Chapter 10 - The Morning After
The sun was high in the sky when Damien and Vanessa finally returned to their private estate in the hills overlooking the river.
The grand house was quiet, the blood and madness of the past twenty-four hours washed away by the morning rain. The estate security detail had been doubled, but inside, the high-ceilinged living room was warm, filled with the soft scent of fresh coffee and blooming white lilies.
Vanessa stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, looking out at the gardens below, wrapped in a comfortable silk robe, a warm mug resting between her hands.
Heavy, familiar arms wrapped gently around her waist from behind.
Damien pulled her back against his broad chest, resting his chin on her shoulder, careful of his bandaged arm. He breathed in the scent of her hair, letting out a long, contented sigh.
"You looked terrifying in the council chamber," Damien whispered against her neck, his warm breath sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. "Carmine looked like he was about to faint when you mentioned Luca's ledgers."
Vanessa smiled, leaning back against him. "Carmine is skittish because he’s been skimming three percent off the truck routing at Pier 4. I'll give him until Tuesday to return it before I audit his books."
Damien chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated against her back. "You really are ruthless, Mrs. Moretti."
"I learned from the best," she murmured, turning around within his embrace to face him. She reached up, gently straightening the collar of his shirt. "How is the shoulder?"
"It hurts like hell," Damien admitted honestly, looking down at her with eyes filled with boundless warmth and profound adoration. "But my heart has never felt better."
He looked at her for a long moment, the quiet between them filled with three years of unspoken love and the thrilling new truth of who they were together.
"I spent three years hiding my world from you, Vanessa," Damien said softly, his fingers gently brushing a stray lock of dark hair from her cheek. "I thought I was giving you peace. But I was keeping myself from knowing the most incredible part of my wife."
Vanessa rested her hands on his chest, feeling the strong, steady beat beneath his jacket.
"You gave me peace when I needed it most, Damien," she said quietly, her eyes shining with soft emotion. "And when your world tried to take you away from me, you gave me a reason to fight for it."
Damien leaned down, pressing his forehead gently against hers. "No more secrets?"
"No more secrets," Vanessa promised, a wicked, beautiful smirk playing on her lips. "Although... there is one small detail I forgot to mention."
Damien raised an eyebrow, a slight grin touching his mouth. "Oh? And what's that?"
Vanessa leaned up on her tiptoes, her lips hovering an inch from his.
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"I still expect you to buy me those garden roses every Friday."
Damien laughed, pulled her close against his chest, and kissed her—a deep, passionate kiss born of iron, silk, and a love that no shadow in the world could ever destroy.
