A hush falls between us again, but this time it’s comfortable, easy. This is heaven and I want to stay right here forever.
After a few minutes, I break the quiet, only because I love hearing her voice. “You seemed to enjoy the photoshoot this morning.” I caress her hair, still reveling in the fact that Elena’s naked in my arms. I’m the luckiest man on earth.
“I loved it. I can’t wait to see the pictures. The gown, the horse, this magical setting—it all felt perfect. I felt like a queen.”
“Mm, and do you enjoy feeling like a queen?” It’s a somewhat rhetorical question, but an important one.
“Of course, who wouldn’t? Although sitting on a throne sounds fun, it might get boring after a while. If I were a queen, I’d spend my days riding a horse like Midnight all over my kingdom.” She sounds so enthusiastic that it brings a smile to my lips.
I plant a kiss on the top of her head. “You make the most beautiful queen. In fact, I hope you’ll consider being my queen and ruling at my side.”
She glances up at me. “You mean in real life?”
I nod.
“Like a mafia queen?”
Again, I bob my head. “You’re smart, diplomatic, and imaginative. I want you at the meetings, involved in my business, because I value your insights and perspective.”
After a moment she lets out a dry laugh. “You must be new to this world. Everyone knows there are only two types of players:kings and pawns. Queens don’t exist. Women aren’t allowed at the top.”
“I beg to differ. My mother’s a queen. She and my father rule together, side-by-side. It’s what I’m used to seeing, what I grew up expecting of my wife.”
“Really?” Her curious tone encourages me to tell her more.
“Absolutely. My parents—unlike so many—were a love match. They chose each other from the beginning. My siblings and I grew up in a loving, supportive family. Although my father can be strict, he’s never cruel.”
“I… I have absolutely no idea what that would be like.” She rests her cheek against my chest. “My father was terrible. Even though he never really hurt me, mostly because I bent over backwards to please him, he was violent toward my sister and mother. They all hid it so well, I didn’t know half of what went on beneath our roof until I was nearly grown up. You’re lucky to have such an amazing family.”
My chest hurts at her description of her childhood. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories involving my predecessors. Lorenzo, and his son Matteo, were the worst sort.
Cian O’Rourke, Ravenna’s husband, did the world a favor when he murdered Matteo—and rumor has it he may have also been involved in Lorenzo’s mysterious death. But my money’s on Ravenna herself having taken out the old bastard. It wouldn’t be the first time a child turned on their abusive parent.
“I know about your father’s reputation, but not so much about your mother.”
Elena shivers. “She wasn’t a strong woman, certainly no queen. In the end she disappointed us all. She helped Papa sell my sister on the flesh market. It was horrible. Then when Papa was killed, she took her own life, leaving my sister and I all alone.”
I hold her closer, an attempt to shield her from all these past horrors. “You and your sister are both safe now. Not only will I never allow anything bad to happen to you, but I’ll do everything in my power to helpyouempower yourself.”
She shoots me a skeptical glance. “Why would you do that? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll gain more power than you and do whatever I want?”
I smirk. “I’d love nothing more than to see you in a position of ultimate authority.”
“Yeah right.” She scoffs. “Said no man ever.”
“I’m not afraid of you,cara mia. You don’t threaten my manhood. Be the queen who rules with me. Become a famous writer. The world is yours and there’s no reason to limit yourself in becoming the greatest version of you.”
She eyes me. “You’re a very strange man.“
“Perhaps. But I’myourvery strange man. Besides, I never said it would be easy. As my father taught me, power and responsibility must be earned—not given. I see your potential, but be prepared to prove yourself again and again. Mostly to yourself. Other people are much easier to win over. We’re our own worst enemy, and we manage to hold ourselves back more than any other person ever could.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” she muses.
I grunt in an affirmative. “I still haven’t fully convinced myself that I’m anywhere near good enough for you. You’re my greatest internal struggle.”
“Oh.”
I awkwardly clear my throat. I’ve revealed far more of myself than I intended, so I change the subject.
