Page 58 of The Devil's Den

“It smells amazing. I’m sure it tastes just as good. I’ll have a piece too.”

“If not, I’m telling him you made it.” I giggle.

She rolls with a warm laugh. “I’ll gladly take the blame. Now go. Enjoy your date.”

“Thanks.” With the CD player in my pocket, I tread into the basement, carefully opening the door.

* * *

MATTEO

As soon as she climbs down, her hair high in a ponytail, the ends hitting past her shoulder, I get up, the biggest damn smile on my face.

“Is that lasagna?” I finally look at what she’s holding, taking the plates from her outstretched hand.

“Yes.” She grins, a hint of pink on her cheeks.

“You made that? For me?” Placing the plates on the mattress, I gather her in my arms, cupping her cheek as I kiss her, inhaling her clean scent.

“Mmm,” she groans, her nails raking into my back as her lips slide over mine, her tongue slipping past my mouth.

I capture her hip, pulling my face back, while yanking her body closer, both of us tempted.

“You’re gonna get us into trouble with the way you kiss me,” I groan, my nose brushing over hers.

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m really not.” Her lips meet my jaw, her mouth hungry as she peppers me with soft kisses. “Just so you know”—she peers up—“if the lasagna sucks, Ms. Greco made it.”

I burst into a laugh. “You’re amazing, you know that?” I hold her to me, my eyes drifting closed as I appreciate this moment, lost in it.

“I don’t.” She sighs. “But thanks for always making me feel like I am.” I kiss the top of her head, imagining us together someday, really together.

“I brought us something,” she whispers and that has me reluctantly drawing away just enough to see what she’s got.

She slips a hand into her pocket and retrieves a CD player.

“I figured we could, you know have like a date or something…” She shrugs. “I don’t know. Is that dumb?” Her nose scrunches.

“Dumb? You kidding?” I slant my forehead against hers. “Do you know how badly I want to take you on one? Fuck, Aida.” My voice nearly shatters, emotions scratching up my throat. “I’m sorry that this is all I can give you.”

“Hey…” Her brows tighten and both her palms slip over my face. “You’re the most incredible man. You never have to apologize to me for anything. You will always be enough. And this, sharing a meal, music, it’s just stuff. I can live without them. But you? I could never live without you.”

Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and I kiss her again. Deeply. With quiet passion. She moans in a hushed breath as I suck on her tongue, knowing all the ways she likes to be kissed, because in these past years, that’s all we could do.

When I touched her yesterday, hell, I had no idea what I was doing. But I’m a quick learner. Her body told me what she liked, and I knew just how to listen.

She has taught me so much, but most of all, she taught me love, and for that, I don’t think I could ever repay her. With another peck to her lips, I gaze into her eyes, the color of the golden sun as it gets ready to set, and I don’t ever want to look away. Her stomach growls, and it zaps me out of my thoughts.

“Come on, let’s eat,” I say, tugging her hand as we finally sit beside each other, one leg on the mattress, the other on the floor so we can look at one another.

It’s easy to forget the torture, the pain, when we’re this way. My vision grows hazy, and even though I’m strong enough to kill a man, she makes me weak. It’s drowning and saving me all at once.

There’s fragility in love, I know that now. It’ll make you sacrifice everything for her. But it also makes you strong—that fierce protection for the one you cherish, overcasting everything else.

She’s the one I’d give up my life for and she’d never even have to ask.

Pain echoes in the chambers of my heart, wishing I could show her all the ways I could love her outside of this place, where we could be free to do anything. And if we ever get there, to freedom, I’m gonna marry her, and I know she’ll say yes.

I hand her one of the plates, and place one of the pieces of lasagna onto it, taking the other. She waits for me to try it, staring hard as though holding her breath.

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