Page 127 of Where Dark Hearts Devour
I blink. Did I just hear him right?
“Marry me, damn it.”
I suck in a breath. “What? That’s blackmail.”
He pants as though it’s taking every ounce of his strength to hold back. His voice is tight. “It’s only blackmail if there’s something in it for me. I’m dying of blue balls over here.”
“I’m not being coerced into marriage.”
His hands are balled into fists, buried in the rug, and his upper arms are starting to shake.
“No one’s coercing you, Trilby. I want you ...”
I arch my brows.
“Iloveyou. I want you to be my wife, for fuck’s sake.”
My entire body smiles even though he’s in agony right now.Wife.Not sister. Wife.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“What?” His teeth are clenched, and the veins at the side of his face are thick and throbbing.
“I said yes. I will marry you.”
He collapses onto me and begins moving again, but this time it’s slow and just overwhelming enough.
“God,woman,” he drawls.
I’ve never been so pleased to hear that word fall from his lips.
He litters my face with a million kisses and whispers soft curses and no-sweet-about-it nothings. “You’ve had it now. Oh fuck, this is good. I’m going to screw you like this every night. Jesus, this is unreal. You’re a fucking heathen. I can’t get enough of you, little one.”
And my favorite one of all: “Be careful what you wish for, Castellano. I’m going to worship you for the rest of my life.”
I sigh into his skin as I get closer to that edge. “Whatareyou going to call me when I’m no longer a Castellano?”
“That’s easy.” He looks up with dark, dangerous eyes. “My queen.”
Cristiano
I sit on the edge of the bed and just stare at her. I’ve already blocked three calls and silenced my phone, because I can’t bring myself to move. I just want to stare, drink her in, bask in her warmth, inhale her scent. I want to be the first to see her open her eyes in the morning. Every morning. Starting with this one.
Her lips part, and I hope a little snore works its way out, because I want to absorb every single sound she makes.
“Are you going to stare at me all morning?”
I smile to myself. “If you’ll let me.”
She opens her eyes. They seem a brighter blue in the light of the master bedroom. “I’d rather not. It’s weird.”
I wipe the smile away with my thumb. “I have to go.”
“Oh.” She sits up and rakes her gaze hungrily over my freshly laundered suit. “Where?”
I trace a finger along her cheekbone. “To Benny’s. I have papers to sign and businesses to run.”
Her shoulders stiffen. “Oh, right.” She takes a long breath. “What kind of businesses?”
