Page 93 of Casino King

She hasn’t stopped touching me since I came to her, and that gives me hope that she can forgive me.

She brings out all of these feelings I didn’t know I could ever have for anyone, and I don’t plan on letting her go. Not now. Not ever.

“I’m sorry, bella,” I whisper against her temple. “I’ll never forgive myself for causing you pain.”

She doesn’t answer me, and when I hear her breathing even out, I know she’s asleep, so I breathe her in and let myself drift off with her, content at having her in my arms again.

♠♣♥♦

I sense movement to my right and my eyes pop open on alert, seeing Leo and Vinny standing a few feet away.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” I ask, keeping my voice low as to not wake Tessa.

She stirs next to me though, so I slip from the bed soundlessly, and she curls into the spot I was just occupying as I follow Leo and Vinny out the door. Once I close it and walk a few paces away, I ask again, “What the fuck are doing here?”

“Is she okay?” Vinny asks first, worry etched on his face.

“She’ll be fine. She needed stitches on her arm, but her other cuts will heal on their own.”

“He’s in the basement when you’re ready.”

“Tessa gets him first,” I tell them, and their eyes widen.

“Alec…” Leo warns, and I give him a wry smile.

“It’s at her request, brother. She wants to use the knife on him the way he did on her.”

Their eyes widen momentarily, their surprise evident. Women don’t tend to want revenge the way we do.

“I told her to decide again when she wakes up, though,” I add, and they both nod their agreement.

“And Tito?” Leo prompts, rubbing his jaw.

Breathing out a lungful of air, I rub the back of my neck. I don’t know what I want to do with him yet. I should put a bullet between his eyes, but based off of Tessa’s reaction with Enzo… “I’ll talk to Tessa when she wakes up.”

Both Leo and Vinny remain silent, assessing me. I’ve never been one to consult anyone when making decisions, let alone a woman. But she’s my woman, and I want her by my side, not in the dark. Leaving her in the dark only makes her more of a danger to herself and pushes her away.

“Alec?” I hear Tessa call from the room, and the sound of her voice is enough to make my chest hurt. I told her I wouldn’t leave her and now she woke up alone.

“I have to get back,” I tell them. “Thank you for tonight,” I add.

“She’s family now,” Leo says. “I see that, Alec.” He holds my gaze for a beat, making sure I understand his acceptance.

Nodding, I go back inside the room with Tessa, and her worried eyes meet mine in the dim light coming from the cracked bathroom door.

“You weren’t here. I had a dream…”

“Shh, bella. Let me take care of you.”

Carrying her to the adjoining bathroom, I set her down on the bench in the shower and take my clothes off. When the water heats, I remove her bra and panties and lather a luffa with soup. I feel her eyes on me as I gently wash her body, careful to avoid the bandages over her cuts.

As I glide the luffa down her left leg and back up the right, she runs her fingers through my hair and cups my cheek. I look up to see her hazel eyes showing me everything, but neither of us says anything yet. She lets me take care of her first.

When I’ve finished washing us both, I dry us off and wrap her in a fresh robe from the closet and carry her back to bed.

Sliding in with her, I pull her against me and she splays her hand over my chest, curling her fingers against my heart.

“Alec, I…” she starts to say after a minute, but then pauses.

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