Tainted Promise Bonus Epilogue

Vanna

Six months later

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”

Gabriel lifted my hand to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on my palm, then intertwined our fingers and rested them on his thigh. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.”

“I don’t need a surprise.”

Because I had a surprise of my own. One I couldn’t wait to share with him.

“Just relax and let me take care of you.”

I sank into the soft leather of the plane’s seat, watching my husband for any clues as to where he was taking me.

This morning he’d told me we were going on a trip before packing my bag and then making breakfast like he did most mornings.

I loved seeing this side of him. He wasn’t afraid to show me how much I meant to him. And I’d been so happy these past few months that I was permanently walking on pink clouds and rainbows.

“You always take care of me.”

“That’s because you’re my world, anghele mou.”

God, this man. He might have been on top of the biggest crime empire Chicago had ever seen, but he was also a devoted husband. He never failed to let me know how much I meant to him. Never let me forget that I was the most important thing in his life.

He’d been working a lot since everything happened with Aleksándr. The bratva still didn’t have a new boss. Instead, they’d splintered, and a power struggle threatened to destroy the city we called home.

But Gabriel had been working tirelessly for a peaceful resolution. And if our little getaway was any indication, he was getting closer to end the war that threatened.

I’d cut all contact with my family and former acquaintances. My tetya had reached out to me after it all happened, asking for money and a safe place to hide.

I’d given her both, much to my husband’s disapproval. But since he’d never deny me anything, he’d given her a roof over her head—which to him was a shack in Alaska—and enough money to get her through a few years unless she got a job.

Something she would detest.

The “fasten seat belt” sign came on, and we descended toward familiar brilliant blue-and-green water.

“We’re going back to Greece?” My voice vibrated with excitement. I’d always treasured the time we’d spent here, and going back had been a secret wish of mine. But Gabriel had already done so much for me, and I didn’t want to ask for more.

“I know how much you loved it here. And since I would never turn down an opportunity to be alone with you, I was working on getting us back here.”

I turned to him as much as the seat belt allowed, placing a kiss on his neck since it was all I could reach. “This is the best surprise ever.”

“How grateful are you, exactly?”

I laughed at his question. “As grateful as you need me to be.”

His eyes glittered with desire, and my body flushed with heat in response. I clenched my thighs together, hoping to relieve some of the ache between them.

A strong arm pulled me into his side. “You can show me on the boat ride.”

***

We barely made it inside our cabin before Gabriel ripped my clothes off, uncaring of buttons or zippers. His clothes followed the same fate, floating down to the floor next to mine. He pushed me against the wall, entering me with one stroke.

I’d never get used to the feeling of completeness when he was inside me. Our movements were frantic, our mouths clashing together as if we hadn’t been with each other in years when we’d made love just that morning.

Our need to be with each other had only grown with each month that passed. And I didn’t see us ever burning out.

He pushed deep inside me, and I writhed against him, my legs locked around him, my arms holding on. My head thumped against the wall, and then his mouth was on my throat, nipping and kissing.

“What you do to me.” His voice was thick with desire as he held me in a tight grip. “You’re a dream, one I never want to wake up from.”

His words sent me over the edge, my sex clenching around him, the waves of ecstasy rolling over me. He emptied himself inside me with a loud groan and a clenched throat. I licked the line of his tense jaw, reveling in the slightly salty taste.

“And you’re my savior. My knight in black armor.”

He carried us to the bathroom, setting me on the counter before cleaning me. I’d long since lost my embarrassment at him running a wet cloth between my legs. He insisted on doing it, and I loved it when he cared for me.

Once we were both cleaned up, we collapsed onto the bed, where he pulled me into him, pressing a soft kiss against my head.

“So when are you going to tell me you’re pregnant?”

I lifted up on my elbow, my mouth slack. “How…? But I only just found out.”

He brushed a wayward strand of hair out of my face. “Did you really think you could hide a doctor’s appointment from me?”

Some might have found him overbearing, but I knew he was a possessive bastard who cared about my wellbeing more than anything. And I loved that he couldn’t help himself.

I leaned in, looking at his beautiful eyes, taking in their brilliant blue that resembled the ocean we were currently on. “I’m pregnant.”

He rested his forehead on mine. “Finally.”

Chuckling, I brushed my nose against his. “I’m ten weeks along.”

I’d always been irregular with my periods, which was why I didn’t notice I was pregnant until last week when I was sick when going to bed. I hadn’t thought much of it until I added up all the symptoms: sore breasts, tired, vomiting.

A pregnancy test confirmed my suspicion, followed by a doctor’s appointment.

“I didn’t keep the test, because yuck.” I crinkled my nose. “And I haven’t done an ultrasound yet because I want you to be there.”

He moved his head to place a kiss on my lips, making me shiver. “I didn’t think I could be happier than I have been these past months, but you just proved me wrong.” He touched his lips to mine again, the slight contact enough to send a pleasant tingle through my body. “Thank you for giving me you, and now a child.”

I tightened my arms around him. My world had never felt more right. “I love you.”

“Not as much as I love you.”

He laid me back on the soft pillows and proceeded to show me how much I meant to him with his body and words.

I’d always been resigned to having a short and meaningless life. But Gabriel had shown me that I had a lot of life left to live. And I couldn’t wait to find out what path our lives would take. Because there was one thing I was certain of: we’d walk it hand in hand and with smiles on our faces.