“You called me Angel once. When I had my breakdown,” I murmured.
Alessio smiled. “Yes. I always knew you were my Angel, but I was too stubborn to admit it.”
It didn’t matter anymore if he was stubborn or not.
“You are my Angel.”
Yes, I was. I was his. I was his Angel.
And he was mine. My Made Man. My monster. Whoever he was, whether he was the killer or the sweet man he was with me, I accepted him.
I breathed him in. Closing my eyes, I let my senses take over, feeling Alessio, savoring his touch and voice. I couldn’t live without him. This beautiful broken man had given me his heart, and in return, I had laid mine in his palms.
We were two broken hearts. Two broken halves making a whole.
“I can’t promise you everything will be perfect.” My eyes snapped open at Alessio’s voice, and I waited for him to continue. “My life is not perfect. The world is fucked up and dangerous. Life is not going to be rosy. But I can promise to make it as perfect as I can. All I know is that I need you. This makes me a selfish man, Ayla. I should let you go. You would be better off without me, but I’m selfish when it comes to you.”
My fingers went to his lips to silence him. “It’s okay. That’s all I needed to hear, Alessio. I can’t live without you, either. This is enough for me. It’s more than enough. I don’t need or want anything else. I just want you.”
Before I could say anything else, Alessio had me crushed to his chest, hugging me so tight. My ribs felt like they were about to break. “Can’t breathe,” I squeaked, but I still wrapped my arms around him, returning the hug just as fiercely.
He kissed the top of my forehead, his lips lingering there. “You are my Angel.”
There it was. Those words again.
I sighed in contentment. I love you was needed. We were more than that. The words that Alessio had whispered to me meant more than those common three words.
You are my Angel. These held more power.
“And you are the man who brings me peace.” I whispered the words ever so softly. “The man who makes my heart flutter and fills my stomach with butterflies. Just one look from you, a simple word, just one sweet kiss, or one soft caress, it is enough to make me the happiest woman. You are my strength, Alessio.”
His arms tightened around me, and I smiled. Oh yes, my words had the same effect on him as his words had on me.
Alessio was a man of few words, yet he was able to say so much to me. I wished I had more to say. I wished I had more words to show what my heart…what I truly felt. But I didn’t.
I’d rather just show him. Bringing his lips to mine, I kissed him. Softly and gently. The kiss wasn’t fast or hard. It was sweet and slow. We took our time, our lips moving in sync, and we savored each other. Alessio let me lead the kiss. He didn’t push for more. He let me kiss him. So I did, for the longest time.
Our tongues mated together in a slow, sweet loving. We kissed until we were breathless. And when we pulled apart, my heart felt like it had been restored. By the look Alessio was giving me, I could tell he felt the same.
My lips still tingled from the kiss. I could still feel him there, and a dreamy smile spread across my lips.
“I dreamed of you before you came into my life. When I was still a little boy, I dreamed of you. Black hair and green eyes, with a beautiful smile,” Alessio said gruffly, his voice tight with emotions.
I stuttered, and he smiled. “You were always meant for me, Ayla.”
“I was.” I nodded in agreement. “I just wished I had found you sooner, Alessio. Then you wouldn’t have needed to wait for me for so long.”
“It doesn’t matter. You found me now, and I’m never letting you go.”
“I don’t want you to ever let me go. Even if you tried, I’ll just come back,” I teased, although the words spoken rang with the truth.
“Good.” This time, it was Alessio who took my lips.
The kiss wasn’t sweet as before. He devoured me. He kissed me a like a madman. Like an animal craving for his mate. He took my lips deeply and possessively. Alessio kissed me with all he had.
His tongue shoved past my lips, kissing me with a frenzied desperation. I moaned against his lips, my hands going to his hair, my fingers tightening. He nipped at my bottom lip, and I leaned more into his kiss, demanding more.
When he pulled away, I could feel his pounding heart against mine. Alessio stared down at me with soft eyes, although the lust was blazing there with ferocious intensity. I trembled in anticipation for him.