Footsteps make me turn in my seat to see Vincent standing in the doorway. Nico sighs and walks away, still clutching at his bleeding arm.
Vincent and I lock eyes.
And before I know it, I’m across the room and in his arms. It’s where I belong.
Chapter
Eighteen
ELLIE
Nico and Aurora give us some space, so Vincent and I go to his bedroom.
Well, our bedroom now, I guess. We’ve never had the chance to have a bedroom together. My father made that impossible.
But my father isn’t here now.
He’s somewhere, probably planning something. At this moment, though, I don’t want to worry about it.
“Vincent, what’s happening? Your father killed the assassin. Some man named Dimitri hired the assassins.”
Vincent tenses. “Dimitri is Igor’s brother. That must have been why the assassins wanted to stop me from winning—he didn’t want me to meet my real father. But now I have.”
We sit down on the bed together, and he takes my hands in his. “Ellie, are you ok?”
“I’m ok now that I’m with you. I’m just glad to be out of that house. My father made it stifling.”
“You don’t have to worry about him.”
“How can I not? He’s not dead, Vincent. And I don’t even know how I’ll feel if he does die.”
“You have me. That’s what matters.”
I rest my head against his shoulder, feeling his strength, smelling his scent, hearing his even breath. “Vincent, I could have died tonight. Your father saved me.”
His arms around me tighten. “It should’ve been me who saved you.”
“That doesn’t matter. My point is I could’ve died and never gotten the chance to be with you fully.” I pull back to stare into his eyes. “I want to be with you, Vincent. I know my father forced us into a marriage then kept us apart. It was his way of controlling the situation. But I don’t want to be controlled by him forever. I want to make my own choices. So, I want to be with you. Fully.”
His eyes turn darker. “I want that, too.”
“So, then, kiss me. Make me feel safe.”
He gently takes my face in his hands and kisses me with so much passion and sweetness I could almost cry.
Slowly, we lie down on the bed. Neither of us rushes. We don’t have to hide for once. Aurora made it clear we could have some time to ourselves without being disturbed, and we’re going to finally take it.
I clutch Vincent’s back, desperate for more. He’s given me a taste of what we can do, from his hands and tongue, but I want to feel it all.
Vincent rolls me onto my back and stares down at me with hooded eyes. I tremble slightly, and he touches my waist, calming me down. “I’ve got you.”
He grabs the end of my dress and shifts it up my body until it’s completely off. We’ve seen each other naked before. I’m not nervous.
As I lie there in my bra and panties, Vincent looks me over like he could eat me alive. A gush of arousal hits me, and I clench my legs together.
“I need you,” I whisper. “I need this.”
“God, I need you, too, Ellie.” He kisses me deeply as his hands roam over my body. When he cups my breasts, I moan softly, arching into his hands. He unclasps my bra and tosses it onto the ground. Next goes my underwear.