Page 56 of Devour
The look on his face is vulnerable, like he doesn’t just want me to stay in bed but in his life. I want him to say it. I want to hear it from his lips so I can stop second-guessing everything I feel. But instead of pushing, I choose to stay. Maybe… maybe there’s still a chance for this to work. He scoots deeper to one side of the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Lay beside me.”
Oh. He’s making space so I can lie on his good side. I slide under the covers and rest my head on his shoulder. His arm wraps around me, pulling me close until I’m practically moldedto his side, half draped over him. Then he says something I didn’t expect.
“I missed you.”
My heart skips. Did he miss me… or just my body? There’s a pause, short but heavy, before he continues…
“I miss us,” he says, voice low and rough. “I know I’m no longer the same person you fell in love with. I’m twisted inside with a cold heart that warms up whenever it sees you.”
His chest rises with a breath that sounds like it hurts to take.
“I know I forced you into this marriage. Into a life of danger, blood, and power—everything that comes with being tied to a man like me. I dragged you into the shadows I live in, and now I’m asking you for more.”
He pauses, like the weight of what he’s about to say makes it harder to speak.
“I can be temperamental. Controlling. Jealous. Hell, kitten, I could go on all day and still not cover everything that’s wrong with me. But know this—” he takes my hand and presses it to his chest, over his heart “—I would bleed for you. I’d burn the world down just to lay it at your feet if that’s what you wanted.”
His voice cracks slightly as he continues.
“Give me a second chance. Let me make this right. Let me prove myself to you. Let me protect you. Let me love you right.”
Then he says the three words I thought I’d never hear.
“I love you.”
I don’t know when the tears started slipping past my eyes, but they fall freely now. He’s saying all the words I’ve longed to hear, tearing down every wall I’ve tried to build between us. But I still can’t bring myself to say it back—not yet. So instead, I nod into his shoulder, holding on just a little tighter.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Luca
She doesn’t say it back. But she doesn’t pull away either. She nods into my shoulder, and that small movement barely more than a breath feels like a fucking lifeline. A thread of hope I didn’t think I deserved.
I close my eyes and let myself feel it. Her warmth pressed against me. The way her body fits so perfectly into mine.
If it had been any other time I got shot, I’d be out of bed the second I could stand, barking orders, checking security. But right now? I feel… at ease. And I don’t want to leave. Not yet.
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I bury my face into her hair and breathe her in. Her scent grounds me. The pain in my side dulls into a distant throb as sleep pulls me under again.
When I wake, the bed beside me is empty. I swing my legs over the edge and check the bandage on my side. It’s been changed. Neat, clean. I didn’t even wake. Sex with Ariel must’ve knocked me out harder than I realized.
I mutter a soft curse under my breath as I stand, stretching the tightness in my muscles, and walk to the window. The afternoon sun is low warm and golden, casting soft light across the garden.
There’s a gentle breeze stirring the leaves, carrying the scent of lavender and something sweeter I can’t quite name. Movement outside catches my eye. It’s Ariel. With Griselda.
They’re watering flowers. I frown, confused for a second, I’ve got people to do that. She doesn’t have to lift a finger here. But she looks… happy. Peaceful. She’s barefoot, head tilted slightly as she watches the stream of water arc from the can into the earth.
My gaze follows the trail she’s watering. I didn’t even realize I had those flowers in my garden. Then it hits me—the ones I gifted her. There are only a few in our bedroom. She must’ve planted the rest out here.
The realization sends a slow warmth spreading through my chest. Something soft. Dangerous. A smile breaks across my face before I can stop it. She kept them, she likes them.
I carry that feeling with me as I head into the bathroom. I’m feeling like a million bucks now, so I push myself—strip, step into the shower, let the hot water ease the stiffness from my body.
I dry off and throw on something casual, dark loose fit pants, a grey henley, and my watch. Clean. Simple. Nothing that screams power or intimidation. Just a man in his own home. I head downstairs to my study.
