♥️

Aiden throws his head back in a fit of laughter, the same maniacal sound I've become accustomed to when anyone tries to mess with me.

"Wait. Please. Let me finish." I beg, wrapping my hand around his arm, his muscles trying to constrict in his growing rage.

His smile widens, dimples in full view. With a nod of his head, he gestures for me to continue. I can tell he's close to breaking, behind his emerald eyes he's thinking of a million ways to kill Leo.

I tell him about our failed reconnaissance mission, how I thought he was gone for good. How I thought my life was over.

His expression is still grim as he holds me on the railing, one strong arm wrapped around my back and the other on my thigh. "I just needed comfort Aiden; you have no idea the thoughts I was having as I looked out from the balcony. My mind was dark." The memory makes my eyes water. "I got drunk and thought it would be easier to just... jump." I admit, my voice so low. I was broken.

He pulls me in tight, planting a kiss on my neck. "I'm sorry baby. I'm so fucking sorry."

"We slept on the bed, that's it. Nothing happened."

"Okay." He says, his voice surprisingly calm.

I look into his eyes, "Okay?" Well, that was easy... "Thank you for understanding." I sigh in relief.

He laughs, "Oh don't get me wrong. I understand why you did it, I trust YOU. But I'm still going to have to kill him." I would think he was joking but he's dead serious.

"Aiden I fucking buried you." He looks at me in warning for taking such a harsh tone with him, but he bows his head when he realizes what I said. I continue, "Then I thought you were alive again, do you know the joy that went through me? Then I thought you were gone again. Leo was there for every bit of it. Do you have any idea what my mind was like? I don't know what you went through, but I wouldn't judge you for needing a moment of peace."

He shakes his head, opening his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "Leo knew, I really think that's why he took the bottle away and handed me the cigarette. The familiarity of you was what I needed. He was going to sleep on the couch, I'm the one who told him no. I was... afraid of what I'd do. I laid on his chest. We fell asleep. That's it."

His jaw twitches, "So he didn't... touch you?" He asks, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

I smile, "Of course not, no one else ever will." Then my smile fades, "He did help me shower." I remember.

"He fucking what?" Aiden growls, his hands clamping around my skin.

"Clothed!" I yell. "After I found your empty cell I kind of shut off, I was covered in muck and blood... I'm sorry. But don't blame him he was just trying to protect me."

His hand gently clamps around my throat, "You haven't seen fucking protective Emilia Banks."

I bite my lip, reveling in the feeling of his strong hands on me. "Fuck this." He growls, pulling me to him quickly.

His lips crash into mine. After a blissful moment I feel him hardening between my open legs, "What are you doing?" I ask in a moan, concerned about his broken ribs.

"Claiming you Emilia." His breath is ragged as I hear his zipper being torn down. "I'm not waiting any longer to fuck you, to bury myself so deep inside of you that there will never be room left for anyone to ever try to take you away from me."

"No one else ever will." I assure him with a breathy voice, he has nothing to worry about.

"I need to mold myself into you Emilia, stretch your perfect cunt with my throbbing fucking cock to signify just how fucking taken you are."

His warm hand slides in between my open legs, he pulls my panties to the side. The graze of his fingers against my slit send shivers through me.

I gasp as he enters me, "Already so fucking wet." He moans. "So fucking ready for me."

With a hard thrust I moan his name, eliciting a territorial growl from his hard chest. "Take me." I beg of him as he pounds into me. There's nothing methodical or sweet about this, he's rough and uncalculated. It's always passionate but this is more, so much more than I've ever experienced.

His rough calloused hands grip me in impossible ways as he slides into me fully, I know he'll stop if I make the slightest inclination that I'm in pain. He's so big, it's hard to fit it all inside but the feeling is so blissfully perfect I couldn't bare if he stopped. Couldn't bare it.

With courage and in complete euphoria I tell him how much this means to me, "This is where I'm supposed to be." My voice is different, smoother... rougher.

"What do you mean?" He moans, his thrust becoming desperate.

"You." I take my nails across his back. "Inside of me."

"Fuck, Emilia."

"I'm meant to be right here Aiden, my body is yours... I am yours." I assure his jealous mind as he pounds into me with desperate grunts escaping his full lips.

"As I am yours." He says, his voice different as well. It's breaking. I look into his eyes and see they're glazed over, until a tear falls down my cheek, I didn't realize mine had been the entire time too.

"I missed you." I moan, my nails digging into his back. He grunts, pounding into me further. He doesn't cover my mouth like he normally does. The night is quiet and my moans for him echo off the tall trees that surround the cabin. I bring my hand to cover it myself but he rips it away placing it on his back. I dig my nails in again.

With every thrust I feel his arm wrap around me tighter, making sure I don't fall off the ledge. It's a feeling of freedom being suspended so high in the air. Putting all of my trust into Aiden as he keeps me safe while sending me into euphoria.

His hands are everywhere and nowhere all at once, it's as if we're floating on air. I'm utterly transfixed, we are tangled, one.

Looking into each other's tear filled eyes, we both mutter the words 'I love you.' at the same time.

♠️ AIDEN ♠️

Leo may think he could have her, but that would never happen. She's mine. I don't care how it sounds to anyone else, her body, her everything belongs to me. I own her. As she owns me.

With every thrust inside of her I relish on that fact. Her trust for me is unrelenting. She is sitting on a thin porch railing, being nailed to it by me. My arm holding her in place and my cock holding her up. What more could I ask for in a woman? Complete and total fucking devotion is what she gives me.

I'm not mad at her for what happened. She was desperate, she buried me, and she had such a pure hope that I was alive only to find that locket necklace with me nowhere in sight, it had to be fucking devastating.

Her heart is so pure, I hate all of the things she's been through because of me. But I'm home now and I will protect her with my dying breath.

"You feel so good wrapped around my fucking cock." I tell her, bringing my lips against the soft skin on her neck.

Now, I just need Leo to know who she belongs too. I mark her, her neck her chest, everywhere my mouth lands is being marked. My fucking territory.

After, I make sure to fix her clothes as we head back upstairs. I'm going to have a little talk with Leo once she falls asleep.

I lay with her in the bed as she dozes off. "Can I at least cut off his hands?" I ask, smiling thinking about it.

"No." She groans.

"So, I can't kill him, can't cut off his hands." I shrug, she swats my arm. "I'll fire him." I compromise with her. She sits up immediately.

Shaking her head, she grabs my hand, "Aiden look I know you don't like him but his actions saved your life, you don't have to worry about me and him. I think he was just being sweet because I was so distraught, I don't think he likes me."

I raise my brow at her, and she continues, "It was completely innocent, I swear on everything it wasn't like that." She promises me, I believe her of course.

Oh my sweet naïve girl. It wasn't like that for you, but for him? No no no. Soon, he will understand what happens when someone tries to take advantage of you.

Yes, he helped return me to you, but I simply can't forgive the danger you were in and I can't get the image out of my head of your dark, soft hair laying against his chest by the ocean in Italy, that should have been me.... Not him.

I kiss her forehead and let her fall asleep in my arms, then I go find Leo.

♠️

See y'all Monday!

About to post my super important announcement as an Author's Note chapter!