Page 142 of Contempt

That string of rosary beads hung limply from his suddenly still fingers as he took her in with an appreciative gaze. She was water, and he was taking a damn slow drink in that moment. Perfect makeup giving her a sexy look. Painted red lips and dark kohl lining her eyes. She had left her hair down in thick, shiny waves.

And her dress …

Jesus, her dress.

A ballgown that filled the doorway. In soft ivory, and draped with delicate lace, she looked like every inch a queen. His queen.

Renzo blinked. “What are you doing in here?”

He could have asked a lot of things—probably should have asked anything else, too. But shit, everyone had been so damn determined to keep her away from him … even going as far as stealing her away from him the night before after the rehearsal dinner. The Marcellos had gotten a kick out of doing that to him.

Stealing the bride-to-be from the assassin, and refusing to give her back.

The bastards.

But as he was coming to learn, they were just as much his family as they were hers. Or they wanted to be. He just had to let them.

Lucia smiled, shot a look over her shoulder, and then stepped just far enough into the room to close the door behind her. He was already rising from the chair he’d been sitting in to do his penance, and crossing the room to reach for her before she was able to get a single word out of her pretty lips.

He couldn’t get his arms around her fast enough—couldn’t get his lips on hers hard enough to satisfy the need to touch and taste her again. All it took was being away from her for a few hours, and he was ready to burn the world down to make sure she didn’t leave his side again.

It didn’t have to make sense.

It just was.

Lucia grinned wickedly against his kiss. “See, they’re not the only ones who are sneaky. Nobody can keep me away from you, Ren. I’ll always find a way.”

Renzo laughed. “This is bad luck.”

“Nope, we’ve had enough of that.”

God.

Wasn’t that the fucking truth?

Slipping his hands under her jaw, he tipped her head back, so he could stare into her eyes. Forever stared back. That, and love. Forgiveness. Sweetness. His entire fucking life.

Everything.

She was everything for him.

He could always find it in her eyes, too.

“I love you, Lucia,” he murmured.

More than she could possibly know.

For forever and a day, if God would give it to him.

Lucia stroked his lips with the pad of her thumb. “And I love you, Ren.”

That’s all that mattered.

The rest would never compare.

“Ready to get started on forever, then?” he asked.

Lucia laughed sweetly. “I have always been ready, Ren.”

Yeah, him too.

With her … always.