“You know I don’t like that, Fawn,” he said, voice edging dangerously.
“Why does it matter? I was stupid, stupid to think I had a chance,” I said.
“You have a chance. And he won’t ever hurt you again.”
“He doesn’t have to hurt me—he’s done his worst. He almost took my daughter from me. He did take you away from me. He won.”
I met his eyes and was shocked to see surprise there.
“Me?”
“He did, didn’t he? You don’t look at me. You don’t talk to me. You pretend like I’m not even here. So I may as well not be.”
His face dropped, something almost like confusion crossing his features, so unlike him.
“I…” He reached up to hold my face in his hands, his eyes on mine. “I can’t… When I look at you, I see how much I failed you, her, can’t imagine why you’d spend a moment with me. How you could ever forgive me if we lost her.” He swallowed, his fingers tightening on my face. “Lost Maria.”
His eyes dampened, and I saw the agony in them. I grabbed his wrists, squeezed, hoped that the touch told him that I loved him, that I didn’t blame him. That she was going to be all right. I believed it with all my heart.
“It’s not your fault,” I said, voice hard.
“It is. You, her, you were mine to protect. And I failed. And I’ll never forgive myself for that.” His face and eyes had gone rigid as he spoke, and I felt him slipping away.
“Not even if it’s the only way?” I asked.
“The only way for what?”
“The only way for us to move forward. If you don’t, he will have won. I don’t want him to win. And I don’t want to lose you,” I said.
“You’ll never lose me. You have my heart forever, Fawn,” he said.
He stroked his thumb along my jaw and then leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. It had been so long since he’d touched me like that, and the feel of his lips against mine, gentle yet firm, reminded me of all those times before, of the times I hoped we’d have again.
He deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into my mouth as he held my face tighter. And then he dropped his arms and let his hands roam my body, gripping at my breasts, across my back, down to cup my ass. When he roughly pushed my pants and panties down my legs and delved his hand between my thighs, I broke the kiss and cried out.
I locked my eyes on his as he ran his fingers across my slit, coaxing moisture from me. His ice-green eyes went darker and all of the emotion that I’d missed, the feeling I thought had left filled them. I saw the pain, the turmoil, the desire, the hope.
Without speaking he half dragged me to the couch and in three deft motions, lowered his pants, settled me over him, and pushed me down on his cock. His thickness spread me, the stinging pleasure making my lungs freeze. With one hand on either of my hips, he kept his eyes on mine and moved me over him, pushing me down as he thrust up, the rhythm jerky, erratic, almost frantic.
I understood well, and with each thrust, I could feel the walls falling, the connection that had pulled me to him, made me stay when it had seemed insane to do so come back full force.
And I could see the love in his eyes. Under the pain, the sadness, it shone bright and true.
I kissed him them, swallowed his each harshly exhaled breath as he pounded into me, took me to heights that only he ever could.
My climax came fast and hard, a lightning strike that had me crying out.
“I love you, Vasile,” I said on a low moan.
He went even harder inside me and then stilled, grasping my face in his hands, his eyes on mine.
“Te iubesc, Fawn,” he said as he emptied his seed inside me.
Later, after he’d carried me up the stairs and to the bed, we lay, limbs entwined, his hard body behind me, cocooning me with warmth and love.
Fawn
One Month Later
* * *
“That’s everything?” I asked.
“Yes. We got the nursery done yesterday and finished bringing everything else in. And Maria Petran is officially home and asleep in her own bed for the very first time.”
Vasile smiled bright, full as I’d ever seen him at that last word. We’d had setbacks, but our baby was home, healthy, and we were together.
I watched him as he peeled his clothes from his body, climbed into our bed, and held me close. We lay there entwined, quiet and somehow I knew that like me, he was thinking about how we’d started, how far we’d come. Where we might go in the future.
“So you’re going to keep me?” I finally asked, voice quiet in the dark of the room.
“Always,” he replied.
The Chronicles continue in Fall, the next book in the series! CLICK HERE for more info!