Page 259 of Mine Again
She clenches around me, dragging me with her into a wave so sharp it steals my breath.
I hold her tight as I follow, burying myself as deep as I can go,pouring everything into her, every vow, every promise.
When it’s over, I keep her pinned to me, her heartbeat racing in time with mine. I kiss the corner of her mouth, her wet hair clinging to my cheek.
This was more than it’s ever been. Because now the future is ours.
She gives me a sated, lazy smile as if she heard my thoughts. She probably did.
When the water cools, I shut it off and wrap her in a towel. She leans against me, spent and trusting, her lips brushing my throat as I carry her to the bed.
I lower her onto the mattress and climb in beside her, pulling her into my arms. Her body melts against mine, her breath soft and even.
She drifts into sleep with a faint smile curving her lips. I stroke her hair, watching her for a long while, memorizing the peace on her face.
For five years, I lived on shadows and distance. But this is where I was always meant to be. Here with her.
Isa is everything. Myfarfalla, my home, my reason to breathe.
And now, she is mine again. Forever.
Epilogue
Isabella
Four weeks later
Ireach for another chocolate from my favorite Sicilian chocolatier, slipping the little swallow onto my tongue and letting it melt slowly.
Mmm, so good.
Luca placed the three unopened boxes on the bed the day we returned to the island. I cried, overwhelmed by the memories of those birthdays, certain now I hadn’t been forgotten.
The older chocolates remain untouched, and I can’t bring myself to throw them out. The last box is still perfectly fine, and every bite tastes like proof of his love, stubborn and enduring, just like the man himself.
Beside me, Luca’s fingers fly over the keyboard. Once this room was his fortress, locked against the world. Now my desk sits pressed against his, our monitors glowing in tandem, the hum of our work a new kind of intimacy.
Yesterday he surprised me with the setup. A sleek new desk, a chairso comfortable I might never get up again, and three monitors fast enough to keep up with me. He unveiled it like he was handing me a kingdom. And maybe, in his own way, he was.
I never expected to love crypto trading. It began as a lifeline to make money to find Luca, but somewhere along the way it became mine, a freedom and a choice. When I saw the desk, I called him ridiculous. He kissed me until I could hardly breathe, and then we christened it together, our moans etched into these walls as surely as our love.
The television drones in the background, Hale’s name still scrolling across the ticker. I smirk.
“You know what this reminds me of?” I ask, pointing to the screen with Carter Hale’s picture plastered all over it.
Luca glances at me, one brow lifted. “What?”
“The end of those true-crime movies, when they flash text on the screen about where everyone ended up.”
His mouth curves. “Go on. What would ours say?”
I clear my throat, all mock-serious. “Carter Hale is rotting in federal prison for the rest of his life. Before his arrest, he and Luca Caruso spent a few days ‘clearing up’ their differences.” I draw quotation marks in the air.
Luca’s smirk sharpens as he wheels his chair closer. “Differences resolved. He looked a little worse for it.”
I grin, continuing, “Isabella Caruso accepted the bounty, gave most of it away, and tucked some aside for her sister.”
He tilts his head. “Smart choice. Next?”
