AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Christ, you’re so fucking beautiful,” I say as I lean forward to nip at her throat.
I shift her on my lap, grabbing her arm but freezing when she winces.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my brows furrowing as I stare at her face which is now making a pained expression.
“I broke my wrist climbing out of my window,” he says, my eyes widening as I look at her.
“You climbed out of your window?” I ask, looking at this brazen little fireball that smiles coyly on my lap.
“I broke my window. It’s why I’m all cut up. The rope broke halfway down and I landed on my wrist. I didn’t have time to wrap it because I was trying to escape the guard,” I swear right then I love this woman even more.
I grab her face in my hands and press her cheek to my shoulder, a short laugh leaving my lips as I breathe her in.
“You stupid, stupid girl,” I whisper, kissing her nose repeatedly before I rain kisses down all over her beautiful face.
She sighs in my face, pulling back with a sad expression.
“Your mother…” She says, tears in her eyes as she speaks.
I feel that sadness all the way to my core, the absence of my mother stretching the void that already resides in me.
“Marco, I am so sorry,” Lori sobs, her face in her unharmed hand as she weeps.
Initially, I don’t think to comfort her. I just sit in this sadness and nearly let it take over, but when I look at her broken wrist again, at the cuts that line her porcelain skin, I realize that my mother was right. When she said not to blame Lori for this, that it wasn’t her fault, I know now that she’s right for saying that. I could have easily blamed her, probably would have if it happened sooner in our relationship, but now looking at her, with her broken wrist and cut skin, with this love in my heart, I know she could never be at fault. Because she’s a victim too.
“This war has to end, Lori. Before anyone else gets hurt. Before the Merlini’s have a chance at taking us down. I have no doubt in my mind that they won’t stop until our families kill each other. Only then will they be happy. Because they’ll have everything for themselves,” I pause, rubbing her cheek with my thumb.
“And I’ve lost everything now, but I refuse to lose you, baby. I refuse it.” Her soft sigh breezing over my face.
“What are we going to do, Marco?” She asks, her voice small and barely above a whisper.
“Well, first we’re going to deal with your wrist,” I say, holding it gently in my hands as she winces.
“Then, I’m going to clean your cuts, get you into some new clothes.” Lifting her off the couch and into my arms, I stand and make my way to the door.
“Then what?” She whispers into my neck, my cock still standing at attention for her.
“Then we’re going to sit down and figure out what to do next, but I won’t do any of that until I take care of you first,” I say, kissing her shoulder, and she tightens her legs around me.
I walk her out of the backroom and towards my office. When I get us inside, I set her down on my desk and text my crew to stay on full alert around the club. I grab one of my t-shirts from my spare closet and remove her torn shirt, her cleavage looking more than tempting as I dress her in fresh clothes. As much as I would love to fuck her, now is not the time.
I run to the bathroom and grab my spare bandage wrap, some cotton balls and antiseptic before I go back out and begin tending to her wounds and then her wrists. She winces the entire time, biting through the pain as I wrap it and then grab some ice from my liquor cart and then wrap that for her to hold against it.
I pick her up again and bring her to my velvet sofa in the office, facing the window that overlooks downtown New York. When I sit down, I sprawl her across my lap and run my fingers through her hair over and over again, the feel of her in my arms filling me with more comfort than I’ve felt in years. To be honest, I don’t know how I handled life before this woman, all I know is that I don’t want to live without her. But that’s easier said than done. Her family hates me and even though I now know they didn’t murder my father, a part of me still hates them. I love her enough to work through all of this twisted bullshit with them, but in order to do that, an alliance would have to form, an agreement would have to be made and I don’t know if I could come up with something to make this happen.
Then I look down at her left hand, at the bare ring finger that rests atop her stomach.
Maybe I do have an idea.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Lori
“Let’s get married,” Marco says suddenly, breaking the small moment of peace that I’ve allowed myself to fall into.
I sit up immediately, staring at his blurred face with wide eyes as my mouth hangs open like a fish out of water.
“I’m sorry, what?” I say, my voice nearly squeaks as the words leave my lips.
