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“You don’t have to ask.”
My mouth twitched. First almost-smile of the day, and of course, she was the one to draw it out of me.
“I didn’t.”
She let out a breathy laugh. “Come snuggle with me in the den.”
“Lead the way.”
Before I’d walked in this door, I’d had fucking on my mind. Hard and rough. Making her scream. Taking my frustrations out on her body. Satisfying the empty place in me by making her come over and over until we were both so exhausted that sleep took us over.
But then she climbed into my lap and covered us both with one of the throws I’d bought with her in mind. My head fell back on the cushions. Saoirse tucked her face in my throat and stroked my jaw with her fingertips.
This was peace.
The flip side of the coin.
Beyond these walls was chaos I would have to face, but that didn’t touch us. Not when we were together like this. She took my frustrations by being here. The empty place in me was filled with her presence.
Damn this woman.
She’d made it so that living without her would be a painful, ugly reality. I wasn’t interested in experiencing that. Not now, not two years from now. Whether Saoirse liked it or not, she was mine. She could fight me on it, but that wouldn’t change the fact that I was keeping her. That was what she got for blunting all the sharp and smoothing out the rough. She’d gotten me hooked on her. Going back to life before her didn’t hold even an ounce of attraction.
“I can’t do this without you,” I told her.
“You could, Luca. I know you could. But I’m here. It’s my job to make your life easier, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
A barb pierced my gut. Her job?
Tucking my knuckle beneath her chin, I drew her face up so I could look at her. Her full lips curved into a slow, easy smile.
“I’m not a job.”
“Luca.” Her palm flattened on my cheek. “Of course you’re not a job. I meant my job as your wife. The way I care for you goes way beyond the agreement we made. I hope that’s obvious.”
That should have made me feel better, but I wasn’t thinking about agreements when I had her in my arms. I was thinking about keeping her forever.
When all I did was frown, Saoirse shifted so she was straddling my legs and took my face in both hands.
“I’m here for you, Luca. If you want quiet, I’ll be quiet. If you want to yell and fight, we can do that. I know this shit with Miller and Clara is killing you. You don’t have to say it. I can see it in your face. But I want to be your soft place to land because you’re mine. That’s not a job or an agreement. It’s because we care for each other. Don’t turn away from me because I said the wrong thing. Please let me be here for you. Let me make it easier.”
Reaching up, I took her chin between two fingers. “You’re not working a job when we’re together.”
She shook her head. “No. This is real.”
“Don’t say that again.”
“I won’t.” Her fingers traced the downturned edges of my mouth. “You’re my favorite yes.”
Releasing a shuddering breath, I slammed my eyes shut. I was maddeningly in love with this woman. More vulnerable than I was comfortable being. But there was no helping it.
Saoirse Rossi was my wife.
Two years wasn’t going to be close to enough time with her.
I was beginning to believe two lifetimes wouldn’t cut it either.
Chapter Thirty-nine
