Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I cock my head, cracking my neck. “Try again.”
She drops the toothbrush and grips the counter behind her. “Sav, please.”
I draw my hand down to the column of her neck, keeping her close with a possessive hold. “I can’t fix your problems if you don’t tell me what they are.”
“Why do you want to fix my problems?” she asks, her voice hoarse.
“Because it’s my job to take care of you.”
“Is it?” she throws back at me. “Why?”
“Because I own you,” I say, making sure she gets the message. “Because if anyone touches you, they touch me.” I lean closer, no longer able to contain the hardness that presses against her stomach, the need that compels me to claim her and mark her until she’s no longer uncertain about how long I’m keeping her for. “You know what I do with people who wrong me. I cut them down. You’ve seen it firsthand. Do you know what I do with people who dare to look the wrong way at what’s mine? I slay them, tesoro. I flatten them to the ground. I’ll burn the whole world down for you, but you’ll stand at my side while I do it. You’re a goddamn goddess, not a coward. You don’t get to hide.”
She trembles against me, but she holds my gaze bravely. “Does that extend to your ex-wife?”
“Yes, Rachele too. I already took care of that at the wedding.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I can fight my own battles?”
I brush a thumb over the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her neck. “I know you can. I’m going to destroy anyone who makes you unhappy anyway, and we’re not leaving this room before you tell me who I’m going to kill.”
“No one,” she whispers, her eyes growing larger. “No one made me unhappy.”
I come closer, kissing her again, licking the seam of her lips. “Do you think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been since the wedding?”
“I’ve had things on my mind.”
“Clearly.” I tighten my fingers around her neck. The touch is dominant without cutting off her airflow. “Now’s the time to tell me.”
She takes a shaky breath, her resistance crumbling with the sag of her shoulders. “What happens to my baby if I’m dead, Sav? Have you ever thought about that?” She utters a laugh. “I suppose you don’t have to. It’s not your problem, is it?”
The question is like a sledgehammer to my brain. What the fuck? “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“What if it does? I have to be prepared. It would be stupid and irresponsible not to put measures in place.”
I stare into those lovely, whisky-colored eyes. Fuck. This is what she’s had on her mind? She’s a fierce protector, a lioness when it comes to her baby. It’s only natural that she thinks like that. It’s part of what I love so much about her. But fuck. I don’t want her to be scared for her life. And yet, she’s not wrong to worry. However, as I told her, that’s my job.
I weave my fingers through her hair, cupping her head, telling her gently, emphasizing each word to let my meaning sink in, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Saverio.”
My name on her lips is beseeching, begging me to be honest with her.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I need to know,” she says, hesitating. “I need to know that my baby will be safe.” A warning slips into her tone. “I’ll do whatever it takes, Saverio. Don’t underestimate me.”
Resting our foreheads together, I say, “I’ll never be that foolish.”
She’s potent poison in a small bottle. I knew that from the moment I laid eyes on her. She singlehandedly took care of her mom. She fucking shot the guy who tried to stab her mother.
The thought of her dead or gone does things to me. It makes me violent. I dare someone to try and take her away. I’ll kill every motherfucker who’ll give it a shot, including Luigi. I’ll fight that war if that’s what it boils down to, but I’ll first diffuse it if I can.
The savage dread that spears through my chest pours into the kiss I press on her lips. My hands are on her everywhere at once, tearing at the buttons of her pajama top. The pants are next, the fabric shredded at my feet before she has time to gasp.
Goddamn. I wasn’t going to do this.
I snap my teeth together, summoning every ounce of willpower I possess to clench my hands at my sides and not reach for her again. “Tell me to stop, tesoro.”
Instead, she pushes my pajama bottoms over my hips. My cock juts out, ready and dripping precum for her.
I lock my fingers on her hips to keep a measure of distance between us while trying to come to my senses, but she leans against me, trapping my hard-on between our naked skin.