"I love you, too," she whispered back. They had already talked about the fact that she could not let anyone know that he was alive. She would have to continue to behave the way she had when she had believed him to be dead, which was going to be difficult seeing as she would shout it to the world that he was alive if she could. But Erik needed her to do this for him and she would.
Knowing that if he did not let her go he might never be able to Erik silently left the room, trying desperately to ignore Christine's sobs. He was gone in a matter of moments, leaving Christine to look after him, with the hope that she would see him again soon.
Anthony groaned when the harsh morning light greeted his eyes. He yawned rather loudly and stretched his arms over his head. His actions caused the sleeping form beside him to stir before settling once more at his side. He turned his head to look closely at Sienna's face, which was resting on his shoulder. Her thick black lashes rested on her dark skin and there was a slight smile on her lips even in sleep. He wondered what she was dreaming about. Was it him? Was he what had caused that smile? He would like to think so. The night before was one he would never forget and yet he felt far too guilty about it for his peace of mind. He had kissed her in the garden and things had just gotten out of control from there. Anthony had picked her up in his arms and together they had made it to his room, without anyone seeing them. Although neither of them would have cared if they had.
He had undressed her slowly, giving her all the time in the world to say no, but she did not. Sienna allowed his hands to roam over her and she in turn, did some roaming of her own. Anthony had been with only a few women in his life, and they had been impractical and they had all been gone before morning. It was not something he had ever been proud of but like any man he had had needs and had had them fulfilled. But Sienna had been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and once he had seen her in the pale moonlight any doubts or hesitations flew out of the window. Anthony had told her that he had thought it was not right, seeing as they were not married, but both of them had desperately needed to come together like this.
It had been incredible, so he could not complain. Sienna was a willing and very enthusiastic learner. Now that he had made love to her no one would touch her and live. He had almost been asleep when he had heard her whisper I love you, thinking he had already been asleep. But he had not been sleeping, and he had heard her. Anthony had almost wept with joy. He had wanted to hear her say those words to him for quite some time and now that she had it was only a matter of time before he confessed them to her.
Sienna stirred beside him and slowly opened her eyes, her gaze immediately finding his own. She smiled and Anthony realized he could wake up every morning next to her and always be happy to see her. He ran his hand through her hair and watched as she slowly woke up, yawning and stretching against him, causing his body to react delightfully to the feeling. She felt the effect her stretching had on him and she smiled wickedly. Anthony realized it was going to be a blissfully delightful morning.
0000000000
Christine sat on the balcony, looking out onto Rome as she quietly thought about the night before. She had not fallen asleep after Erik had left and although she could use the rest sleep was the last thing on her mind. Her body was still alive with the aftershocks of a night of passion, and her heart felt near to bursting. Seeing Erik alive, knowing that he was alright, had almost been too much. She would forever thank God for giving him back to her. Christine now knew how it felt to love someone so much she would willingly die for him.
To think that when they had first met she could not stand the sight of him and they always got into arguments. She missed his temper and she missed the arguments she had with him. But now her son would know his father. He would know the genius behind the man in the mask. She could no longer ask for anything, she had everything she wanted now that she knew he was alive. She only wished that he did not have to take his revenge on Michael. That revenge could still kill him and she prayed that he knew what it was he was doing. Because now that she had him back she would never be able to lose him.