Page 59 of Corrupt Vows

The strength in her arms sends relief through me.

“Fuck yeah, I will. I thought you’d never ask,principessa,” I rumble and settle us both onto the tiny hospital bed.

She wraps herself around me, hooking her leg over my thighs and resting the uninjured side of her head over my heart. After untangling her IV line from my limbs and ensuring she’s fully covered by the blankets, I cocoon her in my arms and take my first full breath since I left her yesterday.

The familiar nurse pokes her head in a few hours later, sees us on the bed together, and leans back to retreat into the hall, but I motion her in. She nods and quietly checks on Serenity’s progress, then disappears into the hallway with barely a sound.

The long, sleepless night of torturing the men Ermanno caught catches up with me, and I jerk awake several times before deciding it isn’t worth risking Serenity’s safety, but when I try to slip off the bed, she blinks awake and tightens her arm around me.

The glare she gives me both amuses me and heats my blood. I chuckle and cup her nape.

“Be careful how you look at me,principessa. My control only goes so far,” I warn.

Her eyes widen and a flush darkens her cheeks as she seems to realize her predicament for the first time.

“Sorry, I just…” She sighs after a moment and lays her head down on my chest. “You scare the shit out of me, but I lo—” she stiffens and cuts herself off. “I mean, I trust you enough not to hurt me.”

When she shivers, I pull her closer.

“Good girl,” I say and kiss her forehead.

She settles her head against me and gives a little wiggle to get comfortable. I dig my fingers into her hip and grind my teeth, but my cock hardens anyway.

She dozes off and on for a few more hours, accepting my help to and from the bathroom and being a good patient as the nurses check on her. When the doctor comes in with discharge papers and instructions to take it easy for a few days, she agrees and thanks him, but when I place her in the passenger seat of my car, she gives a long-suffering sigh and leans her head back.

My sleepwear dwarfs her, but Ermanno wisely refused to go rifling through her clothes and brought an extra set of mine instead.

I don’t stop her from flipping through the radio stations.

The closer we get to the apartment, the more fidgety she becomes, and she tries to argue when I lift her off her feet in the parking garage, but she clamps her mouth closed at my warning look. I carry her to the elevators and don’t set her down until we’re locked in our home.

She grabs the kitchen counter, but I hold on to her until I’m sure she’s balanced properly on the barstool.

“Food and bed,” I demand.

She shakes her head.

“Food, shower, and then bed.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and gives me the cutest pout, but the disgust tugging at her brow convinces me. I nod. She sighs.

“Too much more of that and you’ll pass out,” I quip as I pull a water bottle from the fridge.

“Too much what?” she asks.

I crack open the water and set it on the counter in front of her.

“Sighing.”

“Oh,” she says as she picks up the bottle.

“There are better, filthier reasons to pass out, and I can’t wait to do them to you.”

I smirk as she chokes on the water. Deciding to let her off easy, I turn and pull a few containers from the fridge and set them in front of her. After handing her a fork, I open the lids and let her pick her way through the options. When I offer to warm anything up, she shakes her head, takes a few more bites, then sets down her fork.

The weary set of her shoulders urges me into motion. I carry her to the shower and adjust the water before reaching for the hem of her shirt. She stops me.

“Can I have a moment, please?”

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