Page 36 of Sins of the Son

Milana’s back curved as her head lolled forward.

Softly, so as not to alarm her, I placed my hands on her shoulders and eased her over to rest her head against my chest. I curved my palm over the side of her head, holding her in place. I released the breath I had been holding as the tension drained from my body.

Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to stay like this, with her in my arms, forever.

I knew this was just an illusion brought on by exhaustion.

I had put her through the wringer the last twenty-four hours, not to mention all the chaos and activity at the winery because of the harvest wrap-up. Dinner tonight was probably the first decent meal she had eaten in days. Between that, the wine, and everything else, it was all too much.

Knowing it would get too cold for her out here, I gently shifted our bodies until I could lift her in my arms and carry her inside. As I walked down the dark hallway, there was the barest of moments when I thought to carry her into my bedroom. I wanted her in my bed, by my side, where she belonged, but I knew I needed to be patient.

With a resigned sigh, I carried her into the spare bedroom down the hall. The bed had already been turned down, so I placed her in the center and pulled the covers over her shoulders.

Not knowing how much light she would need, I turned on both nightstand lights, but clicked them down to a soft glow. The room was bathed in light, but not so much that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. I then lifted the sash to the window. Frowning when a cool October breeze ruffled the curtains, I went to the linen closet and returned with a heavy quilt, shaking it out and placing it over her sleeping form on the bed.

I then took up position in an oxblood leather chair I had placed in a darkened corner of the bedroom earlier that day, just for this purpose. If she awoke from another night terror, I was going to be there for her.

I may currently be the monster in her dreams, but I was determined to become the knight who slayed them.

CHAPTER 13

MILANA

I awoke to the smell of espresso.

I sat bolt upright in bed and pulled the blanket up to my chin before hunching down against the headboard as I looked around the unfamiliar bedroom. I reached out and smoothed my hand over the pillow next to me. It was cool to the touch, with no indentations. I lifted the covers up and looked down. The robe I had been wearing last night was twisted around my legs and the impossibly too-big pajama bottoms had slipped low on my hips but were still on.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Cesare had been in the room with me last night.

“Good morning, babygirl.”

I peered over the top of the covers at the devil himself as he strolled in carrying two espresso cups. I blinked several times. Santo inferno! The man was a freaking Armani billboard come to life. He looked impossibly handsome this morning in a slim-fitting, soft gray pinstripe suit from their Manhattan collection. His usually unruly, dark brown, wavy hair was slicked back and his beard had been trimmed. Gone was the rugged laborer who had helped his family in the grape fields over the last week. He was back to being Cesare Cavalieri, billionaire property developer.

My stomach muscles tightened. I hated the fact that I found this side of his personality far more intimidating. Rugged, casual Cesare with his dirty denim jeans and rolled-up linen shirts was closer to the person he had been when we were friends. The Cesare I remembered from back when we would steal fruit from the piazza vendors in the village and eat it in the shade of the trees as we played checkers on a small, beat-up board he always kept in his backpack.

This Cesare was the man he had become.

The man after his betrayal.

The cold, heartless man who had ruthlessly tossed me to the wolves because I didn’t fit into his arrogant, wealthy, elite narrative.

My shoulders stiffened as he got closer. The warmth in his eyes chilled as his gaze narrowed.

He set the espresso cup down on the nightstand by the bed. “I have an early meeting, so I am going to head in. I will send a car to come get you in one hour.”

I kept my gaze averted. “I’m perfectly capable of driving myself into the office.”

He placed a finger under my chin and lifted my head, forcing my gaze up. “To show you I am a reasonable man, I will allow you to drive yourself in exchange for a kiss.”

“A kiss?”

He ran the backs of his fingers over my cheek. “A single kiss.”

My heart beat so loudly in my chest, I was afraid he could actually hear it. I licked my lips.

His own mouth opened slightly at the gesture as he watched me intently.

I arched an eyebrow. “So one hour?”

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