CHAPTER 35
DANIKA
I needed to tell him.It’s the right thing to do, but God, am I nervous. I have absolutely no idea how Tommy feels about kids. And then to find out after the fact that we were unprotected? He doesn’t exactly give off family vibes. This could derail all the good that’s come from our conversation—the dropping of barriers and sharing of our pasts. But I had to say something. Glossing over the subject would have been wrong.
I wait for his reaction. A matter of seconds that feels like hours.
His lips twitch. “I know.”
“You what?” It’s so far from anything I anticipated that I’m confused.
“Remember when I found your birth certificate? I did a deep dive into your whole background, including your medical records. I know you’re not on any meds.”
“That’s not possible. Medical records are private.”
His head tilts, and a brow arches as if to say,Come on, Dani, don’t be so naive.
“You broke into my doctor’s computer?” My voice jumps an octave.
Tommy shrugs. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yeah. I’m good with computers.”
“So you knew?”
“Yeah.”
“But you came inside me anyway?”
His eyes are warm like hot chocolate on a snowy day. “Yeah, Dani, I did.” His whispered words are a prelude to the most romantic kiss I’ve ever been given, then he pulls away, and the heat in his eyes begins to boil. “And I’m about to do it again.”
“It doesn’t worry you that I could get pregnant?”
Tommy’s gaze drifts reverently over my face. “It scares me shitless, but that child would be an extension of you, and I can’t imagine anything more incredible than more of you. Plus, there’s no more permanent way to bind myself to you than with a child.”
Well, that took a bit of a crazy turn, but I’m not mad about it. It’s sweet in a Tommy sort of way.
“Okay,” I whisper with a smile.
He stands, setting me on my feet, then lifts my shirt over my head. What follows is a sort of liturgy as Tommy devotedly removes my clothes, showering ardent attention on each newly exposed bit of skin along the way. The press of his lips. The whisper of tender words. He sanctifies my entire body before stripping his own and laying us on the bed.
“This should have been our first time.” His words are painted in remorse.
“No, Tommy. Everything has unfolded exactly as it should. I genuinely believe that—from the moment I ran into you to those men interrupting our wedding—that is our story, and it’s perfect exactly as it is.”
He seizes my lips in a kiss that plunders my heart and promises forever. His body rocks against mine. I spread my legs in welcome, but he stays where he is.
“All that’s left is to resolve things with Biba.” He gives me an unguarded look deep into his soul. “I promise you I’ll take care of it.”
“And come back to me—that’s the most important part.”
A smile tugs at his lips. “Death itself couldn’t keep me away.” He starts a trail of kisses that extends from my throat down to my slit.
“Did you tell me—” I gasp as his tongue takes a languid, leisurely swipe from my entrance to my clit. “That they call you … Death back in Sicily?”
“Exactly.” He nips my inner thigh. “And you’re my Persephone. Together, we’ll rule the underworld.” And to that end, Tommy starts by ruling my world, giving me a toe-curling orgasm before making love to me, first slow and ardently, then without restraint—forging a bond between us in ways I never could have imagined possible. But that’s Tommy. A man beyond comprehension, and best of all. Mine.
“You were right, you know,”Tommy tells me after we’re sated and sweaty, wrapped contentedly in one another’s arms.
“Of course, I was,” I muse smugly. “About what?”
