Bella (A Sagatori Family Saga a Mafia Romance Book 3) by Kimberly Blalock

Chapter 1
Bella
     
    The sun shone in through the thick drapes. My eyes hesitated from the brightness and my hands pulled the sheet just under my chin as I realized this wasn’t my room, those weren’t my drapes, and this wasn’t my sheet. Quickly my eyes opened wide, scanning the large space. My head and torso jutted upward to see where I was. The room was open, almost empty. A large four-poster bed with ornate wooden posts surrounded me. A lush Victorian style couch—small and cream—sat in a sitting area. A table with two chairs sat to the left of the couch with beautiful flowers atop. The walls were white, clean, and crisp.
    I seated myself on the edge of the bed, my hands clutching the mattress. My toes dangled over the beautiful white rug that flowed beneath my suspended feet waiting for me to fall onto it. A noise, a mere stranger in the silence, alerted me that I wasn’t alone. This was Jax’s bedroom. I was naked and in Jax’s room . I closed my eyes tight, waiting for him to say something, anything. What would he say? Would he hurry me away? He didn’t move further from behind me, but I knew he was there watching me, perhaps waiting for me to respond the same way I had been waiting for him, questioning what would come next.
    The sheet offered coverage for my breasts, my back still exposed, my hair imaginably tangled and messy while I waited.
    “Bella,” his voice was deep and determined as it echoed throughout the room. I wanted to turn. I wanted to run. Was I embarrassed or angry that I’d left myself exposed to the one man I swore myself to loath? “Bella?” His steps sounded, moving in my direction.
    A deep inhalation of breath entered through my lips and filled my lungs comforting me, making me feel real in a moment that had left me wondering if this, me here with Jax, in his room, was real or a dream. I’d given myself to him. I’d submitted to him. I’d wanted the compassion his kiss had promised and his touch that had overcome me last night. Denuded of my reality I stood, having dropped to the floor landing onto the white, plush rug, and my toes sank into the softness it offered. I curved my torso into a position that placed Jax into my sight. He stood bare chested, smoothness wrapped within the curves of his chest, firm, and impeccable. Shoulders wide and arms lowered at his sides. A towel clung taut at his hips and long, thick, strong legs stood firm. My eyes roamed along the beauty that was Jax. I reach his eyes that were dark, narrowed, and probing.
    The sheet hid my naked flesh providing a barrier, a protection of sorts, careful not to leave me vulnerable even though I knew that I’d already passed the point of vulnerability. I’d already passed the point of no return with Jax Moretti. He’d seen me, open, willing, determined. He’d brought orgasm from my body and lust from my lips. I sighed, pulling in another breath. “Jax,” I whispered just short of a breath.
    He watched me stepping closer with his hands fisting at his sides. His lips thinning while thinking of what to say next. Maybe he felt just as vulnerable as I did. I shook off the thought knowing that Jax Moretti was nothing if not strong, nothing if not confident. He exuded strength and confidence with every step, glare, and breath that entered his lungs releasing through his lips. He didn’t speak. He only watched me, waiting, wondering just like I’d been.
    I spoke knowing this awkwardness was going to crush me soon. “I’ll go and leave you to your day.” My fingers gripped the sheet, pulling it taught around my body, wanting… no, needing a thick separation between us and the sheet offered me a bit of what I needed to calm my uneasiness. I walked, padding along the softness of the rug until my feet laid bare atop the wooden floor. My head fell, my eyes closed, a deep breath evaded me. I reached for the door gripping at the round knob.
    “Bella don’t go,” his voice was dark and authoritative.
    I stilled, my