Deadly Devotion

Chapter Nineteen: Coming Home

I drove back to the city at dawn.

The whole drive, my hands were shaking on the wheel. Not from fear. From need. I needed to see Dante. To touch him. To prove to myself he was really okay.

I went straight to the estate. Marco had texted me that everyone was still there. Dealing with police. Cleaning up. Making sure everything was handled.

The gates opened when I arrived. Security waved me through. They knew who I was now.

The house looked normal from the outside. But when I got closer, I could see the damage. Bullet holes in the front door. Broken windows. Blood on the front steps.

My stomach turned.

This had been real. Actually real. Men with guns trying to kill the people I cared about.

Isabella answered the door. She looked exhausted but unharmed.

"Mia. Thank god. Come in."

She pulled me into a hug. A real one. Like I was actually family.

"Where's Dante?"

"In the study with Salvatore and Marco. They're finishing up with the police."

"The police are here?"

"Giving statements. We're the victims. Someone attacked our home. We defended ourselves. All legal. Mostly."

She led me through the house. I could see more damage. Furniture overturned. More bullet holes in walls. This place had been a war zone hours ago.

At the study door, Isabella knocked once and opened it.

Three police officers were inside. Taking notes. Salvatore was talking, calm and composed like always. Marco stood by the window.

And Dante sat behind the desk looking tired and stressed and perfect.

His eyes found me immediately. Something in his expression cracked.

"Excuse me," he said to the police. "I need a moment."

He crossed the room in three strides. Pulled me out into the hallway. Wrapped his arms around me so tight I could barely breathe.

"You're here. You're actually here."

"I'm here. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Not a scratch. Marco took the bullet meant for me."

I pulled back. "What?"

"He's fine. Just his shoulder. The bullet went clean through. But he saw the shooter aiming at me and moved in the way. Saved my life."

"Oh god."

"Yeah." He pulled me close again. "I was so scared. When they were shooting. When everything was chaos. All I could think was that I might never see you again. That I'd die without telling you how much you mean to me."

"Don't talk like that. You're alive. You're fine."

"Because of you. Because you warned us. We would have been sitting ducks if you hadn't called."

"I just did what I had to do."

"You saved my family. You saved me." He cupped my face. "I love you. More than anything. More than this family. More than any of it. You understand?"

"I understand."

He kissed me. Right there in the hallway with police in the next room and his family around.

Not hiding. Not pretending. Just loving me openly.

When we broke apart, Salvatore was standing in the doorway.

"The police are done. They're leaving." He looked at me. "Mia. You warned us about the attack."

"Yes."

"Marco told me. You got information from your FBI contact and you used it to protect us."

"Yes."

He studied me for a long moment. "That was a brave thing to do. Smart. And it saved lives."

"I just wanted everyone safe."

"You could go to prison for what you did. Helping criminals. Interfering with an investigation."

"I know."

"And you did it anyway."

"I did it for Dante. For all of you."

Salvatore nodded slowly. "You're family now. Really family. Not just because you're with Dante. But because you proved your loyalty when it mattered."

He extended his hand. I shook it.

"Thank you," he said simply. "For protecting my sons."

Then he walked away, leaving me and Dante alone in the hallway.

"Did that really just happen?" I asked. "Did your father just accept me?"

"He did. You're one of us now. For better or worse."

"Mostly worse probably."

"Definitely mostly worse." He smiled slightly. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I need to be alone with you."

We went to his apartment. The penthouse where we'd first made love. Where so much had happened between us.

Inside, Dante locked the door. Leaned against it. Just looked at me.

"I thought I lost you," he said quietly. "When the shooting started. When bullets were flying. I thought this was it. This was how I died. And all I could think was that I'd never get to hold you again."

"But you're here. You survived."

"We survived." He pushed off the door. Came to me. "I need you. Right now. I need to feel alive. Need to feel you."

"Then take me. I'm yours."

He kissed me hard. Desperate. His hands already pulling at my clothes.

We didn't make it to the bedroom. He backed me against the wall. His hands everywhere. Rough and urgent and needy.

"Tell me you're mine," he demanded.

"I'm yours."

"Say it again."

"I'm yours, Dante. Only yours. Always."

He yanked my shirt over my head. Unhooked my bra and tossed it aside. His mouth already on my breast, sucking hard on my n****e.

I gasped, my hands fisting in his hair.

His hand slid between my legs. Into my jeans. Past my underwear. His fingers went down to my p***y already wet.

"Always so ready for me," he growled. "Your body knows who it belongs to."

"Yes. Only you."

He pulled his hand out. Started working on my jeans. Got them open and shoved them down along with my underwear.

I stood against the wall completely naked while he was still fully dressed.

"Turn around," he ordered. "Hands on the wall."

I turned. Put my hands flat against the wall.

I heard his belt. The sound of his zipper. Then his hands were on my hips, positioning me.

"Spread your legs."

I did.

He entered me from behind in one hard thrust. We both groaned.

"f**k, you feel good. So tight. So perfect."

He didn't start slow. Just began pounding into me immediately. Hard, brutal thrusts that made me brace against the wall.

This wasn't gentle. This was need. Raw and desperate. A man who'd almost died needing to feel alive.

"Touch yourself," he ordered. "Make yourself come on my cock."

I reached between my legs. Found my c**t. Rubbed circles while he f****d me.

"That's it. Good girl. Come for me."

The orgasm built fast. His c**k hitting deep. My fingers on my c**t. The intensity of everything we'd been through.

"I'm close," I gasped.

"Then come. Now."

I came hard, crying out his name. My p***y clenched around him. He followed immediately, shouting as he emptied himself inside me.

We stayed like that for a moment. Both breathing hard. Both trembling.

Then he pulled out. Turned me around. Lifted me.

"Bedroom. Now. I'm not done with you."

He carried me to the bedroom. Laid me on the bed. Stripped off his own clothes.

Then he was on me again. His mouth everywhere. My neck. My breasts. Down my stomach.

He spread my legs. Looked at my p***y, still wet with our combined release.

"So beautiful. So perfect. Mine."

He lowered his head. His tongue licked through my folds. Tasting both of us. Cleaning me with his mouth.

The sensation was overwhelming. Too much. Too intense.

"Dante, I can't. I'm too sensitive."

"You can. And you will. Give me one more."

His tongue found my c**t. Circled it gently at first. Then more pressure. More intensity.

His fingers pushed inside me. Two of them. Curling to hit that spot.

"Oh god. Oh god."

"That's it. Let me hear you."

He worked me with his mouth and fingers. Building the pressure again. Taking me higher.

When the orgasm hit, it was different. Deeper. More intense. I came screaming, my whole body shaking.

He crawled up my body. Positioned himself at my entrance.

"One more time," he said. "I need to be inside you one more time."

"Yes. Please."

He entered me slowly this time. Inch by inch. Making me feel every bit of him.

When he was fully inside, he stopped. Just looked at me.

"I love you," he said. "More than I've ever loved anything. You're my whole world."

"I love you too."

He started moving. Slow and deep. Not f*****g. Making love.

His hands were gentle on my body now. Touching me like I was something precious.

"You saved my life today," he said quietly. "You saved everyone I care about."

"You would have done the same for me."

"In a heartbeat."

He increased his pace gradually. Building the pleasure slowly.

I wrapped my legs around him. Pulled him deeper.

"I'm close again," I whispered.

"Me too. Come with me. Together."

A few more thrusts and we both fell over the edge. Holding each other. Eyes locked. Coming together like we were one person instead of two.

After, we lay tangled in his sheets. Both exhausted. Both satisfied. Both alive.

"Marry me," he said suddenly.

I went still. "What?"

"Marry me. I'm serious. I want you to be my wife. I want it legal and official and permanent."

"Dante, we can't just..."

"Why not? We love each other. We've been through hell together. We've chosen each other over everything else. Why wait?"

"Because everything is crazy right now. Because we're still dealing with the aftermath of a gang war. Because..."

"Because you're scared."

"Yes. I'm terrified. What if this doesn't last? What if we destroy each other?"

"We won't. We've already tried that. We failed at destroying each other. So we might as well try being happy instead."

I looked at his face. At this man I loved. This complicated, criminal, beautiful man.

"Are you really sure? About me? About us?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He took my hand. Kissed my palm. "Marry me, Mia. Be my wife. Let me spend the rest of my life loving you."

Tears filled my eyes. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

His smile was brilliant. Pure joy. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He kissed me. Deep and slow and full of promise.

"I don't have a ring yet. I'll get you one. The biggest, most beautiful ring in New York."

"I don't need a big ring. I just need you."

"You have me. Completely. Forever."

We stayed in bed the rest of the day. Making love. Talking. Planning a future that seemed impossible and perfect at the same time.

I'd crossed every line. Broken every rule. Become everything I'd sworn never to be.

But I'd also found love. Real, deep, consuming love.

And I'd choose that. Every time.

Even if it destroyed me.

Even if it cost me everything.

Because Dante was worth it.

We were worth it.

Whatever came next, we'd face it together.

As partners. As lovers. As husband and wife.

Together.