Page 178 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
“The place was awful, Peaches. And I spent some long, depressing days there. I’d much rather check you into the presidential suite and have you beneath me on one thousand thread count sheets.” I want to spoil this girl in every fucking way. I don’t think she realizes it yet. “Let’s go somewhere nice for breakfast afterwards.”
We end up making use of the presidential suite for about two hours before we remember the food, but Gemma doesn’t seem to mind the delay after I make her come three times. Her cheeks are rosy, and her lips a bit swollen when we step back outside.
She gasps. “It’s warm out!”
Warm is a bit of a stretch, but at least I’m not rushing to zip up my jacket as soon as the air hits my body. I look up. There aren’t any clouds in the sky for what must be the first fucking time since I got here.
I lean down and press a kiss to her cheek. She looks so happy. I take out my phone and snap a photo of her.
She notices. “What’s that for?”
“Need a new background picture for my phone.”
Gemma grins. “God, you’re such a sap. Who are you, and what happened to the mean Camorrista?”
“Mean?” I grumble. “I was never mean to you,” I say as I give her ass a firm smack.
She yelps. “Forgetful too.” She slides her hand into mine and squeezes.
I brush her hair out of her face, my chest swelling with a love so strong that I know I’ll do anything for this woman. “Let’s leave the past in the past,” I tell her. “We’ve got a whole future to look forward to.”
She smiles at me like she likes that idea as much as I do.
EPILOGUE
GEMMA
I can’t sleep.
The bed is so warm and cozy with Ras passed out right beside me, but I’ve been tossing and turning for the past hour, unable to get back to sleep.
Maybe it’s time to accept it and embrace the new day.
I climb out from beneath the covers, careful not to make too much noise even though Ras is a deep sleeper. Sometimes, he’ll pull me into his chest while he’s dreaming, clutching me so tightly against his radiator chest that I start to overheat, and I have to tickle him to get him to wake up.
I glance at him, admiring his relaxed features, and the way his long hair spills over the sheets.
My lover is a beautiful man.
Yes, I’ve been calling him my lover in my head because boyfriend feels inadequate, and partner seems too vague. He’s dropped many hints he’d like to be called “husband” sooner rather than later, and every time he does it a firework pops inside my chest.
I’d like that too. So much.
But I think we’d better wait until after we have our baby. Turns out planning for a kid is way more work than planning for a wedding.
I grab my silk robe off the hook, slip inside of it, and quietly shut the bedroom door behind me.
The nursery’s a work in progress. I peek inside on my way to the kitchen. Last week, we had the wallpaper hung. Ras and I decided we wanted to keep the gender a surprise, so we went for a pattern with animals. In the corner, there’s a box with the crib. Ras insisted he wanted to assemble it himself, even if the delivery included assembly. He seems to like getting hands on with things.
He's going to be a great dad.
I leave the nursery and move toward the living room.
“Good morning! Good morning!”
Churro’s already wide awake in his cage in the corner of the room. I’ve spent some time teaching him a few new words, but it doesn’t take him long to revert to old favorites. When I get closer, he squawks,“Pretty girl! Pretty girl!”
“Thanks, bud,” I say to him as I head past him to the kitchen to make myself some tea.
