Page 154 of Coerced Queen

“I trust you.Explicitly.I never doubted that the baby you carry is mine.But I needed to understand.I wanted to wrap my head around it before I allowed myself to hope.”Cupping my cheek, he says, “It’s always been you, Anya.I wanted you from the moment I pinned you against that wall.And then you told me you were pregnant, and I wanted both of you.”He drops his gaze to my stomach.“I still do.I want all three of you.More than I ever wanted anything.”

“Sav—” I start in protest.

He presses a finger on my lips, quieting me.“I’ve been lying to you for so long, there’s little chance you’ll believe me, but hear me out.Let me tell the truth for once.”Tracing my bottom lip with his thumb, he searches my eyes.“You asked me at Elena’s wedding if I spanked Rachele.The answer to that is no.I never spanked Rachele because our relationship wasn’t that intimate.We were never that close.Not like you and me.What we have is different.Unique.”He caresses the line of my jaw, following the action with his gaze.“But I didn’t only fall in love with your body.I fell foryou.Hard.”

His declaration steals my breath.He’s earnest and open, allowing me to see the truth as he stares deep into my eyes.

“I’ve known that for a while,” he continues, “but I thought if I didn’t love you, my enemies wouldn’t go after you to get back at me.Not loving you was a way of protecting myself, because only one woman has the power to completely break me, and that’s you.But I’ve been a fool,tesoro, because no amount of denial can change how I feel.All I can hope is that you’ll give me another chance.”He drags the knuckles of his free hand over my stomach.“Giveusanother chance.Let me fix this.”

For the first time in as long as I can remember, my heart soars.Saverio De Luca loves me.We can be a family, the four of us and Livy.Together, we can weather the storms and the dangers.Together, we can do more than simply survive.We can be happy, living our best lives and our full potential.

“What do you say?”He brushes his mouth over mine.“Will you let me take care of you and make you happy?”

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I tip my face to his.“Only if I get to take care of you and make you happy too.”

A sexy smile curves his lips.For once, I see something other than darkness and torment in that startling blue gaze.I see hope and peace.I see a man who’s loyal and protective, a man who’ll do anything for his family.

I burrow my face in his jacket, inhaling the unique smell of him.“Love always deserves a chance.”

He locks his arms around me, hugging me tightly.“Does that mean you still love me?”

My smile is his alone.“Always.”

He lifts me off my feet and sweeps me into his arms.“I’m the luckiest man alive,tesoro, because I’m going to worship every inch of your body.I’m going to worship your belly when it grows big with my baby.”His voice turns deep and seductive.“And when you pop that one out, I’m going to put another one inside you.”

“Hold on there.”I grin.“How many babies are we talking about?”

“How about six?”He nuzzles my nose.“I promise to be a good daddy.I’ll do all the work.You won’t even know we have babies in the house.”

“Six?”I raise a brow.“You make an attractive proposal, but my limit is four.”

He pins me with a smoldering gaze.“Deal.Two down, two to go.On one condition.Nicole will cut them all out of you.There’s no way I’m letting you go through that pain.”

“We’ll see,” I say, tightening my arms around his neck.“As it’s my body, I think I should get to decide.”

His jaw sets with determination.“We’ll talk later.First…”

He swoops down, making his intention clear.My shriek is lost in the heated kiss he presses on my lips.I offer my mouth gladly, reveling in the possessive sweep of his tongue as he parts my lips, already starting what he promised.He fumbles with the doorknob in his hurry to open it.When he walked out on me, I believed it was the end of us.Now, as he carries me over the threshold, I know it’s just the beginning.

Epilogue

Anya

The late spring sun is warm on my back where I sit on a picnic blanket in the shade of the maple tree in the backyard.Nicole is squeezed onto a small pink chair on the porch of the dollhouse, drinking imaginary tea from a minuscule porcelain cup.Emma sits opposite her at the tiny table on which plastic cupcakes decorated with glitter are set out.

Dante and Logan are flipping burgers on the barbecue.Livy is mixing blueberry G&Ts at the makeshift bar set up on the patio.My gaze is drawn to my husband who stands at the edge of the infinity racing track he built at the edge of the garden, cheering Claire on and calling out advice from the sidelines while she steers the battery-operated sports car around the bends.Under the red racing helmet, her face is scrunched up in concentration, her tongue peeking from the corner of her mouth.

“That’s it, angel,” Saverio says with enthusiasm when she whizzes past him again.“Step on the accelerator now.”He runs along the track, his limp so faint it’s hardly noticeable.“That’s it.Now brake before the bend.Yes!You’re a natural, angel.Very good.Take your foot off the brake before you hit the bend.”He pumps a fist in the air when she skids around the track.“That’s my girl.”

He’s dressed in charcoal slacks and a tailored white shirt, the clothes showing off his powerful body.His thick black hair is brushed back, but the breeze stirred the longer fringe into falling over his forehead in a sexy way.He wears the earring because he knows I like it.These days, his stubble is tamed into a neat, shortly-trimmed beard.Instead of hiding his scars, the beard somehow enhances them.The embossed lines are whiter now than the angry red they were at the beginning.He doesn’t like them, but they don’t bother him as much as they used to.I make sure he knows how devastatingly handsome I find him.He’s an enticing mixture of virility, masculinity, and scarred beauty.To me, he’s still the most perfect male specimen on Earth.

I lean back on my arms, enjoying watching the people I love.A pleasant, fuzzy feeling spreads through my chest.The smile that curves my lips feels the same—soft and warm.The sigh that escapes my lips is content.The moment is perfect.Peaceful.Happiness doesn’t get better than this.

A shadow falls over me.I squint up at Livy who holds out a tall glass with frozen blueberries and pink gin.Her long hair is braided over one shoulder.She wears a cornflower blue dress with an asymmetrical hem.The chic design sports a long chiffon sleeve on one side and a thin strap over the other shoulder.Her eyeshadow matches the color of the dress while her lips are painted lollipop-red.The dark make-up makes a striking contrast with her silver hair.

“Drink?”She tips the glass from side to side, clinking the ice.“I made it with my gin.”

Livy lives with us permanently.She sold the apartment building in the Meatpacking District and used the money to launch her own brand of gin.Harvey’s Gin quickly became a hit on the market.Nowadays, she runs a successful boutique distillery.Her face and personality are big parts of her branding.When she’s not at the new upmarket plant or in her Manhattan office, she’s After Dark’s most favorite bartender.The club doubles on income from drinks when Livy is behind the counter.She not only completed that bartending license but she also enrolled for a mixology course.Even if I have to say so myself, no one puts on a show like Livy.

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