Page 126 of Made to Sin

I liked to think I was a moral man by the standards of theCosa Nostra. I didn’t kill women or children, banned human trafficking on my streets, and followed traffic laws. Hell, I even made a conscious effort to not call the man above by his name.

Yet, at this moment, I didn’t care if I was a sinner, didn't care if I never went to Heaven. The woman in my arms was already my Heaven on Earth.

THOUGHICOULDHAVETRIEDto leave, I knew there was no escape from New York’s crime syndicates. It would come to find me and drag me back, dead or alive.

God didn’t hear my prayers when he killed Marco, the devil did. Luciano did.

A flood of guilt stabbed at me for thinking of leaving him a mere few days ago, but I was glad he caught me. Undoubtedly, I would have regretted it because nothing felt more right than being in his arms.

After our series of love-making, he carried my lustfully sore body to the bath and washed me clean. Then, he carried me back to bed to now where I was lying on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heart.

The same heart that sang forme.

“A penny for your thought?” He asked distractedly, too busy twirling my hair strands around his fingers.

“I’m thinking about us, and how far we’ve come.”

“Enlighten me.”

“What do you love about me?”

The question was abrupt, but it slipped out of my mouth. I knew why I loved him, but why did he love me? I hadn’t doneanything but be a pain in the behind.

“How your heels always match with your lingerie.”

Rising onto my forearms, I glared at his stupidly handsome smirk. It didn’t matter if we just had sex, I was shy and he was crude.

“How do you even know that?”

“Like I said before, I pay attention to you, sweetheart. Some parts more than others,” he winked.

I flushed red, not expecting the conversation to take this turn. “Be serious!”

“I am. I think it’s adorable how much of a perfectionist you are.”

I rolled my eyes at the worst way to compliment someone’s perfectionism but accepted the answer and laid back on his chest.

We spent the rest of the night on a similar note— with me asking him questions and him answering each one a little deviously. It was all I could have ever asked for when I thought of what being in love meant.

Silly questions aside, there was one thing I had to get off my chest. It had been bothering me since our fight. “Luciano, do you think we’re sinners?”

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding where it came from. I wouldn’t blame him, we were talking about favorite ice cream flavors a minute ago. “What makes you say that?”

“Because…” I tried to find the right words, but none were showing up, so I said whatever came to the tip of my tongue. “I don’t know. I just find it ironic how our whole relationship imposes the seven deadly sins. I’ve wanted you ever since I first saw you, despite being married. Then, to add on top of lust, I committed the worst one yet: pride. I was so prideful, I couldn’t even admit it to myself until months later. There’s probably more, but this whole thing is one giant sin.”

He didn’t judge me or my lame explanation. Instead, he tilted my chin up and gave my lips a sweet tug. “I believed I earned myredemption already.”

“How?”

“I just know.”

I paused. “Can a man like you even be redeemed in God’s eyes?”

Not missing a beat, he answered a cold, firm, “Yes.”

“But how do you know?”

“Because the man above gave me you. The best redemption I could have ever asked for.”

---