Rosalia

The relief I feel when I wake up in Angelo's arms is so overwhelming that, for a moment, I forget how much of this was my fault. The second it comes crashing back, I burst into tears, burying my face in his shirt, heedless of the bloodstains splashed across it.


'Where are we?" I whisper against his shirt, swallowing hard. I feel on the verge of panic again, and I don't entirely understand why he doesn't seem furious with me—why he's holding me, stroking my hair and my back, and soothing me. 'What—"

'We're at the home of a man called Adrian Drakos," Angelo says. 'One of Luciano's contacts. He helped us track you down."

'Where is he?" I look up, wiping at my eyes. The living room is mostly empty except for some security, and the house is quiet.


'He was injured. It's fairly severe, though he'll live. He's upstairs being tended to." Angelo smooths my hair away from my face, looking down at me. 'We're going to stay here for a little while, Rosalia, until we can be sure that everyone working with Enzo in Chicago is dealt with. Once we're sure it's safe, we'll go back. I want to be home with you—but we can't rush it."

'I'm sorry," I whisper through tears. 'I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. I thought you were overreacting, and I wanted everything to be perfect, and I'm so—I'm so sorry." The tears keep streaming down my face, the words coming out in choked sobs. 'I know you're going to punish me. I deserve it. You were almost killed because of me, I—"


'Rosalia." Gently, Angelo detaches me from him, holding me there with his hands on my arms. 'Yes, it was foolish. But you're safe now. We're both safe. You made a mistake, but I'm not going to punish you for it."

I blink up at him through tears, wondering if I've heard him correctly, wondering if that's what I want—for him to punish me, or not. 'You're not?" I whisper, and he shakes his head.

'No, sweetheart. I love you, and I'm going to show you that in every way that I can." He strokes my hair back away from my face, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. 'This isn't about punishment. We're both alive, and we're together, and Enzo Romano can never hurt either of us again. That's all that matters."

'But—" I bite my lip, fresh worry washing over me. 'I don't want things to change. Ilikeour dynamic, Angelo. I like how things are between us—"

'I know." He smooths his hand over my hair again, leading me towards the stairs and away from Adrian Drakos' expansive living room. 'But right now, all I want is you."

The room upstairs is almost as nice as our honeymoon suite. Adrian has a gorgeous villa on the water, and our room overlooks it, with that same floral and salt breeze wafting in from the balcony. It's one huge, open-air room, with a clawfoot tub on one side of the room near the window. 'Let's get cleaned up," Angelo says as he closes the door behind us, his fingers already tugging at my zipper. 'Someone will go and get our things from the hotel."

I have no complaints about being stripped out of the filthy dress. The moment it falls away from me, I feel as if a weight is lifted off of my shoulders. I help Angelo out of his bloodstained clothes, my hands sliding over his bare skin as if I'm not entirely sure that he's real.

'Let's get you in the bath," Angelo says gently, leading me towards the tub. He turns on the hot water, letting it run until it's steaming, and as the tub fills up, he turns me towards him, kissing me again. 'I'm not angry," he murmurs again, his lips soft against mine, 'butplease,Rosalia, if anything like this ever happens again,pleaselisten to me. I can't come so close to losing you again. I was terrified."

'I'm sorry." I lean my forehead against his, feeling my eyes prickle with tears all over again. 'I won't ever do something like that again."

'I hope we never have to worry about it." Angelo helps me into the tub, and I moan with pleasure as the hot water sinks over my skin, washing away the dirt and specks of blood and soothing every tight, sore muscle in my body. When he slides in behind me, I curl against him, pressing my face to his chest.

'I just want to go home with you," I whisper, and he rests his chin atop my head, his hands still soothing me.

'Soon," he promises. 'And when we go back, we'll be sure that there's nothing to fear. I want you to feel safe, Rosalia. It's all I've ever wanted."

'It was my fault—" I bite my lip, feeling the wave of guilt all over again, and Angelo shakes his head. Gently, he reaches for me, turning me so that I'm straddling his lap in the huge tub, facing him.

'It was a mistake to go out alone," he says firmly. 'And I hope you learn from it, and never do anything like that again. But Enzo was determined to get to you. He might have found a way no matter what. We might have been on more even ground then, or it might have been worse. There's no way to know. Butnow—now it's over. You're safe." Angelo draws me in, his hands on my face as he kisses me. 'I love you, Rosalia," he whispers. 'I wish I'd started a life with you from the moment it was offered to me, but I'm glad that my stubbornness didn't rob me of you—and of so much happiness—in the end."

'I love you too," I whisper, the words slipping from my mouth for the first time, and I know it's true. It's been true for a long time, I think—but it feels right to say it for the first time here, now, like this.

Angelo presses his forehead to mine, a low groan filling the air between us as his hands tighten on my hips, and I feel his cock nudging between my thighs. 'If it's too soon—" His hips shift beneath me, and I can feel his muscles tightening, trying to resist the urge to thrust up into me. 'I can wait. But god, Rosalia, I want—"

'I do, too." I reach between us, my hand wrapping around him as I guide him against my entrance, biting my lip against a moan as I feel the tip slip inside of me. 'I need you. I need—"

I don't have to say aloud what it is that I need. Angelo crushes my mouth to his, his fingers winding through my hair and pressing against the back of my head as he kisses me long and slow and deep, his hand on my hip guiding me down until he's fully inside of me, the two of us pressed together. The water ripples around us, splashing against the edge as I rock against him, gasping with each movement of him inside of me. He's thick and hard, filling me up entirely, and Angelo's tongue slides against mine in the same rhythm that his cock thrusts into me, his hands guiding me as I ride him for the first time.

He leans back against the tub, still kissing me as he pulls me against his chest, and I roll my hips, gasping with pleasure as my clit grinds against his slick, wet skin. 'You feel so good," I whisper, breathless as I arch above him, moving faster as I chase my own pleasure, his groans muffled as I kiss him again. 'Angelo—"

'I know." His hand tightens in my hair, his hips bucking up against me, and some of the water sloshes onto the floor as he thrusts. 'Fuck, you feel so fucking good—"

I know he's going to pull out when he's close, and I don't want him to. I slip my hand between us, stroking my clit as I rock my hips, gasping with each movement of his cock, and I'm on the edge, my muscles tensing as I move faster. I kiss him hard, teeth grazing his lower lip as the climax bursts over me, unable to stop myself from moaning and wanting to muffle the sound. His hands squeeze my hips, fingers digging into my flesh, and I feel him buck up into me before he can stop himself. The near-pained groan he lets out gives me the first clue that he lost control before I feel him go rock-hard inside of me, swollen and throbbing as I feel the hot rush of his cum for the first time.

It sends me over the edge again, one hand gripping the side of the tub as I throw my head back, the sound I make filling the room this time as a second orgasm crashes over me. Angelo's hands are almost bruising, the sound of his pleasure mingling with mine, and he gasps as he sags back in the tub, realization crossing his face.

'Shit," he mutters, although he doesn't slip out of me. 'We—fuck. I didn't mean for that to happen. I couldn't stop—"

'I don't care." I lean forward, crushing my lips against his again. I feel him twitch inside of me, still hard, and I rock against him once more, wanting him all over again. 'I want a family with you, Angelo. I know you want time—but I think we've both seen that we don't know how much of it we're going to get. I want whatever we have together, however it happens. And I don't want anything to stand in the way of that."

For a moment, I'm not sure if I've convinced him. But he stands up, lifting me with him so that my legs wrap around his hips, water sloshing everywhere as he steps out of the tub and carries me to the bed. He spills me back onto it, careless of how wet we both are still, pushing my damp hair out of my face as he starts to thrust inside of me again.

'Bellisima," he whispers, his lips grazing over mine. 'My wife. My love—"

He groans it, over and over, punctuating each thrust with soft words, filling the air with promises of love. I wrap myself around him, clinging to him, arching under the weight of him atop me until I feel him let go inside of me again, this time without hesitation, and I come too. I shudder around him, moaning his name, and I know that this is everything that I want.

He has always been everything that I've wanted.

Even in the darkest times, Angelo has kept me safe. And I know he always will.

Forever.