leave alone a bulldozer, he looked like a raging bull ready to stomp her into the ground with his Italian leather clad hooves.

“Signore DeLuca?” she started when his glaring down at her with twisted lips finally got to her. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t respond, just kept glaring, his chest moving up and down in deep heaving breaths. What exactly had she done to piss him off so much? She opened her mouth to ask when the sound of Mrs. King’s door opening alerted her of more trouble coming down her way. She had a cat door cut out at the bottom of her door with a little bell on it that alerted her of when her cats came and went. Three other people lived on that floor, all grateful for that little bell. Quickly, Talia grabbed the lapels of DeLuca’s overcoat and pulled him in, quickly and as quietly as she possibly could, shutting the door behind them. She leaned back against it, with her eyes closed tight waiting for her to knock and yell her complaints like she always did, but the ringing came again and the sound of the door closing followed. Talia sagged against the door and sighed her relief.

She turned to face the intruder who was at least no longer puffing hot air out of his nose and ears like he was a moment ago, but he still stood stalk still, fisted hands at his sides, his eyes wide with ire and lips pressed in a flat line.

“What’s your problem?” she asked beyond irritated.

She should be the one who was pissed. He’d woken her up like a loan shark coming to collect a late payment. Her eyes narrowed and her head tilted to the side when she realized something.

“How did you get my address? How did you even get into the building?”

“Are you alone?” he demanded. He didn’t yell, his voice was one leveled, but there was a lethal tone to it that made her step back.

“Why?”

DeLuca took a small step towards her, but that step, the way his body moved, was large and threatening, like a predator advancing on its prey and it made her slide back until her back pressed against the door, her hands pressed flat against it.

His eyes moved over her with a flare in them, moving from her bare legs and stopping at the hem of the loose fitting large t-shirt that ended right below her crotch, barely covering her ass. His eyes kept moving up, stopping at her chest where her braless boobs hung free. She pulled up the sagging neckline over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest.

His eyes, effectively rejected, moved up to hers. He asked again, “Are you alone?” Each word delivered hard and pointedly.

The brat in her wanted to say ‘it’s none of your business’ but the reasonable part of her that was fully aware of her situation responded, “Yes.”

She yelped when he grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her to him. She banged against his hard body, her toes twisting painfully at the high hold he had on her, forcing her to the very tip of them.

“Don’t ever let a man touch you like that again.”

“Huh?” she huffed, her brows pinching in her confusion. “What are you mmm!”

He cut her off by pressing his lips hard against hers in what she recognized as a punishing kiss. She pushed her hands between them and forced them up to his shirt collar. She grabbed each side and dragged him back. The kiss broke and she gasped for air. She knew what kissing was but that felt like he was trying to suck the air out of her lungs.

“What is wrong with you? What man?” she asked with heavy pants for air.

His grip tightened around her arms.

“I saw you today at the club,” he said harshly through clenched teeth.

Talia sighed tiredly, bowing her head, closing her eyes. Going to the club had been a desperate attempt to get her mind off DeLuca. The little dirty dancing on the dance floor, though unexciting to her, seemed to send the wrong message to her handsy partner, forcing her to leave early after she’d made sure Carrie was okay and with her clubbing crew. She felt very stupid about her actions, but she was glad she hadn’t made a dumber mistake just to exorcise DeLuca.

Speaking of her demonic possession, she looked up, her eyes catching a red print on his neck, the collar held open by her hands. Angry, she pried that left side wider. “You seem to have had a great time yourself.”

She glared up at him and pushed out of his grip forcefully. His hands on her arms dropped. She’d only taken a step back before he drew her back against him, his arm around her waist, the other wrapped around her back to trap her against him.

“I was pissed when I saw your public foreplay.”

She chortled, unamused. “So what? You decided to have revenge sex?” she spat out angrily as she fought to get out of his hold but his arms only tightened around her.

“Yes.”

She stopped fighting and looked up at him dumbfounded. A sane man would have made all the excuses under the sun before they admitted that, but what did she care? She wasn’t his girlfriend. They weren’t an item, they were nothing!

“Get out!” she yelled, and she began her struggle in earnest.

His hands moved to the back of her neck and held her still. “I told you, sex doesn’t work for me.”

‘Then why are you here?’ the words held on the tip of her tongue, but she knew it would lead somewhere. Instead she said, “I quote, ‘don’t let any man touch you like that,’ end quote. I think you should let go now and head back to wherever you came from.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“I’m the exception.”