Page 114 of Vito

I mean those two words right down to the marrow of my soul. If it means I can have her, truly have her, I'll give up everything and everyone.

Shock flashes across her face, quickly followed by pain. "We can't." She shakes her head, staring intently at me. "I can't do that to you and your family. Please don't ask me to do that."

"Eden—"

"No." She kisses me softly before pulling away, her beautiful face clouding with pain. "I live with so much regret and shame for willingly hurting Aiken and pushing away the only family I had left. I lost so much.I made Aiken lose so much." A tear slips down her cheek, and I catch it with my thumb. "Don't ask me to let you do the same with your family, Vito."

"You're doing the same with me, then; making me lose so much."

She sucks in sharply. It's a dirty blow, but I'm desperate. Ineedher in my life. If I have to choose between walking away from everything so I can have her, I will.

"Vito…" She squeezes her eyes shut, forcing two more tears to slide down her cheeks.

"I love you, Eden. You're my path. You're myrightpath." I take her shaking hand and splay it over my thumping heart, then press my hand over hers. "My heart knows it. My body knows it. My mind knows it. My soul knows it. It's all yours."

Her hazel eyes open to me. The love I see in those beautiful orbs…

I'll be reduced to ruin if she's ever taken from me.

Broken, destroyed, shattered.

The monster inside me will rule, and nothing will be left of the man I am.

When fighting my enemies, I'm vicious, brutal, ruthless; people whisper I'm slightly unhinged. But if Eden is taken from me, blood will spill. I'll paint my skin and the world red, and I'll go out in a painful, bloody way, taking as many motherfuckers with me before I suck in my last breath.

Forcing away the darkness rising to consume me, I cup her face. "I can't ever let you go, Eden."

She blinks back tears. "You such a fucking cunt."

She hasn't said the actual words 'I love you' to me, but she doesn't have to—this is her love language for now.

I breathe her in. Feel her body against mine and her skin under my hands. Everything about her is right. I lean down to bite her bottom lip, my cock aching to be inside her again. But our stolen time is almost up.

She looks up at me, worried. "What does Massimo know?"

She's only standing in her panties, and I need as clear of a head as possible. "Get dressed first; I can hardly focus."

Plus, I'mnottalking about my brother or any other man while she's only in her panties.

Smirking, she pulls away, but her eyes darken more, and the tip of her tongue wets her lips as she looks at me, standing only in my undone jeans. I love that she's as affected by me as I am by her.

Once we're both fully dressed, she looks at me expectantly, wanting the answer to her question.

"I told him everything."

"Everything?" Her voice is clipped as she frowns.

"That I'm in love with you. About Cutt and Jax." Her eyes widen, but she stays silent. "About Ohith; who he is to you and his role in the clean-up of the bodies. That Axin is here watching over you."

"Shit." She shoves her hands through her hair.

"I told him about Axin seeing the whole thing go down last night, and Lixin getting there almost instantly."

She's a bit pale, biting her lip.

"Eden, I need you to be careful." Her eyes fly to mine, and I continue to tell her about my suspicions about the Chamber.

She paces in the narrow tunnel. "I agree with Massimo; this is far-fetched."

---