Chapter 38

Ignoring everyone else, I carry Lili into the house. Our house. Our home. I didn’t realize her father told the driver to take us here until we were pulling up. This is not how I pictured this going. Lili finally seeing our place for the first time. But she’s here now, and I’m not fucking letting her go.

As we’re walking up the stairs, I can’t help but hear her father tell Alessandro not to follow us. I don’t look back, though. I continue straight into our bedroom and close the door.

I don’t set her down again until I carry her into the bathroom. I reach in the shower stall and turn on the water before I pull my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor. I grab for Lili’s sweater next. She lifts her arms and helps me tug it off her. Neither one of us says a word as we strip down. Taking her hand, I lead her under the spray and pull her body against mine. Red tints the droplets and pools around our feet.

“I love you so fucking much,” I whisper into her neck. “I was so fucking scared.”

“I’m sorry,” she says. “I love you, Travis. I shouldn’t have pushed you away like I did.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. But I also shouldn’t have let you. I should have fought harder,” I admit. “Never again, Lili. I’m not going to be apart from you ever again.”

I let go of her so I can reach behind her head and pick up the loofah. I squirt some bodywash on it before lifting her left arm and running the loofah over her skin, repeating the process until the water is clear again.

Lili sucks in a huge breath. “Mmm, I like smelling like you.”

“I like you smelling like me too,” I tell her, pausing before asking her what I really want to know. “Lili, did he…?” I can’t even say the word.

“No.” She shakes her head. “No, Travis, he didn’t.”

I cup her face. There are bruises forming on her right cheek, and my fingers tremble with rage.

“I’m okay,” she says.

“I… I’m so fucking proud of you, Liliana.”

“For what?” she asks as her eyebrows draw down.

“For how strong you are, how resilient you are. You saved yourself, babe. You didn’t need anyone to save you. You did that all on your own. And that strength is something to admire.” I kiss the middle of her forehead and her body leans into my touch.

“I killed someone, Travis. I killed Gray’s uncle. I should feel something, right? I took a life.” Lili’s hands start shaking, and despite the warmth of the water, I can feel goose bumps rising all over her skin.

“No, you survived, babe.”

“No, I ran. He was unconscious and I ran out of the room. But then I went back up there when I saw the knife. And I stabbed him, over and over, until I couldn’t stab him anymore. He wasn’t even conscious and I kept going,” she says.

“You did what you had to do. That’s all.”

“Maybe…”

“No fucking maybes about it.” I tip her chin up and force her to look at me. I want her to see what I see when I look at her. How in awe I am.

Once we’re both clean, I turn off the water and grab a towel from the shelf. I pat Lili down before getting another towel and wrapping it around her. After I dry myself off, I take her hand and lead her out to the bedroom. I pull a shirt out of the closet and tug it over her head as the towel drops from her body.

“Do you want to go downstairs?” I ask as I pull a pair of sweats up my legs.

Lili shakes her head and her eyes flick to the bed. “Not yet. I just want to lie down.”

I take her hand in mine again, lead her over to the bed, and pull the blankets back. I climb in after her, covering us both up before pulling her into my arms. “How long do you think they’ll leave us alone in here?”

“Not long,” she says with a yawn. “I’m so tired.”

“Go to sleep, babe. I’ve got you,” I tell her.

I lie still while holding the girl who has become my whole fucking world in my arms. I watch as her body relaxes and she drifts off to sleep. I don’t move an inch, not wanting to disturb her.

My head turns to the door when it opens a few minutes later, and I bring a finger to my lips, telling her father and brother to be quiet. Their eyes drop to Lili before landing on me again.

“How is she?” her father asks, keeping his voice low.

“She’s okay.”

He nods, and it looks like he wants to say something else. I also get the feeling he wants nothing more than to reach into this bed and drag his daughter out of it. He doesn’t, though, which I’m grateful for. Because he’d have to pry her from my cold, dead hands. And there’s been enough bloodshed around my girl today.

“My men found a marriage certificate at the house. That bastard forced her to sign it,” Mr. Valentino says after a long pause.

“He what?” I ask through gritted teeth, a new bout of rage boiling beneath my surface.

“It’s not legally binding, but she wouldn’t have known that,” he says. “Let me know when she wakes up.” He turns and walks towards the door. Stopping before he leaves the room to glance back at me over one shoulder. “Travis, don’t fuck this up.”

I nod my head at him. I’m guessing that’s as good as an approval I’ll ever get from the man. Well, that and the fact that he’s not actively trying to get rid of me or threatening to kill me anymore.

Alessandro lingers at the end of the bed for another minute before he follows his father out of the room.

“I will never fuck this up,” I whisper my promise to Lili. “I love you.”

She stirs in my arms, and I tighten my hold on her. I don’t dare fall asleep, though. Instead, I watch her while I plan out the rest of our lives.

A few hours later, Lili blinks her eyes open. “Travis?” she questions.

“Yeah, babe, I’m here,” I tell her as I lean over and kiss her temple.

Lili rolls over onto her back. “Kiss me properly.”

“With fucking pleasure.” I turn onto my side, grip her chin in my fingers, and gently press my lips to hers.

Lili takes hold of the back of my head, tugging me harder against her as she pushes her tongue into my mouth. Deepening the kiss. This right here, with her, feels like heaven.

I pull back to look at her. “Promise me that you’re never leaving again.”

“I promise,” she says. “I will never leave. You are my heart and soul, Travis O’Neil.”

“And you are my everything, Liliana Valentino. I refuse to lose you again.”

Lili smiles at me. “You never lost me. I was always yours.”

I press my lips to hers again as I slip my tongue back into her mouth and hear her soft moans. I close my eyes and see that familiar shade of red. This woman lights up my world. She is my end goal.