Page 77 of Corrupt Vows

“Don’t you fucking dare try to so much as lift a finger without the doctor’s permission,” she snarls.

I quirk a brow and struggle to stay awake as fatigue weighs down my eyelids.

“I’m taking care of you, at least until you’re back on your feet, so you need to focus on getting better as fast as possible. Don’t worry about anything else,” Serenity demands.

I huff an amused laugh as my mind slips in and out of sleep, and half-conscious words tumble from my lips.

“All I worry about is you,amore mio. You’re my everything. You could have died in that car accident, just like my mom. You could have lost something precious, just like my sister. I failed you. I wasn’t there when you needed me most, just like I couldn’t pull my mom from—”

Soft lips press against mine. Serenity’s tears pour down my face. She kisses along my lips and cheeks, smearing her tears between us, but when she shifts her attention to my temples, I realize the wetness seeping into my hair comes from my own eyes.

“You don’t have to be so strong alone anymore, Nico,” Serenity whispers against my face as she continues to pepper me with gentle kisses. “I’m not a child. I’m not helpless.” She runs her fingers over my scalp, pushing my hair away from my face and comforting me more intimately than anyone ever has. “Hell,Isavedyou, remember? I’m not some fragile doll to cover in bubble wrap or put up on a shelf.” My breath hitches as she frames my face with her hands and shatters my defenses with her sweetness. “I’m your fiancée. Your future wife. The woman who’ll be by your side for the rest of your life. I’m your partner, Nico.” With a fleeting smile, she gathers my broken pieces and melds me into a new creature. “You’re not alone anymore. I’m yours and you’re mine. We’ll protect each other. Forever.”

When she presses her lips to mine, I’m powerless against the emotions pouring from my soul. I growl, wrap my fingers around her nape, and take her mouth with the desperation of a starving man. After a moment, she tries to pull back, but I tug her closer and dive deeper into her mouth.

She submits so beautifully my heart aches.

When my strength wanes, I let her rise and take her hand. She wipes her face and meets my gaze as I struggle to stay awake through a long blink.

“Take a shower and climb into bed with me,mia principessa,” I demand.

She shakes her head.

“There’s no room for me, and you need to rest, so I’ll sleep on the couch,” she says.

I scoff and shake my head as my eyes slip closed.

“I need to feel you in my arms when I wake, so hurry and get your fine ass up here,amore mio,” I mumble as sleep tugs me toward the darkness.

Serenity’s and Natalie’s voices fill me with peace as I lie trapped in my recovering body. When Serenity slips into the narrow hospital bed with me, smelling of soap and clean woman, I roll her partially onto my chest and wrap my arm around her. Between one breath and the next, she drops into exhausted slumber and snores against my chest. Every time I rise from the abyss of drugs and pain, she’s the center of my attention. Her slight weight against me. Her gently compelling scent. Her breath ghosting over my hospital gown.

As time passes, she sneaks a hand under the fabric and rests her palm on my bare chest. I relish her need to be as close to me as possible, since the same desperation swirls behind my sternum.

When I fully wake up again, Natalie opens the curtains to let the sun stream into the room and smiles with such excitement I can’t be mad at her.

“C’mon, preggo, we need to feed that baby,” she chirps as she drops onto the couch.

Serenity shakes her head and snuggles into me.

“I need this more,” she whispers.

“Sorry to break it to you, Nitty, but as cute as you two lovebirds are, my brother can’t feed you right now. So get over here,” Natalie says.

Serenity lifts her head and meets my blurry eyes. Her vulnerable expression punches me in my already sore gut.

“Can we do this again?” she asks.

“Do what?”

“Wake up in each other’s arms.”

“Every day for the rest of our lives,” I promise.

“I’d like that. A lot,” she says with a small smile.

“Good girl,” I murmur and pull her lips down to mine.

She’s perfection. She’s mine.

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