But because Iknow what’s coming.
And when theRusco’s, my family, finds out what I’ve done, what we’ve done, there will be no undoing it.
The driver shuts the door behind us as we step onto the sidewalk, but I barely notice the city anymore. My hands are tangled in Sin’s, heart hammering in my chest, the thrill of our secret midnight wedding still spinning inside me. The notary,the ink, the pen, everything that made uslegally together, has left me dizzy, lightheaded, and more certain of him than ever.
“You’re quiet,” he murmurs, thumb brushing along my palm as we walk to a golden high rise. “Nervous?”
I shake my head, laughing softly. “No… just… overwhelmed. Married. Really married.”
His lips brush the shell of my ear. “You’re mine now, Magnolia Donati. Only mine. And tonight, no one else exists. Not your parents. Not threats. Just us.”
The elevator carries us to the penthouse floor, smooth as silk. The doors open to reveal a suite that takes my breath away. Floor-to-ceiling windows show Manhattan sprawled beneath us, glittering like scattered gems. A fire crackles in a marble hearth, its golden light warming the sleek modern lines of the room. The bed is massive, draped in white silk, rose petals scattered across the sheets. A bottle of champagne gleams in a silver bucket beside two glasses, and I can’t believe he thought of every detail.
Sin steps closer, sliding his hands along my waist. “Welcome home,” he murmurs. “Our home, for tonight.”
“I… It’s… beautiful,” I whisper, eyes wide. “You planned all this?”
“Of course,” he says softly, voice low, intimate. “Not because of threats or danger. Because it’s you. Because it’s ours. I wanted tonight to be perfect.”
“Sin.” I grin, holding up a silk robe with Mrs. Donati etched into the fabric. “If I said no, would you have came back here all alone?”
He glances at my hand, at the ring he gave me. “I know I’m a cocky bastard, but I know you’re head strong. You wouldn’t have done this if you didn’t want too, so I knew your answer would be forever. And I would rent this room, every single day, asking you until my last breath for you to be my wife, until you said yes to me.”
Heat blooms between my thighs just listening to him. I step closer, pressing my chest to his. “I want this. I want you. All of you. Now.”
His lips find mine in a kiss that robs my breath. “Then tonight, you’re mine,” he murmurs, voice rough with need. “Every inch. Every heartbeat.”
He guides me to the bed, hands on my back, slowly sliding the straps of my dress down my arms. His touch is reverent, teasing, claiming me in a way that makes me ache. I shiver as his lips trail down my neck, along my collarbone, and every feathered kiss leaves fire in its wake.
“I’m yours,” I whisper, fingers tangling in his hair. “Only yours.”
“And I’m yours,” he groans, moving against me, hands roaming over every curve. “No more secrets. No more miscommunication. Ever. From this night forward, it’s only honesty. Only us.”
I arch against him as he presses in closer, letting the silk sheets swallow us. Every gasp, every sigh, every moan builds a rhythm older than words, our bodies speaking truths our mouths can barely contain.
“You said yes,” he whispers between kisses, lifting his head to look at me, eyes dark, intent, consuming. “Forever with me. No one else gets to claim that. Ever.”
“Yes,” I gasp, biting my lip, my body trembling beneath him. “And… we speak first. Always. No more letting anyone decide for us.”
He groans low and slides inside me, slow, deliberate, and I cry out, clutching at him, needing every inch. The city sprawled below fades away, the firelight dancing on our skin, and it’s just us. Tangled, skin to skin, hearts pounding.
“Magnolia…” His voice is thick, husky with desire. “Do you feel it? Do you feel what I feel for you?”
“I do,” I gasp, moving with him, letting him hear me, feel me, know me. “Every second I’ve wanted this… wanted you.”
He kisses me, deep and claiming, and I wrap my legs around him instinctively, pulling him closer. Every thrust, every touch, every low whisper of my name binds us tighter. “Sin… a real wedding,” I murmur, shivering. “One day… promise me?”
He pauses, forehead resting against mine, breathing heavy. “One day. Champagne, vows, everyone staring. But tonight…” His thumb brushes my cheek. “…tonight is ours. Proof that I’ve already promised. And nothing, no one, can take this from us.”
“I trust you,” I whisper, lips barely brushing his. “No more lies. No more secrets.”
“Good,” he says, voice rough, lips brushing mine in a soft, lingering kiss. “From now on, every fight, every word, every decision, we talk first. Always. Only us. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I murmur, shivering under his touch. “Always us.”
Hours pass in a blur of skin and heat, whispered names and laughter, the silk sheets tangled around our bodies. We explore each other like it’s the first and last time, learning curves, marks, sighs, and shivers, discovering what it means to be married in every sense, even before the world sees us.
Finally, exhausted, tangled, and trembling, Sin pulls me against him, pressing soft kisses to my forehead, cheeks, and lips. “One day,” he murmurs, “the world will watch us take our vows properly.”
