Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 65987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 330(@200wpm)___ 264(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
When he finally moved, it was only to roll to his side, taking me with him so that we remained connected. My head found its place on his chest like I belonged there, the steady thump of his heart beneath my ear more comforting than any words could have been. The sheets beneath us were damp with sweat, tangled around our legs, but neither of us made any move to straighten them.
The room fell into perfect quiet except for our slowing breaths. Outside the windows, the night had deepened to that hushed hour before dawn when the world seemed to hold its breath.
"I love you, Belle."
I sucked in a breath. The simple declaration froze me. Before I could gather my thoughts enough to respond, he continued, his voice taking on a raw quality that caught at my heart. "You will marry me. I will have my claim on you legal, binding, and out there for everyone in the entire fucking world to know what they risk if they even think of harming you. I absolutely will not risk losing you again."
I lifted my head to look at him, shocked not just by the words but by the naked vulnerability in his expression. His fingers tightened slightly on my shoulder, the only outward sign of tension in his otherwise still body. His eyes searched mine, blue depths revealing a fear I never would have expected to see in Dario Luca.
The proposal hung in the air between us, changing everything in an instant. My mouth opened, but no words came out. How could I answer such a declaration from a man whose world I barely understood, yet who had risked everything to save me? A man who had just confessed to loving me when I hadn't dared to hope for anything beyond protection and passion?
I searched his face, seeing past the powerful crime lord to the man beneath, the one who had washed my wounds with gentle hands, who had come for me when I was taken, who now looked at me as if I held his very life in my hands. In that moment of perfect clarity, I knew my answer. Perhaps I’d known it since I first looked into his eyes all those weeks ago at The Gray.
“OK, Dario. I’ll marry you.”
Chapter Seventeen
Belle
I stood in the cavernous foyer of Villa Luca, a cardboard box of Christmas decorations balanced against my hip, surveying the space with the tactical eye of a general planning a campaign. The grand staircase swept upward like a ribbon of marble, perfect for winding with pine garland and twinkling lights. Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, ready to be adorned with delicate glass ornaments. The imposing portrait of Dario's father watched me with painted eyes that seemed to ask what the hell I thought I was doing. December had barely begun, but I wasn't waiting another day to bring Christmas to this beautiful, cold fortress.
"This place needs Christmas," I muttered to myself, setting down the box with a decisive thump that echoed through the empty space.
Christmas had always been my salvation. Even in my toughest years, living in that awful studio apartment with the leaky ceiling, working three jobs just to make rent, I'd strung dollar store lights around my windows and baked cookies on my temperamental hotplate. The Luca family mansion, for all its grandeur, felt just as empty as those lonely apartments had, only on a much grander scale.
I pulled a length of pine garland from my box and approached the staircase. The mansion was quiet this early. The staff were still with their families, the brothers scattered to their morning routines. Perfect for my sneak attack of holiday cheer. I draped the garland along the banister, securing it with hidden wire, then began weaving the string lights through the artificial greenery. Took me an hour of careful work, but the end result was as beautiful as I’d hoped.
"There," I whispered with satisfaction as I stepped back to admire the first stage of transformation. The lights weren't lit yet, but I could already imagine how they would warm the cold marble when evening came.
I was halfway through humming "Silver Bells" when a throat cleared behind me. I nearly toppled off the third step of the staircase, spinning around to find Vittorio standing there, his expression unreadable as always.
"Oh! Good morning," I said, my voice too bright with surprise.
Vittorio's gaze traveled over the garland-draped staircase. "We don't typically decorate for the holidays," he said, his tone neutral.
"Well, you do now," I replied, summoning confidence I didn't quite feel. Living in the Luca household still felt like walking on eggshells some days, even with Dario's ring on my finger. We hadn’t yet had a ceremony, but all the paperwork was filed, an announcement in the local paper made the front page, and Dario had informed me we would have a reception for appearances. If I wanted a big ceremony, he’d gladly fund whatever my heart desired, but he absolutely would not wait to make me his wife.