Page 41 of The Sins of Saint (The Sins of Saint 3)

“That’s the understatement of the century,” I scoffed.

“I’m serious.” He flipped the box open but kept it turned toward him. “I remember our wedding night. I was impatient. You were afraid.” He shrugged. “I was an asshole in a suit, and you were a sad woman in a wedding dress.”

Usually, my stomach would turn at the memory, but it didn’t this time. That part of our lives felt like decades ago. Or a distant dream where you could only remember bits and pieces.

I inhaled deeply. “I want to make things right between us. I want to give you as much of a normal life with me as possible.”

I watched as he turned the box toward me, and my heart. Just. Stopped.

“I never got around to getting you the wedding ring you deserved.” He held the box out to me, and I gasped. “Is that a—”

“It’s a red diamond. The most expensive and rarest diamond in the world.”

“Oh, my God.” The pristine oval shaped diamond encased in a thin gold band was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. “It’s exquisite.”

He removed the ring from its box, and I sat up, our naked bodies inches apart. Silently, I watched as Saint licked his lips and held the delicate ring between his fingers.

“Milana Katarina Russo,” his sapphire eyes were as radiant as the diamond in his hand, “will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

I was dumbstruck. Stunned into absolute silence. I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts over the sound of my wildly beating heart. The moment absorbed me, and there was no way for me to find the right words even though his question required a simple answer.

Saint slanted his head to the side, studying me. “I know we’re doing all of this the wrong way around, but—”

“Yes.”

He stilled, and out gazes collided.

“Yes, Saint…I will be your wife.”

The words were still warm on my tongue when he captured my mouth with his. Our lips connected with a surge of energy that burned between us, an echo of the bond that ensnared us.

His hands cupped my cheeks, his kiss hard and unyielding. “Forgive me,segreto.” His breath was warm against my wet lips.

“For what?”

He leaned his head against mine. “For being the cause of your tears for so long. For not loving you the way I should have from the moment I laid eyes on you.” He leaned back, touching my jaw softly.. “But I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I will do anything and everything to ensure you are the happiest woman on this Earth.”

“You don’t have to.” I choked back tears and cupped his cheek. “Because I already am.”

16

Saint

There never wasa time in my life when I would sit and ponder about events, or moments that could be labeled as “the best time of life.” It was always just business and pleasure for me. And even the pleasure part had a nine-to-five feel to it.Get it done because it’s something that needs to get done.Fuck, blow your load, and move on until the next time it became something thatneededto get done. There was nothing about my life that was meant to be enjoyed, cherished, or savored. Not until Mila. My wife. The woman who changed everything.

And as I slipped the ring onto her finger, it felt right. It felt like one of those moments meant to be remembered forever. Meant to put a goddamn smile on my face whenever I thought about it.

The red diamond ring was a perfect fit, a reflection of Mila’s priceless beauty through her simplicity and strength. I could have had an extravagant ring designed suited for a rich trophy wife. But that wasn’t her. That wasn’t my wife. She would never be a trophy wife meant to just look pretty at my side. Mila was my weakness and my strength. The woman who owned my heart, and that alone made her worth more than all the money and all the wealth in the goddamn world.

We spent the night under the stars with satin sheets and feather pillows. Her naked body was perfection next to mine. She had dozed off, and I refused to close my eyes because I didn’t want to fall asleep. For the first time in my life, I wanted time to stand still. I wanted the moment to last forever. If it were up to me, this night never would have ended. I wouldn’t have allowed her to leave my arms. I was a pathetic mess of a man in love. Not even my past sins could harden me against the clutches of my wife’s allure.

She stirred, the most beautiful content whimpers wafting past her perfectly plump lips. I would make sure we’d never spend another night apart. Ever. She belonged in my arms, nowhere else.

The annoying sound of my phone vibrating instantly irked me. I cursed myself for not leaving the damn thing downstairs, yet I knew that whoever was calling me this time of night—or morning—was calling with information important enough to risk annoying me.

I reached for the damn piece of tech hidden beneath a pillow and saw James’s name on the caller ID. As softly as I could, I slipped my arm from under Mila and got up, butt fucking naked, and walked a few feet away from the gazebo.

I swiped the screen. “Somebody better be dying.”

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