Chapter 17 Constantine
Constantine
I joined her in the shower, bounced her up and down on my length while she gripped my shoulders for support, thrust my hips from underneath and made up for the workout I’d skipped that morning.
Even with the water that streamed down our bodies, I could feel her cream around my length and building up around my base.
Her body hadn’t changed to the naked eye, but my perception of her figure was completely different now.
She’d always been a fine woman whom I wanted to fuck in every way imaginable, but knowing she was pregnant was the biggest turn-on.
I dreaded the day she wasn’t pregnant anymore because I would miss this time.
After the fun was over, we stood in the shower together, and I rubbed soap into her soft skin, watched the water run down her beautiful body, making her hair stick to the back of her neck.
Not much was said, but our eyes feasted on each other like we hadn’t really looked at each other in a long time.
“I’m sorry for my treason,” I said, apologizing again because the guilt was still there.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I said I forgive you.”
“I know, but I see now why it was fucked up.”
She touched my arms, traced the big muscles like they were mountains. “It’s in the past now. I’m not one to hold a grudge, especially against someone this fucking hot.” She smiled up at me, her eyes turning playful like she wanted to lift my mood.
I wasn’t so easily swayed. “Tommaso texted me and asked what I thought of her, and it really hit me then that I’d crossed a line.”
Her playfulness flickered slightly, but she maintained her calm. “It’s over now. Just let it go.”
She let me off the hook quicker than I deserved, but I was happy to find peace again. Happy to be a family under one roof again, the three of us and Medusa. My hand moved down her body and cupped her flat stomach, a tummy that looked and felt exactly the same as it always had.
“I liked spending time with your mom.”
“Yeah?”
“She showed me one of your family photo albums.”
“Of course she did.”
“You look a lot like your dad.”
I nodded, having heard that assessment before.
“But spiritually, you’re the spitting image of your mother.”
I smirked. “I’ll take that compliment. What else did you guys do?”
“She made dinner and we talked. I told her how much I love you, that she reminds me of my own mother. I love you for you, even if she’d hated me like Beatrice does, but it’s nice to have her.”
“I know.” I pulled her into me, holding her close and resting my chin on the top of her head as I cradled her into me. We stood together under the warm shower, listening to the water fall like rain on a winter night.
After a while, she broke the silence. “What did President Barsetti want?”
I hadn’t thought about him since the moment he’d left my sight. My whole world revolved around Aurelia the second she returned to me. “Was in town and just wanted to catch up.”
We sat together at the dining table on the terrace, Medusa lying in her dog bed under the string of white lights that hung overhead, listening to the silence when the birds stopped chirping at sunset.
We’d only been apart for a day, but it felt like a lifetime since we’d had dinner together like this.
The chef prepared sautéed fish with vegetables and a side of rice, a dinner that Aurelia probably found boring but I found essential.
I was a little more flexible with my diet throughout the day, but in the evening, I tried to keep my nutrition as basic as possible.
Besides, it was a healthy meal for both her and our baby.
She took a few bites but seemed mostly distracted.
“Something on your mind?”
She pushed pieces of her fish around as she considered what she’d say next.
Maybe she was still mad after all.
“When I saw you two together, it didn’t seem like old friends catching up.” She set down her fork and looked at me. “I know how you are when you’re with your friends or your family, and you aren’t like that.”
Damn.
“So, what did he really want?”
I wanted to spare her the guilt and obligation. Her only concern should be the life growing inside her. “He asked me to return to Rome and remove Darius from power.” I told her the truth since she wanted to hear it. “I declined.”
She gave a slight nod. “I’ve heard things are bad.”
“From where?”
She shrugged. “Just headlines and stuff. Haven’t looked into it too much.”
“I told him it’s not my problem. Don’t worry about it.”
“Then whose problem is it?” she asked.
“His.” He was the president of Italy. Not me.
“But he’s a politician, and Darius . . . is not.”
“He has the military and the police at his disposal. He’ll figure it out.”
“But if he could figure it out, he wouldn’t have come here.”
I cocked my head slightly, unsure of what she was trying to imply. “What are you saying, sweetheart?”
“That it must be really bad if he came all the way here to ask for your help.”
I wouldn’t tell her about the changes that had taken place. The destruction to the streets, the crimes against the good people who lived there. I needed to make sure she knew only peace. “Even if it is, it doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does.” She stopped eating altogether.
So did I. My appetite dropped out of my stomach like a stone. “No.”
“No, what?”
“You know what,” I said with a warning in my tone.
“I just . . . that place means a lot to both of us.”
“You mean more to me than anything else ever could.”
“I know, but . . . I could hide. You could hide me somewhere, and you could go—”
“No.”
“You act like you don’t care, but I know you, Constantine. I know how much this must be bothering you.”
“Do I look bothered?” I challenged, not wanting to have a fight the second she got home, but my temper got the best of me.
“We’re having a baby, Aurelia. The single most important thing to both of us is our child.
I’m sorry about what’s happening back in Rome, but it can burn to the ground for all I care.
I’m not risking you or her or Medusa. Everything is different now, and I’ve moved on. ”
“Just because you’ve moved on doesn’t change reality, Constantine.”
“You want me to go back and risk my neck?” I snapped.
“No. But I know it’s what you want.”
“It’s not.”
“You say that, but deep down, I know you want both—”
“I’m not going to tell you what Darius will do to you if I set foot in Rome. But trust me when I say you wouldn’t be able to sleep for three weeks if I did.”
She paused, her eyes dropping down to her food. “You forget that I was there, Constantine. I’ve seen what he’s like. I know what he did to your brother. I’m very aware of the monster that he is. But I believe you’re the only one who can take him down.”
I ignored the rush of pride I felt at her words. Ignored the way it made me feel to know she believed in me. That she didn’t think I was weak after sitting on my ass these last six weeks in Taormina. That she believed I was still the man she met. “I won’t change my answer, so let’s drop it.”
“I’m sure Rocco would help you.”
“Couldn’t care less.” I was relieved when Crow mentioned him. That meant he was still alive . . . not that I should care.
“Constantine—”
My temper finally blew. “You just got home and I don’t want to fight, but you’re pushing me there.
” I abruptly shoved back in my chair and got to my feet before I stormed off.
I wanted to leave the house and check in to a hotel, but the idea of leaving her here alone didn’t sit right, not when she was pregnant, not when Medusa was still hurt.
So I went into the office that I didn’t use anymore and shut the door behind me.
Sat in the hard chair behind the desk and stared at the wall across the room.
There were paintings on the walls that I hadn’t picked out.
An interior designer had made this place into a home after it was renovated.
It was nothing like my home in Rome, and I missed it sometimes.
I tried not to think about the fact that Darius was sleeping, eating, and shitting in it.
I propped my elbow on the armrest and focused my stare, trying to mitigate all the anger that pounded in every vein.
I could feel the throb in my muscles, even my face.
Choosing Aurelia over the Republic was the easiest decision I’d ever made—but that didn’t mean the consequences didn’t kill me.
They burned me alive from flesh to bone.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to glance at the screen, to see if Aurelia had sent me a text.
But it was Rocco.
Out of nowhere, without preamble or explanation, he said something that meant the world to me.
Congrats on the kid.
I inhaled a sharp breath when I read that message, hearing his voice in my head as I absorbed every word. I’d never expected to speak to him again, and if he reached out, it would be to tell me how much he despised me.
My eyes read the message over and over. Stared at the screen until it turned black.
My finger tapped the front to get the message back before I swiped and typed a reply.
Thanks, man. I sent it so fast I wouldn’t be able to second-guess the decision.
Put it out into the ether. Took his olive branch and extended my own.
I’d fallen asleep in the chair at some point, slouched with my head resting in the corner. There were guest rooms in the house, but this was the one space that felt like it belonged solely to me.
The sound of the door cracking open registered in my mind instantly. I didn’t move, but my eyes opened to see Aurelia step into the room, her shadow Medusa with her.
I took a breath before I straightened in the chair and wiped the sleep from my eyes. My fingers tapped the screen of my phone where it lay on the desk, and I watched it light up with the time. It was almost two in the morning.