Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 220(@200wpm)___ 176(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
All I feel is her.
Chapter Fifteen
Aurelia
One Month Later
I bite down on my lip to stifle a moan as Mattia thrusts into me from behind, his strong hands gripping my hips. Every drive of his hips is more powerful than the last, dragging me closer and closer to the edge.
"Please," I plead, writhing in ecstasy, the sheets twisted up in my hands. "Please, Mattia." I can't even remember what I'm pleading for anymore. For more? For him to stop? For everything?
He's unraveled me one wicked thrust at a time, leaving my thoughts scattered and my body on fire.
"Come on, little mouse," he growls, his breath hot on my neck. His hand comes down on my ass in a hard slap. "Stop being difficult, and come on my cock right fucking now."
I cry out, ecstasy coursing through my veins. I can't deny him. I can't hold back the orgasm. It blows through me, unmaking me from the inside out. My body bows over the bed, wave after wave of pure bliss flowing through my veins.
Mattia roars my name as he drives into me and stills, following me over the edge. His cock jerks, thick ropes of cum spilling deep inside me.
I moan, reveling in the sensation. I've missed it so damn much.
He collapses beside me, groaning as if he's in pain. The sound breaks through the fog in my mind and memories of the last month rush to the surface. I suddenly remember why I was pleading.
I sit up to glare at him, anger and concern mingling as I check him over. "I'm so mad at you," I mutter.
He smiles, his steely eyes shining as he cups my cheek. "No, you aren't."
"Yes, I am, Mattia. You shouldn't be—" I protest, but he pulls me down for a searing kiss, his lips hard and insistent against mine. Heat unfurls inside me, my core clenching as my argument withers away, no match for him and the power of his kiss.
"You aren't mad, little mouse. You're worried. There's a difference. But you're worried about nothing. I'm fine. I'm certainly healed enough to fuck my wife." His voice is calm, but I hear the underlying steel, the unyielding strength that's so much a part of who he is.
I know he's probably right, but I can't help but worry about him. I almost lost him, and it'll be a long, long time before I forget that. I spent eight days in hell. I still remember exactly what it felt like hearing the doctors say that he was dead for four minutes. I still remember seeing his blood all over Rafe. I still remember seeing him in that bed for the first time, with wires and machines keeping him alive.
For the rest of my life, I'll live with those memories. They'll haunt me.
I lost my mom. I can't lose him too. I won't.
But I don't tell him all of that. He knows. He's held me night after night when I've woken in tears, crying out for him.
Instead, I growl wordlessly, glaring at him.
He just smiles, that infuriatingly confident grin that always gets under my skin. "Do you have any idea how much I love you, cara mia?" he asks, his voice soft.
"Not as much as I love you," I sniff, crossing my arms. "I put up with you."
His grin widens. "Then put up with me forever. Marry me."
I blink at him, pretty sure he's lost his mind. Actually, I think he lost it a long time ago. But now he's talking crazy. "We're already married, Mattia."
"I know," he says. "But I want you to marry me again. Not because you think you don't have a choice or because you're afraid, but because you want to spend the rest of your life with me." He reaches out, brushing his thumb along my bottom lip. "Marry me in front of our friends and family, and end this chapter with a celebration. You deserve that, little mouse."
I chew on my lip, considering his words. The last month has been marked by grief and sadness and loss. I had to say goodbye to my mom without ever getting to say it. Brio stole that final goodbye from me. Even if he didn't kill her, he still took her from me. She spent her last months without me by her side because of him. I hate him for that. And I hate him for almost taking Mattia from me, too.
But I don't want to spend the rest of my life angry and grieving. I don't want to spend it with his shadow looming over me. I want peace and a future with this man. I know it'll never be entirely free of the pain we've endured. But that doesn't mean the future has to be built on that pain.
"Do I get to put a ring on you this time too?" I ask.