Dante steps inside, closing the door softly behind him. He’s dressed in a dark suit that fits perfectly, his tie loosened, top few buttons undone. He looks as though he’s spent the day in a flurry of negotiations. Tension lines bracket around his mouth and eyes.
God, he still looks so freaking good even when he’s exhausted.
His gaze narrows, suspicion growing. “What’s going on?”
Isabella and I exchange a quick glance. She gestures for me to speak first, so I clear my throat and turn to face him fully.
“Dante… hi.”
He runs a hand through his thick hair, slightly mussed from the day’s stress. “Hi,” he says slowly. I see a flash of relief in his eyes before worry takes over. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” I assure him, holding up a hand. “The baby’s fine. I’m fine. Actually, I’m great.”
He sighs with relief, tension visibly easing from his shoulders. “Okay, good. Then what—?”
“I made a deal with your mother. Sort of. She and I decided it’s best if you marry me.” I let the words hang, enjoying the momentary flicker of absolute shock on his face. I look at Isabella, who is equally surprised, though she maintains her usual sophistication and poise.
His brows shoot up. “You and my mother… what?”
I fight back a grin. “We’ve hammered out the details. She’s all in. If a Petrov marries a Bellacino, it will seal the peace deal nicely between the Italians and the Russians. She wants her future grandchild to have a stable patronage. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I’ve decided I want the father of my baby in a more official capacity.”
Isabella lets out a half cough, half laugh from the corner. Dante gives her a sideways glare before returning his gaze to me, amusement warring with disbelief shadowing his face.
“You two made a deal,” he repeats. “Without telling me.”
“Don’t look so horrified,” I tease. “You do get me out of it, after all.”
He stares at me for a second, then breaks into a deep belly laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”
I tilt my head and smile. “I know.”
For a moment, neither of us moves. My heart thuds, remembering the last time I saw him, the silent ride in the back of the SUV, the few quiet moments in Chappaqua before he quietly closed the door.
“With everything that happened, I wasn’t sure if you’d even want to see me again.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure,” I admit. “But I’ve had a lot of time to think, and Isabella and I were able to come to an understanding. Though I can’t forget everything your family put mine through, I do want to move forward. I want to raise this baby with you. I want to be with you, to be a family.”
He closes the distance between us, his chest nearly brushing mine. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you say that. You know, it’s actually kind of funny you brought up marriage.”
“How so?”
He gives me a mischievous grin and says, “Wait here,” before leaving the room and coming back with a small velvet box. I nearly choke when I see it. “I’ve wanted to give this to you for weeks now.”
He lifts his hand and cups my cheek gently, brushing his thumb over my skin. “Eva, you’re the bravest, most incredible woman I’ve ever met. I don’t deserve you, especially after everything that’s happened. But if you’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my life making you the happiest woman in the world. Will you marry me?”
My eyes sting with tears. A million words dance on my tongue, but I let the moment settle. Finally, I whisper, “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”
“So that’s a yes?”
“It’s a yes.” I press a quick kiss to his mouth, aware of Isabella sitting just mere feet away. “Now shut up and put that ring on my finger before I change my mind.”
He smiles as he slowly slides the ring onto my left hand. It’s a perfect fit.
Isabella clears her throat and we both glance her way. She’s standing now, hands clasped, a faint smile on her face.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” she says. “Congratulations, both of you.” She closes the door softly behind her, granting us privacy.
We look at one another, a thousand unspoken words between us. I lift my newly ringed hand, admiring the gorgeous piece of hardware. “So, what now?”
He sweeps his gaze over me, heat flaring in his beautiful hazel eyes. “Now?” His voice drops, a sensual note creeping in. “Now, I kiss my future wife.”
I arch a brow. “Just kiss?”
He smirks, slipping his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against him.
“We’ll start there.”
Back at the house in Chappaqua, we barely make it through the door before Dante’s hands are all over me, his mouth covering mine in a deep, claiming kiss that sends heat racing down my spine.
“I’ve been dying to do this. No guns or drama involved.”
I laugh. “We must be addicted to it, though, because look at our life.”
“True,” he concedes. “But tonight, no drama. Only you, me, and the promise of a better tomorrow.” He slides off his jacket, tossing it on a nearby chair. “Care to help me with the rest?”
A wicked grin spreads across my face. “If you insist.”
I loosen his tie and let it fall, relishing the sight of him in front of me. He’s all lean muscle under that shirt, and I can’t wait to get it off of him. This man is lethal in every sense, but right now, that lethal energy is directed toward worshipping me.
I want every drop of it.
He skims his palms along my waist, pushing up the hem of my blouse, eyes hungry. “You sure you’re okay?” he asks softly, voice laced with concern. “With everything?”
I nod, hooking an arm around his neck. “I’m more than okay. I want you, Dante.”
He groans, capturing my mouth again. Our kisses are urgent, relentless. My hands roam under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin, the taut muscles flexing beneath my touch. I quickly undo the buttons and push it off his shoulders after he slips my blouse over my head.
We stumble toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of discarded clothes along the way. He lowers me onto the soft mattress, then gently climbs over me, propping himself up on his elbows, eyes locked with mine.
“I’ve missed you.”
He grins, leaning down to kiss the corner of my mouth, then my jaw, slowly trailing his lips down my throat. “I’ve missed you too,” he says. “You’re so beautiful like this… carrying our child.”
Emotion floods through me. He moves lower, feathering kisses across the swell of my breasts, licking my nipples, making me gasp. My head tips back and I slide my fingers through his hair, guiding him, encouraging him.
“I will never let you go again,” he promises.
He palms my belly, tender and reverent, then slides his hands lower, teasing the waistband of my panties. My breath catches and I clutch his shoulders, tugging him closer, needing more. Needing all of him.
He slips down between my thighs, teasing me, and I moan, pushing into his hand. He spreads me open, my folds already slick and wet for him.
He slides three fingers in and out of me, his thumb on my clit making slow, perfect circles. “Just like that,” I say. “Please, don’t stop.”
“Come for me, Eva.”
That’s all it takes. The orgasm rips through me, my back arching.
“That didn’t take much time,” he says with a confident grin.
“What can I say? Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“Come here.” We’re finally skin to skin, just drinking each other in.
His cock is hard and perfect, precum at the tip waiting for me. My mouth practically waters.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He groans, lowering himself over me slowly and carefully, desperate to be closer.
“I love you, Eva.”
“I love you, Dante.”
I can’t wait another second. I take hold of him by the base, stroking his cock as I guide him into me. He pushes deep yet slow, my body welcoming every inch.
“Oh, my God,” I moan.
“That feel good?”
“So damn perfect. Don’t stop.”
We find a rhythm that’s patient at first—as if relearning one another—but it doesn’t stay that way for long. I wrap my legs around his waist, urging him deeper, faster. Our bodies move together in beautiful synchrony.
My hands explore his back, his shoulders, the way his muscles flex as he moves in and out. He kisses me again, deeper this time, and I taste the hunger in him. His hands move up and down my curves, over my breasts, squeezing them gently as he thrusts deep into me again and again.
I gently push back on his chest, urging him to flip over. I straddle him, his hands anchored on my hips, guiding me as I move. His eyes never leave mine, blazing with intensity and raw need. He places his hands on my stomach, moving them up and scooping my breasts into his hands as they bounce.
“You’re driving me insane,” he growls, pulling me down for another kiss.
“Good,” I whisper, breath ragged. “Then we’re even.”
Our pace quickens. His hands slide up my back, his mouth finding the curve of my neck again. He grips my thighs as I rock against him, feeling every inch of him inside. The friction is exquisite and my head drops back, a moan tearing from my throat as waves of pleasure build and crest, sharp and shattering.
I come again, the world blurring as I grind into him, squeezing out every last bit of pleasure.
He flips us again, taking control. He moves slow and deep, like he’s trying to memorize every part of me.
“Dante,” I moan. “I’m going to—”
“Come with me. I want to feel it again.”
The pressure builds until I’m unraveling beneath him again, my entire body trembling as release rips through me, stars exploding behind my eyes. He follows with a groan as he erupts inside me, his cock pulsing as he fills me with that perfect warmth.
Afterward, he falls to my side, holding me close as we both catch out breaths. He brushes a strand of hair from my face, then kisses my forehead.
“You okay?”
I nod, dazed, a lazy smile on my lips. “Definitely okay.”
He settles beside me, one arm draped around my shoulders, the other cupping my belly. “I meant what I said. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again. They won’t even get close enough.”
“I believe you,” I say softly.
He pulls me closer, our bodies fitting together perfectly, like this moment was created just for us.
“We’ll be okay,” he whispers. “You, me, and the little one.”
“I know we will. We’re already doing better than most.”
He chuckles quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to my shoulder. “Damn right we are.”
Unexpectedly, he sits up and stretches in a lazy, delicious way, drawing my eyes immediately. My gaze trails down his bare back and broad shoulders, settling on the ridiculous perfection of his ass as he gets up and walks away from the bed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I call after him, biting back a grin.
He glances over his shoulder with a cocky smirk. “You’ll see.”
My brow arches. “If you’re abandoning me for something boring, I swear—”
He reappears in the doorway, still completely naked, holding two plates and two forks. “Isabella insisted I bring tiramisu.”
I stare at him, then laugh so hard I nearly double over.
I pluck a fork from his fingers, still giggling as he climbs back into bed beside me. We dig in, trading soft moans of deliciousness at the first bite.
He leans over and kisses me, sweet and slow, tongue sweeping mine. I pull back with a soft gasp.
“You taste like espresso,” I say against his lips.
He brushes my hair back. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper, and I mean it with everything I have.
Wrapped up in sheets, laughter, and mascarpone, we fall into each other again.
Tonight is everything.
