Chapter Nineteen #3
He watches me undress, a line forming between his brows.
He knows something is off. He can feel the difference in me, the urgency, the edge.
But he doesn’t ask. He lets me come to him, and when I press him back against the pillows and settle over him, careful of the bump, his legs open for me and his arms come around my neck.
There’s need in his eyes, which reassures me.
We kiss hungrily for a bit and when I finally push inside him, he groans and shudders.
His lips part and he whimpers as I thrust deep, taking him harder than I usually do.
Not rough enough to hurt. Not rough enough that he’d call it anything but intense.
But I’m hell-bent on marking what’s mine.
And with every pump of my hips, I feel closer to him.
The way he looks at me as I slide in and out of him, there’s pure adoration in his eyes.
He meets my thrusts, begging for more. I watch his face while I move in him, searching for something false. I look for some flicker of guilt or deception, some evidence that the man beneath me is keeping parts of himself from me.
I don’t find it.
All I see is Elio. Wanting me. Trusting me.
Opening himself up with the raw, unguarded need that still astonishes me.
He’s a man who’s careful with his heart, but he’s given it to me.
Even so, I’m scared that this world is too brutal for him.
I’m terrified the gentle soul whose eyes I’m staring into will be destroyed by my violent, horrible world.
I couldn’t survive losing Elio.
Please don’t ever let it come to that.
I thrust harder, and he cries out, cheeks flushed and eyes glazed with lust. He whines and pleads for more and I give that to him.
I take him with a fierceness that leaves him breathless.
I pump into him faster and faster, and he arches his back, stroking himself.
He digs his heels into the bed, panting and groaning as his orgasm begins.
“Oh, God, Marcello,” he gasps seconds before he spurts against my stomach. He digs his nails into my back, whining. As he climaxes, his body trembles and his hole clenches around my cock so hard, I’m pulled over the edge with him.
“Fuck,” I growl, burying myself to the root and holding there as I spill into him. He moans as my hot seed fills him full. I groan and breed my beautiful omega, the bond between us buzzing. The complete surrender in his eyes tells me all I need to know. He’s mine and only mine.
Once we’ve quieted, his heart thumps against mine, and my eyes burn with unshed tears.
I’m overcome with emotions. I’ve never loved anyone like I love Elio.
He could destroy me. If he turned away from me, I’d be a wreck.
I’d be lost. No omega has ever had this much control over me and it’s terrifying.
He traces a line down my back with his fingertip. I’m still on top of him. Still inside him. I pinch off the knot, but I’m reticent to leave his tight heat. Unwilling to separate from him. His hole feels so good wrapped around my cock, and the feel of his warm body against mine is perfect.
“I love you, Marcello,” he whispers, a line between his brows. “You know that, don’t you?”
I meet his gaze. “Do you, Elio?”
Worry shimmers in his eyes. “Why would you doubt my love?”
“I don’t.” I grimace and gently pull out of him. “Ignore me. It’s been a tiring, stressful day.”
He sits up and grabs the box of tissues from the nightstand. He cleans off his stomach and mine as he mutters, “Isn’t that just every day for you?”
I smile ruefully. “Yes.”
“So, what’s different about today?” His hair is dark with sweat and his cheeks flushed. He looks concerned, and that makes me guilty. “If something is bothering you, I wish you’d share it with me.”
“Do you share all of your troubles with me?”
His face tenses. “Usually.”
“But not always?”
“Marcello.” He presses closer. “Are you angry with me for some reason?”
“No.” I study him, hating how anxious he looks now. “Do you swear you love only me, Elio?”
He blinks at me. “Of course. You’re my life.”
“Promise?”
“Promise,” he says with an urgency that settles me. “There’s no one else for me.”
I kiss him softly. “Same.”
We get into bed and we curl around each other.
His breathing slows eventually, and I know he’s asleep.
As I hold him, I think about trust. It’s so easy to break and so hard to rebuild.
The things Salvatore told me tonight rocked me, but deep down, I still trust Elio.
He’s not in love with Pete or any other alpha.
I can feel how much he loves me. Salvatore misread what that text meant to Elio. I believe that in my soul.
I also have to believe that Elio’s decision to tell Salvatore our secrets was motivated by concern for me. He loves me. He wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. He wouldn’t plot against me. I’ll still have Dante watch him closely though.
Trusting Elio doesn’t mean I trust those around him. He doesn’t understand my world. He doesn’t realize that there are many people who would happily use him to get to me.
And I don’t want him to get caught in the crossfire.