Page 55 of The Bonventi War

"Promise?" I hate how small my voice sounds, how desperate.

"I promise, Raven. Sleep now."

I close my eyes and curl into him, focusing on the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. As I drift off, I feel his lips press against my forehead. His tenderness follows me into sleep.

26

RAVEN

The clang of what sounds like someone searching through my cabinet drawers startles me awake. I hear Gio mumbling to himself and smile. I stretch, and my aching muscles remind me of last night's activities.

"Shit!" I bolt upright, my heart hammering. "Shit, shit, shit."

The pill.

I forgot to take my birth control pill last night. After everything that happened, we lay in bed talking until we fell asleep, then the nightmare—Gio holding me—ugh, it completely slipped my mind.

I throw off the covers and scramble out of bed, nearly tripping over them in my haste to get to the bathroom. My heart pounds as I yank open the medicine cabinet, fumbling for the little pink pack of birth control pills.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I mutter, popping out yesterday's pill and swallowing it dry. I stare at my wild-eyed reflection in the mirror. What the hell was I thinking? How could I have been so careless?

It's okay, relax, I tell myself.

I'm a little late. It's not ideal, but not a complete disaster either.

While I'm here, I might as well take care of the rest. I pee quickly, then grab my toothbrush, scrubbing away morning breath as I try to calm my thoughts.

Everything's fine, Raven. One missed pill isn't the end of the world.

I rinse and splash some cold water on my face. When I look in the mirror, I see some marks Gio left on my neck last night. It's kind of hot.

Another noise from the kitchen snaps me back to reality.

I walk out to find Gio—dangerous, powerful, feared-by-many Gio—frowning at my coffee maker like it's personally offended him. He's wearing just his boxer briefs, and the sight of all those tattoos on display makes me want to go another round with him.

"How the hell do you turn this thing on?" he asks, not looking up from his intense study of the machine.

I can't help but laugh. "Having trouble there, tough guy?"

Gio turns, his eyes raking over me appreciatively.

"I could make a joke about turning things on," he says with a smile, "but I think we both know I have no trouble in that department."

I roll my eyes, but I can feel heat creeping up my neck. "Cocky much?"

"Very," he replies, closing the distance between us in two long strides. His hands find my waist, tugging me flush against him. "Good morning, by the way."

"Morning," I murmur, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. "Sleep well?"

He leans down and gives me a kiss. "How could I not, being next to you?"

"Smooth," I say and give him another kiss.

Gio turns back to the coffee machine. "I was trying to make us coffee, but this damn old machine won't turn on."

"Old?" I gasp in mock offense. "I'll have you know this is a top-of-the-line model. From ten years ago."

He laughs.