Page 324 of Legacy
She smiles, just a little. Shy but smug. “You like me red.”
I sit back on my heels and drag my eyes over her again, slow and possessive.
“I like you in nothing,” I say, reaching for the hem of the nightie and pulling it up over her arms, off. “But this’ll do.”
She shivers as I toss it aside.
My eyes drop to her bare, all that’s left is a scrap of lace, and I just… stop.
Because no matter how many times I’ve seen her like this, no matter how many years it’s been burned into my memory, nothing compares to her now.
Now that she’s mine.
Now that she’s wearingmylast name.
Now that I get to wake up with her on my pillow and my ring on her finger.
My hands slide down her arms, reverent. Slow. And then I reach for the drawer in the nightstand.
She watches me with parted lips, a slow breath catching in her throat when she sees what I pull out.
Silk.
Redties.
Her lips twitch. “You’ve been planning this?”
I grin. “I’ve beendreamingabout this.”
I take her wrists gently and bring them above her head, anchoring the ties to the headboard, knotting them with practiced ease.
Her breathing picks up, lips parting, eyes locked on mine.
I press a kiss to each wrist before I tie the final knot.
“There,” I murmur, voice like gravel. “Now I can take my time.”
She’s spread beneath me—bare, bound, beautiful. Trusting me with every inch of her body, every beat of her heart.
And I can’t fucking take it.
I drag my mouth down her neck, slow and devouring. She squirms, her body arching toward me, and I place a hand on her stomach, holding her still.
“Stay still for me,moglie.”
Her breath hitches.
Wife.
I’ll never get tired of calling her that.
“I think about you more than I think about this fucking war,” I whisper against her collarbone. “I wake up thinking about your mouth. Your laugh. That fire in your eyes. I go to meetings wondering if you’re eating enough. If you’re safe. I sit in rooms full of men who’d kill to get one stepahead of me and all I can think about is if you’re warm enough when I’m not here.”
I look up, eyes locking with hers.
“You’re my entire world, Adriana.”
Her eyes glass over—just a little. Her lips tremble.
