Page 74 of Finn

“Alessia,” I say, my hands cupping her cheeks and staring into her exhausted eyes. “You need rest.”

She narrows her eyes, and I know what she’s going to say before the words leave her mouth. “Don’t tell me what I need, husband.”

It’s nice to hear how well I know the fierce woman standing in front of me.

“Okay, then how about I tell you what I need? I need a shower, then I need to fall asleep with you in my arms, reminding me that you’re safe and sound after almost being taken from me. I need to rest because in a few hours, my phone is going to ring and I’m going to have to leave to fulfill the promise I made to you. Until then, the only thing I want is to lie next to you and feel your heartbeat against me while I thank God for the millionth time that it’s still beating.”

Her eyes soften, and she lets out a long sigh, nodding in understanding. “Okay,” she relents in a soft voice.

I take her hand and lead her to the elevator to take us back upstairs. The penthouse is cast in a warm glow from the setting sun outside. Her hand stays firmly locked in mine as we walk up the stairs to my loft bedroom and straight to the bathroom. After turning on the water for the shower, I strip her out of the scrubs.

“I’m burning these damn things,” I gripe, ridding my body of the scratchy cotton material.

Alessia hums in agreement.

We step into the large shower covered in black-and-white subway tiles, and I position her under the spray, letting the water soak her from head to toe. Grabbing my shampoo, I work it into a lather and begin massaging her scalp and running it through her long, dark strands. She tilts her head back to rinse, and I quickly wash my own hair, switching positions with her so I can rinse away the shampoo. Her hands run over my entire body with soap, cleaning the day from me, then I do the same for her. Usually, my hands all over my wife or hers on me would lead to me being buried in her again. This isn’t about sex, though. It’s about finding comfort in her touch and me trying to give her the same. It’s showing her I love her with light kisses and soft touches. After rinsing my body under the hot spray, I face Alessia again and see tears in her red eyes.

“Oh, sweetheart,” I whisper, my heart breaking for the pain she’s in.

My arms wrap around her while sobs rack her body. The day is catching up to her, and she’s finally breaking. Alessia never shows the world this side of her. Her body shakes as she lets it all go and falls apart, trusting I’ll catch every piece of her. And I will, without question or hesitation, I’ll be the one standing next to her, helping her put herself back together, because I know how strong she is, and I know she can. I’ll give her everything she needs. If what she needs right now is someone to hold her and try to carry some of the burden, then that’s what I’ll be for her.

When her shaking stops, she backs up and looks me in the eye. “Sorry,” she whispers while I wipe the salty tears from her wet face.

Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I meet her gaze with a stern look. “Don’t ever apologize to me for needing to let it out, wife. I’m your husband and the one person in this world you should always trust to hold you and take care of you.”

“Thank you,” she replies, her red eyes tired as her lips tip up in a ghost of a smile.

“And don’t thank me either. I love you. I don’t need thanks for doing exactly what someone who loves you should.”

She moves both of her hands to cover mine. “I’ve never had that before. I…I never expected to find this with anyone, especially you.”

“Ouch.” I chuckle, and Alessia groans.

“Shit, that’s not what I meant.” Her hands drop and she wraps her arms around my middle, laying her forehead against my chest. “Fair warning, I’m really bad at showing emotion. Unless it’s anger. That one comes naturally.”

“I’ve noticed.”

A sharp laugh bursts from her, making me smile.

She lifts her head from my chest and meets my eyes. “What I’m trying to say is I never expected to trust someone with my heart. Especially not the brash head of a rival criminal organization.”

“We didn’t exactly start on the right foot, I’ll give you that. But trust me when I tell you, there isn’t another man on this earth who is going to protect your heart as ferociously as I will.”

Alessia studies me for a moment then smiles. “I believe that.”

Her green eyes shine bright with trust and the belief that no matter what, she has me to lean on for the rest of our lives. Fuck, I really love that look.

Turning off the water, we step out of the shower, and I wrap Alessia in a giant towel before heading to my room to find her something to put on. Pulling an old gray T-shirt from my drawer, I hand it to her, and she drops the towel, sliding the material over her skin. It’s everything I can do to not suggest she lose the shirt, and we finish what we started in the basement. In all our time together, the one thing Alessia and I never did was make love. I want that so badly right now, but this night isn’t about what I want. It’s about what she needs, and the dark circles under her eyes are telling me that it’s sleep.

She climbs into the king-size bed under the midnight-blue comforter as I find some sleep pants and pull them on.

“This is the first time we’ve slept in clothes,” she comments, exhaustion in her voice.

“I know. I mean, you can sleep naked if you want, but I can’t promise I won’t be buried inside of you when you wake up.”

Rolling her eyes, she turns onto her side, facing me as I lie down next to her. I open my arms, and she wiggles to the middle of the bed, settling on my chest so I can hold her.

“Thank you for giving me what I need tonight.”

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