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Paolo slumps on top of me a moment later and gathers me in his arms, rolling us onto our sides. His own breathing is heavy, and I can feel his pounding heart even with my shoulder pressed to his chest. He’s warm, sweaty, careful, and so unbelievably sweet I can’t help a giggle as I relax into his embrace.
“You aren’t gonna leave me alone this time, are you?” I mutter, fighting the blanket of tiredness that falls on my body a few seconds later. I feel Paolo’s chuckle reverberate through his chest, and his hand rises to squeeze my shoulder.
“No. Never.” He fidgets against me, making me hum with displeasure, but when he presses a kiss to my head, I smile and sigh with contentment. “You know I meant it, right?”
“What?”
“What I just said.” I feel his hand run over my hair in a careful gesture, and I press closer to him in response. “You’re so beautiful, Jacinta, and don’t ever doubt it. You’re the most wonderful woman in the world, and god, I love you, I really do.”
What? I blink my eyes open even before Paolo finishes his sentence and push myself on my elbow to look at him. “Are you serious?”
But he meets my gaze with a reassuring smile. “I always am.”
Ah. I blink, trying to process what he just said—and my heart blooms with warmth. God, it’s…it’s the first time I’ve seen Paolo so soft and relaxed. His eyes are glimmering in the warm lights of his living room, and among the havoc that he wreaked in my name, I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
“You’re such an asshole,” I say with a chuckle before leaning forward to wrap my arms around his neck. “But I love you more than anyone.”
Paolo laughs in response, hugging me back, and with a wave of fondness I realize that it’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh with so much joy.
We lounge on the carpet a bit more, exchanging lazy kisses and talking about our favorite things, before I start to yawn. Paolo takes me to his bedroom on the second floor then, and as soon as we get out of the shower and wrap our limbs around each other, I pass out on his pillows. God, it’s been one hell of a day.
The sunrise finds us in the middle of another round of sex, and only a short nap later do I properly wake up—without Paolo next to me.
The morning is still young when I get out of the bedroom with Paolo’s shirt on my shoulders. I didn’t bring my whole closet when I was leaving the mansion with Louis, okay? Besides, it feels nice to feel his presence on me.
I get down to the first floor where the wide windows open to the bright green lawn and white clouds covering the sky to the horizon. Paolo is standing next to one of them, studying the scenery outside, and his shoulders are tense again. His frown is too serious to take it as a good sign, and I feel my heart tighten with worry.
“Did something happen?” I ask, walking closer to him, and it warms me up to see the look in his eyes soften as soon as he turns to me.
“No, nothing.” Paolo wraps his arm around my waist and presses a quick kiss to my temple before turning away to the window. But I can feel the tension in his body and the grim look in his eyes.
“Does it worry you?” I glance at the peaceful scenery outside, feeling a tight string of anxiety in my own chest. “That there’s nothing?”
Paolo stays quiet for a long moment, but in the end, he exhales and shakes his head. “I have to drive there and see what happened yesterday.”
I blink and look up at him. “Now?”
“Yes.” He presses a quick kiss to my lips and presses me closer for a moment before letting go. “I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, call me, and—”
God, not again.
“Wait, wait!” I run after Paolo and grab his arm before he reaches the door.
“Jacinta?” He follows my hand and turns around, looking at me with a silent question. Yes, okay, I’m being weird, but…aren’t we supposed to talk about it right at the beginning?
I bite my lip and look to the side, avoiding his gaze. “Are we—you know, are wetogether? Like…like a couple or something?”
I glance at him as soon as I finish my blabbering, feeling like my heart is gonna jump out of my chest. I mean, it’s a stupid question. Of course it is. God, what if we’re not a couple? What if I push him away with that?Shit, Jacinta, you’re—
“Of course we are.” Paolo frowns in confusion and steps closer to me, reaching out to take my hand. “I love you, and I want to raise our child with you. I think that’s more than enough to qualify us as a couple—unless you…have changed your mind?”
His grip on my hand tightens, and I immediately shake my head. “What? No, no, that’s not it. Of course, I love you too, and I want to be with you, but…”
“But?” Paolo quirks an eyebrow, and I take a steadying breath and look him in the eyes.
“But I don’t want my life to be as miserable as it was.” I squeeze his hand when I notice his frown turning deeper. “I know I have you, and it’s incredible, it’s more than I’ve ever dreamed of, but…but I don’t want to go from one cage to another. I don’t want to be locked here, I—I want to experience life in the real world, away from the guards and firefights. I want to stay with you forever, but I want to be free too. Do you understand what I mean?”
Damn, it was probably so confusing. And I dropped it on him first thing in the morning. I bite my cheek, watching him look down at our hands with a thoughtful frown. God, I should’ve waited. I just spoiled it, didn’t I?
