Chapter 24
Ifeel it.
The rock lodged in my chest, melting away as soon as the words left my mouth.
Earlier, I made a call to get this place ready. Nowhere else had felt like the perfect place to do this.
“What are you saying, Fabio?” Her voice is shaky, and I detest the fact that I am the reason why. How can it be unbelievable that I love her?
I have pushed her away, no doubt, but I have never said I do not feel the same way, if not more.
“I love you,” I tilt and hold her gaze, the one that has been my undoing from the very beginning of this madness. I reach out to take her hand, but she recoils, and it guts me. “Eva,” I swallow, seeing everything she has had to suffer because of my rejection for the first time.
“Fabio…” She shakes her head and sniffs, “I don’t think you know…”
“Marry me,” I spurt. “If you still want to marry me, I would be honored to be your husband,” I take a breath, stopping my heart from pounding against my chest as I wait for her to either kill me or revive me with her response.
I want to marry her.
There has never been a time I did not want to marry Eva.
I had just never felt deserving of her. Even now, I still feel unworthy, but I will spend the rest of my life living up to it.
“You want to marry me?” She chuckles and flips her eyes away, almost laughing, but I know it is not a case of mockery. She does not find it funny that I want to marry her; she finds it unbelievable.
“Yes,” I take up my hand, pricking it to smooth it on her cheek, but she flinches, and I hold it midair.
“You can’t just be that person and then be this person!” She flares, her hands flying in the air. “You can’t make me go through hell and then just throw a question like that around carelessly.” She unfastens her seatbelt. “Should I throw myself at your feet now?” She opens the door. “Should I shout for joy that you are finally asking me to marry you?”
I don’t go after her immediately because I sense she needs to breathe as much as I need to.
What’s wrong with me?
Why has it taken me this long to admit to myself that I cannot survive in a world where she isn’t mine? I would kill whatever bastard she ended up with out of jealousy. It would be impossible to let her go.
I open the door of my car and jump out, watching her pace on the shelly floor leading to the jetty.
“Eva,” I stride to her, but she doesn’t stop. She throws a glare at me and then continues to pace. “Baby,” I pull her by her upper arm and I am surprised to see that she lets me.
She comes to me and drops her head on my chest. I am not prepared for what she does next. I am not prepared for the trembling I feel and the sobbing sound pouring out of her.
I am not prepared for how she hooks her hands in my shoulder blade and the bite on my chest as she sobs.
I deserve the bite, but she doesn’t deserve to be hurt this way.
“I am sorry,” I engulf her, pressing her flat against my body as I hold her. “I am so sorry,” I nuzzle her hair with my chin and imprint a kiss there.
“I have waited for so long, and you don’t even have a ring,” she pulls away and puckers her lips. “You think a few lamps and a beautiful view will charm me?” She sniffles. “It has, you big idiot!” She sobs, coming back to my chest. “It is so perfect,” she pulls away and strides to the edge of the jetty, “Perfect,” she breathes. “But you will have to do more than just throw the words around like that because I won’t let it go easily,” she peers over her shoulder at me.
How do I tell her that from the night her father told me I should marry her, I had stayed up trying to find the perfect ring for her?
How do I tell her I had shopped for the ring a few days later?
How do I tell her that when I went into her studio to have that talk with her, I had the ring with me?
How do I fucking tell her that I have always carried that ring with me ever since?
Because I have.
I am irrevocably in love with her. It felt so right to marry her, I thought it was wrong. Still, it felt too right. She felt like she was meant for me, mine.
I step closer to her, my shadow cloaking her as I stand behind her.
I snake my arms around her, feel her breathing heave, and stare at the allure in front of us.
Home.
This place has never felt like it. It has never felt this beautiful until tonight. It had no charm until this moment.
I slide away from her, and she sucks in air, her body still trembling as I reach into the pocket of my holster to pull out my gun first. She swings her head in my direction, staring at my every move. I reach further into the pocket and bring out the ring case, then shove the gun back in.
“I don’t have the words to describe what you mean to me, Eva, and I doubt I will ever be able to find them,” I hit my chest, feeling my heart twist as I hold her teary gaze, the same shade of blue as the skylights and ocean. “All I can say, Eva, is that I would die for you, I would kill for you, I would live for you, and I have done all for you,” I take a step back. “I have been dead a million times over because of you. I have killed for you, and that includes my demons. I live for you,” I go down on one knee. “And if you would let me, I would swear my love to you, only you,” I open the case and the emerald ring glints.
I chose the color because I know how much she loves my eyes.
I want her to see my love in this ring the same way she saw through my bullshit.
“Marry me, baby,” I take the ring out of the case. “Let me show you how I can love you,” I lift the ring between my thumb and index finger, waiting.
Her tears sprint, and her lips part to breathe. She swallows and then shuts her eyes so more tears can escape.
I wait. I will wait forever if it means she’ll say yes. I don’t care how many years it takes for her to finally let me back in.
I will wait.
“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes,” she opens her eyes, and a smile lines her mouth. “Yes, Fabio, yes, I will marry you,” she says, throwing her body at me.
I haul her off the floor, and she wraps her legs around my waist, burying her face in the corner of my neck.
“Thank you,” I inhale her tender scent. “Thank you,” I say, carrying her to the end of the jetty.
“Where are we going?” She mumbles into my neck.
“To my place,” I get to my yacht and climb on it, holding onto the rail.
“You live here?” She pulls away and stares at the place like she is only seeing it for the first time.
I keep going until I get us both inside the white and blue interior of the yacht. I don’t make it to the bedroom, and I do not need to turn on the light since the soft bluish glow from the sky lamps is seeping into the glass-framed walls.
“I live here sometimes,” I tell her as I settle her on the chaise lounge. “Here,” I take her ring finger and slip the ring onto it. “You are stunning,” I stroke her cheek and bite my lower lip, taming the excitement that wants to explode in my chest at the mere thought that she is now mine.
Officially mine.
“As are you,” she blushes, drooping her eyes to my lips and back up, as though she is afraid I will catch her staring and longing for what I am burning for.
“So innocent,” I sit beside her and beckon for her to stand. “I want to defile you, Eva,” I want to paint her with my dirtiest thoughts. “I want to mark you,” I flick my fingers, and she understands my command to take off her blouse.
“What else do you want to do?” She chuckles, teasing me with how slowly she undresses.
“I want to…” The words get trapped in my throat as she takes her blouse above her head to display the fullness of her breasts. “My God, Eva.” I take my time, letting my eyes ravish every inch of her as she reaches for the band of her pants and drags it down, putting up a show for me. “You are bewitching.”
She looks like a mermaid.
The ocean behind her, the moon illuminating her curves, the blue lights peppering her smooth skin—those eyes are like the rarest jewels, only found in the deepest of blue seas.
She steps aside, leaving her clothes on the floor. Her black thong is still on, but her breasts are on full display.
“Are you wet?” I undo my belt and unzip my dress pants.
“I can double for an ocean in case you have another yacht,” she says, taking a step towards me, and every part of me goes on high alert.
My mind goes into overdrive, my nose flaring from the sharpness of the scent of her pussy, my veins stretching to surge blood to my cock.
She comes to me, and I bring out my cock, holding it in my hand to stroke and squeeze. She wets her lower lip, staring at it with malicious intent.
“Sit on it,” I reach for her thong and pull her to me until she bunches and feeds me one of her breasts. “Now,” I order with a mouthful, and she obeys.
She moans, warm breath brushing my forehead as she places both knees beside my legs and spreads until I can feel the heat from her pussy on my foreskin.
“I need this off,” I don’t wait for her to get her thong off, I don’t have the patience for that. I yank and rip it apart, giving my cock the freedom to graze the greasy opening of her pussy.
“Ohhhh,” she shudders and chuckles softly.
“Your search, Eva,” I nuzzle, one hand clamping on her ass to keep her pinned as I slide into her. “Your search ends with me,” I push my cock fully in, and she throws her head to the back, words purring out of her mouth as she spreads further apart.
I will disintegrate from how fleshy and warm her pussy is. I can’t remember anyone before her. She has completely erased my memory. She feels like my first. But she also makes me feel like we have done these a thousand other times.
I move inside of her, and her hand goes to cup her breast, pinching her nipple.
“Fuck, Eva,” my voice loses its composure. “You are flawless.”
I can’t take her as I want because she has yet to fully open up to me. But I can’t take her as slowly as I had planned because I will pass out from the intensity of ecstasy surging from my brain to my cock. I feel like I will tear open.
I begin to stroke, fucking her gently but firmly.
“Fabio,” her hand goes to my hair, and she digs her fingers to grab a few strands, burning my face between her breasts as she begins to move her hips to straddle me, meeting my thrusts halfway.
“Good, girl,” I praise her since I have come to notice she loves it. “Hmm,” I groan, both hands clasping her butt cheeks, fingers biting into her soft skin, cock scavenging for treasures inside of her. “Eva, baby,” I pick up my pace as she moves like some nymph bent on killing me with ecstasy. “Fuck,” I growl, pounding.
“Oh my God,” she cries.
“Fabio,” I spank her ass. “I am the one fucking you, Eva, say my name alone,” I spank her again and she shudders like the sting does exactly what I want it to do to her.
“I am coming, Fabio,” she cries.
“Good,” I spank her again. “I like how you ride my cock,” another soft spank. “Come for me, baby,” she is the one to cover my mouth in a kiss, but I take control of it as I swallow her moans.
I feel her pussy cinch tighter around my cock, the same time the explosion happens in my brain and darts through my veins to the base of my stomach. My muscles strain as she convulses. My legs go numb as she sucks on my tongue. Her teeth clamp down on my tongue as she orgasms, and the bite from her sends the explosion on a straight dart out of my cock.
I thrust and thrust, branding her with my semen.
She turns weightless on me, and I feel my cock go lifeless inside of her.
I circle my arms around and pull her tight to my chest.
Our heartbeats are knocking against our chests. Our breathing is unsteady. And our minds are completely owned by each other.
“I love you,” I kiss her firmly, dying to hear her say those words back to me.
“This was a good start, but I am not done punishing you,” she smiles through the kiss.
Fair enough.
I deserve it.