Page 22 of Vow to Me

Once he’s finished making sure my upper body is clean, he drops to his knees and begins washing my legs, slowly inching his way upwards.

“Mmm I could get used to seeing you on your knees,” I murmur.

“I’d drop to my knees and worship you anytime you like baby, I'll treat you like the queen you are, always,” he says while staring up at me with such an intense look in his eyes that almost makes me want to break eye contact with him and continuing his way up my thighs.

He slowly inches his mouth forward and presses a light kiss to my bikini line before he starts washing away our combined releases.

“I can’t wait to taste this pussy again baby, can’t wait to feel you squeezing my fingers while you let out those sexy little mewls of yours. I’d love nothing more to bend you over again right here in the shower and fuck you so hard you see God,” he says, painting a picture in my mind and making my insides turn to lava, “but you’re sore Iz, and I never want to hurt you, ever. We’re just going to have to wait, and trust me, baby, when you’ve recovered, I’ll make it my goddamn mission to fuck you so hard you see shooting stars and I'll make it so you can’t sit down for a fucking week. I’ll make you remember what it's like to have me inside you every time you take a step, reminding you that yourmine,” he rasps as he stands, he reaches to full height and I take the loofah from him, but before I can wash him like he did me, he turns me around and pulls me backwards, so the shower spray soaks my hair.

After thoroughly washing and conditioning my hair, Luca quickly washes himself before he turns the shower off and wraps a towel around me. He leaves me to dry myself off, just as I’m about to head back to my room to get dressed he throws a pair of his boxers and dress shirt at me.

Iturn to him and raise my eyebrow, he gives me a pointed look in return that saysjust put the fucking clothes on,deciding this is not a hill I want to die on, I quickly dress, and we head into the lounge where Luca sets up the show I’ve been watching.

After we’ve ordered some takeout and ate dinner, I keep overthinking everything Luca said to me while we we’re in the gym, specifically about us having kids.

I can't understand why he would say that when heneedsto have kids. Thats how it works in our world, so why would he say something like that? I was ready to have sex with him either way, so why would he make a declaration like that when he knew he didn’t need too? And why—

“What are you thinking about so hard over there? What’s going on in that pretty little head baby?” he asks, interrupting my inner ramblings. I move my body to face his and he wraps an arm around my legs and placing them on his lap, gently stroking my ankle.

“Did you mean what you said in the gym?” I ask while nervously biting my lip.

“Trust me Izzy, I never say things I don’t mean, but what exactly are you referring to?”

“You said that if I didn’t want to have kids, we didn’t have to have them. But you and I both know that weneedto have kids. You need to carry on your family name and the whole reason my father prop—”

“Fuck your father Izzy,” he grunts, interrupting me, “if you don’t want to have kids then we won't have any. Simple. As. That. You don’t need to worry about what anyone else wants butyourself. Marco, or— God help us all— Enzo can carry on my family name, there’s no law that states the next in linehasto be my heir. And as for your piece of shit father? Fuck him. You’re not under his thumb anymore baby, you’re not under his roof and you’re not his to control any longer. You're my wife now, your fucking mine and I'll always protect what is mine. So, if you want kids? Great, we'll have as many as you like, you don’t want to have any? Thats fine, well be the cool aunt and uncle to our nieces or nephews. You don’t need to worry that pretty little head about what any fucker else wants ever again. The only people who matter are me and you, you got that?” He finishes his rant and pulls me over and maneuvers me so I’m sitting in his lap.

Holy shit, how can one man be so fucking perfect?

He really would go back on the deal he made with his father, which would cause backlash for not only him, but for his family too, all to make me happy. When I envisioned getting married, I imagined marrying a man who would start trying to get me pregnant as soon as possible, and if I happened to have a daughter like Mama? Well then, I figured I’d just have to keep having children until one of them was a boy. The only reason my parents didn’t have any more kids was because there were complications while Mama was pregnant with me. At one point, my father nearly lost us both. They both decided that it wasn’t a safe option for them to try and have any more kids.

But what about what Luca wants? Would he really miss out on being a father because I decided I didn’t want to have children? Or would he decide that the alliance he has with my father wouldn’tbe worth it, considering he would be starting conflict any way if I did decide I didn’t want them, he could just divorce me and marry a woman who would happily give him whatever he wanted.

And why the hell does that make my chest grow tighter and my throat close up? Why does the thought of him marrying another woman make me feel rage bubbling inside me, trying to claw itself out? And why the hell—when all I’ve ever wanted was to be able to avoid a marriage that helps my father—do I want to do anything it takes to keep Luca as mine?

“What about you? Do you want kids?” I ask, trying to organize my thoughts.

“Honestly? I've never really cared whether I have them or not. I never envisioned getting married, but here we are. I’d happily raise a baby with you Izzy, but I don’t mind either way,” he says gently and gives me a small smile.

He’s been sitting patiently this entire time, giving me space to think over everything he’s put out on the table.

Who would have thought the big, bad, Mafia heir Luca Romano, could be as patient as a saint?

Not me, that’s for fucking sure.

“I know you’ll have always pictured having children for the sake of your father, but what about for yourself? Did you grow up thinking about having kids one day? The white picket fence? Did you have boyfriends you wanted all that stuff with?" Luca asks, and I can tell by the dip in his eyebrow he doesn’t like picturing me with these ‘boyfriends’.

“Is this your way of asking about my past? Because you could have just asked me directly,” I say dryly while raising my eyebrow at him to which he just stares blankly at me, as if not wanting to verbally voice his question.

Ugh, men.

“To answer your unasked question, no, there aren’t any boyfriends back home waiting for me, I haven’t had a boyfriend since freshman year of high school and that relationship only lasted a month. I don’t keep boyfriends,” I state, hoping to be done with this conversation, as inquisitive as I am about his past, I really fucking hope he keeps it to himself. Otherwise, I’ll end up sharpening my knives and going fucking hunting.

“Why not?” He asks.

“Because the men in my life always disappointed me, the only man I could ever trust was Alessi, but he ended up leaving me anyway. I never wanted to become attached to someone for them to turn right around and hurt me. I can’t get my heart broken if my heart was never involved to begin with,” I say with a shy smile and I shrug my shoulder awkwardly, this just got far too deep for my liking.

What is it about my husband that makes me want to confess all my thoughts, secrets, sins and what-the-fuck-ever-else that comes to mind?

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