“You’re right,” I said as I let the passion sweep me off my feet. “I think she does.”
We ended up in bed again, lying together with the sheets bunched around our waists. Bones would slide his fingers through my hair and kiss me for no reason at all. His embraces would be slow and passionate, full of lust and love. Then he would pull away to watch me, to observe me with his perpetually intense expression.
My fingers gently rubbed over the gauze on his shoulder. “Promise me you won’t drink until this is gone.” It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t phrase it like one. I just wanted him to get better, to make sure nothing got in the way of the healing process. He was still as strong as he was before, but if he didn’t take the time to slow down, his body would struggle to get better. I never asked Bones for anything because I knew he wasn’t the kind of man to be bossed around, even if he was pussy-whipped.
His eyes shifted slightly back and forth as he stared into my eyes.
“You said I was a potent painkiller. So why do you need to drink anyway?” My fingers explored his collarbone and the muscles of his chest. I loved his size and strength, the way he could crush anything with his bare hands.
His eyes narrowed. “You were listening.”
I didn’t realize the way I’d incriminated myself, not until after the words were out of my mouth and into the world. But it was such a sweet thing for him to say that I didn’t care if he knew I overheard it all. “Yes.”
“Then you heard everything Max said about work.”
“Yes.” I continued to massage him, to feel his tight muscles with my fingertips.
“What is your opinion about it?”
“You already know what it is.” My palm cupped his cheek. “I just got you back. I can’t lose you again…not ever.” I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man, every single morning and every single night. “I always knew I wanted to get married and spend my life with one person. When I was younger, I dated different guys who were wrong for me, and that made me realize how much I wanted to fall in love with one man. I’m not ashamed to say I want to go to sleep with the same man every single night for the rest of my life. And I’m not ashamed to say that man is you. I never want to feel you slip through my fingers again. I never want to sleep alone ever again. I never want anything to come between us…especially not death. I want us to have a boring, quiet life, the kind of life that my father loves.”
He listened to every word I said, his expression just as stern as it usually was. “I can’t leave Max high and dry. I have to finish a few things first.”
I wanted him never to go back into the field. I wanted it to be over for good, but after what his friends did for my family, I wouldn’t be selfish and ask something like that. “I understand.”
“But once that’s over…I’ll leave.”
The chains around my chest finally came free, and the relief washed over my body. Soon enough, I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone trying to hurt him ever again. We would both make an honest living in Florence, blending in with the rest of the crowd like nobodies. “Thank you.”
“I’ll have to find something else to do. Not sure what that is yet.”
“You can help me with the gallery.”
He shook his head. “That’s your thing, baby. I need something of my own.”
“Something safe, I hope.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Not that safe. Don’t want it to be boring.”
I knew he was kidding, so I let the comment go unchallenged. “So, what do we do now?”
He turned on his back and faced the ceiling, his hard body slowly rising and falling with his breaths. “I was planning on selling this place.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He stared at the ceiling and gave a slight nod. “I have no use for it anymore. If we’re in Florence, we’ll almost never be here. And all of your family lives in Florence now, except for Carter.”
“Yeah…but we should keep the house in Lake Garda.”
He turned his head toward me. “You like that place?”
“Yeah. We could spend some of the winter there.” We could lie by the fire, watch the snow fall outside, and stay bundled up against the cold outside the large mansion in the middle of the mountains. Being that isolated wasn’t my preference, but I knew this relationship would come with compromises.
“I’d like that.”
“My apartment in Florence is fine. I’m not sure if we need more space.”