Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
My heart stutters.
He steps closer, his hands finding my hips and pulling me against his warmth. “I need you to know something. If I die tomorrow, tonight, whenever the reaper comes for me, it will be you who has my heart and you I think of in my final moments.”
He cups my face, eyes blazing. “I love you.”
I close my eyes, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I love you too, Nico. I just don’t want to lose you,” I whisper. “I need you alive.”
The storm outside howls louder, but we stay still.
He leans in and presses his forehead to mine. “I am yours, Lia.”
I breathe him in. The spicy fragrance of his cologne. The feel of his body is rigid, but there is a softness to his touch.
He’s closer now. Unsteady. Barely breathing.
“You and me… we may not get forever,” he says. “We barely get now. But if you help me—if you trust me—I’ll get us both out of this.”
I can feel the storm moving through him. All the pressure. All the fear.
But I also see the truth.
He’s not just here to hurt them. He’s here to protect me, even if it kills him.
I think of my future husband. Of the way he controls everything. Of the man I’m supposed to marry tomorrow. And of the way Cassio looked at me like he already saw the noose tightening around my neck.
And then I think of the way Nico touches me like I’m something precious.
The way he listens. The way he sees me.
I take a deep breath.
“I do trust you,” I say. “But on one condition.”
“What?”
“You don’t leave me behind.”
His hands tighten on my waist. “Never.”
And just like that, the last thread snaps.
I pull him to me.
And we fall into something dangerous. Something real. The kiss is warm, hungry, and as his tongue delves into my mouth, I enjoy his flavor. His hands grip my ass and he lifts me against him. “Nico, I want this.” My whisper is breathy, light, filled with desire.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I tell him as I reach for the button of his pants. It may be my first time, and it may not be rose petals and candlelight, but it’s us.
Nico doesn’t waste any time as his fingers find my core wet and ready. He teases me with two digits, and I almost come undone for him.
“So fucking wet,” he moans into my mouth and turns to walk us to the bed. I flop onto it with a soft bounce, and before I have time to think, Nico is on his knees between my thighs. His tongue, wet and warm against my core, has me biting my lip. We have to be quiet, or we will be found out.
“Please just do it,” I beg him once more and Nico moves, standing at the edge of the bed.
“You taste like heaven and sin.” His words are heavy with lust as he unzips his pants, then pushes them to his thighs. That’s when I get my first glimpse of his cock. Hard, thick, and dripping wet.
With slow movements, he leans over, hovering over me on the mattress, and I feel him at my pussy, the tip of his erection probing gently.
“I need you.” Is all I manage when he thrusts in one movement, knocking the breath from my lungs. “Tomorrow morning, we will be free.” It’s a promise I gift him as he moves inside me. We’re connected, together.
“We will.” As pleasure takes a hold of us, we lose ourselves in each other. I claw at his back as he stretches and fills me deep. Every movement, every thrust, sends me over the edge. “It’s us against the world.” Nico’s voice is ragged as he speaks, and I know it won’t be long now.
But this time, it’s no longer just want.
It’s war.
The house beckons.
I stand outside the prison I’ve lived in for the past year and I know there’s no longer a way out. My choice is made. I can’t do this anymore, so I need to end everything. I need to make sure nobody will come for me.
Nico steps up beside me, and Gillie stands on the other side, both men flanking me. My decision to do this wasn’t easy. I’m not a violent person, but the heartache that lives within these walls can never escape.
“All the staff are clear. My cousins will help get them to safety,” Nico tells me.
I’m still surprised the Montesanos were willing to help, but when he told his cousins about his love for me, they accepted it. Not without argument. But he didn’t give them a choice. They were to fall in line, or they’d be banished from the family.
“Thank you,” I say to Domenico as I step forward. They follow me as I make my way into the house, which has a stench of fuel. The curtains, which cost more than most of the household staff who works here makes, the rugs and fabrics, everything is soaked, ready to go up in flames.