Page 24 of Fall Before Her Throne

“You need safety, shelter, sustenance, sleep, water⁠—”

“Yes, thank you for listing the hierarchy of needs,” she said with a roll of her eyes and a smile. She tweaked my nose, and the playful gesture made my mouth quirk. “You know what I meant.”

I ducked my head into her neck and kissed the divot of her collarbone. “I know.”

“Obi,” she said, drawing my eye as she cupped my cheek. “We’ve got this. You know that, right?”

“I have spent my entire life preparing for this fight,” I responded. “All of my work, all of my preparations, have all led here. There is no other option but victory.”

“I know, but I’m saying…” She trailed off, and her fingers curled against my neck. Gently, she let her nails drag against my skin. It lit my nerves on fire. “You’ve been planning their downfall to give us safety, but we’re safest when we’re together. The Camorra are a threat, but we’re strongest when we’re a unit. That’s the part that matters. You trust us, right?”

My nose nudged hers. “Of course I do.”

“You won’t shut us out again?” she asked. “Planning behind our backs?”

“I won’t.”

“What happens after? When we’ve won?”

“Then we live in peace.” When I own the empire they created, then all will be right. No one could threaten us again.

Her lips pursed while her eyes flicked around my face. “Their power might come from their money, or their bribery, or whatever the hell it is. Our power comes from our family working together and keeping each other safe. Just…don’t lose sight of what’s most important.”

“I won’t.” The only thing that mattered was a future for our family.

She nodded. Her voice dropped low. “What do you think of Max? He’s⁠—”

“Shh.” I pressed my lips to hers, hard and fast, silencing her. “I do not wish to speak of Volpe. Our problems can wait until you’ve come on my tongue and my cock, buried deep inside you.”

I stripped the rest of the clothes from my body, opened the door to the shower, and pulled her under the warm spray of the water with me. This morning, I had called Ryuji’s realtor to ensure all the utilities in this house would work. Heat, gas, electricity, water. We were speeding up the process, but money greased many wheels. The realtor assured me he could get it done, and the running hot water was proof.

She groaned against me as the water rolled over both our bodies. “I love hot showers.”

“I know,” I said with a smirk. The water bill at the penthouse had spiked since she moved in with us, but it wasn’t like it mattered. I would give her the world, and as many hot showers as she desired.

Her face transformed with a dreamy shower as she let the water cascade over her. “You’re always watching me, aren’t you?”

“Always.”

“So you can buy me new things.”

I nipped her bottom lip. “So I can provide for you. So you can have all your heart’s desires. The future mother of my children deserves no less.”

Her breath hitched and her fingernails crawled up the back of my neck. “I already have all my heart desires.”

“Let me give you more.” She giggled when I pressed a palm against her chest, holding her against the tile of the shower.

I knelt before her, kissing a line down her stomach to the heat between her legs. Her head tilted back while I swiped my tongue through her slickness. “Lift your leg and put it over my shoulder.”

“Obi,” she whined, fingers digging into my shoulder to keep herself steady. I had never loved my name as much as I did hearing it spill from her lips.

“Do as I ask.” I pulled on her thigh. “Now, Leona.”

Her leg rested on my shoulder, giving me perfect access to her beautiful body. My tongue drew through her slowly, so I could taste her fully. I wanted to consume her, to devour her. To take my fill of her pleasure. To push all thoughts of everything and anyone else out of her mind—just for the time we had.

She rocked against my face, but I kept my pace slow at first, letting her body relax and warm up to my touch. Her breaths came faster, matching the sounds that came from deep within her chest. I let my tongue circle and flick against her clit.

“Yes,” she breathed. “Right there. Please.”