Page 21 of Inevitably Yves

“I want to be jealous of them, but I have the benefit of knowing your heart. Your love is…” He pauses, waving his hands in the air. “Unique. There’s a romantic undertone, but at the same time, it’s familial.”

I nod, taking one of his hands in mine to play with his fingers. “I suppose romantic love never truly fades completely, but I haven’t sought that from any of them since the early 1800s. Thorn, the other man with us today, was my last attempt of my surviving brothers.”

“You didn’t get what you wanted?”

“What I needed. To be fair, it was an unrealistic goal to find another love like ours. I don’t regret what I did though. I adore my family.”

“There is another you don’t speak of.”

I nod as my mood darkens slightly. “Marcello. I regret him with all that I am. I destroyed him and he nearly destroyed me.”

“He’s dead?”

“Very much so.” I pat Damiano’s chest. “I will tell you about it someday, but please, not tonight. His memory turns my stomach.”

Damiano’s eyes flash with wild rage until he blinks it away. “He is lucky to be dead, or I would make sure of it now.”

“You and my brothers. After Marcello, I gave up searching. I shoved it down and focused on building a life worthy of the men who trusted me with their immortal souls. We decided to stay in the New World. It was exciting and lawless in our eyes. We survived vampire hunters, changes in attitudes toward homosexuality, revolutions, and civil unrest. It was thrilling. Different from Europe.”

“I came here on occasion, but I stayed in Europe, hoping somehow I’d find your trail again.” He shakes his head. “I never considered you would settle here.”

“For some reason it suited me. We found Thorn here.”

“His energy is wild.”

I chuckle. “You have no idea. I was a fool thinking I could tame him, but it was worth the effort. He’s been a rock for me over the years. I’m close to them all, but Syn and Thorn have a special place. They seem to understand me better, or perhaps more deeply, than the others.”

“Five in all?”

“Yes. You’ll meet them later.” I smile. “And now we’ve doubled in size with their mates. Even now, I can feel their simmering curiosity. They know you’re here, but they have no idea exactly who you are to me. They want love for me more than I even wanted it for myself. Be prepared for when they find out. They will smother you with their concern and protectiveness of me.”

“I can handle it. I welcome it, Yves. No one could love you more than me. It would be impossible. Let them pick me apart. I bare myself to their scrutiny. I will prove my devotion. There is no doubt.”

I cup his face. “All this time searching for something I already had.”

“Close your eyes, beloved. Let’s remember together the night we broke all the rules.”

Clasping our hands together, we lie back, both of us with our eyes closed. Memories rise above us, swirling around us, creating images we can both see in our minds. That’s how strong our connection is. How strong it was when we first met.

“Lorenzo, we can’t do this. If he finds out…”

“Hadrian be damned, Cillian.” Lorenzo touches my face, backing me against the wall behind us.

“Your touch…” I shake my head. “He’ll kill us.”

“Your love is worth it. Your kiss, sweeter than any death.”

I gasp as my body vibrates in reaction to the vivid memory. Damiano squeezes my hand, humming softly.

“Tell me my desire is not in vain, my beautiful Cillian. I know you feel it too. I know it as surely as I know the sky is above us. But please, darling, please give me your words.”

“Lorenzo…” My heart seems to beat in my throat as desperate desire grips me.

His hand moves down my body and between my legs, stroking my cock as his lips tease mine.

“Tell me, Cillian, and there is nothing I would not do for you. No punishment I would not endure. Please. Just a kiss.”

Gazing into lavender pools glowing with desire, I nod, parting my lips. “Take of me, Enzo. Whatever you want, it is yours.”

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