LOGINShare
Can't Breathe
Last Updated:
2022-07-23 00:51:09Rafe stood, stretching from the chair he’d been glued to for over ten hours now, and turned to sit on the desk, his back to the closed door, as he watched the sky turn a burned orange through the floor to ceiling glass wall that had always been behind him. He always ignored it, but now it had his full attention. He never once looked out of this glass wall and at the beautiful view it provided since he arrived. He always had the shutters down and the lights and air conditioner turned on for light and air circulation.
Why exactly was that?
He wasn’t one to get distracted easily. He also wasn’t well known to pay attention to things he believed inconsequential or not worth his time. He snorted sadly at himself. He was too busy with important things to waste his attention. But now, with this deep hole in his chest, he wondered if it would have made some difference if he’d just paused once in a while.
He sighed heavily, as he looked o
Related chapters
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Caugth With Triple D
Talia rose from her desk, proposal in hand, and headed to Rafe’s office. Her steps faltered when she realized how personal she had referred to him. No, she should go back to referring to him as DeLuca, keeping things uncomplicated. Three days had gone by since that night and, though she’d barely seen him the whole day, she was sure he was going on with his life like nothing had happened, unlike her. She was in her own game of hide and seek, actually a part two of it.Before, he was the one avoiding her, now she was the one doing the hiding. But enough of that, she needed her proposal approved and signed. On the yacht, he’d told her to brief the proposal into one page and she’d done just that in three short paragraphs. For her presentation, she had only three minutes to convince him that the project would benefit the company and she was sure she’d done that too. Now the only thing that was left was presenting it to him and there was no way she wan
Last Updated : 2022-07-27Her Italian Billionaire Boss Macho Man
He slowly shook his head. “That’s the thing. Sex doesn’t fix it, otherwise you would have walked in on a whole lot more.” He exhaled heavily, taking a step back, “I tried that countless times before I came here.”Talia wasn’t quite sure what to say or do. This was a side of him she had never seen. In fact, she was sure he had never shown anyone this version of him. The mask was completely off and he looked lost, frustrated and tired. Was he at the edge of his rope? Why had he chosen to reach out to her?“How do you feel?” she asked concerned, her foot sliding forward, wanting to go to him.He ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh, disheveling it and it was like the action stripped him of the last layer of control he had clearly been holding onto tight with both hands. He looked utterly and completely worn out.“Exhausted, annoyed, antsy, depleted.”He sounded like it. He also
Last Updated : 2022-07-28Her Italian Billionaire Boss Sleep-over
Talia stretched as she slowly came out of slumber. A muscle in her neck pinched and she winced, wondering if it was time to get a new pillow. As she opened her eyes, she realized her surroundings were unfamiliar to her.Where am I? she questioned as she tried to push herself up onto her elbow. Then suddenly she stilled when something moved behind her, almost bumping her arm right from under her. She looked down to see a large sleeved arm next to hers.Her eyes went wide. I guess it is safe to presume that that was the pillow.She squeezed her eyes shut and bit the inside of her cheeks. No, no, no, no, no! First, she took stock of her clothes, running her free hand over them and sighing in relief when she found everything still in place. Then, slowly, she turned her head to look behind her, trying to not make any sudden movements that would wake him. That was the last thing she needed. There was no need to turn too far, the man
Last Updated : 2022-07-29Her Italian Billionaire Boss Well Rested
“Signore.” Rafe gave a small grunt of acknowledgement when Enzo called out to him, his mind focused on the paperwork in front of him. It had been a long time since he’d felt energized and not forced to work. He was going to capitalize on that before things went back to normal. “You look different.” That got his attention. With his brows pulled together, he looked up at Enzo where he stood across from him on the other side of the mahogany desk and asked, “What do you mean?” Lips pulled, eyebrows raised, he answered, “Relaxed, rested… unlike your normal self.” One side of Rafe’s lips rose in half a smile. He looked relaxed and rested? He sat still and thought on those words and, truly enough, he didn’t feel that ton of weight on his shoulders, his chest didn’t feel packed and congested and he didn’t have that headache that had become normal to him. He was lighter, freer and if he could dare to say, happy. He hadn’t felt happy for the hell of being happy in a very long time. That was
Last Updated : 2022-08-03Her Italian Billionaire Boss Broken Control
She fought harder to break free but he only tightened his hold, wrapping his other arm around her to cage her in. When it was clear to her that he wouldn’t budge, she gave up with a slap at his chest followed by a glare that could reduce a lesser man to a whimpering fool. He wasn’t that. In fact, the sexual charge running through him made him even more arrogant.“Permission? No. Consultation? Most definitely.” He lowered his head and kissed her then, punishingly.She gasped in his mouth and pushed at him. He moved his other arm to wrap around her shoulders and held her firmly against him, not even air could pass between them. Her protests then changed as she fiercely kissed him back, rising and sliding up his body, as her pelvis pushed up seeking his. He lost it then.Rafe dropped his hands to her waist and hoisted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist immediately. One moment of sanity told him that his door was still open. Yes, it wa
Last Updated : 2022-08-04Her Italian Billionaire Boss Regret
Elbows on the desk, thumbs at her temple and her other fingers intertwined over the forehead of her bowed head, covering her shame-filled face she said, “Carrie, I’m losing my mind.” She chuckled dryly. “No,” she continued, “I already lost it.”“Where? I’ll help you look for it,” she sniggered.Talia knew Carrie was trying to be funny but there was nothing the least bit funny about what had happened last night. Hot, mind blowing, and a little embarrassing, but not funny.“DeLuca’s office floor.”The sniggering stopped and Talia could almost hear Carrie’s mind work as what she’d said churned in her head, processing those three words and reading in between the lines. She felt a hand wrap around her wrist and begin to pull. Talia tensed her muscles, refusing to budge.“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you right!” Carrie yelled in a shrill
Last Updated : 2022-08-05Her Italian Billionaire Boss Dodgy
Talia’s blood ran cold as she sat frozen in her seat. Then just as quickly her body flushed as the memories of the previous night invaded her thoughts. This can’t be happening! Her mind screamed at her. She wasn’t ready to step into that office again just yet. The shame was still too fresh.“Why?” she squeaked.His brows pinched together confused and she realized then it would have been better if she hadn’t sounded like a mouse in a trap when she asked that.“You’ll find out once you go.”That was just it, she was scared to. What if what he wanted was that sequel Carrie was so excited over?“Do I have to?” she asked. The words quietly slipped out without a thought.“Any reason not to?”That caught her guilty ass by surprise. What was she doing? The last thing she needed was anyone getting suspicious about her and DeLuca’s… interaction.
Last Updated : 2022-08-06Her Italian Billionaire Boss Possessive
Rafe glared at the closed door, his good mood disappearing as fast as she’d ran from him. That hadn’t happened as he’d expected, but then again neither had last night. He had an inkling of the type of woman she was, but he'd thought that she would want to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her, or for the very least to cling to him. He’d had women glue themselves to him for much less than a kiss and they’d, they’d gone beyond just a kiss, though not far enough. But still! He’d never given a wider opening to anyone to get what they wanted from him. He was more than ready to give her whatever she wanted, he even signed the proposal without reading it for crying out loud! Not his finest moment, but at the instance he wanted something priceless from her, so parting with a few million a year was worth it. Had last night meant nothing to her? It had meant everything to him. For one, he’d slept again, not as well as he had with her i
Last Updated : 2022-08-07
Latest chapter
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Because I Love Her
Rafe walked into his home feeling very pleased with himself. His revenge was finally complete, and soon the Rossi and DeLuca names would be nothing. They would disappear like an unfounded rumor. And then he’d rebuild the DeLuca name clean of all his father’s evil. He patted Angelo on the back. “Come cugino, let’s celebrate!” Angelo shook his head. “Rafe, there is nothing to celebrate—” Rafe raised his hand and cut him off as he walked towards the bar sitting at the far end of the living room. “Not now, Angelo. You can be my conscious tomorrow morning after I’ve drunk my scotch, kissed my sons, and made passionate love to my wife.” “I can see the first two happening, but I’m not sure about the last.” Rafe turned to his wife’s voice with a smile. She looked lovely leaning against the doorway with a radiant smile on her face. He couldn’t believe the same woman had almost died two months ago. How am I so lucky? He beckoned her with two fingers and she strutted towards him. When she
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Because I Love Him
Talia felt sorry for her. The woman was caught between her husband’s crime and her son’s revenge. She hadn’t deluded herself as to think Rafe would let it go just because she’d asked him to. She knew he was up to something, just not something so extreme. But it shouldn’t shock her. When he thought she’d cheated on him with Renaldo and Alex, he’d left her destitute. He’d taken everything except the house which she’d just finished paying off with half of her savings.She knew Rafe’s wrath when he was wronged, all too well. She didn’t envy them.“Why is Gabriella here?”“Alex is my brother,” she responded with a maliciously satisfied look on her face.Talia took a deep breath to calm her. She still had nightmares about him. She could hear his voice, as he taunted her, promising to do disgusting things to her. Each time, she woke up with Rafe rocking her in his arms, and
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Back On Track
Months later…Talia waited until they were a few feet away from the nursery before she spoke. “You know you don’t have to come back to Boston with me.”Carrie pouted. “How can I not? You’re my best friend, and I love you.”“But you love him too.”She nodded with a heavy sigh.Who would have thought Carrie and Angelo would fall for each other? They were complete opposites with nothing in common. He was always serious, and Carrie was only serious at work, the rest of the time Talia always wondered if she was auditioning for court jester.But their friends with benefits relationship that had begun when she was in a coma, knowing Carrie maybe before—Carrie had always used sex to forget situations that scared her, ever since her parents’ died in a car accident—had blossomed into a serious relationship. They were genuinely happy together. And that was to end just bec
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Wake Up
“Come on, wake up already!”Talia attempted to move her head away from the incessant chanting in her ear. What the hell did Carrie want?She tried to open her eyes, but they felt so heavy. She struggled until she finally got them to obey and quickly closed them again when she saw Carrie’s happy face looming above her.“Here, open your mouth and drink.”Talia didn’t argue. She felt like she had cotton stuffed in her mouth and down her throat. The cool liquid felt heavenly as she swallowed her first sip.She opened her eyes again and looked at Carrie’s smiling face. “I’m having a nightmare,” she whispered hoarsely.Carrie snorted. “No, we’ve been having a nightmare. It’s about damn time you woke up, you selfish bitch!”Talia’s mouth fell open. “What did I do?”“You were in a coma for a month, that’s what you
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Broken Ties
“This is a bad idea, Rafe. Think about what you are about to do,” Angelo repeated as he pulled into the driveway of the DeLuca mansion. “You’re not in the right state of mind.”Rafe fisted his hands, pressing them to his thighs to keep from reaching for his cousin and ripping his tongue out. He’d been repeating those words like a broken record since the moment Rafe woke up and blurted out his intention. When he wouldn’t relent and had demanded for his car keys, Angelo finally gave in, offering to drive him to his destination. Though his rage was burning strong and growing with every second, his body was still weak from shock.Never in his life had Rafe ever blacked out, besides that one time he had a panic attack over a year ago. The fear of losing Talia was so strong, it had robbed him of all his senses. It was like his mind and body agreed to shut down and hide because he couldn’t handle the thought of Talia dying.
Her Italian Billionaire Boss They're Dead
Rafe stumbled into the ward and found Carrie pacing the floor. Her face was wet with tears, and his heart jerked.Please, God, let them be alright!“Carrie, where is she?” he rasped.Carrie looked at him for a long while before she spoke. “You need to convince her to let them do it! You just have to!” she cried, fresh tears rolling down her stricken face.Rafe took a breath to calm himself before he grasped Carrie’s shoulders. “Convince her to do what?”“Signore DeLuca?”Rafe looked up at the doctor who stood behind Carrie. He swallowed the fear and nodded.“How is she?” he asked, a tremor in his voice.The doctor sighed visibly with relief before he moved closer. “Her blood pressure is climbing dangerously high, and she refuses to let us deliver the babies.”For a second, Rafe had held the hope that that look of relief
Her Italian Billionaire Boss Again... My Fault
“Say that again, he did what?” Carrie’s eyes bugged out of their sockets, ready to fall into her lap. Talia understood her reaction, she was still in shock.“Besides falling asleep in my bed and leaving me with no choice but to sleep next to him? He woke up this morning and went about his business like everything was normal and nothing had happened between us.”She pointed to the island that separated the kitchen from the living room, “He sat across from me, had his breakfast, asked about my plans for the day. Then he reminded me to stay off my feet as much as possible and then left saying ‘see you in the evening’ and if I wanted him to bring something for dinner!”Carrie blinked shaking her head. “Take a breath.”Talia did as instructed, feeling some of the anxiety leave her. She felt like she was in the twilight zone. There was this anxious fear at the familiarity of the wh
Her Italian Billionaire Boss It's A Big Bed
After a few seconds of silence, she decided to just ask again instead of just wondering, “What are you doing here Rafe?”His eyes opened then. After a beat or two he said, “it’s my home.”“Not for the time being it’s not. And I thought this was just one of your properties, don’t you live with your family?”He snorted, then sipped at the mug.This was one thing Talia always found unnerving when they worked together and even more when they dated. He didn’t talk much, only when he felt like he needed to. The rest of the time, it was as if they were to read his silence and understand what he wanted. It frustrated her at work but also posed a challenge. She wanted to be the indispensable employee who could decipher the boss’ silence and deliver results that he wanted. He was demanding, strict with high expectations but fair. That was why she fell for him, a character from her favorite romance no
Her Italian Billionaire Boss That Look
Cool it hormones. Pregnancy had her emotions on overdrive, including—a recent development—her libido.What was he still doing here? She turned and her eye caught his belt, it lay on the far end of the couch with his suit jacket socks and watch. He’d gotten comfortable, which meant he’d had no intention of going anywhere after he’d tucked her into bed. The alcohol made sure of it. But, he just lived a short elevator ride down, surely he would have been able to make it?“What are you doing here Rafe?”He raised—no, he pulled up one arm, judging by how heavy it looked as he raised it—and pointed to the ceiling, with one finger, his hand bobbing as his wrist struggled to hold it up.“Carrie moved in,” he said with a slight slur.She sighed, exasperated, “Yes, I know. She’s in the spare bedroom.”Talia didn’t like dealing with drunks, no matte
