Page 114 of Born into Sin

“Life will never be boring with you.” I run my hand down her body until it’s resting on her stomach. “You’ve given me so much, far more than a man like me deserves.”

“You deserve everything.”

I breathe in her scent and kiss her again. “I just want you. I want to raise a family with you, and I want to grow old with you. I don’t give a shit about anything else.”

She gives a soft laugh and pats my cheek. “That’s very sweet, but there’s no separating you from your job.” Her hand slips beneath the water to rest on mine. “We’re your family, but you have another that’s counting on you, and I’ll do everything I can to help you run it.”

“I don’t want you involved in any of it.”

“We’re married now,” she reminds me. “Partners in everything for life.”

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree to that. You have me, every part of me, for life, but I never agreed to let you put yourself in danger any more than it already is.”

She shrugs a wet shoulder. “I just mean I’m here if you need me. I’m not going to grab a gun and start going after rival families.”

“Thank god,” I groan, already imagining the million different ways she could get hurt.

“But,” she says, giving me a smile, “you can still talk to me about things. You can let me know what you’re thinking. I might be able to help.”

I think about what she’s offering, and she’s not wrong. With her brilliant mind and inability to ever mince her words with me, she would be a huge asset, and I like the idea of sharing this with her. I don’t want to keep a part of my life hidden from her, or at least not completely hidden, because I still refuse to mention anything that will cause her too much worry or stress or put her in danger, but I can give her some things. I can share more than I have been.

“Okay, principessa,” I tell her. “I’ll tell you as much as I’m able to.”

“Can we go to La Dolce Vita?”

I laugh, already starting to regret my decision. “Maybe, but you’re not wearing some tiny goddamn dress if we do.”

“So possessive,” she murmurs with a smile.

“When it comes to you? Always.”

I pull her back against me again and grab a washcloth.

“Now, rest up, sweetheart. This is the only break you’re getting.”

She smiles and relaxes against me, letting me take care of her like I want. With my pregnant wife in my arms, I have everything that I could ever need or want. They’re my life and my future, and I’ll do everything I can to keep them safe because my life is no longer just about me and the mafia I run. She tore that to shreds when she walked into my life. Natalya Alessi brought me to my knees, and I couldn’t be happier about it. She’s my life, and I no longer see that as a weakness. The woman in my arms is my strength, and together we’re going to build a goddamn empire.

Epilogue

Three Months Later

Natalya

“Are you hungry?”

I smile at Lucia when I walk into the kitchen. Before I can even answer, she’s grabbing me some brioche she made earlier and fixing me a sandwich.

“I’m not that hungry,” I try and tell her, but she waves me off with a smile and adds some fresh fruit to the plate. I swear she and Dominic are on a mission to make me gain as much weight as possible. He denies it, but he can’t ever deny it with a straight face.

“Thank you, Lucia,” I tell her, returning her smile when she hands me the plate and a glass of orange juice. “I’m going to eat it in Dominic’s office.”

“Tell him I’m making his favorite lasagna for supper.”

“I will,” I promise her and then take my plate down the hall to the door that always used to intimidate me. Now, I just give a soft knock and walk in before shutting the door behind me. The curtains are pulled back, and the windows are raised, letting in a warm breeze and the sweet scent of the roses I planted along the house.

My husband is smiling at me from behind his desk while he talks on the phone. He hooks a finger at me and pushes his chair back so I can sit on his lap. Setting my plate down on the enormous desk, I can’t help but remember the time he ate me out on it. He notices my blush and kisses my cheek before nuzzling his nose in my hair, breathing me in.

While he talks in Italian to whoever is on the line, he nudges my plate closer, encouraging me to eat. I smile at his worry and take a bite. His office used to be devoid of anything sentimental, but now there are photos all over the place. Snapshots from our honeymoon in Italy are sitting on his bookshelves, along with a couple of framed photos of him and his sister. I smile when I see the one of her giving him rabbit ears while they both laugh. On the wall across from us is a large, framed photo from our wedding. The photographer captured our highly inappropriate kiss, and she’d snapped a photo right as Dominic was pulling back and cupping my face like I’m the most precious thing in the world while I stare up at him with big eyes and pink-stained cheeks. It’s his favorite photo, and he’d immediately had it blown up and framed.

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