She came undone, her body convulsing around me. I rode out her orgasm, drawing it out, wringing every last drop of pleasure from her.
When she finally stilled, I kissed my way up her body. Her eyes were closed, her breath coming in ragged gasps. I pressed a soft kiss to her lips, tasting her, tasting us.
Her eyes fluttered open. She reached up, cupping my face. "I love you."
My heart stuttered. Those words...they were everything. They were terror and triumph, vulnerability and invincibility.
I turned my face into her palm, kissing it. "I love you too."
Her smile was soft, radiant. She pulled me down, her legs wrapping around me. I positioned myself at her entrance, feeling her heat, her readiness.
But I hesitated. I wanted this to be perfect. I wanted her to know, to feel, that this was different. That she was different.
She saw my hesitation, misunderstood it. "It's okay," she whispered. "I want this. I want you."
I shook my head. "It's not that. I just… I want you to know… this isn't about possession. Or control. It's about—"
She silenced me with a kiss. "I know," she said against my lips. "It's about us. Together."
I pushed into her, slowly, reverently. Her body welcomed me, enveloped me. We moved together, a dance of give and take, push and pull. Her nails dug into my back, her breath hot on my neck.
It was intense. It was intimate. It was everything.
Her orgasm built slowly, a rising tide. I felt it in her quickening breath, her tightening muscles, her desperate grip. When it crashed over her, it took me with it. We came together, our bodies locked, our hearts pounding as one.
Afterward, we lay entwined, her head on my chest, my arms around her. Our breaths synchronized, our hearts beat in rhythm.
This was new. This was terrifying. This was right.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling her smile against my skin.
"My queen," I whispered.
Her arm tightened around me. "My king."
CHAPTER 26
Julietta
The chandeliers of The Apex Casino cast gold across marble floors so polished I could see my reflection. Six weeks had passed since Lorenzo bled out in that cathedral. Six weeks since I stopped being anyone's pawn and became a queen.
My heels clicked a sharp rhythm as I crossed the main floor. Conversations paused. Eyes tracked me—not with lust or dismissal, but deference. Men in thousand-dollar suits straightened their spines. Dealers kept their focus on cards but their awareness stayed fixed on me.
"Mrs. Taviani." The pit boss, Viktor, materialized at my elbow. His bow was slight but genuine. "The high-roller room is ready for your inspection."
I nodded, watching a roulette wheel spin. Red seventeen. The same number Dante bet the night we met, when I was still playing at being Lorenzo's obedient daughter.
"Thank you, Viktor. I'll review the security protocols with you in twenty minutes."
"Of course."
He melted back into the crowd. I continued my circuit, noting the new cameras positioned at angles I'd suggested, the additional guards stationed near exits. This casino had been Lorenzo's once. Now it was ours—mine and Dante's—and I'd redesigned every vulnerable corner.
My phone buzzed. Two messages.
The first from Marcos:Miami route clear. Product moved without incident.
The second from Elena—yes, I'd named the safe house network coordinator after my mother:Elena: Four rescues from the Newark docks. All safe. Youngest is twelve.
