Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 406

ARIELLA

The room was still dark, the faintest hint of early morning barely touching the curtains, and for a second I was too lost in the feeling of him even to think properly.

By the time he finally pulled back, I was breathing hard, completely flushed, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

I tried pulling him on top of me immediately, but he stopped me with a small smile.

“This morning was for you,” he said softly.

I stared at him breathlessly.

“What time is it?” I asked, finally noticing how dark the room still was.

“Too damn early,” he muttered before leaning down to kiss my forehead. “Sorry about that. Have to go on that run with your son.”

I laughed softly at that.

He disappeared into the bathroom while I pulled the sheets over myself, still trying to recover and breathe normally. A few minutes later, he came back out, still slightly wet from the quick shower, a towel hanging around his neck.

And right on cue, Leon knocks on the door came. At least now, after his talk with his father, he didn't just barge into our bedroom anymore.

He knocked first.

“Dad! Dad! We're gonna be late!” Leon called dramatically from outside the door. “Dad, can I come in?”

Asher looked toward the ceiling like he was fighting for patience while I buried my face into the pillow to hide my laughter.

“Come in,” he called out.

The door swung open immediately and Leon rushed inside already dressed in his little running outfit, full of energy that no human being should possess before sunrise.

“Mom!” he gasped when he saw me awake. “You're up!”

“Barely,” I mumbled from under the blankets.

Leon ignored that completely as he jumped onto the bed beside me.

"How are you feeling today mommy? Still sad?" He asked softly.

"No. I am good baby. Having the two of you here, safe and happy is good enough for me." I responded with a smile and maintained eye contact.

“Dad is late,” he informed me seriously. “I have been waiting for him for six whole minutes.”

“Six?” Asher repeated dryly. “The tragedy.”

“Yes,” Leon answered dramatically. “And now the sun is already waking up.”

I laughed softly as Asher walked over to the bed and leaned down to kiss my forehead one more time.

“We'll be back soon,” he told me quietly.

I caught his wrist before he could pull away.

“Be careful with him, I love you,” I whispered automatically.

His expression softened instantly.

“Always. You know what I feel for you hasn't been invented yet...”

Leon groaned loudly.

“Dad,” he complained. “You're being romantic again.”

Asher looked at him blankly.

“And you're being impatient again.”

Leon grinned.

“Because I'm faster than you.”

Asher raised an eyebrow slowly.

“You wanna test that theory?”

Leon gasped dramatically before scrambling off the bed.

“Yes!”

A few minutes later, he came back. I started getting out of bed, but before I could fully stand, he slipped an arm behind my legs and carried me up effortlessly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck automatically, fixing them there and then sucking on his neck. I earned myself a disapproving look.

I only laughed lightly at him.

“You're impossible,” he muttered, though there was no seriousness in it.

“And yet you love me.”

“Unfortunately.”

I gasped dramatically while he carried me toward the bathroom. The warm scent of steam greeted us immediately. He carried me inside carefully, helping me out of my nightdress before gently placing me into the tub.

The water was warm, perfect against my skin, and I let out a soft sigh as I sank into it. Asher crouched beside the bathtub for a second, his eyes fixed on me in that quiet way he had when he wasn't trying to hide how much he loved looking at me.

“What?” I asked softly.

“Nothing,” he murmured. “Just thinking.”

“ About me, I'm guessing?”

He laughed quietly under his breath before brushing wet hair away from my shoulder.

“You look happier this morning.”

That softened something in me instantly.

“I think I feel a little better this morning.”

His expression gentled even more at that.

“Good,” he said simply, like that was all he wanted. And I believed him.

He soaps me up, cleansing me and once I’m totally clean, he takes my hand and helps me up and out of the tub, and then covers me in a fluffy towel, drying me off. He rubs my body with a rich lotion Then he throws me over his shoulder and carries me to the bedroom, where he carefully lowers me down on the bed.

“You’re perfect for me, you know that, my queen? I can’t get enough.”

My Queen. I think I like the sound of that..... A lot.