The Choice (House of Sin Book 6)
Page 15
She wrapped her arms tight around my neck and held me close, and as I buried my face in her throat, she whispered, “You won’t lose me. You’ll never lose me. I’ll wait for you, as long as it takes, okay? We’ll wait for you, Luc, I promise. You’re mine and I’m yours and we’re unbreakable.”
I captured her lips and kissed her. And when she groaned into my mouth, I picked her up, carried her around the corner to our bed, and lost myself in her all over again.
My world was chaos personified. My life had never been more of a mess. But she brought everything into perspective. She gave me strength. She gave me hope. She gave me a future.
She was my queen. My protector. My savior. And as I stripped her of my T-shirt and sank deep inside her, I vowed to finally and completely be the king that she deserved.
14
Natalie
“That’s it. What a good boy you are.”
I smiled down at Ian as he balanced precariously on his chubby feet in the middle of the living room carpet and moved back a half step.
“Come to Mommy, Ian.” I held my hands out, encouraging him. “You can do it, piccolino.”
He gurgled, smiled, and clapped his hands. Then, growing very serious, he took one tiny step and tumbled to the carpet.
I swept him up into my arms before he could cry and bounced him in my arms. “What a big boy you are! You almost did it!”
His little brow furrowed. He looked ready to start bawling, then his lips curled into a smile, and he mumbled “Ma ma ma,” as he pushed against me and tried to get me to bounce him harder.
I laughed and kissed him, turning for the kitchen where Sela was making dinner. One look at her standing with her hands on her low back, though, rocking from side to side, and I frowned.
“Sela, I told you I didn’t need any help tonight.” I set Ian in the exersaucer we kept in the kitchen so he couldn’t cause trouble and moved to her side. “You need to sit down.”
“I-I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re overdoing it.” I took her hand and tugged her toward a kitchen chair. She’d grown as big as a house in the last month, and I didn’t want her to pop right here on my kitchen floor.
I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and brought it back to her. “Drink.”
She frowned up at me but cracked the cap.
“Then you’re going home to relax where Haych can wait on you.”
“I don’t need—“
“No arguing.” I moved to the counter and put away the items she’d just gotten out to cook for dinner. “I feel like ramen noodles tonight anyway.”
She lowered the water bottle and all but groaned. “That does sound good.”
Laughing, I opened the cupboard and pulled out two packs. “Then it’s settled. I’m cooking.”
I filled a pot with water while Sela swiveled to look at Ian. He threw his head back and laughed at the silly faces she made at him. From across the room, she said, “Any news from Luc?”
“No, none.” And I was trying not to be anxious about that.
It has been over a month since he’d left. We hadn’t communicated once. It was too dangerous for him to contact me, and I understood why, but every day that passed without word was like another nail stabbing deep into my heart.
I had no idea if he’d found Dante. I had no idea if he’d had the procedure. All I knew was that I missed him a thousand times more than I had before he’d come back. And I was going out of my mind with worry, afraid something would go wrong and I really would never see him again.
“Do you hear that?” Sela asked.
I stilled, but heard nothing except the water heating on the stove. “What?”
She turned her head. “I think your phone’s buzzing in the other room.”
“Oh shoot.” I pushed away from the counter. I’d left my phone on the coffee table when I’d been playing with Ian.
I raced into the living room and picked it up. An unknown number flashed on the screen. I hit answer and quickly lifted it to my ear, but the line was already dead.
My heart beat hard and fast as I pulled the phone away and stared at the screen, waiting for a voice mail message to pop up. Every time my phone rang, I freaked out, hoping it was Luc. I bit my lip. Prayed. But no message appeared on my screen.
I pressed a hand to my forehead, closed my eyes, and dropped the phone to my side, telling myself I was only making the situation worse. It could be months—years. I had to be patient.
“Natalie?” Sela called.
I opened my eyes and drew in a steadying breath. I could do this. I could be tough again. I could do anything for Luc. “Yeah, I... I’m coming.”
Sela was standing next to the table with a weird look on her face when I stepped back into the kitchen. One that put me immediately on edge.
“What’s the matter?” I crossed toward her. “Is it the baby?”
She shook her head, her eyes glistening as she held out her cell phone. “Better.”
For a heartbeat, I couldn’t breathe. Her phone was ticking off time. Someone was on the other end of the line.
I grasped it and pressed it to my ear, my heart thundering in my chest. “Luc?”
He laughed, a warm, deep sound that sent shivers through my whole body. “Angioletto? You need to keep your phone on you. I called you three times before I gave up and called Sela.”
“Oh my God.” My legs felt weak. Luckily, Sela pushed a chair under me before I fell. “Where are you? I’ve been dying without you.”
“Ah, vita mia. I’ve been dying without you too.” He sounded exhausted. More tired than I’d ever heard him. “I wanted to surprise you but then I realized I didn’t know if you’d be at the warehouse or at home and I didn’t want to make the wrong choice.”
“What?” My eyes flew wide. “You’re here?”
“I’m in Tahiti. They let me go, Natalie.”
My heart felt as if it might explode, and I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back a sob.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
“Yes,” I managed as tears rushed down my cheeks—happy tears. “I-I can’t believe it. Are you sure? Really?”
“Very sure. I found Dante. He’s different. And he wasn’t going to say yes. But when he heard about Ian—“
“You told him?”
“I had to. It was the only way I could get through to him. When he heard about Ian, he broke down. Told me he wouldn’t let them touch you and Ian the way they did Maricella and his child. He volunteered to take my place before I could even ask him.”
My heart ached for Dante. For what they’d done to him. For what he’d lost. And in that moment, I knew I’d never be able to repay him for what he’d just done for us. “W-what about the Grande Cavaliere?”
“Did you see the news from Italy last week?”
My mind spun. “About the president’s heart attack?”
“Yes.”
It suddenly hit me, and I gasped. I’d never seen his face, but it made sense that the Grande Cavaliere was someone with great power in the country. “Oh my God.”
“He won’t last the week,” Luc said. “He’s on life support right now. They’re keeping him alive long enough for the Knights to nominate someone new.”
“Who will it be?”
“I don’t know. But Marco’s on the committee. He’ll make sure it’s not someone evil.”
I closed my eyes and sucked in a slow breath.
“It’s over for us, Natalie. They can’t touch us anymore. Dante will make sure of it. We’re finally free.”
I blinked back a rush of relieved tears, barely able to believe his words. “Please tell me you’re already on a boat to me right this minute.”
“I’m about to get on the chopper. I just needed to talk to you first, to hear your voice.” He sighed. “Dio, I love you, angioletto. I love you endlessly.”
I loved him too. So much. So much more than I ever thought I could love another person. And right now, I wa
s bursting with so much emotion, I could barely speak. “Then... Then stop talking and get home so you can show me.”
He laughed. “I will. I will every day for the rest of your life, vita mia. That’s a promise.”
When Luc’s helicopter landed near the house forty-five minutes later, I rushed out to meet him.
His hair was rumpled, his clothes askew, and he looked as if he hadn’t shaved in nearly three days. There was an exhaustion that clung to him, one I knew hadn’t just been building for eighteen months, but for over thirty three years. But to me he’d never been more handsome. And when he met me on the grass and swept me into his arms, I felt the weight of the world fall away from both of us.
Time stood still as he pulled me into his embrace, as he kissed me. He lifted his hand to my cheek, slid his fingers down my skin, and that was when I saw his ring finger—shiny with some kind of ointment over something dark.
I grasped his hand and pulled it back so I could see. A new tattoo that read NJS’s SLAVE stared back at me.
I laughed and kissed him deeper. And when we were both breathless, he buried his face in my hair and clung to me as the chopper lifted and flew away.
Running my fingers through his soft locks, I held him close, feeling our heartbeats fall in sync together. And as I did, I thought about all those months when I’d been sure I wouldn’t be able to breathe one more day without him.
Love was a risk. Nothing was guaranteed. If I’d never walked into his office in New York, I was sure I would have found dozens of men in this world who could have taken my breath away. But this man—this amazing, incredible, heroic man, even though he still didn’t see himself that way—was the only one who gave me a reason to breathe.
And that made him more than special to me. That made him the very heart of me.
He eased back and looked down at me in the setting sunlight, his uniquely gray eyes damp and weary as he whispered, “I’m here, angioletto.”
Tears filled my eyes. Tears I didn’t even try to hold back.
He pressed his forehead against mine and drew in a slow breath. “I don’t have anything to offer you anymore. No title, no job, no property... I can’t even give you any more children. All I have left... is me.”
“Oh, you silly man.” I lifted my hands to his face as the tears slid down my cheeks. “You are all I want. You are all I’ve ever wanted, Luc. Just you. Exactly as you are. Forever.”
He groaned and captured my mouth in a passionate kiss I felt everywhere. And as I sank into him, as I lost myself in the beauty and perfection that was us all over again, I knew that this love—our love—really was meant to be.
No matter where life took us from here, no matter what happened in the future, this love would survive.
We would never be undone.
Special Bonus Story!
Surrender - A House of Sin Novella
If you enjoyed the House of Sin, I’m thrilled to share with you a bonus novella, featuring Marco and Felicity. Read on for more information on how their story began…
In the House of Sin, lust isn’t the only thing that can destroy you…
The leaders of my House want her dead.
The men I’ve secretly aligned myself with want her punished for screwing up their coup.
I’ve been sent by both to deal with her, but one look at the feisty redhead and I’ve got plans of my own.
Before I carry out anyone else’s orders, she’s going to give me what I want. And only when I’m satisfied will I decide if she lives or dies.
Depending, of course, on just how easily she surrenders…
Books in the complete House of Sin Series:
THE SECRET - Book One
THE FALL - Book Two
THE BETRAYAL - Book Three
THE VOW - Book Four
THE PRICE - Book Five
THE CHOICE - Book Six
SURRENDER - A House of Sin Novella
Thank You!
Dear Reader:
Thank you for reading THE CHOICE! I hope you enjoyed reading Luc and Natalie’s story in the Forbidden series as much as I enjoyed writing it!
If you enjoyed THE CHOICE and any of the books in the Forbidden Series, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy them as well by doing one of the following:
Recommend them: Please help others find these books by recommending them to friends, readers’ groups, and discussion boards.
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~Elisabeth
Also by Elisabeth Naughton
House of Sin Series
(Romantic Thriller)
THE SECRET
THE FALL
THE BETRAYAL
THE VOW
THE PRICE
THE CHOICE
SURRENDER
Deadly Secrets Series
(Romantic Suspense)
REPRESSED
GONE
PROTECTED
UNSPEAKABLE
Aegis Series
(Romantic Suspense)
BREATHLESS ESCAPE
DANGEROUS PROPOSAL
DEADLY ENCOUNTER
EXTREME MEASURES
LETHAL CONSEQUENCES
FATAL PURSUIT
Against All Odds Series
(Romantic Suspense)
WAIT FOR ME
HOLD ON TO ME
MELT FOR ME
Stolen Series
(Romantic Suspense)
STOLEN FURY
STOLEN HEAT
STOLEN SEDUCTION
STOLEN CHANCES
Eternal Guardians Series
(Paranormal romance)
MARKED
ENTWINED
TEMPTED
ENRAPTURED
ENSLAVED
BOUND
TWISTED
RAVAGED
AWAKENED
UNCHAINED
HUNTED
ENSNARED
WICKED
Firebrand Series
(Paranormal romance)
BOUND TO SEDUCTION
SLAVE TO PASSION
POSSESSED BY DESIRE
About the Author
Before topping multiple bestseller lists—including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal—award winning author Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A voracious reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned into a flame, and Elisabeth now writes full-time.
Elisabeth has penned over thirty books and continues to write in multiple genres. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have earned several award nominations, including three prestigious RITA® nominations from Romance Writers of America. In 2017, REPRESSED, the first book in her Deadly Secrets series, won the RITA® for best romantic suspense.
Her work has been praised by the Chicago Tribune as being filled with “deadly intrigue, high adrenaline action, and scorchingly hot passion.” Kirkus calls her “a writer talented enough at weaving a yarn to get her readers ensnared in it.” When not dreaming up new stories, Elisabeth can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home, wrangling two needy cats, or chasing after one very rambunctious Dalmatian.
To learn more about Elisabeth, visit
www.ElisabethNaughton.com