Chapter 6 - THE VOW IN THE SNOW
For a full minute, neither of us moved. The only sound in the cabin was the crackle of the wood-burning fireplace and the ragged sound of my own breathing.
Dominic slowly knelt on the floor. He picked up the ultrasound with hands that, just hours ago, had dealt death without hesitation. Now, his fingers were surprisingly gentle, tracing the blurry white shape on the glossy paper. When he finally looked up at me, his hazel eyes were shining with an emotion I couldn't name. It wasn't anger. It was something far more terrifying: absolute devotion.
"A baby," he whispered, his voice cracking. He stood up, closing the distance between us until I was forced to look up into his face. "You were running away. You were going to leave the city and take my child away from me."
"I was trying to protect it!" I cried out, tears spilling down my face. "Look at what happened tonight! Your world is a war zone, Dominic! How am I supposed to raise a baby dodging bullets?"
He reached out, his warm, large hands cupping my face. He wiped my tears with his thumbs, his touch shockingly tender.
"I didn't know," he said fiercely. "If I had known you were carrying my child, I would have burned the Falcone family to the ground weeks ago. No one will ever touch you, Claire. No one will ever harm this baby. You have my word as a Moretti. You have my soul."
May you like
He leaned down and kissed me. It wasn't rough or demanding. It was desperate, filled with remorse and a terrifying promise of violence against anyone who threatened us. Despite my fears, I found myself melting into him, my hands gripping the lapels of his ruined suit. I was terrified of him, but God, I felt safer in his arms than I had ever felt in my life.
"We stay here," he murmured against my lips. "Until I deal with the rats in Chicago. You are my queen now, Claire. And no one touches the queen."
