Page 70 of Coerced Queen

Threading his fingers through my hair, he pulls me over him.“Let’s hope for luck then.”

We lie together like that with my thigh thrown over his and my head on his chest while he plays with my hair.

It feels like heaven.It’s funny how it’s the small moments that matter, the stolen moments of togetherness that I cherish the most.

“Time to come clean,” he says, twisting a lock of my hair around his finger while anchoring me to him with an arm around my waist.“Where were you this afternoon?You can’t do that.You can’t simply run off like that.I was going out of my mind.Do you have any idea what that feels like?”

Yes, I do.The morning I waited for him from two, when he was gone and I didn’t know where he was, drove me insane.That was the night of our engagement party, the fatal night on which Giorgio killed Evan.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.“You’re right.I should’ve told you, but I was worried you’d try to intervene.”

His hand stills in my hair.Tension slips into his voice.“Should I have intervened?”His tone turns deadly.“Because if you ran off to see another man, you know he’s dead.”

Saverio is still as possessive as ever.If only he’d believe there will never be another man for me.“It was nothing like that.”

He releases the curl around his finger, letting it bounce back.“Then you better start talking.”

“I ran into Tersia today.”

He stills for a moment and then continues to stroke my hair.“What did she say?”

“Not much.”I chuckle.“It was weird.We felt like strangers.”

He remains quiet, waiting for me to continue, so I tell him about the key.

Straining his neck, he lifts his head to search my face.“What did you find?”

“Proof that I love you.”

He frowns.“What do you mean?”

“If that doesn’t convince you that I love you, nothing will.”

His expression turns wary.“Explain.”

Detangling myself from him, I get up and pad through the quiet house to the entrance where I retrieve the USB key from my bag.

Saverio waits on the floor in the study, sitting with his back propped up against the sofa when I return.

I extend an arm and open my fingers, offering him the key on my palm.He reaches for it slowly, shooting me a questioning look.

“You may want to get rid of that after you’ve looked at it,” I say.

“What is it?”he asks, observing me instead of the evidence in his hand.

Crying comes from upstairs.

Glancing in the direction of the second floor, I sigh.“I guess hoping for six hours was a stretch.”

When I make to turn, he says, “No.”

I look at him.

“I’ll go.”He struggles to his feet.“You go have a shower.”

The offer takes the wind out of my sails.I’m so shocked that I simply stand there, at a loss for words.

“Go on,” he says.“You need it.You’re tired.”He sounds guilty.“And I fucked you in two of your pretty holes very well knowing it.”

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