I had this image of my husband’s past and none of it came close to what Zeno just revealed. I now pictured a young, scarred boy with mean parents and I softened, understanding another layer of this complex man. “No, you did all those things to survive. I’m so sorry for everything you went through, Zeno.”
Pleased that I wasn’t looking at him with pity or revulsion, he pecked my cheek. “Thank you, Darla.”
I was bursting at the seams with a multitude of questions. However, I reined them in. I didn’t want him to feel like I was making him relive memories he’d rather forget altogether.
One thing was for certain though, I now saw Zeno’s as less than the monster he claimed to be.
But I still wanted another secret. Something to shine light on the overcast. “Tell me something else.”
The ambiance suffused with a tantalizingje ne saisquoi. Anyone could walk by and see us tucked in the alcove, wrapped in our own little bubble. It wasn’t lost on me that I should push him away and reclaim another inch of my sanity, but the truth was I liked my husband’s nearness.
Craved it on a base level.
My family would be so ashamed of me.
“What else do you want to know?” His nose skimmed my jaw.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I loved how he was so tall, strong, and muscular. “Why did you gift me the car? The truth.”
“You wanted a green sports car, so I bought you one.”
It wasn’t the entire truth, but we were getting warmer. “Why did you refurnish the conservatory room when a simple office would have sufficed?”
“It’s nothing less than you deserve. I love spoiling you, Darla.” My husband’s exhales fanned over my parted lips and heated my veins with need. “Whether it’s with diamonds, fast cars, my tongue, or my cock.” He grabbed my leg, hooked it around his hip, and punctuated the statement by grinding himself against my core. “I always take care of what’s mine, baby.”
I bit my lip to tame my moan.
Zeno undid the clasp of my diamond necklace and shot it recklessly to the ground. His hand nabbed my throat and clenched. “Thisis the only accessory you’ll ever need adorning your neck,mon ange.” His lips brushed against mine. “This and my bruises.”
“You’re so possessive.” And I loved it.
“You’re only learning that now?” He spread kisses over my décolletage, the swells of my breasts served up with the low-necked bodice.
God, it would be so easy to let him tuck my thong to the side and fuck me standing up, while giving me a dose of his dirty talk.
I threaded my fingers through his hair with shaky fingers. “Tell me why you were in my room last night, Zeno.”
“To formally extend you an invitation for tonight.”
“You’re lying.”
“Prove it,” he said playfully and I realized this was my favourite version of my husband.
I yanked out the gun hidden in my thigh holster and pressed it under his chin, feeling bold and brazen beyond anything imaginable. “The truth, Zeno. She’s loaded.”
I bluffed.
The chamber was empty.
“There they are. Those claws that I love,” he rasped, looking so proud. “Maybe you do have what it takes to be a De la Croix.”
“Zeno.” The barrel indented his stubble. “The truth this time.”
Smirking, he spun me around and pressed my back to his front, stealing the gun from my hand effortlessly and bringing it undermychin.
I gasped at the feel of the cold metal and Zeno’s crooked grin stamped against the shell of my ear. His arm banded around my waist. “What makes you think I’m lying?”
“Female intuition,chérie.” I used those same claws to dig into the back of his hand while he sucked a voracious love bite near my pulse.