That night, I was folding the last of my clothes into our suitcase when I heard the door click shut behind me. I didn't bother turning around, I already knew who it was.
We were finally leaving for New York tomorrow.
Alex let out a long breath as he walked over to me, then slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me gently back against him. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breath warm against my skin.
I leaned into him, letting his warmth steady me.
"What is it?" I murmured.
"You should rest," he said, guiding me aside just as I placed another shirt into the suitcase. "You shouldn't be standing this long. I'll finish it."
I studied him quietly.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
I had rarely seen him like this, like a man being pulled in too many directions at once, unsure which thread to follow first.
Alex zipped the suitcase before answering.
"Sergio spoke to me earlier," he said.
My brows knit together as I leaned against the edge of the bed, watching him.
"And?" I asked.
Alex dragged a hand through his hair, a rare sign of frustration from him.
"He volunteered to be her bodyguard," he said after a moment.
That made me straighten slightly. "Sergio?"
Alex nodded. "He said that if she's going to New York to marry into a family we barely trust, then someone loyal should be watching her back."
I considered that quietly.
"What did you tell him?" I asked.
"I told him that I'll think about it."
"Well," I said, "that should be up to Camilla."
Alex looked at me.
"If she wants Sergio there, then fine," I continued. "If she doesn't, then that's her decision."
I folded my arms lightly. "Especially since we haven't even assigned her a proper bodyguard yet," I murmured.
Alex was quiet for a moment before he moved closer. The mattress dipped as he sat beside me, his hands settling on the bed on either side of my hips, caging me in without quiet touching.
"You're right," he said softly.
He leaned in, his mouth hovering near the crook of my neck before his nose brushed lightly against my skin, drawing in a slow breath.
"Everyone's making decisions around her," I added quietly. "About her life, her marriage...even her safety."
He lifted his gaze to mine.
I held it. "Let her decide this time."
"You Italians can be very demanding once you've set your minds on something," he murmured against my ear, his lips grazing the sensitive skin there before trailing slowly down my neck. The rough scrape of his stubble sent a familiar shiver down my spine.
We've done this a thousand times before, and yet, the feeling remained as if it was our first time.
My lips curved into a small smile as I pressed a soft kiss to his temple, my fingers slipping into his hair, brushing through the dark strands as if I were trying to keep him close.
"I'm worried, Alex," I admitted quietly. "I don't even know where you're keeping Arturo...or what they might do to try and get him back."
He pulled back slightly at that, just enough to look at me.
"No one is going to try," he said.
His thumb rose to my cheek, tracing slow circles against my skin as his green eyes softened.
"Not after what he's done," he continued. "And your grandfather, along with the few allies he still had left, won't risk themselves just to save him."
I parted my lips, about to say more, but he silenced me with a kiss.
"Enough, Isla," he murmured against my mouth, his breath warm against my skin. "You need to rest. We can plan tomorrow, with the others."
"I don't think I can tonight," I whispered, pulling him back for another kiss, this one deeper, more demanding. "My mind is restless...and so is my body."
My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as I looked at him.
"I need you, husband."
"You're injured," he said, though his voice had already roughened. Even as he spoke, he shifted forward, pressing my gently back against the headboard, his body settling between me knees as if instinct had taken over before reason could catch up. "I'm not sure this is wise."
I tilted my head, letting my lips brush along his jaw, moving slowly upward until they reached his ear. I bit lightly at the edge of it, just enough to make him inhale sharply.
"Just fuck me," I whispered.
His hands tightened at my waist.
"Or," I added softly, a teasing note slipping into my voice as my lips lingered near his ear, "I might start believing you don't want me as much as you used to."
The low sound that escaped him was almost a growl, the last thread of his restraint beginning to snap. Good. I had him right where I wanted.
A slow, wicked smile curled on my lips just as he claimed me again, pressing his mouth to mine with a fierce hunger. He climbed fully onto the bed, gently pulling my hips down until I was fully beneath him, every movement deliberate, searing.
"Your wish is my command," he murmured against my lips, before his mouth trailed down across my jaw, along my neck, until he reached my chest.
"I am powerless when it comes to you," he confessed, his fingers slipping beneath my tank top to touch my bare skin, teasing the peaks already hard against the fabric.
He pinched, and a sharp yelp escaped me.
"Beautiful," he growled, before capturing one nipple between his lips.
I couldn't hold back, my hips already grounding into him. My fingers tangling in his dark hair, already desperate for more. I didn't know how long I could endure this, not being inside him.
"Alex, please," I breathed, my voice trembling into a moan, "I need you. Now."
He chuckled low. "Lift your arms, my love," he murmured, and I obeyed without hesitation.
His hands slid beneath my tank top, lifting it over my head and tossing it aside. Without breaking his gaze, he slid my shorts down, revealing bare skin. No underwear to hide the ache I carried for him, all this time.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled from his chest at the sight of me, already raw and waiting.
His lips crashed onto my core before I could speak. His tongue plunging deep, exploring every inch of me with fierce devotion. His fingers danced through my wetness, slipping in and out, stirring waves of pleasure that took my breath away.
"So wet for me," he murmured as he licked.
My hips arched instinctively, pushing my core into him, desperate for more.
He lifted my legs, resting them over his shoulders just so he could reach deeper, holding me perfectly open as he licked again and again. Relentless, unyielding.
It didn't take long before the heat overflowed inside me. Building, spiraling until it shattered into a raw, trembling release. My body clenching around him, breath catching, my voice breaking as my climax washed over me in fierce, desperate waves.
He held me through it all, his lips never leaving my skin, mouth and hands worshipping me until the last of my tremor faded.
It wasn't until I finally came back to myself that those green eyes found mine again. Soft, burning with a tenderness that stole my breath away. He unbuckled his pants, sliding them down with slow intent, tossing his shirt aside before climbing back over me. His gaze never wavered, filled with a fierce love that grounded me.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and steady.
I nodded, my chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.
"Good," he grinned, lips still slick with the taste of me. "Because now, it's my turn."
Without hesitation, he plunged into me. My back arched instinctively, matching the guttural groan that escaped him. Hands braced on his chest, I held his gaze. Raw and real, as he moved with purpose. In and out, slow and relentless.
In that moment, everything else falls away.
There was only him, only us.
And I knew, with a certainty that shivered through my very core, that I belonged to him. In every lifetime. Completely, irrevocably and forever.