Page 115 of Disarming Caine

“For everything. For coming home to see me. For being so patient.” I swallowed hard, the honesty catching in my throat. “For loving me.”

He wrapped his free arm around me and must have felt me tremble. “There’s nowhere else in the world I want to be.”

Gone again in two days.

The skin on my arms and chest prickled. My breath picked up as the goosebumps spread to my legs. He loved me. Truly. Honestly.

Stop running, Sam.

Antonio Ferraro would do anything for me, including chase me down if I ran. He would have taken those bullets for me at the hotel. And all I could do for him was joke and deflect and keep my walls as high as possible.

I was making him work so hard, but he wasn’t shying away.

“Take a breath.” He eased me down to sit on the edge of the bed, hand rubbing my back.

What was wrong with me? Hell, I could jump out of a plane without a second thought. Dive into a shipwreck that could collapse at any minute. Cover him while bullets flew.

But this moment? With this man?

I squeezed my eyes shut. The goosebumps calmed and the instinct to run faded. He was my home. My anchor. And I could do this.

“Bella, are you alright?”

He was nothing I was looking for. But everything I needed.

Breath rushed in, burning my lungs. “You’ll never leave me, will you?”

“Never, amore.” He kissed my temple. For him, it was as simple as that. “I want to be your partner, Samantha. In all things. I think I’ve been clear about that, but if not, there it is.”

I opened my eyes, tears welling against my lids, but I had to look at him. “I’m so sorry.”

His brows furrowed. “This is not the response I expected to those words.”

“Antonio, I—” I sucked in a deep breath, and let it all go. The pain, the regret, the loneliness. Dad. Janelle. Vincenzo. Mom. Matt. “I love you so much.”

His smile faltered, and he blinked several times. “Mi scusi?”

I’d held it in so long, it was a surprising relief to let it out. I looked at the ceiling, blinking away the tears before they could ruin my makeup. Then brought my gaze back down and just kept going. “I love you. I love your stupid jokes, your damn smirk, your ridiculous hair.”

His stunned silence was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“I love that look in your eyes that says how much I mean to you. You make me feel so safe and special, like I’m a treasure that’s all yours.” My tears faded as the knot in my stomach untwisted. For the first time in longer than I could remember, my feelings were right out there and it was alright. “A million times over, I love you.”

“Oh, bella,” he breathed, taking my face in his big, strong hands. His jaw flexed, and he smiled, shaking his head. “All the angels in heaven could never sing anything near as beautiful as those words.”

I laughed, leaning forward until my forehead touched his. “You are so cheesy.”

“I love you, too, Samantha.” He chuckled, inching closer to me on the bed, wrapping his arms around my waist while mine slid around his neck. “And can I just say how wonderful it is to say ‘too’ at the end of that?”

Chapter 40

Antonio

IpulledSamanthacloseas the elevator descended. She'd withdraw from me and put on the public face the moment it rang to announce our arrival at the lobby. And I'd have to content myself with holding her on the dance floor. “Say it again, bella.”

She pressed her cheek to mine and whispered, “I love you.”

I squeezed her and chuckled. “Good.”

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