Page 18 of Ruthless Vengeance
I lose myself in his dark brown eyes, to the feeling of his calloused thumb as he gently strokes my cheek.
“You came back for me.”
Something like agony flashes in his eyes. “I promised you I would. I always will. I love you, Clara.”
It’s all I can do to nod as I fight back tears.
Marco leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead. A sense of calm washes over me at the feeling of his lips against my skin, as I breathe in his musky cologne.
“Are you hungry, love? I can make you something to eat.”
I shake my head, my stomach too wracked with guilt to eat. “I’m okay.”
My head is still groggy, and my eyes start to grow heavy. I wonder how long it will take for me to feel like myself again?
Perhaps I never will…
Marco pulls back and looks down at Zoe.
“You need to rest, Clara.” His voice is soft but firm as he reaches for Zoe.
“But—”
He gently lifts her out of my arms. “I’ve got her. You can sleep some more.”
I hate how empty my arms feel without Zoe. I want to remind him that he’s just as sleep deprived as I am, but I know there’s no point in arguing, not when my eyes are starting to droop.
It seems the few hours of sleep I managed to get have done little to relieve the exhaustion that has settled deep within my bones.
I yawn, barely managing to cover it with my hand, which elicits a soft chuckle from Marco.
“That’s what I thought.”
I roll my eyes at him, but I don’t have the energy to fight. Instead, I pull the sheets up over my body and curl up onto my side.
Marco’s hand brushes over my hair, his fingers trailing down my arm before he steps away. “Sleep well, love,” he murmurs as sleep pulls me under.
I wakea few hours later to the warm weight of Marco curled around me, his arm draped over my waist and his breath tickling the back of my neck as he breathes in and out. I don’t remember him coming back to bed and while I thought waking up in his arms would have me jumping for joy, instead guilt starts to gnaw at me even worse than before.
I’m going to have to tell him about Ben and hope that my betrayal doesn’t tear us apart, not when I’ve only just got him back.
Marco shifts beside me, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder to let me know he’s awake.
“Where’s Zoe?”
“Asleep in her crib.” His voice is thick with sleep. “Are you okay to take her? I have to head out for a bit.”
I frown. “Now?” I roll over so I can look at him.
His eyes are still closed. “It’s just a meeting.”
“Oh…” I guess the inevitable conversation will have to wait a little longer.
Marco opens his eyes and looks at me. “Clara?”
I force a smile, running a hand over his bare chest, reveling in the warmth of his skin beneath my fingers. “You were right. A good night’s sleep makes all the difference.”
The lie rolls easily off my tongue, and I hate it. But I won’t add to his worries just because even if I did fall into a deep sleep, it was plagued with nightmares, leaving me feeling even less rested than before.
