Cade Burns
I felt like I had fallen asleep in a freezer.
The only warmth I had was from the small body curled at my side, and as I looked down at it, a sense of relief filled me. Aria rested her head on my chest, curled tightly into me as the loud hospital monitors beeped around me. I couldn’t help but stare at her for a long moment as my senses all came back into focus.
How the hell was I alive?
I moved my arm slightly, surprised at how heavy my limbs felt.
Aria jerked awake with a deep breath, and in an instant, she’d sat up in bed. She stared at me with wild eyes, and I couldn’t stop the small uptilt of my mouth. Her hair was an array of long, black curls, and her clothes were wrinkled and stained with dirt and blood. She was a mess, but she didn’t pay any of that attention as she stared at me for a long moment before diving atop me and wrapping her arms around me.
Somehow, she made sure not to graze a single of my injuries.
“I thought you were dead,” she admitted, shaking her head. “The ambulance took too long, and your pulse was thready. I went with you, and they used my blood to keep you stable. I don’t know how much they took, but I didn’t think you’d make it. God, I… I didn’t know what to do. I thought I’d lost you.”
I thought back to the last seconds before falling unconscious. As my vision went dark, I remembered her throwing her body atop mine, and as much as I wanted to switch places, I couldn’t bring myself to move.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She snorted, pulling herself up and looking at me. “Am I okay? You’re the one who almost died.”
That didn’t bother me. I didn’t care about myself when my family was in just as much danger. “Elizabeth?” I recalled. “Serg?”
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone else is fine. Liz is still in her room with a severe concussion and some blood loss, but she should pull through. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her now that this is over. Carter barely had a scratch. He’s the reason nobody shot either of us. He drew fire and took out all of Matteo’s men before your teams swept in and cleared house.”
Everything about the way it had played out was against our plan, but somehow, we’d all survived. I had no idea how the hell it had happened.
“I’m so sorry about everything,” she went on. “I-I know that I’m to blame for all of this, and I will accept any consequences you deem necessary. All I wanted was for my brother to forgive me-to want to be close to me again. I hated you at the time, and I thought it was a worthy trade, but when I realized that he was different, something changed for me. He was never going to forgive me, even if I did this for him. I could have gotten all of you killed because of it. I swear, I didn’t mean to do any of it, but I understand that there have to be repercussions. I’ve already packed my bags and told Elizabeth and Carter what I did. They both told me to stay, but they’re not in charge, and I know I fucked up. I’m loyal to you and only to you, but I will do whatever I need to do to prove-”
I didn’t let her finish. With all the strength I could muster, I lifted myself and pressed my lips into hers. Immediately, she sank into my touch and moaned into my lips. She had no damn clue how much that affected me, and when I finally lost the strength to remain upright, I fell back to the bed and met her eyes. “You’ve proven yourself enough.”
“But-”
“Aria, you used your body as a shield to protect me. You turned on your brother and faced the consequences of that. Hell, you gave me your blood to keep me alive while we went to the hospital. I don’t blame you, and Serg didn’t blame you when I told him, either. I understand. I wish you wouldn’t have come into our home with that intention, but I get it.”
She nodded slowly. “Do you remember everything that happened?” she asked hesitantly. “Everything that Matteo said?”
The events still came back in fragments, and I furrowed my brows, thinking about what I recalled from the warehouse. A feeling of excitement caught my attention, and I focused hard on what Matteo had said before slitting my wrists. Pregnant.
The word stuck in my mind, and I focused on her with wide eyes.
“You’re pregnant?” I asked.
I held my breath, waiting for her response. We hadn’t used protection, so it was more than possible. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of the possibility. When we’d had sex, it had always been spontaneous and unplanned. We hadn’t thought about protection, and now…
“I am.”
I had no idea what to think or feel, but an intense sensation of protectiveness swept over me at the thought of all the conflict to come. Having her vulnerable and with a child during all of this was unthinkable. The other four Italian families would surely seek revenge for what had gone down. They’d want to eliminate all of us for this, and I wouldn’t lose her or a child.
“We have to leave.”
Her brows shot up. “What do you mean?”
“We’re going to be in a lot of danger after what went down, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you. My job doesn’t mean as much to me as you and our child.”
She shook her head, and when I went to open my mouth and tell her that there wasn’t a choice in the matter, she swung herself atop me and placed a finger to my lips. “I took care of it.” “How?” I demanded.
“The Colombo boss came to discuss options moving forward. I aligned myself with you, but I also inherited the Ruso boss title. He said that in exchange for handing over the businesses, he and the rest of the
Commission would leave the Irish mob to coexist here in New York. There are conditions, of course,” she said with a shrug, “But we can stay and live our lives without repercussions.”
The offer sounded too good to be true, but it didn’t sound unrealistic. All they wanted was power, and taking over the Ruso family’s businesses was a big power grab-one that they could have in exchange for preventing bloodshed. Aria stood to gain millions of dollars in assets, but she chose to give that up… for me.
“I want you and our child to be safe,” I told her. “I don’t care what we have to give to make that happen.”
She smiled down at me, bending and pressing her lips into mine. “With you, I guarantee I’ll always be safe.”
When her lips moved against mine, everything else faded. Every injury and tinge of weakness left my body. Pain no longer existed as she settled atop me and ground into my hips, narrowly avoiding the gunshot wound on my thigh.
“I know this isn’t usually how we do this,” she whispered against my lips. “But I’ve been aching for you. I need to feel you with me. I know that sounds crazy, but I need to know that you’re okay.”
It didn’t matter if I was clinging to life by a thread; I would never turn her down. “Go and lock the door.”
Her smile widened, and she sprung from me, prancing forward and shutting the hospital door. She clicked the lock into place, and when she began striding back toward me, she unbuttoned the pullover she wore, allowing it to drop in her path. She did the same with her pants and panties, leaving her in nothing but a lace bra. She looked at me, an unspoken question in her eyes.
“You’re the most stunning thing I’ve ever seen,” I told her.
She exhaled deeply, the hesitation falling away as she got back atop me. I wore only a thin hospital gown, and it did nothing to hide the bulging erection as she sat atop me and ground into me.
“I know you prefer being the one in charge,” she whispered, grinding into me again. “But this will have to work for now.”
“Come here,” I told her, gesturing for her to come closer. She bent, and I lifted one of my arms, gripping her chin. An ache shot through my wrist, but I ignored it, far more focused on the goddess above me. “Just because
you’re on top doesn’t mean that I’m not in charge.”
Her eyes flared, and my dick throbbed in anticipation.
“I want you to get down there and wrap your pretty lips around my cock.
And I want you to take me deep.”
She shuttered and nodded. “Okay,” she whispered.
“And I only want you to stop when I tell you.”
She did exactly as I demanded, lifting my hospital gown and looking at me through lowered lashes. As she licked up my shaft, I clenched my jaw.
“Aria,” I stopped her.
“Yes?” she asked in a seductresses tone.
“I want to taste you, too.”
Her eyes flared, and she did precisely what I wanted, turning her body so that her tight little pussy hovered over my mouth. And as she sank herself on my cock, I gripped her ass and pulled her down, feasting on her at the same time. The taste of her coated my tongue. My throat. The slickness of her showed how ready she was for me, and I took in all of her writhing moans. I squeezed her ass with the hand that didn’t throb nearly as much, and I brought her fully down on my face.
Aria’s moans sent vibrations down my cock and through my body as the heat grew within me. She bucked and cried out, and I held her in place as I drew every ounce of pleasure from her, allowing mine to build.
Then, when I knew I’d brought her to her breaking point, I withdrew.
“Okay,” I demanded, and she pulled away immediately, looking over my shoulder.
Fuck, the sight of her looking over a bare shoulder, bared entirely for me, nearly had me spilling my seed across the bed. “What now?” she asked huskily.
“I want to fuck you, Aria.”
She turned, not hesitating, as she aligned herself and sank down on me. I still felt the pulses of her last orgasm, and I groaned as she began rocking hard against me, bouncing and crying out. Her breasts bounced along with her, and as she tipped her head to the ceiling, crying out again, I came undone.
When she slowed to a stop, falling back to my chest and breathing heavily, I finally found it inside myself to say what I’d been thinking since waking.
“You’re never going anywhere again. You’re not allowed to leave me.”
She nodded, and I felt the smile on my chest. “The same goes for you.”