Page 47 of Weaponized

I didn’t even hesitate to take her bare. I wasn’t even concerned if she was on birth control. I know that’s all sorts of stupid, but I didn’t care. Don’t care now. I want her that much. And, fuck, if I’m being honest, there is a part of me that would be overjoyed if she got pregnant, because it would tie her to me forever. I know it’s too soon and I’m thinking crazy, but I don’t give a shit.

“What about this one?” She pulls me from my thoughts.

She is touching my right shoulder, so I think I know what she means. “Family crest.”

“Red and green,” she comments.

“Italian.” It’s not a complicated design.

“Are you 100 percent? Was your mom Italian too?”

“Yeah. She was. Both she and my father are first-generation Americans,” I tell her.

She’s quiet for so long that I think she may have dozed off.

“You’ll eventually want to marry an Italian girl then.” Her voice is so soft, I’m not sure that I heard her right.

“What did you say?” I stroke her silky hair. I need to make sure I’m understanding her.

“Nothing,” she sighs. “It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Christ. I’m still inside her and I can’t have this conversation without looking her in the eye. I move her off me to tuck her into my side. Fuck. My cock hates the idea of being outside of her warmth. I shudder at the cool air as I pull out.I don’t let her go, though. I keep my arms around her, but loose enough that I can pull back to see her face.

“Let’s try that again. What isn’t your business? Who Imarry? Is that what you said?”

She looks so damn uncomfortable. “I didn’t mean to make this a big deal. It just hadn’t occurred to me before, that’s all.”

“It just occurred to you that I’m going to marry anItaliangirl? Did I hear you right?” I know I sound annoyed because she can’t possibly be having that train of thought. Not after what we just experienced.

She swallows. “Yeah. You, um, don’t need to keep repeating it. I honestly didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I know that’s not fair to you.” She’s refusing to meet my eyes.

“Look at me,” I say softly. She ignores that, so I gently grab her chin. “Angel. Look. At. Me.”

Her shiny eyes meet mine and I am floored by the vulnerability I see there. This girl has no idea. She could take me out at the knees with only a look.

“You are my everything,” I tell her. I thought I didn’t have the words but I need her to know. “Absolutely every-fucking-thing. I will never want anyone other than you. I will never marry anyone other than you. You are mine. I’m not letting you go.”

She sniffles as a tear rolls down her pretty flushed cheek.

“Angel, don’t cry. You’re killing me.” And she is. I survived being tortured for days but her tears slay me. I squeeze her closer to me.

“I love you, Luca. I didn’t know I could love someone so much.” My heart wants to explode. Jesus. I would do anything—anything—for her.“You are everything to me too, but I know how our families work. Things aren’t always so easy. There can be…complications. It scares me sometimes, ya know?”

Where is this coming from? “You never have to be scared. No matter what happens, you have me.” I understand that her father may not approve. It doesn’t matter. I’ll figure out a way for us to stay together. Always.

She lets out a sigh, and I can’t believe there was ever any doubt. I’m going to have to get better at expressing myself.

She leans over and kisses me softly. The charm of her necklace drags across my throat as she moves to hug me. I squeeze her again before releasing her, and I gently pull the charm on her neck to ask about it. She panics a little and removes it from my fingers so fast, you would think she was saving me from something on fire.

“You don’t want me to see your necklace?” I say the words slowly, because her reaction was so weird.

She shakes her head. “I’d love to show it to you. You just have to handle it carefully. You can’t squeeze it.”

“Sorry,” I mutter. “I can be all thumbs. Is it that fragile?”

She shakes her head again. “Not exactly. It’s actually pretty strong. Rowan got it for me for my sixteenth birthday. It’s beautiful, and I absolutely love it.”

I nod at this. “You never take it off.” I’ve noticed.

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