Page 39 of Beautiful Vows

He chuckles quietly, but it lacks real humor. "The assassin is dead," he states, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Our gazes lock. "You killed him for me," I whisper, my breath catching. I know without his confirmation.

"I would do anything to protect you, Lia," he declares as he cups my face. "I will kill any person who tries to harm you. I will burn this world to the ground if it means it keeps you safe."

"You would." I swallow hard, feeling the intensity of his words. "Thank you."

He smiles, his hands holding my biceps as he strokes them up and down my arms, the gesture both comforting and electrifying. "I’m madly in love with you. Once you believe that, we can move forward and build a life together."

He loves me.

I search his eyes, seeking the truth in his words. "You want me as much as you want these babies?"

Dante's expression shifts from raw passion to confusion, his brow furrowing. "Oh, fuck, Lia. Is that what you thought? I've wanted you from the very moment I laid eyes on you. I wanted to know who the girl I was supposed to be betrothed to was if the past hadn't been altered. And when I saw your face, your smile, and heard your laugh, I wanted you with an intensity I couldn't comprehend. I fell in love with you when you were just sixteen years old. But I knew I had to wait for you."

Tears stream down my face, warmth blooming in my chest. "Hold me," I plead, my voice choking with emotion.

He wraps his arms around me, providing the security I desperately crave.

“I love you... I love you so much.” His whispered words against my hair cause my heart to crash against my breastbone.

"I love you too, Dante," I confess, my voice trembling as I bury my face in his chest. "But I thought you were using me, that I was merely a means to an end."

He pulls back slightly, his hands cupping my face as he looks deep into my eyes, his burning gaze searing into my mind. "Lia, you're everything to me. You're the anchor that keeps me grounded, the light that guides me through the darkness. I want you until my dying day and then my ghost will come back and sleep with you every night until you're ready to meet me on the other side."

I choke out a laugh. "That's strangely romantic."

He smiles, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "I want you. I love you. You're the love of my life, the mother of my children. I want all of you."

"And Rafe and Cade. How do they fit into that life, you see ahead?" I ask, my hands resting on his chest.

"They want you. And the beauty is the three of us are going to make sure you're safe from every threat. But…" He swallows as his gaze lands on mine, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his features. "You're more mine. They have each other. We have each other."

I laugh, playfully hitting his chest. "You're so territorial."

"You've not seen the half of it, Lia. From now on, you are no longer a secret. From now on, everyone will know you're my wife." He pauses, like he's suddenly unsure. His hand gently slides over mine as I stroke my belly. "What are you thinking?"

"Are you sure we will be safe?" Our fingers cover the lives we've created.

"I promise," he says, his voice carrying the weight of a beautiful vow.

Tears of joy roll down my cheeks as our lips slam together in a torrid kiss.

"I'm tired." His deep, gruff voice is muffled when he picks me up, his muscular arms cradling me securely. "And I want to sleep next to my wife."

I wrap my arms around his neck, my head resting in the crook of his shoulder as he carries me down the steps to the bed.

Chapter 14

Dante

Lia stares wide eyed at me as I lay her onto the stateroom bed. Her dark hair falls onto the pillow and her lips part, waiting.

She’s a fucking goddess.

My goddess.

I want her so much; I ache to have control over her body and heart. But right now it’s my dick that is aching. Nothing too different there. I’ve jerked off every night; before sleep; even waking in my sleep because I can’t switch off every dirty thought in my head. Every carnal desire I want to do to her.

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