Page 11 of Reckless Sinner

I tipped my head curiously. “Are you not any of those things?”

“No, not really. I’ve never held down a steady job, never graduated college.”

“You’re the plus one of arguably the most influential lawyer in the city,” I said, referring to her father. “That’s not an easy job.”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever heard say that.”

“Well I grew up watching my mother.” I was surprised at the passion in my voice, the protectiveness I felt towards this woman I’d only just met. “Look, I’m sure this won’t surprise you with all your father’s work against the mafia, but we do like to keep things somewhat legitimate. To keep just enough on the right side of the law that we can get away with the other awful shit. One of those things is charity work. Another thing we do is socialize. You all have your politicians. In the olden days in Europe we had nobility, kings and queens. In our world, we have families. And it’s just as much careful politics as anything in Washington. Maybe more because if you’re bad at it in the world I grew up in, you die.”

I softened my voice as I continued. “My mom had a lot of responsibility on her hands. Responsibility that my brother’s wife is about to have. You might know about this through your father, my brother Vincent is getting married. Huge deal. Anyway. A lot of people are worried because she’s from a small family, not very powerful—so how will she be able to handle navigating all of that? My mother ran charities, hosted parties, rubbed elbows with politicians, and businessmen, and powerful dons. And she couldn’t offendanyof them.”

I paused for a moment, meeting Delaney’s wide-eyed gaze. “What you do for your father? It’s a full-time job and it’s hard. It’s a lot of emotional labor. I watched my mom, and she was good, she made itlookeasy, but just because it looks easy doesn’t mean it actually is. So I think you should give yourself more credit.”

Delaney openly gaped at me. Her soft lips were open in a round ‘o’ of surprise, and I wondered what they would look like when they were open around a moan. A desperate gasp for breath. A plea for more, for harder, deeper…

I wrenched myself out of my dirty thoughts as she spoke. “I never thought of it as all that important. Dad always acts like it’s… anyway.” She smiled at me. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

“Oh, you’d better be careful,” I murmured. “I’m a lot of things, but I’m not kind.”

“No? The white sheep of the Russo family isn’t kind?”

“I’m a lawyer.” I smirked. “We’re all sharks, remember?”

Delaney hummed but gave me a look that said she still wasn’t all that convinced. I had no idea how to feel about that. Part of me wanted to prove her right, to show her that I was an upstanding man through and through.

Another, darker part of me wanted to prove her wrong, to see if she would still like me after all that.

“So what do you do when you’re not being a lawyer?” she asked as she finished her slider. “Do you just sit around and plot about what you’ll wear to court the next day?”

I blurted out a laugh, surprised. Delaney seemed pleased that she’d said something I found funny, but she also looked surprised—like she didn’t make people laugh often.

What was the story with this woman?

“I do a lot of reading,” I said, setting my fork on my empty plate. “I’m a huge fan of history, so I read a lot of nonfiction. I even took a history major in undergrad. Double major, with political science.”

The latter had been so that I could set myself up for my law degree. There was no exact pre-law major you should take—Legally Blondegot it right, someone with an undergrad in Fashion Merchandising could take the LSAT same as anyone else—but there were certain majors that looked better on your applications to law school. Politics was always a shoe-in.

“What’s your favorite period in history?” Delaney asked, settling back in her seat once our server cleared our dishes.

I blinked in surprise. Most people didn’t care to ask further questions. They just said something likeoh that’s funand moved onto a new topic.

“Good question. I’m not sure if I have a particular favorite. Lately I’ve been reading up on Korean history. But the Regency period in England has a special place in my heart. It’s how I got started on my history kick.”

She arched a curious brow. “How so?”

I hadn’t said this to anyone, ever. I wondered why I was saying it now, to Delaney. “My mom’s favorite books were the works of Jane Austen. After she died, I read those books, to try and… feel closer to her.”

“Oh.” Delaney smiled softly. “I think that’s really sweet. I hope it succeeded. In helping you feel closer to your mom.”

“I like to think it did.”

“I’m glad.” Delaney gave me a look that seemed completely sincere. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt that someone was being sincere with me. That there wasn’t some act they were putting on, or some hidden agenda they tried to push.

Delaney, I realized in that moment, was dangerous. Her sincerity was dangerous. Her sweet face and her belief in me were dangerous. I could let her in. That couldn’t happen.Shit.

“Would you like any dessert?” I asked her.

Delaney blinked in surprise. “Oh. Um, no thank you. I don’t really have a sweet tooth.”

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