21. Antonio

Irest on her longer than I should. I’m so much bigger and heavier, I have to be a crushing weight. But I lost all sense of time—and I suspect she did, too.

She grimaces as I ease out of her slowly. I brush my mouth against hers. “I don’t deserve you,” I say humbly. “But I’m never letting you go. I’ll destroy anything that dares come between us.”

“Te amo,” she whispers into my neck, wrapping her limbs tighter around me so that I stay close.

She cradles my jaw in her hand. “There’s no room for anything to come between us. I won’t allow it. That’s why I drag you closer, every time you pull back. I won’t allow the space to get large enough for anything to wedge between us. It can only happen if we allow it. My strength is different than yours. But it knows no bounds.”

I roll over and pull her with me, until there’s no daylight between us.

I’ve done nothing in my life that makes me worthy of this moment. Of her love. But I take it. Gobble it up like a starving man.

“Te amo, meu amor. Your goodness chases away my demons. When you’re in my arms, I’m a better man.”

As we lay quietly, the moon disappears behind the clouds. Nothing lasts forever.

She’ll be fine without you.

It’s true. Daniela’s small, but she’s not fragile. Her strength and resilience are something to behold. But I want more for her. I want her to have the peace I crave. Something I’ll never be able to give her. Not in my lifetime.

“Come shower with me,” I whisper into her skin. “Let me soap your gorgeous body and lather your hair. It’s my turn to take care of you. Let me.”

She deserves to be cherished and worshipped. But she hates even the thought of anyone fussing over her. It makes her feel weak, and she doesn’t like to feel weak any more than I do.

“If you expect me to lower my walls for you,” I say gently, “you need to work on lowering yours for me.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve done that.”

I smile. “You have. But I want more. I always want more.”

I feel her head bob against my chest.

“I’m not sure I can walk,” she groans, stretching her legs.

“You don’t need to walk. Not as long as I’m here to carry you, Princesa.” I press my lips to her head. “With any luck, that’ll be for a long time.”

But even as I say it, I hear the clock ticking.