Page 76 of Darkest Desire
For the first time since we’ve married, she wants me. She’s asking for me to comfort her.
All the fight leaves my body. “All right. I won’t go after him right now.”
“Thank you. Just hold me?”
I wrap my arms around her and bring her in close. She clings back to me in a way she never has before.
“Sweetheart, why are you so afraid now? You were almost raped in my maze the night of our marriage celebration. You didn’t seem this afraid then.”
“I don’t know. I’m just scared.”
I tighten my arms around her. “I’m here for you. I’m always here for you.”
“I want to believe that. You scare me so much in so many ways and yet you also make me feel so safe. I don’t understand it.”
“You don’t have to understand it. Just feel it.” I pull back so I can cup her face. “I will always protect you from assholes who would intend to hurt you.”
“He killed Aldo right in front of me. I’ve seen you kill before too but… it was somehow different when he did it. I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to. Let’s get you inside.” I scoop her up in my arms and carry her inside the house, bypassing Aldo’s dead body. Sasha whimpers at the sight. Her body trembles and I hold onto her tighter.
I bring her to our bedroom and lay her down. She grabs my hand when I try to pull away.
“I want you to hold me,” she admits. “Just hold me. Please don’t make it sexual. Not right now.”
The fact that Sasha is asking for me changes everything. She wantsmeto comfort her. No one else. No one has ever needed or wanted me like this before. The women of my past just wanted me for my body or my money or my status.
None of them wanted me to comfort them like this. To make them feel safe like this.
I kick my shoes off, then get in the bed. Sasha turns her back to me and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close to my chest. She continues to tremble.
“Hey, you’re safe now,” I murmur. “Giovanni can’t hurt you when I’m around.”
“This was supposed to be our honeymoon. Isn’t a honeymoon supposed to be happy?”
“We’ve had some fun times, I like to think.”
“I’ve been almost raped twice and had another man beat me up. You’ve made me kill a man. It’s a wonder I’m still sane.”
I press a gentle kiss to her shoulder. Her body tenses for a moment before it relaxes. “You’re strong. That’s why I wanted you for a wife.”
“You didn’t know me. When you wanted to marry me. You just wanted to ensure a deal with Denis.”
The bitterness in her voice draws me back. “Trust me, Sasha. When I first saw you, I knew I wanted you for you. I heard the bravery and bite in your voice. I wanted that in a wife. I don’t want some demure little flower. I want a woman who’s strong enough to stand at my side.”
“Then why do you not respect me? You keep trying to turn me into you.”
I draw her in closer and it seems to put her body at ease. “I do respect you. I love our challenges. I love how we banter. It’s the highlight of my day. It excites me. You excite me. And I don’t just mean in a sexual way. I also mean in a mental way. I’ve never had someone go toe-to-toe with me like you have. It’s refreshing. I don’t want a woman who hangs off every word I say and laughs at all my jokes just to fee my ego. I love that I have a wife that doesn’t give a shit about giving me her opinion, even if it’s something I don’t want to hear. Trust me, Sasha. I respect you more than I ever have with anyone else.”
She glances at me over her shoulder. Her eyes are open and wide; vulnerable. “What if Giovanni comes back?”
“Then I’ll kill him. Plain and simple.”
“Nico, would you consider… going back to New York? I miss it. It’s my home. And so far, Italy has proved itself to be difficult. Too many bad things have happened here.”
My eyes skim over her face. Even in her fear, she’s still so beautiful. “You really want to go back? To the place where your uncle essentially sold you off to me? Or are you just trying to get back to your sisters?”
“I can’t help but want to save them. You can’t blame me for that. But if we were in New York, it would make it harder for Giovanni to get to me. He had the guts to come into your own home and take your own wife. He showed he’s willing to do anything to get what he wants. He’s dangerous. I would feel better if we had an ocean between us.”
