Before I came down from the high of climax, Lucien drove deep, and I felt the hot flood of his cum filling me. It was exactly what I needed from him. A few seconds later, he pulled out. I stayed where I was, enjoying the feel of his cum running down my inner thighs.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
He left me long enough to get a washcloth. Then he cleaned me up, and we stretched out together on the bed. I turned to face him, and the raw emotion in his eyes had me drawing in a sharp breath.
“I love you, Peter. I know being with me won’t ever be easy for you, but I need you like I need air to breathe.”
“I love you too.” I knew how hard it was for him to say those words, and I wondered if he knew how much they meant.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen. My father loved my mother deeply, and losing her devastated him. I told myself I’d never let that happen to me, but I know that’s not what my mother would’ve wanted, and no matter how much pain he suffered, my father never wished he hadn’t met my mother. You are to me what she was to him, the one person that I want to be with forever. The one person I would do anything for.”
I stroked his cheek. “Thank you for telling me that, but you don’t have to do anything for me. You just have to keep being you and keep loving me.”
“I can do that, but I can’t stop being a controlling son of a bitch.”
“Lucien, if I wasn’t okay with that, I would never have fallen in love with you.”
He kissed me then, pulling me into his arms and letting me feel all his strength, assuring me he was my protector but also the man who’d made me realize I could be strong.
34
Epilogue
Lucien
I followed Peter into the barn, grimacing as I looked down at my expensive leather shoes. I was going to have to get some boots and proper clothes for this if he was going to keep insisting I accompany him.
If he ever doubted my love for him, I would just remind him that there was no other person in the world—not my brother, or my cousin, or my father, or my aunt—that I had ever voluntarily walked through horse shit for.
I didn’t like horses. I never had. They looked at you in a way that said they were up to something, and the second you got complacent, that’s when they were going to fuck you over. I knew that look. Devil wore it most of the time.
I’d been to the barn a few times since the day I’d purchased Clover and Prince for Peter. Each time my beautiful boy had tried to insist I pet the ponies or feed them a treat. I always declined, but I hated the disappointed look on his face. So when he turned to me that day and held out one of the peppermint treats Clover loved, I took it from him. Love makes you do fucking crazy things.
“Let it rest in your palm and keep your hand flat. That way she won’t nibble your fingers.”
“Why would I voluntarily feed a creature that might bite me?”
Peter rolled his eyes. “She’s not going to bite you hard enough to hurt, but she’ll have trouble grabbing the treat if you curl up your hand.”
I frowned at Peter, not at all sure that was true, but I’d faced down trained assassins, so surely I could let a small pony eat a treat from my hand. I held my hand out where Clover could reach it. She snuffled, and it tickled, but I bit my lip to keep from laughing. When she snatched the treat and pulled her head back, I yanked my hand away. “There. I did it. Are you happy?”
Peter laughed. “I’ll be happier when you learn to relax around her, but I’m very proud of you. Good job.”
I snarled at him, but Cathy called out to us before I had a chance to say anything else. She was ready to start Peter’s lessons.
He’d taken easily to riding. Cathy was amazed at the progress he’d made in only a few lessons. I leaned against the corral fence, not even worrying about it scratching my suit. The things I did for this boy. As I was watching him walk Prince over some low poles, my phone rang. I glanced at it and saw it was Vinnie. I owed him a lot for the help he’d given my family with the Riccis, so I took the call.
“Marchesi.”
“Mr. Marchesi, I’ve confirmed Mario’s and Stefan’s involvement in the trafficking ring Jimmy mentioned, and…” His voice broke for a moment. “I’ve also confirmed that Mario is the man who killed my sister. I want your permission to make the kill.”