And then I begin exploring her. I trace the shape of her stomach and the curve of her hip learning her inch by inch. She arches under my touch, whispering my name like a secret meant only for the dark. When I rub her clit, she moans.
“Next time I’m going to taste your sweet cunt, but not right now.”
I move over her holding her gaze even when it’s too much. As I slide into her, I let out a moan.
“Fuck,cara. You feel like heaven,” I murmur, looking down at her.
I try to be gentle but soon I’m rocking into her heat so hard that the headboard hits the wall. She’s just as hungry, arching into me and running her nails down my back, marking me.
“Lorenzo,” she pants. “I’m so close.”
I reach between us and strum her clit. Her lips part on a silent scream as she clamps down on me. I follow, filling her with my cum.
And as I look down at her, flushed and sated like she belongs there, a new thought roots itself in my mind.
I need an heir.
And Elizabeth can give it to me.
Not for legacy.
Not for power.
But because something about her—this—feels like the beginning of everything I never knew I was missing.
And I want it secured.
Bound.
Mine.
In that moment I know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.
18
Birdie
I wake up in Lorenzo’s arms, sunlight spilling through the curtains in soft gold. For a long moment, I don’t move. His chest rises and falls against my cheek, steady and warm. The world outside feels miles away.
“Morning,” he murmurs, voice rough with sleep.
I smile. “Good morning.”
“Well, I see getting dicked down took some of that attitude away.”
I laugh, pushing at his chest.
“I could say the same about you. Why, you were practically purring like a cat last night.”
“The cat who got the cream,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. Finally, he shifts. “We should get up before Rosa arrives.”
I nod, but I don’t move right away. “Lorenzo? Does this change anything?”
For a heartbeat, I think he might answer honestly. Instead, he says, “Everything changes eventually,” and leaves me sitting there with the echo of his words.
He’s right about one thing. I’m in a much better mood.
I can’t stop smiling in the shower. The hot water beats down on me, steam curling around my shoulders, but it’s the leftover warmth of him that lingers the longest.
