Page 41 of Sicilian Savior

The world spun. Time stood still. All those sappy clichés turned out to be true while I took her in the vineyard. It wasn’t just sex happening between us; it was a connection that I knew would never come undone. A tether winding between us that would unite us for life. I claimed her as mine, and she claimed me as hers.

I rolled over and pulled her sweat-slicked body on top of mine. I sat up, sliding my hands along her face and kissing her deeply as she started moving on top of me. Lucia rocked her hips against me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I’d never known it was possible to feel so close to someone, so connected. I pulled her closer, wrapping her tight in my arms. We clung to each other while she ground against my cock, our bodies moving as one until we both called out our release.

Lucia shuddered and collapsed against me. I held her tight, our panting breaths mingled as we clung to each other.

“That was incredible,” she breathed into my ear. “I never knew it could be that way.”

“Me neither,” I admitted.

And I didn’t. Sure, I’d had sex before plenty of times, but what had just happened with Lucia wasn’t just sex. It was different. More. I may have broken my vow not to touch her until this was over, but I made a new vow... to cherish this woman until the end of my days. And I knew that, unlike my last vow, this one would be easy to keep.

I leaned back and pulled her with me. We collapsed into a heap, and I held her against my chest, relishing the way her small frame fit so perfectly against mine.

Like we were made for each other. And we were.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Lucia

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“How many tattoos do you have?” I asked while I traced my fingers along the ink crawling up Knox’s arm.

He stretched out across the crisp, white sheets of the bed we’d slept in last night. “Too many to count. I kinda went crazy with the tats as soon as I retired. We weren’t permitted any identifying marks on our body to be part of the team. So, after I got out, I let myself go nuts, getting every tattoo I’d never been allowed. Well, other than this.”

He gestured to the number inked in black on the side of his ribs.

“What’s that?”

“We each have a number we’re assigned when we join. This is it. The only marking we’re allowed. It’s to help identify us if we, you know...” He sliced his finger across his throat.

“Yikes.” I wrinkled my nose. “That’s not a good thought.”

“No, but it’s a risk that comes with the job. So, we each have one. The only other thing we’re allowed to wear that may identify us is these tags.”

I reached up and fingered the metal tags dangling around his neck. The same number was etched into the worn metal along with a logo of some kind.

“Hey. That logo kind of looks like the wings across your chest.” I dragged my fingers down and traced the outline of the huge wings spread wide across his pecs.

“Yep. They are the same wings as the logo for our organization.” He pulled me tighter against him.

“What’s the name of this organization, anyway. Can you tell me, or is it top secret?”

He arched an eyebrow. “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.”

“You wouldn’t.” I rolled my eyes.

“Of course I wouldn’t. I’d die before I let anything happen to you. But I still can’t tell you.”

I sighed as his grip tightened, and I pressed a kiss to the scar on his pec.

I believed him. When he said he’d protect me... cherish me... die for me. I believed him. I’d seen it in his eyes last night when we’d made love, and I saw it the moment I blinked open my eyes this morning to find him staring at me. A feeling of security had washed over me, and I’d known that this man would never hurt me or allow anyone to lay a hand on me again.

Safe.

I felt truly safe. Something I never thought I’d feel again.

Sighing, I kissed his chest. “And this scar?”