Chapter 102 HAPPY MORNINGS
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AUTHORS’S POV
The first light of dawn crept through the gauzy curtains of their bedroom, painting the walls in soft hues of gold and rose.
The air was cool, a gentle spring breeze slipping through the cracked window, carrying the faint scent of blooming jasmine from the garden below. The world outside was just waking, but inside, time seemed to pause, wrapped in the quiet intimacy of Luciano and Adeline’s shared sanctuary.
Adeline stirred beneath the tangled sheets, her dark hair spilling across the pillow like ink on parchment.
Her skin glowed faintly in the morning light, still warm from sleep, and she stretched lazily, a soft hum escaping her lips.
She blinked her eyes open, catching sight of Luciano beside her—propped up on one elbow, his gaze already fixed on her with an intensity that made her heart flutter.
His dark hair was tousled, his bare chest rising and falling steadily, and a slow, mischievous smile played on his lips.
“Morning, beautiful,” he murmured, his voice a low, velvety rumble that sent a shiver down her spine.
She smiled back, her cheeks tinting pink as she reached to brush a strand of hair from his forehead.
“Morning,” she replied, her voice still thick with sleep. She shifted to sit up, intending to slip out of bed, but Luciano was faster.
His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back against him with a gentle but firm tug.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he teased, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he pressed himself closer, his warmth enveloping her.
“Luciano,” she laughed softly, squirming halfheartedly in his grip. “I was going to make coffee—”
“No,” he interrupted, his tone playful but insistent.
He rolled them over in one fluid motion, pinning her beneath him with his weight, though he was careful not to crush her.
His hands framed her face, his thumbs tracing the curve of her jaw as he looked down at her, his eyes darkening with something deeper than mischief. “You’re not leaving this bed. Not yet. I’m not done loving you.”
Adeline’s breath hitched, her protests dissolving as she met his gaze. There was a hunger there, a tenderness that made her feel cherished and desired all at once.
“You’re impossible,” she whispered, but her smile betrayed her, and she didn’t resist when he leaned down to capture her lips in a slow, languid kiss.
The kiss was unhurried, a gentle exploration that deepened as he pressed himself closer, his hands sliding down her sides to grip her hips.
She sighed into his mouth, her fingers threading through his hair, pulling him nearer as the world beyond their bed faded away.
He tasted of last night’s wine and something uniquely him, a flavor she’d come to crave. When he finally pulled back, his lips hovered just above hers, his breath warm against her skin.
“I love you,” he said, the words a quiet vow as he kissed the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, then the sensitive spot just below her ear. “And I’m going to show you how much.”
Before she could respond, his lips found her neck, trailing a line of soft, deliberate kisses that made her pulse quicken.
He nipped lightly at her skin, not hard enough to hurt but enough to leave a faint mark—a claim, a promise. Adeline gasped, her hands clutching his shoulders as he moved lower, his mouth brushing the hollow of her throat, then the curve of her collarbone.
Each kiss was a brushstroke, painting her with his devotion, filling her with a warmth that spread from her core outward.
“Luciano…” Her voice was a breathy plea, her body arching instinctively toward him as he continued his slow, relentless worship.
He chuckled against her skin, the sound vibrating through her, and she felt the heat of his hands as they roamed her body—slipping beneath the thin fabric of her nightgown, tracing the lines of her ribs, her waist, her thighs.
He was everywhere, surrounding her, filling her senses until there was nothing left but him.
“You’re mine,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion as he kissed the soft swell of her chest, his teeth grazing just enough to leave another faint mark. “And I want you to feel it—every second of it.”
She was helpless beneath him, not because he held her down but because she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Her hands slid down his back, feeling the taut muscles shift beneath her touch, and she pulled him closer, needing him as much as he needed her.
He obliged, his kisses growing hungrier, his hands more insistent as he pressed himself against her, their bodies fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.
The morning stretched on, time losing meaning as he loved her with every part of himself—his lips, his hands, his whispered words.
He marked her with gentle bites and lingering touches, each one a testament to his claim, his adoration. She was his, and he was hers, and in that quiet bedroom, they rewrote the dawn with their own rhythm—a dance of passion and tenderness that left them both breathless.
When they finally stilled, tangled in each other’s arms, the sun had risen higher, spilling golden light across the bed.
Luciano traced lazy circles on her skin, his lips brushing her temple as he held her close.
“Now you can get up,” he teased, though his arm tightened around her, betraying his words.
Adeline laughed, soft and sated, nestling deeper into his embrace.
“You’re a tyrant,” she murmured, but her voice was warm, her eyes shining with love.
“And you’re my queen,” he replied, kissing her once more—a promise of many mornings like this to come.