“I don’t know. It’s one thing to come down here, but, um, what if others?—”
“See you?” Alessio interlaced his fingers with mine. “Trust me. I’d never let anything happen to you.”
He meant it, too. I could see it in the earnest expression on his face. He’d once promised to always look out for me, always protect me, and right now we both understood what that meant. No one else could see me here.
I nodded and followed him out of his office and through the catacombs of tunnels they’d turned into secret spaces for the privileged seven trusted to walk these halls. I knew all about the Kings, felt as though I knew them as well as I knew myself through their confessions, and that connection only grew stronger as I moved through their sacred space.
We reached a wide set of stone stairs lined with flickering flames, and I looked up the winding path. My breath caught.
“This place is incredible,” I whispered, in awe of the mammoth structure.
“We like it. Me especially. It’s my cave.” Alessio chuckled. “Literally. Remember my dad used to always say I spent too much time stuck in my computer cave?” He winked at me. “If only he knew, right?”
“Your dad wouldlovethis place.”
He snorted. “That seems like an odd thing for you to say. He would have a fit if he knew what I did.”
“True. But your dad was always smart, always knew more than he let on. I bet he has an inkling.”
Alessio leaned over and kissed my temple. “He knew I loved you. Never judged me for it. Never would.”
“But judged me for leaving.”
“Not for leaving. But for breaking my heart a little.”
I stared into Alessio’s beautiful face, hating how much I’d hurt him over the years, and reached for him, cradling his cheeks.
“Take me somewhere private. Somewhere I can worship you for the rest of the night.”
A shiver ran through Alessio as he reached for my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing my palm.
“Come with me.”
28
ALESSIO
IT WAS EASIER than it should’ve been to sneak Rafael up to the penthouse suites without anyone knowing he was there.The perks of being the one who knew how to hack an elevator.
I slipped inside the suite after Rafael, secured the door with an extra lock so interruptions were impossible, and made my way into the living room, where he stood looking up at the dim chandelier. It cast sparkles of light over his tall frame, making him look ethereal, too perfect for this world.
God, he was beautiful. That was one thing He’d done right when He created Rafael.
“Our worlds are so different,” he said softly, turning to face me.
“They don’t have to be.”
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth.Beautiful. It was hard to believe he was here, that all of this was really happening. I kept waiting for him to change his mind, tell me he’d made a mistake, and then disappear from my life again.
He started toward me, unbuttoning his shirt, and my eyes tracked every inch of skin as he revealed himself to me—the dusting of light hair across his chest and lower stomach, thesteel bars through his nipples that I wanted to tease between my teeth.
He shrugged off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. Then he reached for my hand, placed it over his heart, and said, “I’m not going anywhere.”
Like he could read my mind. Or maybe what was on my mind was written all over my face.
I took in a deep breath as he reached for the back of my neck, pulling me in until his mouth brushed against mine. “Alessio.”
My name on his lips sounded like a prayer, and I shoved every doubt aside to focus on this moment, here, with him.
