“I’m sorry for bringing all this trouble into your life,” she said after a moment of silence. “You just lost your father, and instead of being able to grieve properly, you’re dealing with all my drama.”
“My father, what a man.” I shifted closer to her on the couch. “The more I found out about him, the more I realized I didn’t know him at all. And to be clear, you haven’t brought trouble. You’ve brought me comfort at a time I needed it.”
She looked at me skeptically, with one beautiful brow raised. “And the threat of my ex.”
“There is that.” I admitted. “I’m not afraid of Lordes. He’s half Irish.” I joked. “Plus, I think you’re worth it.”
I reached for her hands, enclosing them in mine. They were cool from holding the wine glass. “I know this is complicated, Labria. I know the timing is all wrong, and there are a thousand reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“But?” she prompted.
“But what I feel for you is real.” The words came out more earnestly than I intended. “I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you, not just physically, but all of you. Your mind, your strength, the way talk, act and are.”
She didn’t pull away, which I took as encouragement to continue.
“I feel guilty about being with my cousin’s ex. I do. In our world, that’s a line you don’t cross.” I traced small circles onthe back of her hand with my thumb. “But when I’m with you, it doesn’t feel wrong. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.”
Her expression relaxed, the hard lines of worry easing from her forehead. “I have feelings for you too, Maurizio. I think I have for a while, even before I left Lord.”
“Really?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice.
She nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her full, kissable lips. “You were always honest with me. Always treated me like I mattered, not just as an accessory or a possession.” Her fingers tightened around mine. “When things started falling apart with Lord, I found myself comparing him to you more and more.”
“I’m flattered,” I said, though ‘flattered’ didn’t begin to cover the surge of emotion her words created in me. “But also terrified of the position I’ve put you in.”
“We’ve put each other in,” she corrected. “This was a mutual decision.”
“Still,” I said, bringing one of her hands to my lips, “I wish I could promise you safety at all times.”
“I don’t need promises.” Her eyes met mine steadily. “I just need truth. No matter how uncomfortable or frightening, I need to know what we’re facing together.”
Together. The word hung between us, a commitment neither of us was ready to fully articulate but both felt deeply.
“No more secrets,” I repeated my earlier promise. “Whatever comes, we face it with open eyes.”
She nodded, some of the tension visibly draining from her body. “Together.”
I pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the night sky darken outside the window, each lost in our own thoughts about what tomorrow might bring.
Chapter Six
MAURIZIO
Icouldn’t tell who moved first. One moment we were sitting side by side on the couch, the next our lips met with a hunger that surprised us both. My hand found the back of her neck. My fingers tangled in her soft hair as I pulled her closer. The taste of wine lingered on her lips, sweet and intoxicating. All our earlier concerns about Lordes, about danger, about family loyalty dissolved in the heat between us. Right or wrong, this moment was ours alone.
Labria shifted, sliding onto my lap with a fluid grace that took my breath away. Her skirt hiked up around her thighs as she straddled me. Her hands framed my face as our kiss deepened. I ran my palms up her sides, feeling the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her blouse. The subtle curve of her waist, the fullness of her breasts pressing against my chest—these were sensations I was still getting accustomed to, still marveling at.
“Upstairs,” I murmured against her lips when we finally broke for air.
She nodded, eyes half-lidded with desire. I stood, lifting her with me, her legs wrapping around my waist. She was light in my arms, her body molding perfectly against mine as I carried hertoward the stairs. Her mouth found the sensitive spot below my ear. Her teeth grazed my skin in a way that made my knees weak.
“Careful,” I warned, steadying myself against the wall. “Or we might not make it upstairs.”
She laughed softly. The sound vibrated against my neck. “Would that be so terrible?”
“No,” I admitted, starting up the stairs with her still in my arms. “But I want to fuck you in my bed.”
The possessiveness in my voice surprised even me. My bed. Where she belonged. Where I’d imagined her countless times before she ever walked through my door.
