“I’m gonna need one of those donut cushions to sit on all day at work,” Seven said around a huge yawn. “But it was totally worth it.”
“I should pull out,” Enzo said, shifting slightly.
“No, don’t,” Seven blurted, face flushing, the tip of his ear turning bright red. “I…I like just having you inside me like this.”
Enzo’s cock twitched inside him. If he could have gotten hard again, he would have. “Yeah?” Seven nodded, but didn’t explain further. “I knew you’d be into cockwarming.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Seven whispered.
“Make fun of you? It’s the hottest fucking thing in the world.You’rethe hottest thing in the world. I can’t get enough of you. You have to know that.”
“Really?” Seven asked.
Enzo nuzzled his throat. “Really, really.”
Seven was quiet for a few minutes, then asked, “If I said I love you right now, would it be super cringey?”
Enzo’s heart somersaulted in his chest, his breath hitching as he tried to compose himself, a little overwhelmed by how much he felt for him. “Maybe? But I’m a really big fan of cringe. Maybe the biggest. You’ve seen the movies I watch.”
He felt Seven laugh beneath him more than he heard it.
They laid there as the sky lightened more and more, Enzo pressing kisses into Seven’s skin. He’d never felt so content lying in silence with another person before.
“Enzo?”
He pressed another lazy kiss between Seven’s shoulder blades. “Yeah?”
“If you hurt me again, I’ll carve out your heart and eat it in front of you while you bleed out,” he said with the same casualness one might reserve for discussing the weather.
Enzo didn’t take it personally. He kissed his ear softly. “I know, baby. I know.”
“Good,” Seven said. “Good,” he said again, like he was confirming something for himself.
“And just so we’re clear,” Enzo said. “I love you, too.”
“I know, Daddy,” Seven said. “I know.”
Seven had a night of dreamless sleep and a morning of mind-blowing sex, followed by a very handsy shower and breakfast made by his gorgeous half-dressed, heavily-tattooed boyfriend. It should have been a perfect morning and, on some level, it was. But every time he found himself basking in his happiness, guilt stabbed him in the heart.
His mother. How could he be happy with this sword swinging over her head? It wasn’t fair that Seven was getting all the things he’d ever dreamed of while his mother—the person who’d sacrificed everything for him—was suffering. Who was doing this to her? And why? Whyher? She’d dedicated her life to that place. She wasn’t a thief. It just didn’t make any sense.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Enzo said, coming up behind Seven and wrapping his arms around him. “I’m not gonna let your mom go to jail.” Seven could hear the smile in his voice when he tacked on, “My mom would kill me.”
Of all the things that made Enzo Seven’s perfect match, it was that they were both unrepentant mamas’ boys. And—thankfully—both their mothers liked each other. Growing up, his mother had the occasional friend, but nobody who stuck around. Once they found out who Seven’s father was, or that Neith was constantly being sucked back into his orbit, they bailed.
But now, she had Enzo’s family…including Rocco? Enzo wanted his mom to be happy above almost anything, but the idea of her becoming a Conti before he did made him a little jealous. Did that make him a bad person?
“You believe me, don’t you?” Enzo asked, pressing the words into the skin just behind his ear.
Seven smiled, leaning back against him. “Of course, I do. It’s just…scary. Who would do this? She’s such a good person.” Finally, he gave voice to the thought that he didn’t want to utter out loud. “You don’t think my dad could have some part in this, do you?”
“You think your dad would set her up? I thought they…got along,” he said hesitantly.
Seven huffed. That was one way to put it. “If he heard she was dating your uncle, he might retaliate. Or maybe he did it to hurt me.”
That thought had teeth, sinking into his heart. Did his father hate him enough to take his mother from him out of spite? He couldn’t stop thinking about their last phone call. His sperm donor had called him a disappointment. A mistake. It wasn’t the first time his father had lashed out when he refused to put money on his books or provide bail money, but the venom in his voice had been…noteworthy.
“I don’t think this has anything to do with Stan. Logically, I think someone promoted your mother as a set-up to cover their own crimes. But that’s just a hunch. I’ll know more once we dig a little deeper. But I’m gonna take care of it.”
