Page 20 of Claimed By the Don

My cock stirs at her husky purr and I bare my teeth in a playful leer. "Keep tempting me like that and we won't leave this penthouse for a week," I warn her.

Her soft chuckle follows me into the marble expanse of the master bath. I twist the taps to near scalding before stepping under the punishing spray, willing the water to beat back my ever-present lust for my woman. It's an exercise in futility.

Thankfully, we manage to make it out the door in good time. She's stunning in a soft cream sheath dress, hair spilling like ink over her shoulders. My hands itch to tangle in the silken strands, clench into fists as she writhes on my cock. I shake off the vivid memory and steer her towards the elevator with a hand at the small of her back, copping a quick feel of her pert ass on the way. She swats me away with an exasperated giggle, eyes sparkling.

We hit three different spaces around the city, each one making my Ginetta glow brighter as she pictures her art on the walls, her dreams coming to life. I know which one she loves - a sunny storefront in Little Italy with soaring windows and an original tin ceiling. My mind whirs with plans to make an offer on the space before the day is out, have it signed in her name within the week.

She deserves this. Deserves everything. And I'm going to spend the rest of my fucking life making sure she has it.

"What's going on in that devious mind of yours?" Ginetta's voice cuts into my thoughts as we step out onto the busy sidewalk. I realize I've been quiet, brooding as I plotted.

I pull her close, nuzzling a kiss into her hair. "Just thinking about how fucking proud I am of you," I tell her honestly, my chest tight. "How amazing it's going to be to see your name up there on that gallery marquee, lighting up the whole damn block."

She beams up at me, radiant with happiness and I swear my fucking heart stops. How did I get so goddamn lucky? What did I do in this life or any other to deserve her?

"I love you," I rasp before I can stop myself, the words pulled from my chest. "I love you so much it fucking terrifies me."

Her eyes shine, tawny and bright as she strokes my stubbled jaw. "I love you too, Dante Russo. More than I thought I could ever love anyone. You're my heart." She presses a soft kiss to my chest, right over that organ as it kicks against my ribs.

Emotion wells up, choking me. I have to clear my throat twice before I can speak, steer us back to safer ground. "Come on," I say gruffly, tangling our fingers together. "I've got reservations for a late lunch. Some place I think you're gonna love."

The restaurant is one of those hole-in-the-wall gems, tiny and perfect. I reserved their one private dining room, a jewel box draped in twinkle lights and greenery. Ginetta gasps when we're led inside, her eyes devouring the space like she's never seen anything so lovely.

"What is all this?" She asks, wonder threading her voice.

"This," I tell her, pulling out her chair with a flourish, "is me trying to do right by you for once. Give you the grand romantic gesture you deserve."

She bites her plump lip, a becoming flush staining her cheeks. "You don't have to woo me, you know. I'm already yours."

I lift her knuckles to my lips, my eyes holding hers. "You're not a prize to be won, Ginetta. You're a treasure to be cherished. And I fucked up royally by not showing you that. By keeping secrets, shutting you out. I never want you to doubt what you mean to me again."

"Oh, Dante..." Her fingers tremble against my lips and I press my advantage before I can lose my nerve.

"These last few days...shit, these last few months with you have been the best of my miserable life. You burst into my world like a goddamn supernova, obliterating everything in your wake. Realigning me on a cellular level until I didn't know which way was up. Only that I needed you to breathe, to think. To exist."

My hands are shaking as I pull the small velvet box from my pocket, cracking it open. The ring is big and flawless, worth more than most make in a decade. But it pales in comparison to her beauty, her sheer fucking perfection.

"Ginetta Moretti," I say hoarsely as her eyes fly wide, shock painting her features. "You're my redemption. My reason. I wake up every fucking day wondering what I did to deserve you and go to bed every night vowing to become worthy of you. And I want to do that for the rest of my life. Loving you, protecting you. Building a future with you."

I sink to one knee, my heart a jackhammer as I hold up the glittering symbol of all my hopes and dreams. "Marry me, amore. Let me spend forever showing you all the fucking ways you own me, heart and soul. Be my wife."

Tears are pouring down her face by the time I finish my rambling speech, her hands pressed to trembling lips. For a single, heart-stopping moment, I'm terrified I fucked it all up. Pushed too hard, too fast. She's going to realize I'm nowhere near good enough for her, bolt for the door and keep running.

But then she's launching herself into my arms, almost knocking me on my ass as she peppers my face with kisses. Sobbing and laughing and chanting "Yes, yes, yes!" like the sweetest prayer.

"Yes, you'll marry me?" I need to hear the words.

"Yes, Dante!" She half-laughs, half-sobs, the smile splitting her face so big it looks like it hurts. "Of course I'll marry you! I'd marry you a thousand times in a thousand different ways."

I crush her to me, burying my face in her hair as I breathe through the emotion clogging my throat. My eyes sting suspiciously and I blink hard, refusing to bust out the waterworks in a damn restaurant.

"I love you," is all I can manage, the words scraped raw. "I love you so fucking much."

"I love you too, baby." She pulls back and I slide the ring onto her trembling finger. It's a perfect fit because of course it fucking is. This woman was made for me, in every possible way.

The rest of the meal passes in a haze of laughter and tears, champagne and wandering hands. I can't stop touching her, my fiancée. Can't believe I get to keep her, claim her in front of the world.

When we finally stumble back to the penthouse hours later, we're drunk on each other. I worship every inch of Ginetta's body, driving her to the brink again and again until she's a sobbing, shaking mess. Until my name is the only word she remembers, torn from her throat on ragged screams.

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