What is that? Oh, you thought this was an ? How sweet.

KIDDING! IT IS!

You can have it. Happy now?

I bet you are. I sure am. And more than you will ever know.

Should probably read this one more time, but I'm exhausted after exams-week. So please excuse any mistake. Of course feedback is welcomed.

This is Brandon preparing to tell Erika everything she's been waiting to hear, since she met this big bad boy. I can't wait to share the next couple of chapters with all of you.. It's gonna be a wild ride.

Give me love (like Ed), and I'll update before next Friday...

~Enjoy, Angel.

In Dante Alighieri's poetry, people were doomed to navigate between hell, purgatory, and heaven, all in the allegory called life.

As a teenager, I never gave the Italian poet's teachings much thought. A world of fighting and revolution were so far away from me. I grew up sheltered, wrapped in the warmth of my family. Guarded, I ignored the danger and doom caused by the mafia families lurking in all of Italy; I ignored the pain that kind of power needed as sacrifice.

"What are you doing here?"

Once the newcomer arrived in the room, I knew the rest of us were trespassing on the unspoken conversation between the three men. Frozen in place for what felt like hours, but was only seconds, no one dared to break the stillness.

"You shouldn't be back here, James," Brandon's voice tore the silence in the room, in a tone I never heard before.

James. At last, a face behind the name; the voice.

The face of the man in the club that night all those weeks ago. The eyes that seemed familiar, but somehow drowned in warmer hues than the brother staring daggers at him in that moment.

His smirk was all Brandon received, until his eyes found mine, deciding to throw more fuel to the flames. "I must say, beautiful, you looked stunning that night at the club, but my, oh my, you're a sight for sore eyes in the light. I don't even blame you, Brandon," James mocked.

Brandon's warm hand found mine, pulling me closer to him. "We're leaving."

With his nerves hanging by a thread, I let him take me away without resistance; I didn't want to be in that room any longer in the first place.

"Hey, I wasn't finished. Damn it, Brandon, you never listen to me," his uncle shouted behind him, but thankfully no one stopped us.

After tonight's match Brandon finally secured a spot on the Autumn League. How it happened was unorthodox, but I knew he did not care. Not yet, anyway.

To celebrate his earned victory, his sponsors and VIPs organized another party for him. But, it was obvious from the determined look on his face, he wanted to be anywhere else but with those people.

"I'll be fine. You go, have fun." I turned towards a worried Markus, reassuring him that I was safe, and he could enjoy his night with Stella and the rest, if he wished to.

Brandon stopped in his tracks unexpectedly. With fast reflexes, he held me firmly, before I collided with his almost-naked chest; the silky black robe barely hanging from his shoulders did nothing to cover his toned body.

Turning around I found his waiting eyes, wordlessly asking if this was what I wanted. A smile pulled on my lips; as if there was anywhere I'd rather be.

He stepped away, rushing to pull over a pair of jeans and hoodie, discarding the robe in his gym bag. I barely took my eyes away from him, when my brother asked, "Are you sure?" He was worried, brows furrowed, and fists clenched beside his body.

Who was he trying to fool with that big teddy-bear-heart of his?

"I'm in good hands, now." Standing on my tip toes, I kissed his cheek, squeezing his arm long enough until he unclenched his fist.

"Call us if you need anything," were Stella's words, soft but with underlying meaning, as she pulled Markus' other hand in hers.

If you need us, we'll be there in a heartbeat; that was her promise.

We left through the back door to avoid crazy fans and cameras, sparing James a single glance, before Brandon closed the door behind us. There was more to be resolved between them later, but for now, all that mattered was moving forward and allowing the pieces of the puzzle to come together at last.

The second the doors to his car shut closed, his hand found my cheek, fingers interlacing with my hair as he pulled me closer. His lips finally claimed my own, as the ecstasy flowing through our veins overwhelmed my senses.

Nothing mattered; not Lowell Tracy cursing his whole family tree, or Elijah preaching him about codes and rules. Not even the men in suits who were watching disapprovingly during tonight's match with hawk-like eyes.

Nothing but this feeling; like a drug.

More than anything, I was happy he was finally letting me in.

"What about your VIP party?" I asked when we finally pulled apart and drove away.

"Don't worry, Angel. No one will miss me tonight."

"And here I thought, you were going to tell me the truth, tonight," I said with a playful chuckle and mischievous eyes.

He brought my hand to his lips and said, "After parties and interviews, be damned. There's no place I'd rather be right now."

Immersed in comfortable silence, I noticed we were not driving towards his house this time. Our drive was aimless, down quiet Chicagoan streets, but we did not stray away from his gym at all.

I turned to ask what we were doing, but he gave me the answer before I even uttered a word.

"I wanted the crowd to disperse first," he said as we stopped by the lake park a block away.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, heading down the dirt road of the park. It was dark by now, but fairy lights lit the path all the way to the lake. The chill made shivers travel down my spine, but I felt safe, warm even, under the gaze of his beautiful eyes.

"Are we here to hide a body?" I teased, the grin on my face full of bad intentions, as I interlaced my fingers with his.

"Not tonight, baby," he breathed huskily, releasing my hand only to hug me closer to his body.

As we reached a row of wooden benches surrounding the lake, I sat on top of the backrest, turning to him expectedly. He took a couple of steps back, avoiding my gaze, as he breathed in the night air. I couldn't help but feel lost in the emeralds of his eyes, the stars' reflection taking my breath away; he was putting them to shame.

And then his eyes finally found my own.

In short strides he eliminated the space between us. With both hands on my cheeks, he claimed my lips in a searing kiss. His tongue teased the seam of my bottom lip, biting down hard. With a gasp, he gained access to my mouth easily, searching for my own tongue with his.

His kiss was like his last battle. Fast, hard and determined. He knew what he wanted and he'd be the victor.

I couldn't stop even if I wanted to, so instead I pulled him closer, hands interlacing around his neck. I was only his prey, gladly submitting to his will.

"I replayed what I wanted to tell you over and over... but... I guess I just have to start from the beginning and see where we go from there."

With one last tag on my bottom lip, he rest his forehead on mine, taking in a deep breath.

"Are you ready for this, Angel?" he asked, his eyes finding mine.

Time stopped. Everything was dead silent, but the storm in his eyes.

"You ready to hear about the fucking guardian?"

In the months I've been absent I experienced so many emotions I never knew were possible.

I've been through exams, burned-out, been through such an emotional turmoil after missing my family so much.... and then some more exams... God, let me tell you, it's been some weird couple of months.

I thought I was ... but I'm not , and that's .

But I'm back, and I'll be establishing a plan for updating this story. I love these two so much, so don't you worry. I won't leave you hanging any longer than I have.

As always, and if you feel like it. I take nothing for granted, and I for being in this part of my life.

Take care! ~Dear J