Gentle contact across her chest. Her breath caught. Hands tightened in my hair. I took my time. Worshipping every inch of her. Careful. Tender. Making sure she felt cherished instead of claimed. When I finally moved lower, when I removed the last of the lace and settled between her thighs, I paused.
Met her eyes. Made sure she was still with me. Still okay.
She nodded. Smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too. Always."
My hands slid up her ribs, thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts before cupping them, testing their weight. She was heavier here, fuller, her nipples dark and tight, begging for my mouth. I didn’t make her wait. Lowering my head, I took one between my lips, sucking gently, then harder when she moaned, her fingers tangling in my hair.
“Oh god—” Her hips lifted off the bed, her body seeking friction, her breath coming in short, desperate pants. I switched to the other breast, laving the peak with my tongue before grazing it with my teeth. She cried out, her nails digging into my scalp, the sting of it only making me hungrier.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I growled, my mouth moving down, kissing the soft skin of her belly, the dip of her navel. My hands slid to her hips, cradling her, holding her like she was something fragile. Like she was everything. “Mine.” The word was a vow, a threat, a prayer. “All mine.”
Her tears came then, silent and shining, tracking down her temples into her hair. I looked up, met her gaze. Saw the love there, the fear, the hope—all of it raw and exposed, just for me.
“Kai, —” She reached for me, her voice breaking.
Crawling up her body, I captured her mouth again, kissing her like a man starved. Our tongues tangled, wet and hot, her taste flooding my senses. She whimpered into my mouth, her legs parting, her body arching up to meet mine. But this wasn’t about me. Not tonight.
I pushed inside her slowly, inch by inch, watching her face as she stretched around me, her lips parting on a silent gasp, her nails digging into my biceps. She was tight—so fucking tight—and wet, her body gripping me like a vice.
“Fuck, baby—” My voice broke, my hips stuttering as I bottomed out, my balls pressing against her ass.
She whimpered, her body arching, her breasts brushing against my chest. “More. Harder.”
I groaned, my control snapping. Pulling back, I thrust into her, deep and slow at first, then harder, faster, when she beggedfor it. The bed creaked beneath us, the sound mixing with the wet slap of skin, the ragged sounds of our breathing. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her heels digging into my ass, urging me deeper, her body taking everything I gave her and demanding more.
“Kai—I’m—” Her words dissolved into a cry, her back bowing off the bed as her orgasm hit her, her walls clamping down around me, milking me, dragging my own release from me with a growl.
I buried my face in her neck, my hips stuttering as I came, my cock pulsing inside her, filling her. Her name was a prayer on my lips, her body trembling beneath mine, her breath hot against my skin.
When it was over, I collapsed beside her, pulling her into my arms, her back to my front, my cock still half-hard inside her. Her heart pounded against my palm, her skin slick with sweat, her hair sticking to her neck.
She turned her head, her lips finding mine in a slow, lazy kiss. “I never thought we’d actually get here,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.
I cupped her face, my thumb brushing away the wetness on her cheeks. “I’d burn the world down a thousand times to get here,” I murmured, pressing my forehead to hers. “To have you safe. To love you like this.”
Six months after the wedding,Aria went into labor at 3am.
I'd never been so terrified in my life. Not during firefights. Not facing down my father. Not even when I'd thought I might lose her. This was different. This was watching the woman I loved in pain and being completely helpless to stop it.
Twelve hours later, our daughter was born.
Lucia Maria Accardi. Named after my mother. Seven pounds, three ounces. Perfect in every way.
The nurse cleaned her off, wrapped her in a blanket, placed her in my arms and my entire world shifted.
I'd held weapons. Money. Power. Things people would kill for butnone of it compared to holding this tiny, perfect human who was half me and half Aria.
She was so small. Fragile. Her eyes were closed, face scrunched up, one tiny fist near her mouth. Dark hair like her mother. My nose, I thought. Maybe my chin.
Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't stop them. Didn't try.
"She's perfect." My voice came out broken. Raw. "God, she's so perfect."
Aria lay in the hospital bed, exhausted but smiling. Watching me hold our daughter with tears in her own eyes.
"She has your eyes. I can already tell."
