"My estate," Sandro told Thomas. Then he pressed the button to raise the privacy screen.
The moment we were alone, he pulled me into his lap. Kissed me hard. Desperate. Like he'd been holding back for hours and couldn't anymore.
"We won," he said against my mouth. "We fucking won."
"Diana did the work."
"We both know who really won this case." He kissed me again. Softer this time. "You paid off Antonio's debts. You gave him the freedom to tell the truth. You saved me."
"I compromised everything I believe in."
"You chose me over everything you believe in. There's a difference." His hands cupped my face. "And I love you for it. Even though I shouldn't. Even though it makes me a terrible person. I love you for sacrificing your principles to save me."
"I'd do it again."
"I know. That's what terrifies me." He rested his forehead against mine. "But right now I don't want to think about consequences or morality or what this cost you. Right now I just want to celebrate with you."
We stayed tangled together for the entire drive. Kissing. Touching. Reveling in the victory and the privacy and the fact that the trial was finally over.
When we arrived at the estate, Sandro led me straight upstairs. Not to his usual bedroom. To a different room I'd never seen. Smaller. More intimate. With windows overlooking the gardens and a fireplace already lit.
"I had this prepared," he said. "In case we won. Somewhere we could be alone without any associations with the trial or the case or any of it."
The room was beautiful. Simple furniture. Soft lighting. Everything designed for comfort rather than impression.
"It's perfect," I said.
He started undressing me. Slowly. Carefully. Taking his time with each button and zipper. When I was naked, he stepped back and just looked at me.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm memorizing this. You. Here. Not worried about the trial or testimony or any of it. Just you." He started undressing himself. "I want to remember what you look like when you're not carrying the weight of my defense."
When he was naked, he came to me. Pulled me close. We stood skin to skin in the firelight, just holding each other. No urgency. No desperation. Just connection.
"I love you," he said quietly. "More than I've ever loved anything. You changed everything for me."
"I love you too. Even though it's complicated and messy and probably wrong in a dozen different ways."
"Especially because it's complicated and messy and wrong." He kissed me softly. "Now let me make love to you. Properly. The way you deserve."
He led me to the bed. Laid me down gently. Settled beside me and started exploring my body with careful attention. Not trying to arouse. Just touching. Learning. Appreciating.
"You're beautiful," he murmured. His fingers traced my collarbone. Down my chest. Across my stomach. "I don't tell you that enough."
"You tell me all the time."
"Not like this. Not when it's just about you. Not performance or urgency or need. Just truth." He kissed my shoulder. "You're beautiful and brilliant and you gave up everything for me."
"Not everything. I still have my law license. My job. My—"
"Your principles. Your integrity. Your belief that the system works on truth instead of power." He looked at me directly. "Don't minimize what you sacrificed, Emilio. I see it. I know what it cost you."
Tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back. "It was worth it."
"I'll spend the rest of my life making sure it was." He kissed me. Deep and slow. "Starting now."
He made love to me with a tenderness I'd never experienced from him before. Usually our sex was intense. Desperate. Claiming. But this was different. This was gentle.
