Page 77 of Before Broken Vows

As my body reacts to the overwhelming pleasure, I feel Theo getting too close to his edge. I feel his cock throbbing, filling and stretching me even more.

God, I've missed that fullness.

I'm still in the haze of my release when Theo picks up the pace to a punishing speed. He buries his face in my neck, his breath hot and ragged against my skin as his orgasm takes hold.

I squeeze myself around his member, feeling every inch and making sure he's feeling it all too.

He grunts and I feel him pulsing inside me—it triggers another small wave of pleasure, and I shudder beneath him.

For a moment, we stay connected, breathing heavily, with Theo sliding slowly in and out of me, milking all the pleasure, not wasting an ounce of our erotic entanglement.

Then he rolls to the side, taking me with him so I'm draped across his chest.

The room is quiet except for the sound of our heartbeats gradually returning to normal.

We don't talk for several minutes, both replaying what we've just done in our minds.

"So, that was amazing," I say, breaking the silence.

His arm tightens around me. "Fuck yes, it was. It almost felt like it was meant to be. We're meant to be. I can't explain it."

I laugh out of joy. "I know exactly what you mean," and then I look up at him. "I really did never stop loving you, Theodore Kastaris."

He's quiet for so long I think he might not respond. Then he looks at me.

"I tried to hate you," he admits. "I wanted to. It would have been easier, but I couldn't." His voice is low. "You've always been my weakness, Stassi."

I reach up to touch his face, rubbing him gently.

"And you've always been my strength," I tell him.

He pulls me up for another kiss, this one softer but no less intense. When we break apart, I settle back against his chest.

"What happens now?" I ask after a while.

His hand strokes through my hair. "Now we protect what's ours. Xander. Each other. And if anyone still thinks they can take you or Xander from me, I'll remind them what the name Kastaris means."

I don't say anything, I don't have to. This is where I belong.

With Theo.

With our son.

After years of running, I'm finally home.

23

THEO

The coffee mug warms my palm as I sit on the balcony. Dawn's just breaking, the sun giving off hues of gold along the Italian stones in the garden.

I've been out here for almost an hour, watching darkness give way to light, unable to sleep after last night.

On top of holding my son for the first time, I also made love to Stassi for the first time since she disappeared from my life.

Now, she's sleeping in the same bed as me, and I can smell her scent on my skin. Evidence she wanted me as desperately as I wanted her.

A hawk circles in the distance, hunting. Between going after my father's killers and Stassi back in my life, I feel like I've been doing the same—circling, waiting to strike.