Page 85 of Bellini Bound

“I never knew my mother. She was sent away right after I was born, having served her purpose in producing a son.” I threw my arms around his neck, holding him tight as he continued, “As for Gemma?” He sighed. “Who knows. We aren’t close, and that falls on me. Any time I attempted to shield her from my father’s wrath, she suffered even more as a result, so I stopped trying. She probably hates me because, in her mind, I stood by and watched while he abused her, when the truth is, I was protecting her from even more violent beatings by not interfering.”

“Oh, baby, it’s not your fault. ” I clutched him tighter. “You were a child, doing the best that you could in an impossible situation.”

A shudder rolled through him. “The bastard used the threat of hurting her to keep me in line all those years. I hate that I let him, and I should have fucking killed him when I had the chance.” I stroked his hair, silently letting him know he was safe. “He’s the whole reason Gemma has guards. After all this time, I still can’t protect her from him. How could anyone love a failure of a man who can’t keep his family safe?”

God, he was so beautifully broken. It only made me love him more, made me want to use that love to heal the wounds he carried deep beneath the surface.

Pulling back, I made sure he saw the truth in my eyes when I said, “I love that man. I loveyou, Enzo.”

“Allie,” he breathed out my name, dropping his forehead to mine. “God, I love you, too.”

My heart swelled three sizes, and I feared my chest wouldn’t be able to contain it. “You do?”

His arms banded around me. “So much. It’s why I tried to set you free. I only wanted the best for you, and I wasn’t sure I was it.”

“You are,” I vowed. “You might be the complete opposite of the type of man I pictured falling for, but it turns out you’re exactly who I needed. I would have been bored out of my mind living a safe little life with a guy who punched the clock from nine to five, going to the same chain restaurant for every birthday and anniversary, and having scheduled sex once a week—if I was lucky.”

Enzo’s booming laughter filled the kitchen. “Go figure my horny wife would be horrified at the idea oflimited sex.”

I playfully rolled my eyes. “My point is that on paper, we don’t make any sense as a couple, but in reality, we are two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.”

He stroked my cheek with his thumb. “Only you could make our story out to be some kind of fairytale.”

Smirking, I teased, “It just so happens that my favorite is the one where the beast takes the inventor’s daughter captive in his stead, and she works her way past his defenses before falling hopelessly in love with him.”

Enzo arched an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m a beast now?”

My hands roamed over his broad shoulders. “With all these muscles? Hell yes.”

“Will you say it again?”

My heart twisted at hearing the vulnerability in his voice.

I pressed my lips to his. “I love you, Enzo. And I’ll tell you every day for the rest of my life, so that you never have a reason to doubt it.”

“You’re a goddamn angel, Allie,” he whispered back. “Almost doesn’t seem fair that I get to keep you after all the bad things I’ve done.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing life isn’t always fair. Let’s not question when that finally works in our favor, hmm?”

He trailed a line of kisses down the column of my neck. “My wife. My love.”

My head fell back, and I panted, “Take me to bed and show me how much you love me, husband.”

“Happily,” he murmured against my skin, rising to his feet with me still in his arms.

Today marked a major breakthrough in our marriage. Not only did we confess our love for one another, but Enzo opened up about his past, sharing some of the demons that continued to haunt him into adulthood, trusting me to become his safe space.

I would cherish the events of tonight until my dying day.

“Mmm.” I woke with a moan, arching against the solid wall of muscle at my back.

“Morning, beautiful.” Enzo’s sleep-roughened voice made my toes curl, or maybe it was his fingers working slow circles between my thighs. I couldn’t be sure.

“Best alarm clock I’ve ever had.” I sighed, reaching a hand back to draw him closer.

His chuckle vibrated against my skin, where he trailed a line of kisses from the nape of my neck to my shoulder. “Wouldn’t want you to be late on your first day back to work.”

While I was excited about my return to the hospital, right now, I would much rather spend a lazy Saturday rolling around in the sheets with my sexy husband.