Page 105 of Vicious Heir

His expression softens, and his head droops. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

“But I’m not an addict. And you won’t necessarily end up with dementia.”

“Even if I don’t, you know most Dons don’t retire in peace and die at an old age. You know what my life is like.”

“You want to push me away because your job is dangerous?”

“No, I don’t want that, not even a little. But yes, for your sake. I can’t live with myself if you suffer because of me. Even the thought of you taking care of me in my old age, of watching me slowly lose myself and also losing you, it fucking kills me. It breaks me, Lucy. I don’t want to shackle you to that awful ending.”

I lean into him and hug tightly. I close my eyes and breathe in his smell. This big, terrifying man. He’s a killer and a monster. But there’s so much more than that inside of him. Every time he finally opens up, I’m reminded that people are more than the little pieces they show to the world. A killer can love too. A killer can worry and care. There’s nothing simple about Adriano.

But if I wanted simple, I’d find some pretty grunting idiot that just growls and acts like he can fix everything with his genitals.

Instead, I have my complicated husband, who also happens to have a magic dick.

“I don’t care about the ending. That’s life, right? If we all lived for the ending, I’m pretty sure everyone would be pretty freaking disappointed.”

“You don’t know how bad it was.”

“But we just agreed that I do, or at least I have a pretty good idea. And if it means a life with you, with our children, I’d happily take the risk. Because if by some terrible unlucky twist you do end up like your father, you’ll need me there by your side, and you better fucking believe I won’t ever,everlet you suffer alone, no matter what you forget.”

He’s quiet for a moment. I feel the tension in him like a pulsing wave. I wish I could open up my heart and my mind and let him see my insides. That way he’d understand that I’m in this now. There’s no turning back for me. There’s no before, no after, only right here and now. There’s only my husband, Adriano, and the life I want to build with him.

I don’t want our life to end in tragedy. But I’m willing to take the risk because the reward is him in my life every single day until then.

“I want you to make me a promise.” He strokes my hair and takes a deep breath. “If it becomes too much, I want you to swear you’ll walk away. No hard feelings from me. No regrets or anything. I want you to promise you’ll go.”

“Adriano—”

“Just swear it, alright.”

I sigh and tilt my head back to look into his eyes. “No, Adriano.”

“Lucy—”

“No,” I say, firmer now, fighting back against my anger. I don’t know where this fire is coming from, but it feels good to stand up for myself. “I’m not promising that because it won’t ever happen. You’re my husband. That means good and bad, right? I can’t live with myself if you don’t know that I’m going to be by your side no matter what happens. That’s just fucking life. I won’t ever abandon you the same way you won’t ever abandon me. That’s just how this works. We’re partners.”

He takes a deep, shuddering breath and slowly blows it out. I expect him to be mad, but instead he seems to relax slightly and lean against my body. “You’re right,” he says in a very small voice.

Which isn’t what I expected. “I know I’m right, asshole.”

He laughs. It’s the kind of laugh that comes over a man when he’s out of options. I feel the stress slowly flow off him. When he’s done, it’s like he stepped from a river and dried in the sun.

“I can’t force anything on you,amore mio. But you’re right. I won’t ever leave you. I won’t ever abandon you. No matter how bad things get.”

“And I feel the same. Now would you stop pulling away from me?” I tug him, getting on my toes to kiss his lips. “Please, Adriano, just stop it. We can do this together.”

He purrs softly, his forehead to mine. “You’re right. Together.”

“Good boy.”

He grins and bites my lower lip. “That’s my thing.”

“Maybe I’m taking control.”

“Oh, I doubt that.” He reaches down and lightly squeezes my ass. “How about we play a game?”

“Seriously? We just had the most intense heart-to-heart of our married life and you’re horny?”

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