Page 48 of Wicked Knight 2

“It’s four in the morning. He’s probably not even up yet.” I pulled him away from the door.

“He’s an early riser.” His gaze bored into mine as he let me usher him toward the bed. “For your own good, let it go, Donata.”

“Do you promise not to tell Papa?” I pushed him down on the covers and unbuckled his belt. “He’ll kill me.”

“He’s not the monster you think he is.” He sank deeper into the comforter as he let me climb on top of him. “You want me. I can see it in your eyes. You want to be with me. Why are you fighting it?”

“I’m not fighting us.”

“There are no monsters to fight here. You’re safe with me.” He cradled my neck and brought me in for a searing kiss. “You’re my wife. We can be happy here.”

I couldn’t remember the number of times I had wished for a moment like this—for the time when Luca and I could marry and live our love in the light. For years, we had to hide our relationship because it was forbidden by the Society by-laws. Later, we had to continue keeping it a secret because he had too many enemies hunting him. And now here we were with everything we ever wanted, except Luca wasn’t here.

He lifted my butt and sat me on his cock. I let out a slight moan as he rocked his hips slowly into me. Bit by bit, I forgot about our conversation and his denial. Instead, I focused on his words. We could be happy here. Was this life our future? Could I ever resign myself to the fact that Luca was gone for good?

On the surface, Maxim and Luca seemed so different—one was pure testosterone and brawn, while the other was logical and intelligent. Both had the ability to set my body on fire. At some point in the last few weeks, Maxim had gotten under my skin. Seeing how his crew revered him, how the staff loved him, and how far he was willing to go to ensure my safety, I’d begun to develop feelings for this new version of Luca.

Papa’s compound was a prison for both of us. But the truth was, I would go to the ends of the world if it meant spending the rest of my life with Luca or Maxim.

“You’re so beautiful. You bewitched me. After all you’ve done to get away. After all the lies. I still can’t find a reason to let you go.” He pulled my T-shirt over my head and wrapped his arms around me to make me sink deeper into him. “Promise me you’ll never leave. I feel like setting the whole world on fire every time you look for exits that aren’t there.” He captured my mouth, deepening the connection between us.

“I promise.” I let my head fall back as a spark ignited in my core. The slow-burn torture of his hard cock inside me had me at the very edge of madness. I had to be going crazy if at this moment I was considering staying with Maxim forever. We deserved this happiness, even if it wasn’t real.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He buried his face in my neck. “You’re mine.”

“I’ve always been yours.”

CHAPTER17

End of Story

Maxim

Donata fell asleep next to me after our last round of sex. Jesus, being with her was like nothing I’d ever experienced. Even without my memories, my gut told me Donata and I were meant to be together, that what we had didn’t come along often.

The early morning sun rays seeped through the curtains and cast a glow on the curve of her hip. Unlike all the other times I’d watched her sleep, I didn’t fight the urge to run my hand over her soft skin. She felt so good wrapped around my body like that. At least for now, she’d given up on the idea of escaping. I about lost it last night when I came out to get some fresh air and spotted her climbing down my fucking window.

She was such a contradiction. One minute she was scared and running away from me. The next, she was looking at me like I was something to eat. She wanted me. I could see it in her eyes and in the way her body trembled with desire every time we touched. She had a whole life back at home. But last night, she surrendered herself to me. I believed her when she’d said she wanted to stay with me. A smiled pulled at my lips as her words echoed in my head.

“I love you.”

“I’ve always been yours.”

“Donata Salvatore,” I whispered as I brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her smooth cheek.

If she was telling the truth about her feelings for me, was she also telling the truth about my past? I didn’t know what was real anymore. For months after my accident, I obsessed day and night over the details missing from my memories. I didn’t find peace until I let it all drift away. If I could control my dreams, I would let those go as well. Was she right? Were my nightmares broken pieces of my past trying to find their way back?

“Did you lie?” I bent down to kiss her forehead.

A part of me wanted to believer her, but she was still my enemy. Or at least, she wasn’t a member of the Brotherhood. I’d stopped thinking of Donata as my enemy the first time we kissed. Was I the biggest idiot for wanting to trust her? Her mercurial episodes were giving me whiplash. She didn’t understand how my gut feeling, my sense of belonging, was my only compass. Without my memories, I had to rely on my compass to survive.

She was asking me to take a huge leap of faith. Leaving the Brotherhood to start over somewhere else, away from the only family I knew, was too much for me to get my head around. Round and round I went as I tried to process everything she’d said last night. I wanted to believe her. But her words threatened to destroy me and everything I held dear.

When she stirred in my arms, I gently let her go and slipped out from under the covers. As much as I wanted to stay in bed with her all day, I had work to do. The guys still hadn’t gotten paid from our last gun run. I pulled the sheet over Donata’s naked body and forced myself to walk away.

After I showered and got dressed, I headed out. I needed to stop by the kitchen to grab a bite to eat and to ask Galina to send something up for Donata. No doubt, Donata would want to stay in the suite all day. If she trusted me enough, she would know I had no intention of telling Papa about our conversation and all her conspiracy theories. As Papa had said, it would be best if we let the past be. Whatever lay on the other side of the dark abyss my head had become, I didn’t care for it. My life, my family, and my future were here with the Brotherhood and with Donata by my side. End of story.

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