Page 42 of Forbidden War (Forbidden 2)
We are lost inside each other, and it is pure bliss. My mind is gone. I think about nothing except this moment, this pleasure, the sensation of Marco filling me. Loving me with his body. Fucking me senseless, making me come hard and so deep, again and again.
Once we catch our breath, still high on the afterglow, we take a quick shower together and then climb into bed, tangling our limbs. I stroke his hair as he lays his head on my breast. I can feel his heart beating strongly against my naked side, and I know he can hear mine beating just as strong. We lay like this for a long time.
At some point I must drift off again, but when I come to, my body still pings with little aftershocks from the force of my orgasms. Marco breathes gently against my bare chest, and I lazily trail my hand down his back, reveling in his closeness, his warmth. But he’s not asleep.
“Karina,” he murmurs, shifting his body until he’s on top of me, kissing me gently.
He only stops when we’re both out of breath again, but when I reach for his cock, he takes my hand in his and kisses it.
“Wait. I need to tell you something,” he says quietly. “But promise you’ll hear me out.”
My heart drops. This can’t be good. And here I’d thought that I was done getting bad news from my new husband. “Okay…I’m listening…”
I’m on top of him now, and he strokes my hair as he looks me in the eyes and haltingly says, “I know Armani has been giving you a hard time since you moved in.”
“Yeah, that’s putting it mildly,” I say.
“And I’m sorry for that. But the truth is…I was starting to have my doubts about you, too. He pretty much had me convinced you really were a Bruno mole.”
That’s got my attention. “What?” Disappointment pangs the center of my chest. “No. Marco. I would never do that. I have no loyalty to them.”
“I know that now. I’ll never doubt you again, and if Armani comes for you, I’ll go to bat for you. Just like I have been all along. But I wanted to tell you I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. It’s just—after you told me about the cabin, I was so sure that was where we’d find Livvie. But we didn’t. It seemed like you set us up, or you were purposely trying to throw us off the trail.”
Pushing myself into a sitting position, I pull the covers up to keep the chill off my skin. Seconds ago, I’d been so content. And now? I feel like we’re back to the old us.
The us where Marco doesn’t trust me.
“It was just a guess. A vague memory. I only told you because I wanted to be completely upfront about everything and anything that seemed like it might be relevant,” I say vehemently. “How the hell would I know, anyway? Nobody ever told me anything! All I have are bits and pieces of info that may or may not be helpful. I’ve given you every single thing I can.”
Marco sits up and leans toward me. Slipping an arm around my shoulders, he pulls me tight against him and kisses the top of my head, trying to soothe me with soft shushing noises.
“I know you have. I know.”
“I wasn’t a player, Marco. I was nothing to them! Uncle Sergio was the boss, I was just a fucking doll to marry off. I was nothing,” I say. I’m breathing hard now, trying to fight the tears spilling over my cheeks.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Marco says, rocking me in his arms. “I was wrong. I never should have doubted you. But I promise I won’t second-guess you again, Karina. You’ve proven yourself to me, not that you ever had to. You’ve been loyal and kind, and brave, and strong.”
His words are like a balm to my broken heart, but I can’t stop crying into his chest.
“And hey,” he says, pulling back to cup my face in his hands, gently wiping my tears with his thumbs. “You’re not anyone’s doll. Not a Bruno pawn, either. You’re mine now—you’re everything to me. Okay?”
All I can do is nod.
“And I don’t share my toys,” he says, the look in his eyes turning fiercely protective.
Flipping me onto my back, he leans over me and plants a kiss on my lips.
“I’m done sharing you, too,” I tell him. “Are we…are we in this together now? Just you and me?”
It’s too soon to bring up Jessica’s name, and honestly, I hope I never have to—but I also hope he understands what I’m asking him. Because I need to know if he’s all in with this marriage, or if he’ll be running off to find her replacement as soon as my back is turned. My heart can’t take that again.
Cupping my cheek, he kisses me again. “Just you and me. I belong to you and only you.”
“I love the sound of that.”
He presses me into the bed and moves over me. My pulse picks up at the feel of his cock against my hip, hard and hot and ready. I wrap my hand around him and guide him between my legs, sweet anticipation sparking in my blood.
“I’ve never belonged to anyone but you, Karina.”
Without warning, he slips inside me, and I arch my back at the rush of pleasure.
“Yes,” I whisper, happy to give myself up to him completely.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he says, pumping his reassurance into me. “We’re going to be okay. I promise.”
And for the first time in a very long time, I believe it.
