Page 59 of Captured Solace

“For sex?”

“For making me feel beautiful. And desirable.”

I brushed back her hair. “You should always feel beautiful and desirable.”

The tension between us was thick, warm, and hazy. I bent and kissed her again, taking my time with her mouth. After all, she was mine. Mine to kiss, mine to fuck, mine to sleep tangled up with. Mine to love.

Something shifted in me as the realization that I loved my wife swept through me. Ever since Yulia’s death, I’d pulled into my shell and stopped searching for emotional connection. Every relationship I’d had since then had been purely physical. But from the moment I’d looked at a picture of my wife, I’d known beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the sort of woman I could fall in love with.

And the realization that I had both excited and terrified me. I looked down at her, thoroughly fucked and exhausted beneath me, and every part of me yearned to tell her what I felt.

But I couldn’t because it was obvious she didn’t love me back. Yes, she was affectionate with me in a physical sense, but she didn’t love me yet.

I kept my face blank as I bent and kissed her forehead. “Lie still and I’ll turn on the shower. We’re both covered in blood.”

We showered together and I took my time as I had her again, pinning her against the wall. I’d never fucked a woman on her period until now. It was satisfying on some primal level to watch the blood run down her thigh as I thrust into her pussy. Like an oath stronger than the bit of paper we’d signed on our wedding day.

She was shy once we were out of the shower and the high of sex had waned. I brushed my teeth, keeping my eyes straight ahead to give her some privacy as she slipped a tampon between her legs. Then we slid beneath the covers and I pulled her against my body.

The next morning when we sat down to breakfast, Duran glanced over at us with a faint smirk and Iris elbowed him in the ribs. Sienna met his gaze, frowning for a second, and then realization sank in. A hot flush crept up her neck as she realized the others had probably heard what we’d done last night.

Lucien sat back in his chair, his fingers resting on the rim of his espresso. “Cosimo should be here around nine-thirty. Does that work?”

I nodded. “I’m ready whenever he gets here.”

“Where are you going?” Sienna frowned.

“It doesn’t concern you,” said Lucien firmly.

I narrowed my eyes at him and he realized his mistake and inclined his head.

“I’m going to look over some new territories,” I said, running my hand over my wife’s thigh beneath the table.

“We were going into the city,” Olivia piped up. “I thought you might want to go since it’s been a while since you were here.”

Sienna nodded slowly. “Yes, that sounds good.”

I pulled her aside before I left. She’d dressed in a slender, cream dress that accentuated her ass and hips and had me fighting to keep my cock from getting hard. I hated the thought of letting her go out into the city looking like that.

“I want to take you out tonight,” I murmured against her neck.

Her breath caught as my mouth grazed her skin. “I’d like that.”

“There’s a new restaurant in the city. It’s pretty upscale, so if you need to buy something while you’re out today, you have the credit card I gave you.”

I kissed her slowly, holding onto her soft body, breathing in her scent. God, I hated being away from her, but there was nothing for it. I was the godfather and as much as I loathed the prospect, I had an organization to run. She stood in the hall, her arms wrapped around her body, her dark eyes on me as I left the house.

Chapter Thirteen

Sienna

I’d always liked Iris and Olivia and I was looking forward to a pleasant afternoon in the city with them. I’d only met Iris once, but I found her to be intelligent and strong-willed, the perfect match for Duran. Olivia was sweet, a little anxious, and far too kind to be married to someone like Lucien. It blew my mind, as we sat there at lunch together, how she managed to live with him.

“How’s life with Viktor?” Iris asked lightly.

Olivia’s brows drew together. “We’ve been…worried, Iris and I. We just…don’t know him.”

I took a moment, taking a sip of sweet tea. “I love living in his house, it’s homey and quiet. I like it much better than New York. It’s a lot warmer down there and I’m glad to be out of the cold.”

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