Page 55 of Shot For Mercy

I moan again, and he fucks my throat once, twice, three times, before he pulls out and comes all over my face. I close my eyes, feeling rope after rope of cum hit my cheeks, my forehead, and even my hair.

“Fuuuuck,” Emiliano shouts. “Fucking hell.”

I smile softly at him, opening my eyes. He’s looking down at me like I hung the moon, and my stomach flutters. Something squeezes in my chest at the sight of him over me, and he moves down to straddle my hips instead of my chest.

“So fucking filthy,” I murmur, running my hand over his thigh. I look at his thick cock, half-hard between his legs, and my mouth waters. I could go again right now; instead, I stay still when he begins to rub his cum into my skin. “God.”

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Emiliano whispers, and my eyes sting. “I could stare at you all day and never get tired.”

I smile. “Do it, then.”

“Let’s get you in the shower,” he says as he gets off me, and I miss the feeling of his warm body on top of mine as soon as it’s gone. “Then we can eat some breakfast and watch a movie.”

“So domestic.” I grin.

“Get used to it.” He winks, and I swear he needs to stop making my stomach do crazy shit. “You’re going to be my husband one day.”

My stomach fills with butterflies now, and my eyes widen. He chuckles at the sight, offering his hand to me from the side of the bed. He holds my hand all the way to the bathroom, then turns on the shower and tests the temperature. Once he deems it safe, he pushes me under the spray.

Emiliano washes me thoroughly, gently, and I relish in it. No one’s ever made me feel so fucking cared for before. I didn’t know it could be like this with him. Soft. Gentle. Slow. I crave these little moments now, and I think he does, too.

“I—”I love you—I almost say it. But I stop myself.

“You what?” he whispers against the shell of my ear, getting closer, plastering his wet front to my back.

“I want to be your husband.” A different truth. “Just so you know.”

“I know,” he replies, running his hands up my chest, then palming my pecs. “And you’re going to be. I swear it.”

I nod slowly, but don’t say anything.

“Never doubt me, Cole,” Em says softly. “I always mean what I say.”

Right now, I wish he’d say it back. I love you. But this is enough. It has to be, and I won’t push him. He’ll say it when he’s ready. It doesn’t change the fact that I feel it, though, that the words are always on the tip of my tongue.

I’ll just hold them back for now.

We’re sitting on the couch watching a romantic comedy that Cole picked, but I can’t seem to pay attention. All I see is him. I can’t tear my eyes away. His hair is still wet from our shower, and he’s wearing nothing but his pink boxer briefs with little ducks on them. I smirk. Never in a million years would I have thought that he owned those.

I observe his face. He looks tired, rumpled. There are purple bags under his eyes, and I can’t help but notice he barely has an appetite. I made him his favorite—scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes, and bacon. And he still barely ate it. I know he’s sad, and he has every reason to be, but the way this has affected him slightly bothers me. It’s as if he’s going through a goddamn break up. But isn’t he? A friendship of almost two decades is broken beyond repair. So, can I really blame him? I don’t know why it’s affecting me this much. I feel it too—I’m walking through life like a zombie, barely functioning. The only one holding me up is Cole. So I guess we’re mutually fucked up over this.

I can’t help but think about how things have been between us, though. We just click. There’s no other way to describe it. I also can’t help but think about the fact that choosing him was the right decision. He’s part of me now. I can’t seem to tear him out of my chest. Matteo will come around eventually—he has to. Right? There’s no way he’ll stay away forever. He has an empire to inherit. He has responsibilities—which he has been neglecting.

As my assistant at the real estate firm, he has been absent. I’ve officially granted him an indefinite leave of absence, but I can’t hold his job forever if I don’t know where he is or if he’s coming back. Where even is he? Where is he living? I know I could find out if I really wanted to, but I want to give him his space. Respect his privacy for once. After all, I know this is a lot to process. I also know I don’t deserve his forgiveness.

I wish I wasn’t falling for Cole, that this was all a dream, but this is no figment of my imagination. What I feel for him is real, tangible even. This is the most authentic relationship I’ve ever had, and it sure as fuck feels like it. I meant what I said to him earlier. One day, he’s going to be my husband, and we’re going to rule this city together. I wonder how fast is too fast. What is an acceptable timeline for an engagement? I have the urge to make him mine. Now. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch. Just like my growing feelings for him.

Speaking of my growing feelings, I don’t know exactly how I feel for him anymore. All I know is that I’m quickly falling for him. I can tell by the way I’ve been acting around him. So fucking soft. Something I’ve never been before. He seems to love it, though. And I wish he’d say those words to me again.I love you. I thought he was going to say them earlier, but then he didn’t. It’s a shame. I would’ve said them back. I think that’s what this is, anyway. The feeling in my chest every time I look at him. As if we’re tethered and he’s pulling my heart on a string toward him. Always to him. I’m powerless to stop it, and quite frankly, I don’t want to anymore. I want to drown in him—in these feelings. Mostly because I know he’ll save me. He won’t let me fall without him. He’s already right there with me.

Cole turns toward me, smiling softly when he realizes I’m looking at him, and my stomach flutters. What the hell is that about? Am I getting butterflies from a mere look? What is this, high school? Fuck, I’m in so deep that I can’t see the light. Then again, I don’t really want to.

“You’re staring again, Em.” Cole smirks. “Are you going to do that a lot?”

“It’s because you’re so pretty,” I answer honestly. Well, almost. I can’t tell him I was noticing how wrecked he looks right now. I have a feeling he doesn’t want to talk about it with me, and I’m not going to push the topic. After all, I don’t really want to talk about it with him either. “Come here.”

Cole straddles my lap, and my cock hardens immediately between us when his ass meets my thighs. He looks down at it and grins, shaking his head, but makes no move to take care of the issue. Shame. “Is this how you want me?” he asks.

“Maybe.” I breathe as he presses his forehead to mine, brushing his nose against mine. He tilts his head and brushes his lips over my own, and my stomach flips at the contact. I don’t know why. It can’t even be described as a kiss. “I want you in all the ways.”

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