Page 189 of Salvatore

“Not anymore.” He steals my mouth with a kiss. “Now you belong to me.”

I moan, wanting to give in, needing to, yearning to.

“Your safety isn’t a problem you need to think about anymore,” he growls against my lips. “It’s my responsibility.”

“That’s some crazy caveman sh?—”

His mouth slams harder against mine, stealing my breath, sucking my bottom lip. “You haven’t seen caveman yet.” He tilts his hips, guiding the head of his cock to my entrance. “But I’m sure you will.”

He thrusts, sinking the hard length of him inside me.

I shudder, my walls clamping down around him.

He rests his weight on one elbow as his free hand slides between us, gliding down my body, pausing and rubbing a gentle thumb over my abdomen before reaching its final destination between my thighs.

He searches a moment, barely a bated breath, then, like a homing beacon, he finds my clit, the first touch exquisite—the awakening of nerve endings, the spark of sheer bliss.

“I’m going to fuck you now,mi reina.” He holds my gaze, watching like always for any sign of pain. Then he makes good on his promise, grinding, thrusting—kissing and touching and possessing me with animalistic abandon until I’m a mindless mess, my legs wrapped around him, my hands clinging.

He doesn’t stop until I come undone, his name on my lips like a prayer, his face buried in my neck, teeth biting, body covered in sweat as he follows me over the edge.

For a long moment, we’re motionless, tangled in sheets and limbs, breaths heavy and uneven. We lie there, the quiet feeling heavy, almost sacred as his mouth brushes my temple, the soft thud of his heartbeat echoing against my chest.

I trail my fingers along his spine, delighting in the silken texture of his skin, like I’ve done so many times before, but never seem to get enough.

It’s in these moments after the lust-filled rush—where my head goes quiet and my heart lowers its barriers—that I find myself tethered to him beyond reason.

It’s a dangerous attachment that has little to do with physical attraction and everything to do with the man who holds me like I’m a treasure he’d fight to the death to defend.

I should run. Escape before this entanglement takes further root and I fall even deeper into the abyss of him. But my body betrays me, curling closer, seeking his warmth like I won’t be able to breathe without it.

“Shower with me again.” He pulls back, his body freeing itself from mine as he holds out a hand.

“No, thank you. I’m not falling for that trick twice in less than an hour.”

He smirks and moves to his feet. “Consider it an open-ended offer if you change your mind.” He walks his flawless ass to the bathroom while I remain in his bed, feeling a little too warm and way too fuzzy inside.

It’s scary, this feeling of wanting someone.Needingthem.

I find myself desperate to cling to him, to always be in his presence, while also equally frantic to place distance between us for the sake of the inevitable devastation that’s to come.

Good things aren’t meant for me. Gabriel will always see to that… but what if I did give Salvatore my blessing for his plan, under the proviso that any action taken is done without threat to his own life?

Then maybe I could be free—no longer needing to dull my shine or minimize my friendship circle. I wouldn’t have to return to my apartment every day wondering if a dead animal or blood-stained threat awaited me.

And my child would never have to face the same horror.

They could be happy. Safe. Unburdened by my past.

The possibility sits heavily on my chest, a brutal kind of hope that wraps its optimistic tendrils around me.

I’m still obsessing over the image, getting more excited about a future with freedom when Salvatore returns to the room, towel around his hips, perfection on display.

“You realize agreeing to have my child is only making me more inclined to lock you in a room and keep you there for the remaining months of the pregnancy, right?” He walks to the closet as if he owns the damn place, snatching a fresh button-down and slipping it on like a homicidalGQmodel preparing to take the runway.

“In that case,niñito, I’ll endeavor to make sure I’m armed and at the ready for a battle of epic proportions if your dumb ass ever decides to make good on that threat. But just be aware, I’ll aim low and directly for the body part responsible for putting me in this pregnancy predicament.”

He smirks as he does up his buttons. “It’d be a nice room though. Large windows. Beautiful view. Maybe I’d even let Olivia visit.”

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