“There is no me without you,” I said to my husband. “And I want the entire city to know that I love you beyond anything imaginable. You’re my happy ever after, Zeno.”
Zeno’s eyes blazed as he clasped my face, a slight tremor rolling through his frame.
I turned my head to kiss his palm.
“Men like me aren’t supposed to love the way I love you—with complete abandon and devotion—but I am helpless to your pull. You own me. Mind. Body. Soul,” he confessed. “I have many duties to fulfill, but God as my witness,youare the only thing that matters to me. I live for you and I will die for you too. In this lifetime and all the ones that follow, you—Darla Ivy Hill De la Croix—will always come first. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift of all; thank you for loving me,mon ange.”
“Today, tomorrow, forever,” I promised. “I love you, Zeno.”
He kissed my lips tenderly and wiped the dampness on my cheek.
My beautiful husband professed his love to me once more in his three languages. “I love you.Je t’aime. Ti amo,Darla. Don’t ever forget it.”
Our lips spoke and our hearts listened as two once lonely souls melded in a euphony of sweet vows.
I used to believe happily ever afters were tied to sunsets and Prince Charmings.
Mine was tied to moonlit nights and a dark villain who would burn the entire world for me.
“Where are you taking me?” Zeno asked when I started walking us backwards, my greedy hands running all over him.
“To the confessional box in the crypt, where you can finally ravage me.” I nipped his bottom lip. “I want to sin with you.”
“We have a plane to catch, Darla,” he tutted, but his eyes gleamed wickedly at my idea.
“Promise we’ll be quick.” It would take us five minutes to reach the crypt and fifteen minutes tops for Zeno to teach me another lesson.
He chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re so bad, baby.”
“It’s all your fault.”
My husband smirked like the devil. “How so?”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. “Don’t you know, Zeno? I’ve been corrupted by you.”
EPILOGUE
Darla
Zeno vowed to show me the world.
We had an entire lifetime to make our way across the globe, and it was humbling to know I had my soulmate by my side to create new memories over the next few decades.
For now, we began our journey in Italy—enjoying gondola rides, decadent gelatos, and embodyingla dolce vita—then in France—visiting la tour Eiffel, Musée du Louvre, and other magnificent sights while staying in Château De la Croix,which harboured such a romantic landscape—and worked our way through Europe.
Finishing our vacation in paradise—Île Darla—was the cherry on top of the cake. My husband truly was a connoisseur of the finer things in life. He picked this island wisely. Tucked in the Mediterranean, it was the most heavenly place I’d ever glimpsed.
“Is this really mine?” I asked for the third time this week, reduced to a dreamy languor when Zeno carefully laid my naked body on a plush bedding inside a cabana by the beach.
“Yes,mon trésor.”Soft wind carried his deep voice in a gentle croon. “Do you doubt me?”
“Never.”
Zeno knelt between my splayed thighs, naked as the day he was born.
In the moonlight, all his tattoos and cut muscles glistened from our nighttime soak in the shimmering water. I never ceased to be amazed by this man’s strength and robust body. His mouth-watering cock strained with the need to fuck and I licked my lips, watching his fist jerk his thickness from root to tip.
My eyes caught the ink spanning his right inner forearm.