A smile cracks across his face. “Perfect. Thank you. That’s a huge load off my mind.”
Rowan wraps a towel around me and tugs my hand back toward the house. “Great. You start tomorrow.”
I laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a lunch break.” He winks at me and pulls me inside and up the stairs to our bedroom. Not that I had a lot of stuff, but he moved me into his room before I woke up from my nap that first day. He announced to the staff that we were together and in love, and that was that. Good thing my stooges were gone. Who knows how they would have reacted?
We’ve been careful with sex. I mean, we’ve been doing it—we can’t keep our hands off each other—but he’s been verycareful with me. The look in his eyes tells me that might all be over now.
Honestly, these last four weeks have been the best of my life. Being with him is like living in an eternal dream. We talk about everything, holding nothing of ourselves back. He’s gone to some of my therapy sessions, and with that, we both have a deeper understanding of what I endured at the hands of Antonia and Signoria and even Samil. I’ve made my peace with him. It’s all I can do.
Rowan strips me out of my bathing suit, his eyes fierce and hungry as he guides me to the bench at the end of the bed and sits me down. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Strong.”
“Any pain?”
I shake my head. I wouldn’t call what I have pain. Just occasional discomfort, but it’s nothing I can’t manage.
“Good. Spread your legs for me.”
I do without hesitation, opening myself up fully to him. He licks his lips, then flicks his tongue against my clit. I moan, already so wet and ready for him, I can hardly stand it.
“You’re still dressed, Your Highness.”
He gives me a wicked smirk as he reaches behind his back and pulls off his shirt, treating me to a sinful view of his tanned shoulders and arms. So perfect. So mine.
“Speaking of Your Highness, I wanted to run something by you.”
He blows cool air on my pussy, and I shudder. “Hmm?” I ask absently, watching as he stares ravenously at my cunt. “Rowan, give it to me,” I whine when he rings my entrance without pushing a finger in. “Don’t tease me like this.”
He chuckles and kisses my clit. “I’m not sure how to do this. I’ve thought about it. I thought about tying you up and making you come, and then doing it. I thought about bringing it up over dinner. I thought about waking you upwith it. I can’t decide because I don’t think you’ll be happy with me.”
I push him back, and he lands on his haunches. “What are you talking about?”
“Do you remember when you mentioned you didn’t want to be a Russo? How it felt wrong and weird since they were blackmailed by Signoria?”
“Yes.” I shake my head. “Why are we talking about this now?”
“You mentioned your father’s middle name to me. Alexander.”
“What about it?” I whisper, closing my legs and drawing them up to my chest, suddenly feeling vulnerable. Except Rowan isn’t having that. He puts my feet back on the floor and wraps his arms around me, putting us chest-to-chest and face-to-face.
“Your last name, as well as Jaqueline’s, is officially Alexander. You’re Marcella Alexander.”
Tears prickle my eyes. “I am?”
“You are. It’s legal. We had a judge sign off on it. You have a birth certificate. A national identification number. The works.”
“I’m real?” I swallow. “We exist?”
“Yes.”
Oh god. A sob clogs my throat, and my eyes shudder shut. My forehead falls to his shoulder, and I let go, crying my eyes out. “I didn’t know you were doing that.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“It’s a surprise.”
