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“Home? Like in your apartment?”
“Home like inourapartment,” he whispers in my ear.
I cling to him as he walks us to the sofa. Matteo and Tasha are walking up the stairs, and Matteo hugs his wife close, whispering calming words to her.
Stephano lowers down to sit and makes me straddle him. He winces, but it’s barely audible.
“Where are you hurt?” I ask, sweeping my hands over his cheeks, down his shoulders and his pecs. There’s a swollen bruise on his cheekbone and one by his eyebrow on the other side. I reach for his hands and inspect them. They’re covered in bandages, so I can’t see the full extent of his hurt. “Did you break anything?”
“No, for the first time in my life, I think…I feel whole.”
I blink at him, at the raw openness in his gaze.
“God, I love you,” I whisper as I lean in and kiss him.
He kisses me back, and it’s intense as his hands slide to my back, and then he clings to me as if I’m as much his lifeline as he is mine. As I draw away to catch a breath, all I can do is murmur, “Thank you.”
“No. No thank yous. I’ll do anything for you, angel, you know that, right? I’ll do what I did this afternoon a thousand times over for you. To keep you safe. To rid the world of men like Franco.”
Men like Don Scalera.
My heart breaks and heals at the same time, and I nod as I lean my forehead to his. “Still.”
“Just say it again.”
I pull an inch away so I can look into his eyes, making sure I understand what he needs. “I love you.”
He brushes my cheek with his thumb. “I love you, too. I’d go on one knee, but I’m kinda trapped right now.”
“One knee? I’m hurting you?” I’m very comfortable like this, his hand on my hip, squeezing possessively.
“No, Gigi.” He smiles. “I never got to ask you because I was full of shit, but I want this to be real. Marry me? Again? Just for ourselves. To make it real this time.”
I swallow at the pebble in my throat. “I’ll marry you a thousand times if that’s what you want. If that’s what you need.”
He kisses me then, and I sink into his body and into his love. After a long, hot minute, I pull away, his hands already underneath my shirt, cupping my breasts.
“If it’s safe, take me home, Stephano.”
“It’s safe, angel. From now on, it will always be safe.” He smirks. “Let’s go. I don’t think Matteo’s sofa is up to us in any case.”
I giggle. That’s a promise, and if there is one man in the world who keeps all the promises he makes, it’s this one.And he’s mine.
EPILOGUE
STEPHANO
I sensed something about it was off. Something about the whole situation a week ago in that warehouse was too easy. Franco Fiore picking our abandoned warehouse despite having a troop of Ukrainians looking out for him? Too easy.
At the time, we were all so focused on saving the women and getting the job done, we didn’t think too far, but after the initial adrenaline rush of killing Franco, we regrouped and debriefed. Nothing was clear or made sense in retrospect, until Gigi phoned Don Trapani the next day and his first words to her were,I assume it’s been done.
“Seems like an old man under house arrest can still pull a few strings,” Don Trapani says from across the patio table.
He’s suave, charming, and impeccably dressed. His grey hair, which is brushed back, and the cane—which Gigi whispered is new—are some of the few things giving away his age. He’s definitely had the odd procedure or two to keep the wrinkles at bay.
He doesn’t look the worse for wear after the time spent under house arrest—not that I would have a comparison—but when Gigi burst into tears and hugged him close, relief radiated offher. Apparently, he got manhandled by Franco’s men, and his one knee is still in pain. This doesn’t stop Don Trapani from going about his business.
Gigi, Carla, and I arrived earlier this afternoon in Lake Como, with enough security to make the Pope go green with jealousy. We just sat down for pre-dinner drinks on his terrace with fantastic views over the mountains and the lake, feeling untouchable here, but we all know it’s a lie. Don Trapani’s men are stationed, if subtly, on the fringes of the garden. Ours are scattered in between. I’m not taking a risk with my wife or her sister. I already know what Gigi would do if Carla is in danger, so they are a package deal and a dual safety hazard.
