Page 58 of Stolen Vows

Mario smiles and curls his finger.

“No, wait, I—”

He attacks my clit with his tongue and works his digit in and out of me until I shatter again.

Too exhausted for more, I slump to the mattress and mumble halfhearted protests when he pulls me into his arms and snuggles me from behind.

He brushes my hair back and rumbles in my ear.

“Sleep as long as you need,paperotta.I have work, so I won’t be here when you wake, but I’ll be back before sundown.Capisci?”

I hum and nod my understanding.He kisses my temple and nuzzles me for a moment before slipping from the bed.

I doze for a while, but my entire body aches so much I can’t fall into restorative sleep, so I sigh and rub my eyes before opening them.Everything hurts.I don’t want to even lift my head off the pillow, but a phone sits on my bedside table.

It buzzes.

I glance around the room, but Mario left long ago.

Not expecting much, I reach out and pull the phone to my face.I don’t recognize it, but I turn on the screen and press my thumb to the biometrics.

It unlocks.

I blink in shock before opening the notifications.

A text frommio maritosits at the top.Tears form on my lashes.I open it and laugh-sob.

Important contacts saved on this phone.The house is yours.Call if emergency.Do not leave.I’ll be home before sundown.-Mario

I reread the text several times.It’s surreal.Mario Luciano sent me a text.The mundaneness of it makes it spectacular.

I settle deeper under the blankets and explore my new phone for a few minutes before diving into a bit of random research on the browser.

When that no longer holds my attention, I set the phone on the bedside table and stretch.

Familiar pain radiates throughout my entire abdomen.Panic floods my veins with adrenaline.

I haven’t had time to prepare.

Making a mental list of things to do and supplies to find, I toss the blankets off and rise.

Blinding agony rips through me, starting in my womb and shooting outward to infect every cell in my body.

I wake in a heap of tangled limbs on the floor.Breathing hurts.

The scent of copper fills my nostrils.Pressure squeezes my skull.My eyes refuse to focus, but I look down my body for confirmation and accept the dark blotch staining my shorts between my legs as blood.

I curl into a ball and curse my fate.

Moving hurts too much.The bedside table is too far away.Lifting my head takes too much effort.

Hot irons pierce my stomach.The pain grows.I flip from hot and sweaty to cold and clammy.Nausea and dizziness creep in.

Time loses meaning.

The world slips in and out of focus.

Footsteps sound in the hall.