The Vessel - Jenika Snow Page 0,51
hadn’t known what the sex was until this moment, but we narrowed it down to two. Aiden if it was a boy, and Lyla for a little girl.
I’d be the best fucking father to that little boy, and the ugliness and loneliness my father bestowed on me would never touch my children. They’d know their father loved them. They’d know they always had someone to watch their back, to protect them and give them kindness and support.
I couldn’t stop myself from cupping her face and leaning in, kissing her deeply until I was breathless. “I love you,” I whispered against her mouth.
“I love you too, Lucius.” She placed her hands in my hair, smoothing her fingers over the short blond strands, keeping me close. It was clear neither of us gave a shit the tech could see all this.
A lucky bastard. That’s what I was, and I would never screw this up.
Not ever, because when you had something as good and pure, perfect and right as what I had—what I felt for Elise—you hung onto it with every fucking molecule of your being.
Epilogue One
Elise
Eighteen months later
I could get use to this, but not because of the money or the mansion, not because Lucius insisted on buying me pretty stuff because he said he liked looking at me in the things he bought.
I could get used to this because of the love Lucius gave me, the way he made me smile every day, and the way he made me feel beautiful despite the fact that I was thicker and had some stretch marks thanks to carrying and birthing our little boy, Aiden.
He made me feel like there was no one else in the world that mattered to him except Aiden and me. And he made sure I felt like that every single moment of every single day.
I glanced over at him, the back of the limo smelling of leather and the expensive cologne Lucius wore. God, I loved that combination, and I especially loved the way he looked in a suit. He hadn’t given up the Blacksmith company, and I’d been grateful, not just for the people who worked with him and for him, but because Lucius was doing so much good. The thought of breaking up the company, of Lucius selling because of some barbaric, disgusting thing his father wanted him to do—even if I was having his baby—seemed so wrong. Lucius wasn’t anything like his father. He was good and warm and everything I ever wanted in my life.
But I put all that in the back of my mind, not letting reality seep into this moment with the man I loved.
This was the first night we’d gone out as a couple since Aiden was born, and it had been perfect. Lucius had taken me to our favorite restaurant, an intimate authentic Portuguese place owned by Maria Alfonso and her husband Francesco, two immigrants who moved to the States when they were barely in their twenties. They started the restaurant from the ground up, and now it was a renowned business that was packed every day of the week.
I was staring at the man I loved, the father of my son, and soon to be my husband. I looked down at the diamond solitaire engagement ring. He proposed to me shortly after we found out I’d gotten pregnant, and although I’d been worried he was only asking because of the baby, he squashed any worries when he cupped my face in his hands, looked into my eyes, and said he loved me more than anything and wanted us to be a family.
He looked at me now, and as the seconds moved by, I watched the way his eyes heated, the look of pure lust covering his face.
“You’re looking at me like you want something, baby.”
I swallowed, the interior of the limo getting too hot. I felt beads of sweat line the area between my breasts, felt desire pool between my legs.
He leaned back, and the grin slowly spread on his face. “Well, if you’re still hungry, Elise, come and get it, girl.” He patted his lap, and I felt my heart race.
I wasn’t about to deny him… or me for that matter. I wanted Lucius pretty fucking badly. He put the privacy screen up, sealing us in, allowing us to really have this intimate moment.
I moved over to him, and he reached out and grabbed my waist, hauling me onto his lap. I instantly felt how hard he was, that