Page 120 of Spark

“I love you,” she whispered back, inhaling his scent. Beneath the hospital’s sterile smell, she caught a faint whiff of leather, grease, and pine. Her eyes closed as she breathed him in. He was here, alive—beaten and bruised, yes, but alive.

She felt his arm wrap around her gingerly, pulling her closer to his chest. Her eyes opened as he did, his gaze intent on hers.

“Beautiful,” he whispered, his lips brushing against hers. She let him kiss her, her own lips caressing his. She was gentle, careful, as if he might break beneath her touch. But he wasn’t satisfied; his lips pressed further, tongue seeking entrance. She pulled back lightly, and his hand tightened around her waist, his tongue grazing her lips until she relented, opening her mouth to him. She tasted him, savoring the moment. After a heartbeat, she pulled back, his strength unable to keep her there. He frowned, his hands still resting on her waist.

She smiled at him and placed her hands under his chin, cradling his face. “Aurelio,” she said softly, “what happened?”

He nestled into her touch, his eyes fluttering shut. She could feel him breathing heavily, his hands tugging her closer. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and she moved a littlecloser, her bottom resting on the edge of the bed as his hands tugged her lightly to lay against him.

“Aurelio, I can’t lay on you,” she said, seeing his frown.

“I just want you as close as I can get,” he replied, pulling her again.

“You were shot,” she pointed out, indicating the bulge beneath his gown. “Right there.”

“Trust me, I know,” he said with a small laugh, causing him to grimace.

“Then let me be here—close, but not causing you pain.” She rested her hands on her lap, one of his arms draped across it. Aurelio nodded, closing his eyes again for a moment.

“I had given up,” he began, eyes still closed, head tilted back against the bed. “I knew the only way to keep you safe was to stay away, to shut up, and do the jobs.” He sighed deeply, shaking his head lightly as a tear fell. Mia felt the heavy air between them, the silence speaking volumes.

“I threw myself at the boss, wanting nothing more than to rip him apart. But instead, I settled on Dominick.” Aurelio opened his eyes, fury flashing within them as he recounted his story. “And I almost killed him. I felt it in my fists as I pounded on him. I wanted to kill him. But the boss called me off him. Dominick won’t be okay for a while, but it’s still less than he deserves.”

Mia placed a hand on Aurelio’s chest, his eyes finding hers. She gave him a soft smile, nodding her understanding.

“Because I had put Dominick out of commission, the boss gave me his crew and jobs. The first big job was that night. The one you came to.” Aurelio locked eyes with Mia. “I was done fighting until I saw you. I saw you there, fighting for me, and Iknew I had to do the same. The fact that you hadn’t given up on me brought me back.”

Aurelio leaned toward her, his hand reaching up to her neck, pulling her close. She leaned in, allowing their faces to come close.

“Thank you,” he whispered, kissing her lightly. Mia pulled away before they got carried away, and Aurelio grinned, releasing her neck and settling his hand back on her hip.

“When you said the buyers were cops, I knew this was my chance to finally put him behind bars. But shit went sideways; the boss got twitchy during the final negotiations. The buyer was asking too many pointed questions. The boss pulled a gun and shot one of them, and then the cops descended. He was going to get away, and I couldn’t let him.”

His expression darkened. “I grabbed him, pinning him down, but he shot me, and his men started beating me. But it was enough time—it worked. The cops got him, and while they were taking down him and his bodyguards, I ran.” He sighed heavily. “I drove Baby to the safe house and hoped on the bike, riding to you.” He caught her gaze again. “Then, as I made it up the stairs, I could feel the blackness closing in. I had to tell you that you were free—free from all of it. I was dying, and that was fine because you would be able to live.”

Mia leaned into him, kissing him deeply, overwhelmed. “I don’t want to be free if you’re not,” she said through tears. “You deserve it so much more than I do.”

“No, beautiful,” he replied softly. “I’ve done bad things. I deserve to face the repercussions of my actions.”

“But none of it was of your free will!” she insisted, sitting up again.

“Mia, it doesn’t matter,” he replied. “The boss is going down, and all of us with him.” Aurelio lifted her chin to meet his gaze, his fingers brushing lightly against her face. “And if me going away means he is never free again, then so be it.”

“No, I won’t let that happen,” she said, shaking off his grasp. “I don’t care what it takes; you are not going to jail. You are a good man, Aurelio.”

“Oh, beautiful,” he said, smiling sadly. “Only because of you.”

Before Mia could respond, the curtain was pulled aside. Two uniformed officers entered, eyeing the two of them.

“Morning,” one said, his gaze slowly shifting between Mia and Aurelio. Mia went to stand, but Aurelio’s hand held her fast. She looked at him; his expression had hardened.

“Hello, officers,” Aurelio greeted, his tone steady.

The other officer moved to the opposite side of the bed, pulling out a pair of cuffs and looking at Aurelio. With a sigh, Aurelio moved his hand to the side of the bed, allowing the officer to cuff him. Mia watched in anger as they did.

“Is that really necessary?” she demanded, Aurelio stroking her arm gently with his free hand.

“It’s okay, beautiful,” he said softly, smiling at her. “It is.”

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