Page 168 of Taint My Soul

Anxiety stabs in my chest as I almost break eye contact, but his hand closes around my jaw and keeps me steady.

“You don’t have to say it now. But I have been really feeling this way for a while, and I didn’t want to wait anymore…”

He lifts his fingers to my lips, shutting me up. His eyes burn with desire as he leans in and takes my lips in a kiss.

Those pretty brown eyes zero in on me and sweep me off my feet.

I never thought I’d ever say those words to anyone and mean it.

But when it comes to Elio, I mean every word I say.

Tears slide down my cheeks as he watches me affectionately. “You mean so much to me, darling.” He tells me and kisses the tears on my cheek. He takes my hand and brings it to his heart. “My heart. Yours. My body. Yours.”

He embraces me through the plethora of emotions buzzing all over our naked, spent skin. Silence falls around us, leaving only those words echoing in my mind. He’s handed me something precious, and I’ll carry it close to my heart and soul for the rest of my life.

“You think we can go again before the family arrives?”

“Abso-fucking-loutely.”

ELIO

Cross stands over the table, hand clenched around a wine bottle. He pours the red liquid into the glass and hands it to me. “Here you go,” he smiles, “And one for you too because I know how much you love your wine.” He turns to Saint, glass in one hand. He pours and hands it to him.

“Thank you.” Saint says, eyes sliding over to me.

Barely hours ago, I had the man who loves me in my arms. It’s so terrifyingly beautiful. That I’ll have him forever.

My life’s no longer about running and looking over my shoulders. And living through every day is becoming so much easier. The good days are on the verge of outweighing the bad days.

And it means so much to me that I’m sitting here with my family having dinner. The last time I had something like this was years ago. I wasn’t terrified or worried about what could happen next. I was just me.

Sitting beside the man who loves me, with our hands linked under the dining table while we eat with his brother, sister, and cousins.

I look at Saint with a smile, and he winks at me as he sips his wine.

And it’s not just being here that means a lot to me, but their acceptance as well.

I’m free.

And I’m sitting next to the man I’m falling in love with, and that matters to me more than anything in this world.

Plates clink and pass from hand to hand, conversation rising and falling in waves as laughter threads through the living room. Under the table, my hand tightens around Saint’s hand, and our gazes meet one more time with a grin. Stories circle back and forth as the moon rises outside the dark sky.

When we finish, chairs scrape back, and Saint and I take care of the dishes while they get ready to leave. We embrace one another in a heartfelt hug before Saint and I lead them outside the house.

“Elio, you could come to an art fair with me.” Cross says before I shut the door

“Of course, we’ll talk more on the phone. Bye.” Elio smiles.

Silence settles in as I shut the door, and Saint and I walk down the hallway together. He takes my hand and brings it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss. “Now I get to have you all to myself again.”

“And I don’t mind, darling.”

I gasp and giggle as he hoists me up in his arms, taking me up the stairs.

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

Four months later…