She flinched despite herself but shook her head anyway.
“I’ll have a doctor come?—”
“No,” she said quickly, catching my wrist. Her voice was soft. Tired. “I’m okay, Enzo. Just… stay here. Please?”
I exhaled, the tension easing just enough to breathe. “Yeah. Of course.” I gave a small, humorless smile. “Been counting down the hours to see you again all day.”
Her eyes filled instantly. “How is Matteo? He was so scared.” Her eyes slid shut. Guilt twisted her features.
I pulled her against me, holding her like she might vanish if I didn’t. “He was terrified foryou, Ren. He loves you.”
She nodded against my chest. “I love him too.” She pulled back again, just enough for her gaze to meet mine. Her eyes were still damp and glassy, but her gaze was steady. “I love you too, Enzo.”
The words landed hard and heavy between us.
She misunderstood my silence. “I know this isn’t the right time,” she rushed on, cupping my face. “But I wasn’t sure earlier if I’d ever get the chance to tell you that you were loved. And…and even if nothing happens, I want you to know that.”
My heart swelled as it raced inside my chest. I’d never stopped loving her, and I never thought I’d hear those words from her lips again. Suddenly, all I wanted was a taste of that mouth. I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. The kiss was gentle but hungry, both of us too tired for anything but getting lost in it.
“I love you too,” I said quietly. “I never stopped.”
Her body sagged with relief, trusting her weight to me. “How areyou?” she asked after a moment. “With everything.”
I knew what she was asking, and still, I gave the expected answer. “I’m fine.”
Her blue eyes seared into me for a long, assessing moment before she gave me a look that said she didn’t believe me. “Yeah, of course,” she agreed, nodding. “But even though he deserved it and it was part of your code or whatever, hewasyour cousin. It can’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t,” I agreed. “But I will be okay.” It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that David had done all of this out of jealousy. That he’d wanted a life I would’ve happily given up two decades ago just to have a life with Ren. It was a fucking waste, but he’d done this. Not me.
“I know youwill be, but right now? In this moment where it’s just us? It is perfectly okay if you aren’t.” She held me close, whispering in my ear. “If you want to talk, I’m here, Enzo.” Her gaze was soft as she looked at me, but the traces of exhaustion were visible in her eyes and the sluggish movements of her body.
“Thank you, Ren. I don’t deserve you.” If she decided she loved me enough to have a life together, I’d make sure every damn day to be worthy of her.
“Maybe,” she grinned. “But you got me anyway.”
I wanted her. God, how I wanted her, but it was too soon for that. She was exhausted and bruised, and I was…not in the headspace. “I just want to hold you and sleep, but I have to make some calls.”
She stiffened, then nodded. “Yeah. Of course.” She stepped back and reached for a towel, hiding her disappointment behind her damp hair. “I’m going to check on Mattie and then crash.” She wrapped the towel around her body and paused in front of me. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“There was never any other option.” I traced her jaw, her lips, then let her go.
I watched Ren’s jerky movements, the way she held herself so stiffly, and not for the first time, I wondered if it was fair to want a future with her when this was my life. She deserved more than constant danger, more than a twenty-four-hour security detail.
But that was a worry for another day.
Now it was time to admit to Valentina what had been done. To begin cleaning up the damage David had done to my organization.
And to start the process of packing up and going back home.
Chapter 29
Serenity
Iwoke up hurting. Every one of my muscles protested as I shifted beneath the sheets, a deep soreness settling into my bones. The pain was a memory that I wouldn’t forget anytime soon. The wounds would heal and the bruises would fade, but every hit was tattooed on my brain. My wrists throbbed and my ribs ached when I breathed too deeply. Bruises that weren’t there last night had made an appearance overnight.
I was in pain. Deep and pulsing physical pain. It wasn’t just my wrists and my ribs that hurt, but my back from being tossed in the back of that van. My legs from being curled under me when I was passed out. My head from…everything. But there was also heart pain.
The bed beside me was cold and empty. That realization hurt worse than anything else even though there was a part of me that wasn’t at all surprised. Last night when he said he needed to take care of things, I knew he was putting distance between us. So the final break didn’t hurt as bad.
