46. Athena
FORTY-SIX
ATHENA
D r. Ferrari read my vitals in our bedroom at home, Manuel holding my hand as if he was scared I’d disappear if he let me go.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. Manuel had always been absurdly attractive, but his days-old stubble made me want to rip his clothes off.
“I have to tell you something,” I whispered, flicking a gaze at the doctor. Ever since we left Qian’s destroyed yacht, we hadn’t had a moment alone. Danil, Soren, and Umbrio came back to the castle with us where my mom and the men that held her prisoner were waiting.
But before any kind of reunion could occur, Manuel carried me straight to our bedroom to be examined—for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.
The whooshing of the sonogram machine sounded like music to everyone’s ears.
“I’m feeling fine,” I protested again.
“Do it for me, amorina . I want to hear for myself that everything is alright with our child.”
“Stress can be bad on the baby too,” Dr. Ferrari chimed in. “Oh, I almost forgot. I got your sonogram photos from yesterday’s… checkup.”
The heart machine started beeping wildly.
“ Ma che cazzo ?” Manuel rasped, his eyes darting to the monitor. “Is that the baby or Athena? What’s wrong?”
The doctor came over and disconnected the heart machine. “Everything’s fine. Mamma and baby are both fine.”
Manuel pressed his lips to mine. I loved the warmth of his mouth, the feel of his body close to me.
“Because she’s strong.”
“She is. Baby girl and her mamma are doing amazing.”
Our heads whipped up.
“What?” My mouth fell open. “Are we?—”
“ Cazzo ,” Dr. Ferrari muttered, her head swiveling between the two of us. “I slipped. I’m so sorry. You’re having a girl.”
Manuel grinned.
“A girl,” I repeated at the same time Manuel whispered, “A baby girl.”
We shared a look, an indescribable expression on his face.
“Were you… hoping for a boy?” I asked him, uncertainty wrapping its fingers around my heart.
Dr. Ferrari left the room, the door clicking softly behind her.
Manuel straightened, his arms pulling me closer into his embrace. “I’m thrilled it’s a girl. She’ll be our little princess who’ll grow up to be a fierce queen.” He cleared his throat. “I’m the luckiest man alive.”
I pulled slightly away so I could meet his glistening dark eyes.
“I love you.” My voice cracked. “Slowly but surely, I fell in love, and I might not have known what it was at first, but there’s no mistaking it. I love you, Manuel.”
“Fuck, amorina .” He closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother wiping them away.
“You were right all along. Love doesn’t have to hurt. Just like you said.” I snaked my arms around his waist and looked up at him. “I love you, and you make me so happy. You make me feel safe, and whenever I’m with you, it feels like I’m… home.”
He let out a sardonic breath. “Even though I got you pregnant?”
“Like you said, it takes two.” My lips met his, and I squealed when he picked me up. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.
He grabbed my chin with one hand, tilting my head back so he could gaze down at me.
“Tell me again,” he demanded.
“I love you,” I breathed against his lips. “You calm my heart, mind, and soul, and there’s nobody else I trust more than you, husband.”
My back pushed against the wall and he kissed me, dominating and harsh, meant to consume me. I slid down his body, never breaking away.
His tongue thrust into my mouth, licking and causing me to whimper. There weren’t any more barriers—just us and our love.
His hand slipped between my legs, along the sensitive flesh of my inner thigh, and I shivered at his touch. He bunched my panties, then ripped them off.
“Husband, my lingerie drawer will need replenishing if you keep this up,” I murmured, skimming my mouth down his stubbled chin. “And I won’t go easy on your wallet.”
“I count on it. My wife deserves the best.”
Manuel eased two ruthless fingers inside me, ripping a moan from my throat. “Holy shit,” I rasped.
“You’re always so ready for me, amorina .” His fingers started to move inside me. “So fucking wet and greedy. Just the way I love it.”
I couldn’t resist the clenching, my nipples throbbing. My limbs quivered as erotic sounds left my lips.
“Tell me you love me again,” he rasped.
I smiled, my lips tingling and bruised.
“I love you. So goddamn much. You make me so happy.”
He quickly unbuckled his pants and freed his rock-hard cock. A needy moan ripped from my lips when he lifted me up, urging me to wrap my legs around him again.
He thrust inside me, filling me to the hilt. I was completely at his mercy. I wanted him to know I trusted him unconditionally. His groin hitting my swollen clit, I took all that he gave.
Pleasure mounted until all I could hear was the slap of flesh against flesh, my desperate moans and his grunts.
“I love you…” My voice trembled. “I love you, I love you…”
His pace slowed and he took my bottom lip between his teeth. “I’m forever yours, amore mio .”
I’d fallen so deep that I couldn’t find a way out even if I wanted to. He was my lighthouse in a storm, my haven in turmoil.
“I love you,” I whispered tenderly. “Now, for the love of God, please fuck me, husband. Hard.”
Manuel drove into me. He pulled all the way out, then thrust back in, hitting my sensitive clit just right.
“Fuck… that’s it… I love you…” Stars formed behind my lids.
The orgasm that hit me was strong, unending, until I sobbed in his arms. His lips slammed against mine while he powered harder and faster through my clenching walls until his cum shot inside me.
He never stopped devouring my mouth, his tongue dancing with mine as his hot cum made a mess of my thighs and both of us shuddered through our release.
My eyelids drooped as his hot cum soaked my inner walls. I was so dazed that I forgot everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
Manuel released me and tucked himself in, buckling his pants while all I could do was stare. Then he scooped me up and carried me to the bathroom where he gently wiped my thighs.
“Thank you for loving me,” I whispered. Our eyes met in the mirror and I smiled softly. “You’re the home I’ve been searching for.”
His lips brushed against mine lightly. “You’re everything I’ve been waiting for.”