I’ve missed my afternoon appointment with Evander. Then there’s Cas. Jason. Fuck, not just Jason,allof them.
But how could I say no? How could I refuse the offer to sleep under the same roof as my sister? To sleep wrapped in Marco’s arms all night, in his bed? To dream of the three of us in Atrea together, running across the beach, hand in hand.
It’s a fantasy. A complete delusion. I know that.
But for one night, I will let myself pretend. Pretend this is real. That tomorrow won’t come. That we get to keep this.
Pretend that we’ll all go home to Atrea together. That Marco will teach Esme to fish off the rocks while I gather driftwood for our fire. That we have years ahead of us instead of borrowed time. That this fragile thing between us could ever survive what’s coming.
“Of course,” I tell him. “Of course, Marco. Of course.”
Chapter twenty-eight
Marco: Mío, Solo Mío
The minutes crawl by as I sit alone in the living room, two glasses of wine on the table, and a book open on my knee. One of those history books the Emperor’s so obsessed with, all grand empires of an almost-forgotten past, sketches of the before-times when things weren’t diseased and dying like they are now. Worlds he’s intent on recreating, no matter who gets caught and crushed along the way.
But I’m not reading it. It’s just something to do with my hands. Something to stop me endlessly drinking and refilling this wine while I wait for Robin to say goodnight to Esme.
I take another sip anyway, scan the doorway again. Take another sip.
Maybe he’ll sleep in there tonight. I could understand it. No doubt he wants to see her safe and happy. See it with his own eyes, after all this time. In his position, I’d probably—
“Marco?”
I jump to my feet, the book falling face down on the floor. “I was… um…”
He comes forward, right in front of me, so close I can feel the warmth of his body. His eyes are so bright. Brighter than I’ve ever seen them. There’san ease about his shoulders, and that pure Atrean sunshine that makes up so great a part of him burns stronger than I could have imagined.
He’s the most beautiful thing.
I glance down at the table, at the glass of wine waiting for him. “I didn’t want to be presumptuous.” Fuck, why am I so nervous? “You don’t have to… I mean… for sleeping. If you want, you can sleep here. I didn’t expect you to…”
His little finger wraps around mine, and my hand floats up easily as he pulls it. “Do you want me to sleep out here?”
“No.” The answer falls out, as open as the pages sprawled across my floor. But maybe it’s about time I was open with him. “Robin… I don’t ever want you to sleep anywhere else again. I’ve been so stupid. I have… I have tried…”
His kiss falls gently to the left of my mouth, leaving me grasping for speech.
“I wanted to keep you safe,” I attempt. “That was all. That was all it ever was. Since the first day I saw you.”
His lips move to the other side of my mouth, and the scent of him is driving me crazy.
“I’m sorry for everything. If I could fix it—”
His laugh stops me in my tracks. A sweet laugh that brings a smile to my lips. Lips he kisses gently. “You are everything. Marco…” He kisses me again, his hand running up my neck. “You can’t ever understand what you did for me. And if I doubted how you felt before…”
He kisses me again, harder, sending me stumbling backwards so I have to catch him at the hips for stability. His hand slides down my chest, finds a nipple through the fabric of my shirt, and squeezes.
Fucking hell.
My dick’s already so hard I could come on the spot.
Then he lowers his voice and says, “If you don’t take me to your bedroom right now, your housekeeper’s going to get a very rude shock.”
She knows better than to come in here when I’m entertaining Robin, but that knowledge doesn’t stop me from grasping his hand and pulling him as fast as I can down the hall and to the privacy of my bedchamber.
He kicks the door closed behind us. His back hits it as he wrenches me in for a kiss.
