Page 229 of Sinful Desires
“We just bought a house,” I said softly, the words feeling too fragile. “Maybe one day you could come visit. I know things are complicated, and all I ever wanted was for you both to be safe. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”
My mother’s sobs quieted into a trembling breath.
“Don’t worry,dolcezza. Angelo promised nothing will happen to us. We’re Lazzios, remember?La famigliastays together. Always.”
I chatted with them for a while, catching up even though my heart stayed tight in my chest.
I guess family really was a complicated thing.
How sad that it was the ones closest to you who could harm you the most, yet somehow be the only ones capable of healing you too.
When I finally hung up, I sat still for a moment, eyes on the sea.
Then I felt strong arms circle my waist and the familiar weight of his head settle into the curve of my neck.
Théo’s voice came out low, deliciously rough with sleep. “Bonjour,mon amour.”
I turned around slowly, wrapping my arms around his neck. His nose brushed against mine as he leaned in.
“Never thought Italian could sound so hot,” he murmured. “If I knew, I would’ve forced you to speak it sooner.”
I smiled. “Not as hot as French,mon chéri.”
Over the last few weeks, Théo had been teaching me a little French. The basics.Bonjour.Au revoir.Merci.Je ne sais pas.
And then the other things.
The kind of words that made my cheeks burn.
The kind of words he said against my throat, slow and filthy, with that voice that made me forget everything else.
Words I wouldn’t dare say out loud unless he made me. And God, he always made me.
“I need you to get ready fast. I have a little surprise for you.”
My hands landed on his bare chest, right next to the lavender bouquet tattoo inked along his ribs. My heart still fluttered every time my eyes found it.
A few days ago, he’d added a new one. A shooting star, inked just above it.
“Is it the kind of surprise I like?” I asked, rising onto my toes, my lips brushing his as his hands slid lower, gripping my ass.
“The kind you love,” he said roughly, and I licked his bottom lip with a teasing flick.
“Okay.”
He smacked my ass and kissed me, hard and quick, before heading to the bathroom.
“Wear a dress, baby.”
“What would you do around here when you were a kid?”
His hand was locked with mine, resting on my lap as he drove along the countryside road hugging the sea.
White horses ran wild across the beach as we passed, their bodies streaked with salt and wind, free in a way most people never got to be. The breeze was soft. The air smelled of the ocean, of warm earth and sunlight clinging to our skin.
Captain Pascal had delivered us a new car a few days ago. A roofless Porsche, red like my hair, fast and loud.
As we sped along the coast, my hair flew into my face, my grin untamed and wide, drunk on morning light, love, and speed.
