He smacks my ass so hard I’m sure it’s going to leave an imprint. Then he caresses my face, kissing his way down my jaw to the sensitive skin on my neck. He’s swinging between volatility and worship, and I don’t know what to expect from one second to the next.
Somewhere between punishment and pleasure, he finds his release, thrusting deep with one last agonized groan. He comes hard, his muscles contracting until every last bit of tension is wrung from his body.
When we’re both completely spent, he collapses onto his back, dragging me with him so I fall across his chest. Then he kisses my hair and says the three words I dread most.
“Now, we talk.”
52
ABELLA
“You’re coming home with me.”
His tone leaves no room for argument, and I expected nothing less from him. But surely, he has to see the disaster looming ahead if he goes through with this.
“Angelo.” My voice fractures. “Nothing has changed. I can’t give you?—”
“You give me everything.” He tilts my face up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You are what I want,cara. Our future may not be exactly as we planned it, but I don’t want a future without you in it. It’s that simple for me.”
Tears leak from my eyes, and he brushes them away.
“But what about the treaty?” I ask.
He answers without pause. “If Ares and I can’t come to an agreement, then I’ll go to war.”
“No.” Panic swells in my chest. “You can’t risk the lives of our family and friends for me?—”
“I’m not,” he tells me. “They volunteered.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Everyone wants you back,” he says. “You’re family. And we always protect our family. No matter what.”
What he’s telling me might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. But it’s also the most insane. He has to know I can’t agree to this. I know what wars entail. They’re bloody and painful, and in the end, nobody ever really wins.
“Do you trust me?” Angelo asks.
“Of course I do.”
“Good. I’m asking you to trust me now. That’s all I need you to do.”
Ultimately, I concede because I know it doesn’t matter what I say at this point. When Angelo is determined, he won’t be swayed. He’s taking me home, regardless of how I may feel about this crazy plan.
When he recognizes my acceptance, he asks the next question I’ve been dreading.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice is soft, but it’s impossible to miss the torment behind his tone.
I close my eyes and breathe him in as a thousand regrets filter through my mind. “I was afraid of what you would choose.”
“You,” he answers. “Always you,cara.”
I nod against him, silent tears tracking down my face. It’s everything I ever needed to hear from him, but it comes at a cost, and only the future will tell us what that might be.
“You kept it on.” He traces a finger over my wedding ring.
“I never planned to take it off,” I confess.
A low hum of satisfaction vibrates in his chest, and I feel it deep inside me. Being near him soothes me like nothing else can. He’s my home. And as much as my mind is at war, I can already feel the pieces of my heart mending back together.
